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Below is our FAQ.
(need a question answered
email us) |
What domain name services do you provide?
What is a domain name?
How long can a domain name be?
What characters can be in a domain name?
Why do I need a domain name?
How do I register (book) a domain name?
How do I search for a domain name?
Will search engines find my domain name?
How do I choose the right domain name?
What are the best kinds of domain names?
How do I transfer a domain name?
Get help choosing a domain name.
Who owns a domain name?
What is a top level domain?
Can I get a free domain name?
How do I get an appraisal of my domain name?
What is a domain name server?
What is dynamic DNS?
What is a root server?
How do I buy a domain name?
Can I get help with the domain name registration process?
How do I sell a domain name?
What is domain name hosting?
What is the domain name system?
How do I get a cheap domain name?
How do I do a lookup of domain names?
What is domain name parking?
How do I renew my domain name?
Can I purchase a domain at an auction?
Is there a web developer discount for
Domain Names?
What is the dispute mechanism for domain names?
What is cybersquatting?
What are the
legal requirements to get a Domain Name?
Am I infringing on a trademark or copyright?
What are
internationalized Domain Names?
What is Domain Locking?
Can I register a Domain name and use my free members space at my ISP?
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What domain name services do you provide?
Chinook Webs can register .com, .net,
.org, .info, .biz,.ca. If you have already registered a name
elsewhere, we can transfer the registrar records to our service, perhaps
saving you money or providing better service. In addition to
registration/transfer or renewal services, we offer domain parking, hosting
or redirection. If you need help selecting a domain name, give
us a call (403-257-1357) and we will be happy to assist you.
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What is a domain name?
A domain name is a way to identify and locate computers and resources
connected to the Internet. No two organizations can have the same domain
name.
Every company or organization that wants to be on the internet will register
a domain name ( or multiple names) for use as their on-line identity or names that clients
(customers, all internet users) will use to access on-line services such as
the organization's website or email system.
For example, Chinook Webs registered the domain name chinook-computers.com,
so users on the internet can access their website (and order services, etc)
at www.chinook-computers.com
and send email to Chinook Webs employees at username@chinook-computers.com.
Much like a company's name, logo, or 800 number, a domain name has marketing
value when customers can easily remember and associate it with the
organization. Since over 11 million domain names have already been
registered world-wide, it can be difficult to find a good domain name. We
can help you find domain names and will help you through the processes of
registering a domain and setting up a website for your business or
organization.
Each domain name corresponds to numeric IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. An
IP address takes the form of 4 numbers, each one between 0 and 255,
separated by periods. The Internet uses the numeric IP address to send data.
For instance, you may be connecting to a World Wide Web server with the
domain name "rs.internic.net", but as far as the network is concerned, you
are connecting to the Web server with the IP address associated with that
domain name.
The Domain Name System completes the task of matching domain names to IP
(Internet Protocol) addresses. Domain names, and their corresponding IP
addresses, must be unique. If more than one organization on the Internet had
the same domain name, confusion would occur when the network tried to
identify and communicate with the computers within those organizations. For
example, if there were two separate universitites, one in Quebec and
one in Alberta, they cannot both use the domain name "greatschool.edu",
because the Domain Name System would not know which one of the universities'
IP addresses were associated with that domain name.
The Domain Name System is a collection of databases that contain information
about domain names and their corresponding IP addresses. Domain name servers
(DNS)
are computers that translate domain names to IP addresses. This system
allows Internet users to deal with the more intuitive domain names, rather
than having to remember a series of numbers.
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How long can a domain name be?
Generally 63 characters is the max. We strongly recommend that the
shorter the name the better. Also avoid special characters. |
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What characters can be in a domain name?
The only valid characters for a domain name are letters, numbers and a
hyphen "-". Other special characters like the underscore "_" or an
exclamation mark "!" are NOT permitted. The www is not part of the actual
domain name and is just a standard web prefix. Domains may not start with a
-. |
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Why do I need a domain name?
Domain names are allocated by the InterNIC on a first-come, first-served
basis. Once a domain name has been registered, it is no longer available.
The most popular and easily-remembered domain names are being reserved
daily, at the rate of
one domain name every 5 seconds!
At that rate, in the near future, only obscure domain names will be
available to the general public.
As long as you have an Internet service provider for your website,a
domain name is not absolutely required. However, a good domain name creates inherent
value for your organization. Domain names that reflect the name of your
organization (i.e. sony.com, intel.com, ford.com) are an invaluable asset to
your company.
Wouldn't your rather your customers find you on the internet like this?
www.yourcompany.com
instead of like this?
www.yourserviceprovider.com/yourcompany
In some ways, a domain name is similar to a customized license plate -
very easy to remember. A domain name allows you
to receive e-mail at a customized e-mail address. With a domain name, your
email can look like this:
yourname@yourcompany.com
instead of like this
yourname@yourserviceprovider.com
As the Internet grows and domain names become more scarce, premiums for
existing domain names will increase significantly. (the preceding sentence
dates back to about 3 years ago when it looked like domain names would
forever spiral up in price. The reality has been that with the increase in
top level domains extension and country code specific extensions, the value
of a specific domain name has greatly lessened)
Why do I need one right now?
- to avoid costs of address changes later on.
- to avoid somebody else from registering the name you want.
- to maximize the chances of a successful internet presence.
- Eventually, the .com's will be all taken up! Don't be left behind --
the faster you act, the better your chances for getting the domain name
you want. Once a domain name is taken, you would have to track down the
owner to see if they are willing to sell it.
What if I'm not a business?
Domain names aren't just for businesses. People everywhere are securing
domain names for personal or group use. |
How do I register (book) a domain name?
In order to register or book a domain name, you need to go through the
services of a domain registrar. (for instance us) Depending on your country or
organization type, selection of a registrar will vary. We are
currently offering registration services for what we consider the main North
American domains. (.ca for Canada, .com, .org, .net, .info, .biz).
Originally there were very few choices available for registration but today
that has changed, and the mark of a good registration service is the degree
of help they are willing to offer. |
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How do I search for a domain name?
Depending on the type of domain you are searching for (which is governed by
the ending i.e. .com or .ca) you can either search from our
pages or you can access whois information from a
variety of registrars that are available on the internet. |
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Will search engines find my domain name?
Just having a domain name isn't enough to get found. The Internet is a
really big place. The common ways of getting found are through the
major search engines, by links from another popular web site, by banner
advertising, by traditional advertising such as print, radio and television.
There are also other ways of promoting your site, for instance making sure
every bit of stationary leaving your office contains your web address, or
plastering it all over your vehicles. Search engine submission is a
very large topic in of itself and we provide information on this to our
customers. |
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How do I choose the right domain name?
I think that step one in choosing the right domain name is to be very sure
of what image you are trying to portray. For instance .ca domains
imply Canadian companies and indeed there are some rules on who can get a
.ca name. Next the usual case is for the domain name to somehow tie
into your business or your topic that will be covered by the web site.
Generally it is a really good idea to avoid names that include trademarks of
other companies as this can only lead to miserable legal issues. Now for
example: if you were into snowmobiles and located in Alberta a fairly good
choice would
www.albertasnowmobiles.ca
. Try to avoid dashes or incorrectly spelled names (i.e. phast.ca
compared to fast.ca). In the end it boils down to personal choice but
remember that the purpose of a domain name is to make it easy for others to
remember (thus the shorter the better). |
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What are the best kinds of domain names?
The best is still .com but since this namespace is rapidly
filling up, most people must look elsewhere for reasonable domain names.
Relief has arrived in the .biz and .info namespace, as well as the
wide assortment of country specific domain names. Also it
is our experience that on a local basis people have absolutely no trouble
with country specific names such as .ca. In fact a great percentage of
surfers will take a common phrase and append the .ca to it when typing it
into a browser. For example, if you wanted to reach the Canadian subsidiary
of Microsoft, it would be natural to type in Microsoft.ca. |
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How do I transfer a domain name?
Generally speaking a transfer needs to be initiated by the Registrar that
the name is being transferred to. You do not need to transfer your
domain name to Chinook Webs in order to use our hosting service, all that is
required in that case is that the DNS is re-pointed to our name servers.
If you would like to transfer your domain names to our service, please
email us.
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Get help
choosing a domain name. Please contact us and we will be happy to
help you choose. What makes Chinook Webs different from the "other
guys" is our personal attention to customer service. For instance, call us
and more than likely you will get a human being answering the phone . ( we
do have voicemail but if it kicks in we really are out- probably helping a
customer). 403-257-1357 |
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Who owns a domain
name? Most registrars do not give ownership, only usage
Over 90 percent of all domain names were registered through Network
Solutions, Inc. and that company specifically retains ownership of domain
names in their registration agreement......
.....now in spite of the above ownership of the domain name remains with you
BUT only so long as you maintain your registration. Fail to renew and
back in the pot it goes. |
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What is a top level domain?
A top level domain (TLD) is the suffix that is attached to the end of a
domain name. For instance, in the domain name chinook-computers.com, ".com" is
the TLD.
There are two types of top-level domains: global and country code. Global
Top Level Domains (gTLD) were created to be used by the Internet public,
while country code Top Level Domains (ccTLD) were created to be used by each
individual country, as they deem necessary.
The global Top Level Domains are as follows:
.com
.net
.org (usually organizations)
.edu (universities and educational institutions)
.mil (military)
.gov (federal, state, local government)
.tv (NEW TLD)
.cc
.Of course this now changing as we get global TLD's that are purpose
specific. For instance .museum for museums and .pro for accredited
professionals.
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Can I get a free domain name?
Is there a free lunch, of course not. Anyways for sure not from us. Some web
hosting companies use the Free Domain Name as a lure to get you to
host with them. In that case the domain name is either not transferable or
is in fact included in the web hosting price |
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How do I get an appraisal of my domain name? An appraisal of a
domain name is a guess, opinion or estimate. A domain name is only worth as
much as what someone is willing to pay for it. If you want to get an
appraisal, go to any search engine and type in domain appraisal you are sure
to get a large list of companies eager to do this for you. If I were in the
market for a domain appraisal, I would certainly pick one that charges for
the service. (remember there is no free lunch). |
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What is a domain name server?
Here is an intermediately technical answer:
...The DNS directory service consists of DNS data, DNS servers, and Internet
protocols for fetching data from the servers. The billions of resource
records in the DNS directory are split into millions of files called zones.
Zones are kept on authoritative servers distributed all over the Internet,
which answer queries according to the DNS network protocols. In contrast,
caching servers simply query the authoritative servers and cache any
replies. Most servers are authoritative for some zones and perform a caching
function for all other DNS information. Most DNS servers are authoritative
for just a few zones, but larger servers are authoritative for tens of
thousands of zones. .....
For a simpler answer: In order for your site visitors to find your web site
there must be a map of how www.yourdomain.com gets translated into
something the browser (ie Internet explorer or Netscape) understands (IP
addresses). DNS Servers are specialty servers that provide the mappings for
domains. Most ISP's will run at least two DNS servers to be the
"authority" for the web sites that they host. A master list is
maintained on what is called a root server. These root servers know
how to contact the "authoritative" servers (for instance ours) and get
information on where to send browser requests. |
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What is dynamic DNS?
This is really a two parter, dynamic DNS out on the web has come to mean
situations where the host machine ( the one you are trying to connect to)
doesn't have a static (always the same) routable (valid for the
Internet) IP address but rather gets a different one each time it boots up
or the service changes ( this is called DHCP - Dynamic Host Control
Protocol).
Dynamic DNS insofar as Windows 2000 Server's DNS service is concerned is
it's ability to largely replace WINS as the main method of host recognition
on a network. What this means is that every Dynamic DNS aware computer will
automatically register itself with the DNS services and then can easily be
found (resolved) by name rather than by IP address. |
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What is a root server?
Think of the internet as a complex multi-dimensional map. Every map has to
have an index which is the starting point to find places that are on the
map. The root servers perform this type of function. When
you request a page at chinook-computers.com a root server told your isp's
DNS server where to find another DNS server that is authoritative for
chinook-computers.com |
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How do I buy a domain name?
The usual case for purchasing a domain name is through a registrar such as
ourselves. There is a great deal of competition for registering domain names
but we add the personal attention to detail and our support when it comes to
domain name questions is unparalled. |
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Can I get help with the domain name registration process?
If we are doing a transfer or a new domain or a renewal for you, then by all
means we will go the extra mile and then some. Service is our main business.
Feel free to call 403-257-1357 or
email. |
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How do I sell a domain name?
A domain name should be treated like any other kind of property. It can be
sold through a broker or privately. A lot of people put them up for auction
at places like Ebay. There are a plethora of web sites that will advertise
your domain for sale. Enter domains for sale in any search engine. |
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What is domain name hosting?
Domain name hosting is very basically the service of hosting your web
site but using your domain e.g. www.chinook-computers.com is one of our
domains . This is different than "acmecorp.chinook-computers.com"
which would be a subdomain of our domain.
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What is the domain name system?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a distributed Internet directory service.
DNS is used mostly to translate (map) between domain names and IP addresses,
and to control Internet email delivery ( MX records). A close example
of how the email delivery is affected by DNS would be how air traffic
controller route planes. Most Internet services rely on DNS to work, and if
DNS fails, web sites cannot be located and email delivery backs up or
fails.
The DNS directory service consists of DNS data, DNS servers, and Internet
protocols for fetching data from the servers. The billions of resource
records in the DNS directory are split into millions of files called zones
(for example chinook-computers.com would be a zone file on a DNS server).
Zones are kept on authoritative servers distributed all over the Internet,
which answer queries according to the DNS network protocols. In contrast,
caching servers simply query the authoritative servers and cache any
replies. Most servers are authoritative for some zones and perform a caching
function for all other DNS information. Most DNS servers are authoritative
for just a few zones (typically run by ISP 's), but larger servers are
authoritative for tens of thousands of zones (large ISP's or specialized
service providers).
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How do I get a cheap domain name?
Out on the internet there are plenty of companies that specialize in low
cost domain registrations. Simply type in "domain registration" into any
search engine. If you are completely conversant in the intricacies of Domain
Names then this is probably a good way to go. By contrast using our
registration services we will track the process and assist in
troubleshooting any problems encountered.
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How do I do a lookup of domain names?
The most common way to do a domain lookup is to use a "whois" server.
A whois server will return information about domain names that are
already taken, thus if no information is returned the desired domain name is
probably available. It isn't a certainty because whois information is
often at least 24 hours old or longer. Depending on the domain extension
(.com or .ca etc) you wish to use, you may need to use different whois
servers. Our site allows lookups on most domain extensions.. Other country specific whois
information may be obtained from country based top level authorities.
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What is domain name parking?
In order to register a domain name for your use it must have at least two
nameservers who are willing to respond for it when the domain is browsed.
When your domain is used for email or any other purpose, these nameservers
are usually provided by your ISP as part of your service fee. Parking
implies that you do not plan to use your domain right away. However, you
still need to have nameservers willing to respond for the domain.
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How do I renew my domain name?
Domain names are renewed through the services of a registrar or agent of a
registrar. Chinook Webs can renew most domain names in North America.
Outside of North America domain names that are country specific should be
renewed by a local registrar that can better service local needs.
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Can I purchase a domain at an auction?
Yes, EBAY and other auction web sites often have domain names for sale. Also
there are several major domain name brokerages. My caution on this would be
to make sure that the seller truly owns the domain name and is able to
complete the transfer to you. In the past this has involved signed
affadavits that need to be faxed in along with witness signatures and proof
of identity.
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Is there a web developer discount for
Domain Names? No, we only offer Domain Names at a reduced rate with
web hosting or from time to time when we are running a promotion.
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What is the dispute mechanism for domain names?
Dispute mechanisms and methods depend on the designated registry operator (
the group or company that has ultimate authority for a domain name
extension). For instance in Canada the ca domain name extension is
administered by CIRA (Canadian Internet
Registration Authority). To list all the administrative bodies
responsible for all the domain name extensions would be too onerous here
plus it changes quite often.
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What is cybersquatting?
Cybersquatting is the practice of purchasing desirable domain names or
domain names that are trademarks in the hopes of selling them for a high
profit.
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What are the legal requirements to get a Domain Name?
The legal requirements vary between the different registration authorities.
For example, the .ca name requires either Canadian citizenship or that you
are a permanent resident of Canada. There are other categories in the
Canadian namespace (ie government , corporations etc) but the two mentioned
are probably the most common. In the USA, .com, .net, .org are available to
anyone on the globe but .us is restricted to Americans.
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Am I infringing on a trademark or copyright?
The definitive answer is maybe! When it comes to large corporations or
well known names then it is easy to see the where the infringement is but on
lesser terms it really will depend on whether or not a trademark /copyright
holder will either defend their mark or even police it. Both
Canada and the United States of America have publicly searchable databases
of trademark and copyright information. |
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What are internationalized Domain Names? Internationalized domain
names are domain names represented by native language characters. The
native language domain name will be followed by .com, .net or .org (for
example:  com). |
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What is Domain
Locking? Domain locking prevents the end user (owner) from making
changes to important Domain information including name server information.
This security measure came about because of some unethical practices
(slamming etc). Your registrar (including us) must unlock a domain at
your request. |
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Can I register a Domain name and use my free
members space at my ISP? Absolutely, we can create a web
redirection that points to personal space ( for example Shaw or Rogers
members pages or any other ISP), we do however charge a $35.00/yr fee for
"Domain Redirection". |
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