EnTrends

THE ALTERNATIVES TO DOT COM

by Patrick Tan

mailto:patrick@aloha-city.com

A good domain name can add value to your online business in the same way that branding does for a branded product. Custom domain
names, like vanity license plates, are much easier to remember than ordinary Internet addresses and extremely long domain names
extending way beyond 30 characters. All things being equal, greater recognition would definitely lead to more traffic to your site.

There are three main types of US extensions available for our use at the moment. Most, if not all, of the good names have already been
taken up by cyber-squatters and companies who got into the Domain Game many years ago. Unless you are prepared to pay big money
for a good domain, you may have to settle for an obscure or long domain name of up to 67 characters.

Nevertheless, many online marketers are hoarding dot com domain names like there is no tomorrow. Long descriptive domains with
targeted keywords in them are going like hotcakes and dot com domains are hotter than ever!

This is because people are now conditioned to enter a name followed by ".com" and if you have the ".net or ".org" extension, you run the
risk of sending your clients to a competitor's site. In addition, most browsers allow you to enter the domain name without the extension.
The browser will automatically search for a dot com domain name. If it can't find one matching, it will look for dot net, follows by dot org.

However, things may be different if Congress approves the use of seven new top level domains. The new domains and their intended
fields of use are:

.FIRM - for businesses or firms

.STORE - for businesses offering goods to purchase

.WEB - for entities emphasizing activities related to the WWW

.ARTS - for entities emphasizing cultural and entertainment

activities

.REC - for entities emphasizing recreation/entertainment

activities

.INFO - for entities providing information services

.NOM - for those wishing individual or personal nomenclature

With increased marketing and adoption of various top-level domains, people will be aware of their differences and may no longer presume
that every online address ends with a dot com extension. After all, it is easier to remember a short descriptive extension than to recall a
long string of keywords that are too common to create a lasting impression.

What this means is that those who are hoarding dot com domain names now may be holding on to "virtual wasteland". With plenty of
good domain names coming on board soon, there will be less incentives to pay a huge premium for a dot com name. You can take a peek
into the likely scenario by looking at the widespread acceptance of the new WS global domain names.

WS domain names are now being registered at the rate of one per minute around the clock! With users in more than 100 countries
worldwide, the .WS domain has firmly established itself as a global standard with the same recognition given to .com, .net and .org
domains. Single .WS domain names are already being

auctioned off on various websites for tens of thousands of dollars.

Nevertheless, it is good to have a "dot com" name in view of its established popularity. After all, the new top level domains may take
some time to become popular. If you have not yet registered your own domain name, start by checking whether the domain names you
want are available in dot com.

Start Domain Name Search Now!

http://www.virtualis.com/vr/ptan1/domain_search.html

If they are not available, search the WorldSite database and

get the domains you want before someone else does!

Search WorldSite Database Now!

http://worldsite.ws/patricktan

If all attempts fail, do not despair! You can still look out

for a .FIRM, .STORE or .WEB in the near future!

Join the race for the alternative to dot com!

----------------------------------------------

Miss out on the .com races? Now you can get something better! A

WorldSite.WS globally accessible domain name. Register the .WS

names you want...Or refer others to this domain and earn

attractive commissions up to two levels.

Go to WorldSite now!

http://worldsite.ws/patricktan