Some designers/developers believe there is no need to adhere to the .org, .net, .com naming convention of a domain name. I am one of the ones who thinks it is important for the simple fact that the “law” hasn’t quite caught up with the WWW when it comes to setting hard and fast rules for internet governance. To me, as in all things human, it is only a matter time before that happens. Part of me dislikes the idea, but part me also understands the need for order, when things become chaotic. Logically, the different extensions would have never been established if they weren’t intended to organize the internet structure.
To Clarify:
.net = network: Often used for large corporation intranets and employee access portals… but you also see it used by internet service providers too.
.com = commerce/commercial: If you are selling something for profit, then this is exactly what this alludes to.
.org = organization: Used to identify non-profit organizations or not-for-profit organizations.
(There are others too, but these are the top three to John Doe Public.)
Why does it matter?
I recommend using the extension that best fits the client status. I also recommend if clients can at all afford it, they should also buy the others that wouldn’t necessarily pertain to them and park or point them in the event a user decides to default to the most common extension “.com”. I usually make this recommendation to NPO’s just because .com is the most common extension used despite what it means. Many don’t understand the differences between them, and even more think they are irrelevant.
Is it necessary?
I will admit, not right now it isn’t. It isn’t necessary. I guess this is where one has to decide whether or not the odds are in favor internet “guidelines” actually becoming internet “law ” and if one THINKS about it, what would their future be like IF that happened and they owned the .com extension when they should have been .org all along? Chances are, they are going to have to pay a pretty penny to buy the correct extension in the end and the cost will be anybody’s guess. If a cyber-squatter owns it, its going to mean a lot more than it did when one had the opportunity to buy it in the beginning.
Recommended “guidelines” have historically been the precursor to many of our laws. As the internet continues to grow, it is only a matter of time before someone has to step in and “govern” cyber space. The W3C sets many of the current standards, some of which are ignored by designers/developers. What you choose to do in the end, for now, is up to you. I know for me, I believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure… but who am I to say? Its only my opinion.
