WebGuru8

.tv is for Tuvalu? Choosing a Domain Name Extension--Shanghai IDC

Author: Tony black(Shanghai IDC)

.tv, .com, .org, .net, .co.uk - what do they mean, which one should you get for your website?

.tv domain names are springing up all over the place. Anyone can buy one! But did you know that it was originally intended as a country code for Tuvalu. Where's that - I hear you ask. Well it's a tiny Polynesian island nation located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and Australia.

The .tv country code has been hijacked with Tuvalu's blessing (after all they are a small country and are making money from selling their domain names) and is now used by the television industry all over the world!

When you buy a domain name you need to choose what extension you want. You will also need to know whether it will have any effect on your visitor numbers, or the kind of visitors arriving at your website.

First some terminology.

TLD stands for Top Level Domain. It is the letters (extension) that follow the domain name so for the domain name Best Affiliate Program Guide the TLD is .com

Now to the types of domain:

gTLD - Generic Top Level Domain The most common generic top level domains are:

.com - Typically for companies, but unrestricted and can be used for anything. Probably the most popular extension.

.org - Typically for organisations, but unrestricted and can be used for anything.

.net - Unrestricted and can be used for anything.

In the restricted category are:

.edu - for post-secondary educational establishments e.g.universities

.mil - for the US military

.gov - for US governments and agencies

.int - For international organisations established by treaty

Unsponsored Top Level Domains (uTLD) These are generally available

.info - For informational sites, but unrestricted

.name - For families and individuals

.biz - For businesses

Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLD) Every country has a country domain, for example .uk for the UK, .fr for France .it for Italy, .tv for Tuvalu!

If your website or advertising is specifically related at a particular country then I would suggest that you get a country domain. For example - if you have a website reviewing energy companies in the UK, then the most people who will visit your site will be from the UK, your affiliates will be UK based, so get a .uk domain.

There are different extensions available for each country. See IANA | Root-Zone Whois Index by TLD Code for all the different country extensions.

UK domains

You can't buy a straight .uk name, you have to buy a Second Level Domain (SLD).

Ones available are:

.co.uk - Typically used for companies but unrestricted

.org.uk - Typically used for organisaions but unrestricted

.me.uk - Personal names

.ltd.uk - Restricted to Private limited companies

.plc.uk - Restricted to Public limited companies

Restricted UK domains:

.ac.uk - Higher and further education and research institution

.gov.uk - UK National, regional, and local government bodies and agencies

.mod.uk and .mil.uk - UK Military and related purposes

.nhs.uk - National Health Service

.police.uk - UK Police forces

Sponsored Top Level Domains (uTLD) These are reserved for certain areas:

.aero - For the air transport industry

.asia - For the asian community

.coop - For cooperatives

.museum - For museums

.pro - For certain professions

.jobs - For employment related websites

.mobi - For websites catering to mobile devices

.tel - For telephone network services

.travel - For travel agents,airlines, hoteliers and tourism bureaus

So - when choosing your domain extension, decide whether you are targetting a local country, in which case get a country code extension. If you are looking to go global, choose a generic top level domain if you can find a suitable domain name.

And if you have a television related website then go get a .tv domain !!!

TechBarbarian

Thanks for the domain review-- always good to get a refresher.