Domain Registrations:

Why you need a Domain Name?
On the World Wide Web your domain name is your own unique identity. No two parties can ever hold the same domain name simultaneously; therefore your Internet identity is totally unique. If you have a business site on the Internet your domain name is your own online brand and in a sense you can use your domain name as your online business card. With your own domain name your web site, and e-mail addresses for example will have that professional look, being unique to your business. Many people often miss the importance of having and then keeping their domain name until they lose it. Once this happens they soon realize that they have lost their whole online identity.

What is a domain name?
To understand why you need a domain name you first need to know how a domain name works.
A domain name is an addressing construct, used for finding and identifying computers on the Internet. Computers use Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses, which are a series of numbers used to identify each other on the Internet; however, many people find it hard to remember IP Addresses. Because of this, domain names were developed so that easily remembered names and phrases could be used to identify entities in the Internet instead of using an IP Address.
For example, the domain name joinnet.com.jo identifies the company joinnet.com.jo. When a user types the domain name joinnet.com.jo in their browser or sends an email to joinnet.com.jo, the Domain Name System (DNS) will translate the domain name into IP numbers. These are then used by the Internet to connect the user to joinnet.com.jo web presence.

What should I use as a domain name?
You can use a word or phrase as a domain name. When thinking of a domain name, think of catchy words or phrases that are easy to remember and that will bring more traffic to your site. Try to use a domain name that is relevant to your web site. If your web site is a business site, it is a good idea to use the companies name as the domain name or if your site is a personal site try to think of a domain name that is related to the topic of your web site.
Also try to keep your domain name as short as possible, around 5 to 20 characters is fine. The shorter the domain name the easier it will be to remember.
One thing to keep in mind is assumed spelling issues; if you think up a 'clever' domain name such as 1luv4u.com - One Love For You (dating service), people may type in oneloveforyou.com believing this is the domain name; or oneluv4u.com, or 1love4you.com etc. This leads to brand problems. In this case the "oneloveforyou.com" name would be best.

Why should I keep my domain name registered?
More than 20,000 Domain Names are registered every day - that's more than a half million great Web addresses that are no longer available to register each month.
Most of the populations in the world have now been exposed to domain names whether they are aware of it or not. After the evening news, on hoardings and magazine adverts, domains are shouting out at you, imploring you to surf along to www.the-very-best-website.com. There's no escaping it, domain names are becoming an essential business tool, as part and parcel of your communications as your postcode.
For some while now switched-on businesses have been hankering after their own company name to be used in their Web and e-mail addresses. It is much easier for a member of the public to remember sales@mycompany.com.jo than an address most likely including the name of the hosting ISP. When you're advertising, you know that you have about 10 seconds to grab the viewer's attention. Few people will be reaching for their notepads in order to write down a long-winded Web address or URL as they are known.
Each domain, once registered, is unique and recognized worldwide.
Take it now or lose it for ever!
That's the message coming from all sources. According to the researches there are likely to be over 500 million Internet users world-wide by the year 2003. Registering your business domain name now will secure your place, as it were, on the 'Net for the future.

Can I use all the standard alpha-numeric characters?
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 and Dash (-) No other characters may be used. An address must begin and end with an alpha-numeric character. Two dashes may not be placed together nor may spaces be used. Domain names are NOT case sensitive. Global domain names, otherwise known as Top Level Domains (TLDs) such as .com .net .org, MUST be less then 26 characters and note that this includes the 4 characters (.com). Domain names within the JO namespace (.com.jo, .ltd.jo etc) may use up to 256 characters but bear in mind people will be required to type in your address into the browser window. Using a zero is allowed, although you should bear in mind that it may be confused with the letter O.

What is a Top Level Domain (TLD)?
A top level domain (TLD) is the suffix that is attached to the end of a domain name. For instance, in the domain name mybrand.com, ".com" is the TLD.
There are two types of top-level domains: global and country code. Global Top Level Domains (gTLDs) were created to be used by the Internet public, while country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) were created to be used by each individual country, as it deems necessary.

The global Top Level Domains are as follows:
.com
.net
.org
.edu
.mil
.gov
.biz
.info

Joinnet offers the .com, .net, .org, .biz and .info global Top Level Domains in addition to various ccTLDs for registration.
Some examples of country code Top Level Domains available through Joinnet are as follows:
.jo
.com.jo

What I must take into my consideration when I choose a Domain Name?
1- How easy is the name to use and remember? Make it memorable.
2- How does the name look when written and typed? How will it look on business cards and company literature? Make sure it looks good on a browser screen. Does it look better all as one word, or would it be better if it were hyphenated?
3- First impressions count. Do you really need a (.com) when a (.edu.jo) would describe your company better?
4- Sometimes less is more. Keep your Domain Name as short as possible. No-one likes having to type out really long URLs.

What happens when I register a Domain Name?
This is a question that we get asked fairly commonly. What exactly is the difference between Registering and Hosting a Domain? The most important thing about Domains is that each of them is unique. Obviously, the Internet wouldn't be able to function if more than one person had the same e-mail or Web address. This is the job of the Domain Registrars then, to make sure that only one person or company holds a particular Domain Name at any one time. When you register a Domain, the registrar will run a check against its database and only allow you to register it if no-one else has already done so. Once your Domain Name is registered it must find a home to live. It must be 'hosted' by an ISP. Hosting your Domain will mean that the ISP will point e-mail and Web traffic to it.
When you choose your domain the first thing you would decide is what 'extension' you want. Is it to be a (.com), (.com.jo) or …etc? The registrar you apply to depends upon your choice of extension.
The domains (.com, .org) are known as Top Level Domains or TLDs. The most well-known Domain, .com, representing (but not limited to) an International commercial organisation, is maintained by the InterNIC. The InterNIC is a not-for-profit organisation that maintains much of the Internet's formal structure and is responsible for looking after the TLDs as well as other duties. You don't just have a choice of .com. You might prefer a .org (organisation) or .net (network supplier) - note that anyone is now entitled to register and use a .org or .net if they wish. The InterNIC also look after the country Domains, but these are generally 'farmed' out to other administrative bodies such as NIC who look after the (.jo) TLD.
NIC, the non-profit JO Domain Registrar organisation, look after the .com.jo, .org.jo, .net.jo, .ltd.jo and .plc.jo Domains as well as others. These are known as second level Domains, since they are 'sub-domains' of the .jo namespace. There are several rules applicable to the .jo domains and, most commonly, people would register the .com.jo (representing a company trading or based in the Jordan). .ltd and .plc domains are restricted to Limited and Public companies and the .net.jo Domain is restricted to Internet suppliers only.

Is it possible for another person to register my domain name after I have registered it?
.com, .net, .org, .biz and .info domain name availability is verified by InterNIC and other accredited registrars through shared registration system universal databases of available .com, net, .org, .biz and .info domain names. These systems prevent a domain name that is successfully registered through Joinnet from being registered through another domain name registration site.
ccTLD (Country Code Top Level Domain) availability - for example, .jo, .com.jo are verified using NIC systems (National Information Center) through www.nic.gov.jo.

What can I do with my domain name once it is registered?
You can use your newly registered domain name to sign up for Email Services, Web hosting services, register Domain Name Servers or create a name for an email server. You are not required to do anything with your domain name if you do not wish to.

For more details contact us at sales@joinnet.com.jo or please use the CallBack feature to discuss your requirements in person with our consultants. We'll get back to you ASAP.