domain name for the site

[antongorlin]

hi
I've decided to get myself a site for portfolio.
The problem is in domain name. there're 2 options in general
1) something abstract like photo.com (I know it's taken, it's just a sample)
2) something name-related like antongorlin.com or gorlin.org or whatever.

both options have their advantages and disadvantages.
1) can be used in many ways other than just my folio, its easier to sell, easier to remember etc. but its not directly refering to me.
2) everything opposite - bad for selling and other site usages, but points to me. The other thing is I'm not sure if my name/surname could be easily remembered by non-russian-speaking people.

Thoughts? Anything I miss?

[Tannin]

You missed the .au

This is essential if you want to attract Australian business. Anyone searching (for example) Google with the "SITE:.au" set (because they want to see businesses in this country) will never, ever see your site if you register it with an overseas domain (such as ".com" or ".net.ca").

You need the .au

[antongorlin]

well, I'm temporary in Australia, so au doesn't make much sense. Maybe I'll have to take two - one with au part

[Xenedis]

I wouldn't say the .au namespace is necessary. I didn't bother with it myself; my site is not specifically for the Australian viewing market.

Of course, I'm not running a business, but even so, GTLDs are more memorable, require less typing, and have more global appeal.

If Anton is simply selling his images rather than running a business, he doesn't need a domain name that places him in a certain geographic market.

[Tannin]

It doesn't much matter where you are, Cold, it's where your customers are, and where they expect to find you. So, for example, let's say you live in Australia, have your site hosted in the USA, and specialise in bullfight pictures, you'd probably want a Spanish TLD - yoursitename.co.es or similar.

Where will your customers look for you? That's the key question.

[Tannin]

What on earth do you mean by "GTLD", Xenedis? Oh, I can guess that you intend the "G" to stand for "global", but that is, in reality, absurd. It actually stands for USA. The empty part after the ".com" or ".org" stands for USA. Yes, that's stupid, but the Yanks invented it and now the rest of the world is stuck with it. Anyone searching for a site and not wanting to have to trawl through a zillion American sites of no relevance will never see you.

PS: What is the difference between selling images and running a business? Ans: nothing.

[Kym]

What on earth do you mean by "GTLD", Xenedis? <snip>

Xenedis is correct. .COM is now treated as a gTLD (as different from a ccTLD).
It was originally part of the set com, edu, gov, mil, net, and org all administered by the US Government when DNS came in being the mid 80's.
(Remember the early days of only hosts files? )

There was a change made some years back (1991 ?) when the US Government subcontracted Network Solutions Inc to run it, and they intended for USA sites to use .com.us (which of course they don't)
Then they came up with ICANN - we won't go there!

FWIW we have several domains pointing at AP....
http://www.ausphotography.net.au
http://ausphotography.net.au
http://ausphotography.net

So I would do both. You usually get a .COM as part of your hosting plan.

_______
Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_top-level_domain

[Xenedis]

What on earth do you mean by "GTLD", Xenedis?

Generic top-level domain.

Sorry, nerdy domain name lingo. :-)

The empty part after the ".com" or ".org" stands for USA.

It doesn't, and .com/.net/.org does not imply American hosting or origin. That's very old thinking; those GTLDs have been geographically non-specific for many years.

In fact there is a .us namespace, but it's not commonly used.

Anyone searching for a site and not wanting to have to trawl through a zillion American sites of no relevance will never see you.

Anyone serious about being found by Internet searches will employ SEO (search engine optimisation) techniques and not rely on namespace to be the defining criterion leading to hits. Namespace tells you nothing.

Take RedBubble. It is an Australian, Melbourne-based company, yet its domain name is redbubble.com.

PS: What is the difference between selling images and running a business? Ans: nothing.

Well, I've sold images, but I don't run a business.

[Xenedis]

FWIW we have several domains pointing at AP....
http://www.ausphotography.net.au
http://ausphotography.net.au
http://ausphotography.net

To be precise, www.ausphotography.net.au is not a domain name; the "www" is a hostname within the ausphotography.net.au zone.

It would only be a domain if it had an NS record delegating authority to a nameserver, and itself had a zone.

In AP's case, the www is a CNAME pointing to the domain name ausphotography.net.au, which has an A-record pointing at an IP address.

It's not uncommon to point root domains at IP addresses. I always tend to do so.

In my case, www.xenedis.net and xenedis.net will both get to my site.

(I was a DNS administrator many years ago in a former life.)

[ricktas]

so does www.ausphotography.net

[Wayne]

Just need to make sure if you have multiple domains and point them to one IP, you know about CNAME, A records, MX records etc or your domain registrar offers domain re-direction.

[Kym]

To be precise<snip> (I was a DNS administrator many years ago in a former life.)

These things we know, I'm trying to keep it simple.
SOA, NS, PTR, CNAME, MX, A, AAAA records etc. are really too complicated for most people.

99.999% only need to know my 'domain name' points to my site's IP address.
In AP's case the CNAMEs etc are just for convenience.

[Kym]

Just need to make sure if you have multiple domains and point them to one IP, you know about CNAME, A records, MX records etc or your domain registrar offers domain re-direction.

Its easier than that, most hosting providers give you a nice Web interface that does it for you. cPanel or whatever.

[Xenedis]

These things we know

Goodo.

SOA, NS, PTR, CNAME, MX, A, AAAA records etc. are really too complicated for most people.

IMO, domain holders should know some basics, as some get a bit creative and do silly things.

However, you are quite right that for many people it's a case of:

my 'domain name' points to my site's IP address.

Some people may never modify their DNS records (or even look at them) unless it comes to migrating to another hosting/DNS provider.

In AP's case the CNAMEs etc are just for convenience.

Absolutely. No point maintaining multiple A-records if you have one IP address hosting your site; if it moves, make one A-record update and the rest follow.

[Tannin]

"G" to stand for "global", but that is, in reality, absurd. It actually stands for USA.

they intended for USA sites to use .com.us (which of course they don't)

Exactly. I rest my case.

[Kym]

Exactly. I rest my case.

No, you miss the point.
.com (.org, .edu etc) meant USA by default 1985-1991 it was then re-designated global.
The fact that US companies think they are all global (and many are) and don't bother with .com.us is irrelevant.
.com now is formally a global TLD and as such anyone is welcome to use it.
To say .com is just USA flies in the face of what ICANN/IETF have defined.

Anton who is in .au temporarily and wants to be global should consider .com
as his default with a .com.au pointing back at his primary site. The best of both worlds!

[Tannin]

Not at all. I am perfectly well aware of your point. It is, however, a complete waste of time to cite on-paper rulings that no-one actually pays the slightest attention to. I have no argument with your explanation of the theory, but my interest here is in the practical reality, which is that no country code indicates USA 9 times out of 10, and everybody knows that.

Actually, I wish Obama would go ahead with his threat to "turn off the Internet" as then we in the rest of the world could get on with making a deccentr network wiothout those buggers ... but that's another issue.

[antongorlin]

yeah, that's all fine, but let's return to my initial question
something abstract or something name-related?

[Kym]

Abstract for me.

[Tannin]

Agree with Kym.

Every damn photography site under the sun is MyImpossiblyLongAndDifficultToRemememberName.com. Why would you want to do that? Something short and memorable for sure.