[ STUFFS ]
Today's the day when you could lose your name to somebody else. WAT DAT?
Claim your name on
the InternetBy Burl Burlingame
bburlingame@starbulletin.comThat's because today is when domain registrars send in the pre-registered applications for the .name generic top-level domain, or GLTD. GLTDs are the suffixes that keep everything straight in cyberspace. The best known is .com; others include .info and .net.
The .name domain address is geared toward individuals. It's your own corner of the Internet that's yours as long as you want it, and a permanent e-mail address that's yours for life, no matter who your server is. It also can become your cell-phone connection. More than that, it will become the de facto standard for individuals connecting to each other.
It is so important that a single agency was created to handle the load. Situated in London, TheGlobalName.org has been swamped by people wanting their name registered.
The extension is known as a third-level domain, meaning that it must be used with at least two elements. For example, "Fasi.name" cannot be registered, although "Frank.Fasi. name" can be, as well as sub-levels such as "campaign. 2002.Frank.Fasi.name."
This was established so domain cybersquatters can't buy up and hoard popular surnames. The only two names unavailable are Santa Claus and Jesus Christ.
We're going to run out of room soon. Only the first Frank Fasi to register will get his name exactly the way he wants it.
If you're a John Smith or have a similarly standard-issue name, you'd best get off the pot, pal.
The only way to register is with a ICANN-approved registrar (www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html). Pre-registrations are being taken today. Starting tomorrow, it's first-come, first grab.
Getting someone their own name as a domain address doesn't make a bad Christmas present, come to think of it.
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