With many nations now allowing people residing outside their shores to register names under their ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) extension, the options for registering an ideal name have broadened. However, registrants should also ensure they are familiar with the relevant laws and culture of the country in question before registering these names.
With many nations now allowing people residing outside their shores to register names under their ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) extension, the options for registering an ideal name have broadened. However, registrants should also ensure they are familiar with the relevant laws and culture of the country in question before registering these names.
There have been occasions in the past where the government of a country has taken exception to how their ccTLD is being used by some web sites, resulting in services being cut and domain name registration revoked; costing those businesses a great deal of money and loss of their online brand. The reasons for revocation may be based on religious or political grounds, or simply censorship for the sake of it.
Registrants should bear in mind that just because certain laws and rights may give them a great deal of freedom of speech in their own country, across the border it may be a different story - those rights become null and void; and no amount of debate or feeling of entitlement will make a difference.
Regime change within a country can also be cause for concern, particularly if it results from violent conflict, as infrastructure may be thrown into disarray that can affect the operation of some registries.
For example, as Libya's government was being overthrown in 2011, politically motivated hackers defaced the site of Libya's top level domain name registry. While other sites using Libya's ccTLD (.ly) were not affected, it was an unsettling time for those registrants. Additionally, Libya's registry is controlled by the General Post and Telecommunications Co. The chairman of the organisation was Mohammed el-Gaddafi, the eldest son of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi; whose regime was being overthrown.
Another point to bear in mind is not all ccTLD's are created equal in terms of their reputation. Some country extensions are over-represented in statistics related to fraud, spamming and other forms of nefarious online activities.
With some registrants investing a great deal of time and money in their web sites, extensive research and other forms of due diligence before registering a country code Top Level Domain name can help prevent headaches, uncertainty and possibly financial losses in the future.
For businesses, the best bet may be to either register a name under a generic TLD, such as.com; or under the ccTLD of their own country. In addition to providing peace of mind, if a business only operates within that country, then the associated TLD will likely have a great deal of awareness and trust within the local population - and that helps turn browsers into buyers.
An Overview Of Domain Name Slamming
The term "domain slamming" is derived from telephone slamming, where a subscriber's telephone service is changed without their consent - a practice particularly prevalent in the USA and Britain. Domain slamming has been rife for years, but people still unfortunately fall victim to the ploy.
A Domain Name Search Can Save You Hundreds
Received an unsolicited email offering to sell you a domain name that grabs your interest? Read on as this tip might just save you hundreds of dollars.
A Primer On Typosquatting
Typosquatting is a form of cybersquatting that can erode a company's brand and contribute to a reduction in sales. It can also add to the cost of sales through the need for defensive action or litigation.
