Dot What??? The dot com

There are many domain name extensions on the Internet and sometimes people wonder what they stand for. Here is a guide that will make extensions simple to understand.

The dot com or .com domain name extension is the most popular domain name extension on the Internet. It was originally meant for commercial use, but it is now used for anything and everything on the World Wide Web.

Dot org or .org stands for organization. Dot org is one of the original Internet domain names and is available to anyone. It is usually used by non-profit organizations and charities.

Dot net or .net means network. Most Internet users and businesses like .net because it is short for Internet. Dot net is the number one alternative to .com when the .com domain name trying to be registered has been taken. It is a smart move to buy the .net version in your name or your company’s name so no one else can use it.

Dot biz or .biz is a trendy top-level domain that stands for business. Dot biz is intended for business use only.

Dot info or. info is short for information. Dot info sites are great places for resource information about any and all topics.

Dot mobi or .mobi is solely intended for use with mobile devices.

Dot name or .name can be a very useful extension. If your real name has already been taken as a .com, name domain extension would be a great alternative. It is filled with possibilities and is an easy way for your family and friends to find you. If you are thinking about getting domain names for your kids, this is a great domain name extension.

Most countries have their own name extensions, or country codes. Here are a few examples:

Dot us or .us is the official domain extension of the United States of America. Any U.S. citizen or resident, as well as any business or organization, including federal, state, and local governments with a presence in the United States can register a .us domain name.

Dot ws or .ws has been getting a lot of attention lately. People think .ws stands for Website, when actually the letters stand for Western Samoa, the country that owns the domain. Anyone can register this domain and many people have, because it is easy to remember.

Dot jp or .jp is used for Japan domain names. If you or your company are thinking about doing business in Japan then this would be a domain extension you should consider.

Dot tv or .tv is the extension to use if your are thinking about doing video on the Internet. Originally, the letters in .tv stood for Tuvalu, a small island nation in the Pacific. This island still owns most of .tv. Recently though, .tv is being used as the video outlet on the World Wide Web. Video on the Internet will start and stop with .tv.

Dot cc or .cc domain extension was originally for the country of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which is an Australian territory. It is mainly used for URL redirection.

Dot vg or .vg is for the British Virgin Islands. It could mean “very good,” and could be a highly popular extension in the future.

Dot co dot uk or. co.uk is the domain name extension is for the United Kingdom. The .co portion of the extension indicates the domain name is for commercial purposes (similar to a standard .com extension).

Dot org dot uk or .org.uk is the for United Kingdom. The .org indicates that the domain name extension is for an organization.

Dot me.uk or .me.uk is for the United Kingdom. The .me portion of the extension indicates the domain name is for an individual.

.de is the country code for Germany.

.be is the country code for Belgium.

.cn is the country code for China.

.com.cn. The .com portion of the extension indicates the domain is for commercial purposes (similar to a standard .com extension).

.net.cn. The .net portion of the extension represents the word “network”, and is generally used by Internet infrastructure providers.

.org.cn. The .org portion of the extension indicates the domain is for an organization.

.tw is the country code for Taiwan.

.com.tw is the country code for Taiwan. The .com portion of the extension indicates the domain is for commercial purposes (similar to a standard .com extension).

.org.tw is the country code for Taiwan. The .org portion of the extension indicates the domain is for an organization.

.at is the country code for Austria.

.co.nz is the country code for New Zealand. The .co portion of the extension indicates the domain name is for commercial purposes (similar to a standard .com extension).

.net.nz is the country code for New Zealand. The .net portion of the extension represents the word “network”, and is generally used by Internet infrastructure providers.

.org.nz is the country code for New Zealand. The .org portion of the extension indicates the domain name is for an organization.

.gs is the country code for the South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands.

.tc is the country code for the Turks & Caicos Islands.

.ms is the country code for Montserrat.

The list goes on. For more information about domain name extensions you can go to Wikepedia or The Wall Street Journal interactive edition. So, the next time you come across a website with an extension you don’t recognize, you don’t have to say “Dot what?”