I just checked my messages and somebody phoned me from Aplus.net about a domain name I just registered from NameCheap. I phone them up wondering if something had happend or perhaps they would like to buy the domain and I just got it before they could register it.
So I phoned them back to hear what they were after. To my suprise they want to offer me hosting services! I was furious! It was a telemarketing scandal!

Aplus.net is using the public whois records as their telemarketing database. They phone up new people from new domain name registrations from a whois list of new domains! When I asked the person on the phone how did you get my contact info? He’s tried to avoid the question …….long pause………. then replied, we use the public whois records!

I highly doubt that Aplus.net is the only company using the whois system to market products or services, even though they proudly display the ICANN logo on their website. The fact is that any company can use this database of contact information for whatever they like, including  unsolicited phone calls. This shows us that there is something very wrong in the way the whois system and domain registrations operate.

Why are these companies giving out the list of newly registered domains to third parties? Why isn’t our private information being protected? Some companies now offer “private registrations” such as Godaddy which say “A private registration shields your personal information from public view; you control who reaches you and when”, but of course this feature isn’t included standard in your domain registration, you must pay for your domain registration and an additional $12 per year for the “private” feature. I think that the domain system should make your information private to start with, why do you need to pay extra for them to keep your personal information safe!? That’s like going to buy groceries with your credit card, the clerk asks you, would you like to keep you credit card number “private” for an additional $10?

I can’t beleive a company would go so low to mine the public whois records to find new clients. VeriSign recently did the same thing in a legal battle with Register.com. “This dispute centers on both Verio’s end use of the WHOIS data and its use of the automated search robot. While Register.com acknowledges its obligation to provide public access to its customers’ contact information, it has developed “terms of use” which prohibit third parties, such as Verio, from using the contact information for any mass marketing purpose – whether by e-mail, regular mail or telephone. Register.com also argues that the use of automated software to access the WHOIS database violates its terms of use and harms its computer systems.”

The Internet Corp for Assigned Names and Numbers, which essentially regulates this part of the industry through its registrar contracts, mandates that registrars must require their registrants hand over their correct contact information at time of registration.

ICANN requires this information be published, but also forbids people automatically mining data from Whois for the purposes of spamming registrants. Register.com’s Whois user agreement also forbids data mining for marketing purposes.

ICANN’s rules were originally put in place in part to help intellectual property owners identify people they suspected of infringing trademarks. In 2000, so-called “cybersquatting” was a much bigger problem than it’s today.

A good domain name registration, particularly for an online business, (which is the main focus of this article) is easily done, but at the same time requires choices that will impact your site’s effectiveness. So here, in no particular order, are some things to bear in mind when doing a domain name registration.

The extension – Will it be a .com, .net, .org, .info etc. Any of these will get spidered and indexed by the search engines, but if you can get a .com for your chosen name you’d be better off, as this extension is more common and carries an air of legitimacy with it.

Try not to have you domain name registration with your web host. The reason being that should you decide to part ways with your host, (and this isn’t uncommon!) it’s potentially a massive headache to move your domain as well. Split them up: you’ll be glad you did!

Your domain name registration, purchased from a reputable company should run you somewhere between $1-10, depending on the extension and the amount of time you sign up for.

Probably the most important aspect of your domain name registration is the choice of keywords to use in your domain name. Try to use the main keyword or phrase you’d like to optimize the whole site for, and see if you can craft a domain name around it. The search engines seem to favor keyword-rich domain names. Nuff said.

Keep it short if possible. A shorter name is easier to remember than a long one.

Don’t use your company name unless it has your keywords in it. There’s no point in ranking high for your name if no one is looking for it yet.

Try to keep your domain name registration topically relevant. As search engines get smarter and smarter, sites that display total relevance will rank higher than catch all sites.

Lastly, be sure to avoid other companies trademarks and copyrights in your domain name. For example, let’s say you’re an affiliate of The Sharper Image. It’s tempting to use some version of that name to promote your affiliate site, but don’t do it, unless of course you’d like to meet their lawyers!

To sum up, your domain name registration is easy to do, but important to do well. It can make the difference in whether you get found or not!