Integrity Website Solutions (TM)

Integrity Website Solutions ™

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"I understand you have some questions."

"Let me try and answer them!"

Our redheaded helper wants to answer your questions in our FAQ section.



Domain Name FAQ's




A01. What is a domain name?

The simple answer is that it is your address on the Internet. A domain name works like a Fictitious Name does for a business or organization.  It can be made up of combination of letters and numbers, but the best names are simple words or phrases. 

It routes the user to the place that the website owner sets as it is hosted. 

You can have more than one. As an example some of the domain names we have registered are IntegrityWebsiteSolutions.com, IWS.name, and GetIWS.com!



A02. Do I need a domain name?

The simple answer is YES

The good news is that we include one in each package. We ask you to give us your best 3 choices of domain names when you complete your worksheet. One of the first thing we do as we set up your package is to register your domain name.



Q03. What characters can I use in my domain name?

You need to pick a domain name for your website. It can be any combination of letters and numbers ending with .com, .org, .net, or .info

Space is a NO! NO! Do not leave space between your words. The space is replaced with an underline and because links are usually underlined it is too difficult to distinguish the real address.

Dashes are not recommended. The "-" in a name is hard to type so while you can use them try to keep away from using dashes.

Capital letters do not matter. The Internet only sees your name as lower case letters. You can use capital letters when you print your name but "GETIWS.COM" is the same as "getiws.com" to the Internet.

Length should be short. The maximum domain name length is 63 characters, plus 4 for ".ext". I think it is unlikely that you will use that many characters. While their may be some cases, rarely would you want to have a name that long. The previous limit was 26 and we registered our CitizensForABetterAmerica.org when it was extend. At 25 character it just made the limit, but the address we give out is CFABA.org.



Q04. Where can I check if a domain name is taken?

The safest place you can go to check if your name is still available is -
http://www.internic.net/whois.html

Remember that just because you try a name in your browser and nothing comes up, or it says 404 error, it does not mean that the name is available.  Many domain names are purchased and never used. 



Q05. What is difference between an Internet address and a domain name?

Most people mean the same thing when they use either the phrase "Internet address" or  phrase "domain name", but there is a difference. A domain name is an Internet address registered with a domain registrar but an Internet address can include more than just a domain name. 

Some Internet addresses are actually a combination of different addresses just like when people live in certain country, city street and then apartment building. Part of the address is the actual domain name. Then part of the address may be the floor, then another part of the address may be the apartment. Your Internet provider may have given you a website with your subscription. That address usually has the domain name of your provider followed by a slash "/" a tilde "~' and your account name.  While this is not a real address if we did that it would look something like this:

www.integritywebsitesolutions.com/~youraccountname/

In our imaginary example the whole name above is an Internet address, but only the first section, "integritywebsitesolutions.com" is actually a domain name. The second section is created by the owner of the domain name and assigned by them to there users. 

This type of complicated address can make it hard for people to remember and to find your website.  Having your own domain name puts your website right on the Internet's superhighway rather than down an alley. It makes it easier for your customers to remember your address and to type it into their browser.



A06. Do you include a real domain name in your packages?

Yes, the address we give you is a real domain name. We register the name for you.  This saves you time and money.  It also protects you from spam. 

Spammers search domain name registries for e-mail address to harvest because when you register you must provide your name and an e-mail address. Now when spammers look at you DNS information they will just see our contact information and the the standard e-mail address we use for all our domain registration, an address they already have.  We want keep you from getting SPAMMED.  

We want to make this an easy and hassle free experience. That is why we have included your domain name purchase in the price of the package.



A07. Why can't I get the domain name I want?

Usually that is because someone else already has it.

"There are now 165 million different websites around the world, according to Internet research firm Netcraft."(BBC.com 30 April 2008) There are already a large number of business and organizations that have websites so your name may already be in use by someone else. They are not pretending to be you, though. Remember, there may be more than one "Bob's Repair Shop" in the country and they may have already registered the name as a .com. Each day it gets harder and harder to get a name you like, so you will have to be flexible.

Also, during the Internet boom many domain names were registered as "spec's" or investments. These buyers hoped that someday you would pay big bucks to buy the name you wanted back from them.  As a result many domain names are already registered even if they do not show a website when you put them in your browser. 

We will work with you to try and get the exact name you want but if it is registered you will have to choose another. You can consider using ".info" or ".net" rather than ".com". We want you to be happy with the name, after all it will be one of the first things people will notice.  So, we will work with you to get as good a name as we can. Here is a list of extensions you can choose from: .com .org .net .us .info .biz .name

You can check names you like at http://www.internic.net/whois.html but just because the name is  available when you check it is no guarantee that it will be available later. Once you sign up for one of our packages the first thing we do is secure your domain name. That is one of the reasons we ask you to pay for your package when you order it.  



Q08. What is the difference between .com .net .org and other dot somethings?

Domain names that end with .com .net .org are all TLDs or top-level domains.  

In the beginning the idea was that .com would be for businesses, .org for organizations .net for networks, .edu for schools and .mil for the military. But, soon people realized they needed to protect there identity and so they began registering all three extension for there business name. While this was expensive it kept away sites trying to steal their customers. It also caused a shortage of names. 

When country codes were added it took some of the pressure off but that didn't last. Most Internet users in the United States do not think of the .us as their country code. They still expect names to end in only one extension not two. So some new TLDs or top-level domains were added. These included the extensions .name .biz. .info

They are the domain names everyone wants. But there are some others. There are country codes like .us for the United States. You rarely see this used but as the world wide demand for names increases one of the ways to solve it is to add new extensions. Because of the demand from business customers who can no longer find a good .com name, .biz and .us were added.

If you are a non-profit, like a church or other noncommercial entity you may still be able to find a good .org domain name, but you may also try .info  The .net was suppose to be just for networks, but many business and non-profits use this as well.  Most schools use .edu  and  .gov is reserved  for the government as .mil is reserved for the military. You get the picture. 

Most of the really great .com names have been taken very fast and now it is hard to great .com domain name. While there are more .org names they are going fast as well.  The solution was to add more TLDs or top-level domains. So TLD's like .name .info and .biz were added. Also. added were country codes, but we do not recommend them for our clients.

All these new TLDs have given us more combinations to choose from but in the United States, where it all started, most people still want a ".com" address.

We recommend that you stay away from the easy solution of adding underlined spaces or dashes. Both of these make it harder to distinguish your name from others and harder to communicate. 

Try saying ....

"Integrity underline Website underline Solutions dot com" 

Now instead try saying ... IntegrityWebsiteSolutions.com no spaces or try some other catchy phrase like getIWS.com. 

Again, remember we are here to help. Don't let your confusion about your domain name stop you. Just give us a call  let us see if we can help you.



A09. Should I get more than one domain name?

We include the 1 domain name you need for your website with each package we sell. But there are good reasons to have extra domain names. As an example some of the domain names we have registered are IntegrityWebsiteSolutions.com, IWS.name, and GetIWS.com!

This is actually something that we recommend to our clients. We recommend that you purchase domain names that might be simpler for someone to type, such as IWS.NAME versus  IntegrityWebsiteSolutions.com!

We also suggest that clients purchase domain names so that others do not purchase those same domain names and pretend to be you.

If you do want extra domain names we recommend our "Redirect Solution". With this service you get not only the domain redirected but stats which tell you about the activity with this domain name.



A10. Do I own my domain name or do you?

Yes to both, while you are a client with us we take responsible for your domain, and we are the person of record. As far as anyone can tell, from the registration, we own the name. Also, we are the only ones with access to make changes.  But we do it this way for your protection and to make it less expensive for both of us. Managing a domain name can be very complex. We are like your landlord, when there are issues we are the ones who have do deal with it not you.

You are free to take your domain name with you. In this way you own your domain. Just notify of your desire to transfer your domain and we will release it when your new registrar requests a transfer.




A11. Why is your name and not mine on the DNS registration?

This is to protect you. Spammers search domain name registries for e-mail addresses to harvest because when you register your domain you must provide your name and an e-mail address. Now when spammers look at your DNS information they will just see our contact information and the the standard e-mail address we use for all our domain registration, an address they already have.  

We want to help keep you from getting SPAMMED.  




A12. What happens to my domain name if I do not renew my service?

What actually happens is that if you do not renew your package we do not renew your domain name.  This means your domain name goes back on the open market. 

If you want to keep your domain name but not our service you could just wait for that to happen. The problem is that when that happens anyone can register your domain. Instead contact us ahead of time and let us know your desire to take over your domain name.  We are sad to see you go but we are happy to release your name to you.




A13. How do I move my domain name with me if I leave?

Our intent is always that you retain control over your domain name and we will release it to you at your request. So let us know as soon as you decide to move your domain name.

You are not registering a domain you are transferring it. All you need to do then is start the transfer procedure. The company you are transferring your domain to will request an authorization from us. Depending on the company you choose you most likely will have to pay the renewal fee. 

We will unlock your domain and approve the transfer. It is that easy. But, if you do not let us know you want to take over your domain we will not unlock it and the transfer will fail. 

These transfers take time so if you do not contact us a month or more before your renewal date, there is a good chance that we will need to cancel your domain name before you get it transfered. 

While we can not act as a mediator between you and your new registrar, we will do what we can to help you transfer your domain name. 




A14. When does my domain renew, what is the renewal date?

Your renewal date is one year to the minute from the time we first registered your domain name. Check your name through 'Whois' to see your renewal date and its status.

The safest place you can go to check your domain name is -
http://www.internic.net/whois.html

Each year when you renew your package we renew your domain name. So, as long as you remain a client we will renew your domain name, so you do not need to worry about it.

See our FAQ about when and how do I renew your package.



A15. Why do you lock my domain, I couldn't transfer it?

We lock your domain name so that unscrupulous people can not steal it by requesting a transfer when you have actually not authorized them to. So, for you to take over your domain name we will have to unlock it, and approve the transfer. It is that easy. But, if you do not let us know you want to take over your domain we will not unlock it and the transfer will fail. 

We want you to keep your name and we will release it to you at your request. while we can not act as a mediator between you and your new registrar, we will do what we can to help. 

Let us know that you intend to transfer your name to a new register. Check with your new domain registrar as to what they require you to do to restart the transfer.