Thread: Starting a new site

Im starting up a new site and we have the .net and .org as a domain name but we havent got the .com.

I have been told by a few people that it would be stupid to start up a site usng either of those and we should find another name with a .com

I was just wondering what people thought??

Thanks :kiss-h:

Rhia, the world doesn't end after the .com domains... yes .com domain names can be remembered easily but if u don't find .com domain available no problem, buy .net.

Remember: Quality of content is everything.. if your content is good people will remember your URL even if it is the longest domain name in the world.

I have used .net a few times because the .com was already taken i wouldnt call it stupid to use .net or .org but i think if the .com was taken by someone who you would be in direct competition with then yes its probably better find another name but if it has been registered by someone in a similar sounding but unconnected niche then fill your boots with .net or .org.

I don't think its the end of the world at all..jsut easier to remember as suggested. It might be a good reason to buy that .com if you don't want people to use the name...but thats a personal choice.

If you do get popular, you will lose a small amount due to type in traffic. What would be worse however would be if someone wanted to link to your site and linked to the dot com.

Is there a parked page on the .com or is developed?

I think it depends on what the person is doing with the dot com site. If it's just a domain squatter with a spam page up then you don't really have anything to worry about. The trouble starts brewing when someone is actively using the domain. Case in point there is a bloggertalk.com and a bloggertalk.net and both are blogging forums. This can cause confusion above and beyond a difference in the domain extension.

Have you tried contacting the .com owner and seeing if they will sell you the domain at a reasonable price or even if there is an alternative spelling/similar name that may be available?

No doubt that .com is more commonly used and more popular, but I've run a few websites in the past of .net and .org and I don't think it makes much of a difference.

Originally Posted by Halobitt

If you do get popular, you will lose a small amount due to type in traffic. What would be worse however would be if someone wanted to link to your site and linked to the dot com.

Is there a parked page on the .com or is developed?

The .com is parked at the moment.

Rhiannon added 4 Minutes and 23 Seconds later...

Thank you all so much, I have a lot of thinking to do - and YES it hurts lol Might be better to find an .com address thats not taken.

Originally Posted by ArwenTaylor

I think it depends on what the person is doing with the dot com site. If it's just a domain squatter with a spam page up then you don't really have anything to worry about. The trouble starts brewing when someone is actively using the domain. Case in point there is a bloggertalk.com and a bloggertalk.net and both are blogging forums. This can cause confusion above and beyond a difference in the domain extension.

Have you tried contacting the .com owner and seeing if they will sell you the domain at a reasonable price or even if there is an alternative spelling/similar name that may be available?

I really agree that trying to contact the owner is a good idea. There are many domains park that people are wanting to sell that being the main reason they purchased it.

It is almost like holding the domain hostage until you pay a ransom. I personally don't like this however if it is what you really want for a domain name try contacting them. It could be as simple as someone had a good idea for that name and they have moved on to something else.

If it is a good domain name and you want it... go for the contact. :wink-h:

I like the pumpkin smiles! :smiley:

Originally Posted by Rod

I like the pumpkin smiles! :smiley:

This website has the most smilies I have seen on any forum. It's cool though. I can't wait until the turkey smilies come out. Gobble Gobble!

I would always go for the .com if at all possible, just my opinion.

I think if you create a quality site, it does not matter if it is .net or .com. Since there is nothing on the .com, you will be at an advantage. If you become super popular, get a trademark for the name and force them to turn the domain over to you. Otherwise, I think you are fine startinf with .net.

If the person with .com is using it for the same purpose then it's most likely alot of your traffic will go to there site. Type in traffic that is.

If you want that name and want to get more attention, get the .com also.

I have found a new name with a .com and all the other bits and peices not being used, which can be taken either as good or bad lol dunno

Originally Posted by Rhiannon

I have found a new name with a .com and all the other bits and peices not being used, which can be taken either as good or bad lol dunno

Awesome! Congratulations. What are you going to develop on it?

Its going to be a community for webmasters with profile pages where they can put up all their advertising eg banners, also have gallery, blogs, groups, can download music, youtube as well as incorporate a vbulletin into the site, which is what we are waiting on at the moment lol.

But the plans are to be for a fully functional site with heaps of things on, but heaps of work still needs to be done, naturally

Originally Posted by Rhiannon

But the plans are to be for a fully functional site with heaps of things on, but heaps of work still needs to be done, naturally

The work never ends lol. It sounds like a lot of fun. Let me when it's complete. I'll sign up.

In my opinion I dont think it matters. As long as the content is good it could be a .tk domain.

- Daniel

I have owned several web sites on various domains for over 10 years, and I don’t think the domain extension matters as much as it used to. I expect that trend to continue. Conventional wisdom used to say, “A good domain name should give the user some idea about the name or nature of your business.”

But if that were always true that would mean Yahoo sells yahoos, Amazon is all about the river, and Monster is just plain scary. Of course we could on and on - but you get the point. It is really about branding and good content. And regardless of the domain you should try to the name as short as possible.

I can think of several examples where the .net is more well known than the .com, such as php.net

I bought the .com, .net and .org of luckywebmasters and thats going to be used for the new site Personally I just feel safer using a .com because most people will automatically type .com