Domain name stuff (not really 3d)

[P3D Adam L. Beckerman <adam@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Network Solutions, Inc. (http://rs.internic.net/rs-internic.html) runs an 
operation called InterNIC (in conjunction with AT&T and the National 
Science Foundation) that is the authority that registers domain names 
for $100 for two years.  There are many companies that will perform the 
registration process for you for a fee on top of the $100, and may offer 
other benefits, but going directly through InterNIC is probably the best 
way.  The cost is $50 annually after the 2 year period to renew the 
registration.

You may use the whois search feature of Internic's website to search 
for domain names to see if they are being used or not.  It will tell you 
the contact name and address of the person to whom it's registered, if 
it is registered.  In case you have trouble connecting to Internic's site, 
since it's often busy, you may want to also try Tabnet, for domain lookups 
(http://www.tabnet.com/register.html).

I hope this answers anyone's questions.

Adam


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