Domain Names: Why Schools Should Buy More Than One

November, 2001

Domain Names Basics
The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address - just like a telephone number - which is a rather complicated string of numbers. It is called its "IP address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol"). IP Addresses are hard to remember. The DNS makes using the Internet easier by allowing a familiar string of letters (the "domain name") to be used instead of the arcane IP address. So instead of typing 207.151.159.3, you can type www.lhric.org.

...be sure that you purchase every reasonable domain name that you can afford...this is the price of doing business in the wild, wild, west of today's Internet.

When you register a domain name, you are inserting an entry into a directory of all the domain names and their corresponding computers on the Internet. Domain names ending with .biz, .com, .info, .name, .net or .org can be registered through many different companies (known as "registrars") that compete with one another.

The registrar you choose will ask you to provide various contact and technical information that makes up the registration. The registrar will then keep records of the contact information and submit the technical information to a central directory known as the "registry." This registry provides other computers on the Internet the information necessary to send you e-mail or to find your web site. You will also be required to enter a registration contract with the registrar, which sets forth the terms under which your registration is accepted and will be maintained.

Information about who is responsible for domain names is publicly available to allow rapid resolution of technical problems and to permit enforcement of consumer protection, trademark, and other laws. The registrar will make this information available to the public on a "Whois" site.

Each registrar has the flexibility to offer initial and renewal registrations in one-year increments, with a total registration period limit of ten years. Each registrar sets the price it charges for registering names, and prices vary significantly among different registrars

Only registrars accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) are authorized to register .biz, .com, .info, .name, .net and .org names. ICANN is the new non-profit corporation that is assuming responsibility from the U.S. Government for coordinating certain Internet technical functions, including the management of Internet domain name system. More information about ICANN can be found at http://www.icann.org.

Problems with Domain Names
If you have a web site for your school district you have a registered domain name. In my case our domain name is www.lhric.org. The problem is that there are many entrepreneurs in the world who see the potential for making money by taking advantage of schools and other Internet users. They buy up alternative domain names such as www.lhric.com, www.lhric.net, www.lhric.tv, etc. You get the picture. Internet users who type your domain with the wrong extension (ie .com instead of .org) find themselves at strange sites sometimes containing objectionable and pornographic material. In order to save your users from the embarrassment this inadvertent mistake might cause many districts seek out the owner of the alternative domain and buy it, sometimes at 10 to 30 times its original purchase price.

E-School news reported a case of an irate parent that purchased the domain name http://www.norwichschools.com to create a web site that complained about the administration of the district. The district's web site was www.norwichschools.org. The parent's page not only contained negative material about individuals in the district but e-mail that were mistakenly sent to the .com address. The posting of these private e-mails was an embarrassment for all. The district has since changed its domain name and purchased the .com and .net extensions to prevent this type of incident in the future. It is not uncommon for students to purchase a domain name very close to that of the school's and create a "spoof" site on his home computer.
>> For Complete Text Read, Parent's knock-off site irks schools
From eSchool News staff and wire service reports February 1, 2001

Recently, a few companies have been buying up old domain names or domain names that have not been renewed on time. When a user types the old name or the expired domain name, once again he is taken to a site that can contain objectionable or pornographic material. For schools this is particularly heinous. It is important that school districts maintain rights to their old domain names as well as stay up to date on the registration status of their present domain names.
>> For Complete Text Read, Profiteers target expired school web site addresses
From eSchool News staff and wire service reports September 17, 2001

"So my recommendation is don't let your old domain name get snatched up, don't let your present domain expire, and be sure that you purchase every reasonable domain name that you can afford." If someone else has snatched them up; generally, there is a money hungry domain scavenger willing to sell your domain back to you. Swallow hard and pay up with the understanding that by and large this is the price of doing business in the wild, wild, west of today's Internet.

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