.ORG (from 'organization') is one of the original top-level domains established in 1985. Operated by the Public Interest Registry (PIR), .ORG is popular among both commercial and noncommercial organizations, including nonprofits, foundations, philanthropic and cultural institutions, religious, civic, arts, social and fraternal organizations, health and legal services, clubs, community volunteer groups and open source software projects. There are no restrictions on who can register a .ORG domain. .ORG is the third-largest gTLD, with over 8.5 million registered names as of August 2010.
Domain Extensions
.COM
Originally derived from 'commercial', .COM was one of the first top-level domains in the Internet used when the Domain Name System was implemented in 1985. Since then, it has grown to become the largest top-level domain, with over 88 million .COM domains registered. .COM domains are registered in more than 350 languages worldwide, and are globally recognized. The .COM registry is operated by VeriSign.
.NET
.NET (from "network") is one of the original top-level domains introduced in 1985, and has remained a popular extension throughout its history. Like .COM, there are no restrictions on .NET registrations. As of 2009, it is the fourth most popular domain. The .NET extension is operated by VeriSign. In addition to being an ideal extension for SaaS, network infrastructure, communications, and eCommerce companies, .NET domains act as a valuable complement or alternative to existing .COMs.
.INFO
Launched in 2001, .INFO (for 'information') was the first unrestricted TLD since .COM. It was one of seven new TLDs introduced, and is operated by Afilias. Like .COM and .NET, .INFO domains are unrestricted, meaning anyone can register a .INFO domain for any purpose. Of the seven new TLDs introduced in 2000, .INFO has become the most successful, with over 6.5 million registered. Since "info" is a recognized term in over 30 languages, this TLD is a truly global domain. There are no restrictions on who can register a .INFO domain.
.BIZ
Launched in 2001, .BIZ (from "business") is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) intended for domains to be used by businesses as an alternative to .COM. As of December 2009 there were over 2 million .BIZ registrations, making it one of the top ten TLDs. The .COM market is so saturated that many customers may find their ideal domain name already registered. .BIZ is a popular alternative and is ideal for customers whose business name is already taken as a .COM. For those who already own the .COM for their business name, the equivalent .BIZ name can be used to protect brand identity.
.NAME
.NAME is a generic TLD introduced in 2001 and managed by VeriSign. It is intended for use by individuals, specifically for representation of their personal names. .NAME domains can be registered at both a second level and third level, and are IDN-compatible. A .NAME domain is ideal for people looking to build online identities, be it for their personal name, nickname, pseudonym, or any other identification label. In addition to being able to offer second-level registrations (e.g. john.name), you can offer third-level registration packages including email forwarding (e.g. john@smith.nameJLIB_HTML_CLOAKING and john.smith.name)
.MOBI
.MOBI is the first and only top level Internet domain designed to help users find Internet content that will work on their mobile phones. When a site ends with a ".MOBI" address mobile users can be sure that they will access a site that works on their phone. In 2010, mobile analytics firm Bango reported a 600% growth in traffic to mobile websites, based on a study of 50 million phone users worldwide. dotMobi is quickly closing in on one million .MOBI domains registered with that number continuing to grow. .MOBI is now at their highest-ever number in the name base and are poised to be only the sixth gTLD to reach one million domains under management.
.TEL
.TEL is a unique domain extension because it doesn’t require separate hosting, nor does the domain owner need to know how to create and manage a website to use it. It is a global directory that stores all your contact information directly in the DNS. As of December 2009, there were over 275,000 registered users of .TEL domains. You can easily publish your contact information such as phone/fax numbers, VoIP and IM handles, email addresses and website links, while protecting any or all of it using the built-in .TEL privacy features.
.CO
.CO was originally the ccTLD for Colombia but has since been adopted as a specialty domain available to anyone. First launched to general availability in July 2010, this TLD has great success so far with over 600,000 registrations. .CO domains have been positioned as a great alternative to .COM, as they can be used to represent "commerce", "community", "company", "corporation", "connect" and others. In addition, .CO is a popular choice for URL shortener services because it is one letter shorter than .COM. Because it is still fairly new, there are still lots of great .CO domain names still available to be registered!
.ME
.ME was the ccTLD originally designated for Montenegro, but has since come into widespread use as a specialty TLD that can be registered by anyone. First available in May 2008, .ME has since grown to over 400,000 registrations, making it one of the fastest-selling TLDs. The .ME extension is is positioned as a domain name that "speaks for itself". It is an excellent choice for individuals looking for a unique, personalized domain name. Although it is a rapidly growing TLD, the overall number of registrations is still fairly low, meaning there are lots of great domain names available.
.TV
.TV was made for websites with video. Originally the ccTLD for Tuvalu, .TV is now operated by VeriSign and registration is open to anyone. A .TV domain name is the best way to announce that a site has video or other rich media, like animation, audio or streaming content. From the web address alone, users know what to expect: playable content and an engaging online experience. With the growing speed of the Internet, users are increasingly taking advantage of simple, easy to use tools that allow them to publish video content to the web.
.CA
Nothing says Canadian like .CA! .CA is the ccTLD for Canada introduced in 1987 and managed by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). As of May 2010, there are over 1.4 million registered .CA domains. .CA makes a domain instantly recognizable as Canadian to internet users around the world. This extension is reserved for Canadians only, so it is an excellent way for a Canadian individual or company to stand out among the mass of .COMs, which are often assumed to be American.
.US
Offer the domain extension that identifies users as American and businesses as having a presence in the USA. Purchasers of .US domain names use them for both business and personal reasons. While most of the .US domains are registered and used in the USA (86%), .US domains are also purchased by registrants in Canada and European countries looking to establish an American presence. Prospective registrants of US domain names must fall in one of three U.S. Nexus categories and must certify that they have a "bona fide presence in the United States."
