# .net or .com



## ronr76 (Jun 8, 2007)

I'm playing around with ideas for a domain name and one that I really want is already taken with .com...
the .Net is available but I've always tried to stay away from .nets.

Anyone folks using .net? If so do you think its affecting business?


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

I sometimes use .net for personal sites (in some cases prefer it even), but I would never use it for a commercial site that wasn't related to network infrastructure.


----------



## csquared (Sep 8, 2006)

stick with .com if you can


----------



## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

It's better to rebrand and change your name than lose a .com


----------



## Ujudgnme2 (Mar 28, 2006)

ronr76 said:


> I'm playing around with ideas for a domain name and one that I really want is already taken with .com...
> the .Net is available but I've always tried to stay away from .nets.
> 
> Anyone folks using .net? If so do you think its affecting business?


I actually purchased both for the same name.


----------



## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

monkeylantern said:


> It's better to rebrand and change your name than lose a .com


I disagree. "yourbusinessname.net" is better than"somethingelse.com". I have a dot net. Unless your business name is very unique, the dot com is probably taken. Dot net is still better than all the others that are popping up. .us, .biz, .tv, .ws, etc. 

Ross


----------



## previous (Jun 11, 2007)

Your first choice should always be the ".com" then a ".net"

You must always go with what your users will intuitively use first. If all they can remember is your business' name, 95% of the time they will use the ".com" as a first instinct. Matters such as this never come down to personal preference. Always look to what is easiest for your consumer. This rule can also be bent if of course your top level domain happens to coincide with your name (ie del.icio.us); then you are allowed to deviate a little.

Hope that helps.


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

rrc62 said:


> I disagree.


Actually, you misunderstand. Nick was saying (and I agree) if you can't get yourbusinessname.com then you need a new yourbusinessname that you _can_ get.



rrc62 said:


> Unless your business name is very unique, the dot com is probably taken.


So be unique (but not very unique... that might put a rip in the space/time continuum).



rrc62 said:


> Dot net is still better than all the others that are popping up. .us, .biz, .tv, .ws, etc.


True. Although country level domains are fine for countries other than the US (i.e. for some reason domain.us is considered bad, but domain.com.au, domain.co.nz, domain.co.uk, domain.ca, etc. etc. are all fine where appropriate).


----------



## Binary01 (Jun 2, 2007)

just link all the .net .biz/etc to your .com site.....


----------



## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

I guess it depends on whether or not your business will be a T-shirt website only or a storefront with a web presence. If you will strictly web based, then the website name is much more important.

Ross


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

I agree with Nick here. You are losing customers by having the .net

Even though you may have on business cards, stationary, ads .NET, the first thing that comes to people's minds when they think of a website address is .COM

Even if you had somethingelse.com, with the proper TITLE tags on your website, customers will stil easily find you if they search online for yourcompanyname


----------



## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

Ron - I have to cast my vote for .com as well.

If dot com is already taken, realize that some people will reflexively type - youraddress.com, looking for you - and when they don't go to your site, they will think something is wrong and that probably will be the end of it


----------



## AustinJeff (May 12, 2007)

Also, keep in mind that if the .com is already taken, there's a decent chance the owner also has a trademark. If so, you may get into a legal battle eventually. And it could very well happen after you've built up your brand and promoted your site, which can be devestating.


----------



## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

It's even worse than that. My website is for my other business. It has a link to the sign shop pages. I've been working on it trying to make it work, but it's not. I need to register a domain for the sign business. Fortunately, a dot com is available.

Ross


----------



## ronr76 (Jun 8, 2007)

Thanks guys.. Looks like I'm going to have to rebrand or add the "clothing" suffix to the domain name. For example mybrandclothing.com..


----------



## Ujudgnme2 (Mar 28, 2006)

I haven't heard anyone ever suing for a domain name. You have to remember who is selling these names. It's not the consumer/user's fault if this name is used.....its not the same as using the same business name as someone else.

This is why I have purchased .com and .net because no one cant use it. I had a .com stolen, so I learned my lesson the hard way.

Both the .com and .net will be pointed in the same direction.



AustinJeff said:


> Also, keep in mind that if the .com is already taken, there's a decent chance the owner also has a trademark. If so, you may get into a legal battle eventually. And it could very well happen after you've built up your brand and promoted your site, which can be devestating.


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I haven't heard anyone ever suing for a domain name.


It actually happens quite a bit.


----------



## denab (Jun 3, 2007)

Rodney, 

If I already have a trademark on my name for my business and someone is currently trying to have the name used and spelled the same with the .com website ..is there anything I can do


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

denab said:


> Rodney,
> 
> If I already have a trademark on my name for my business and someone is currently trying to have the name used and spelled the same with the .com website ..is there anything I can do


Yes, my suggestion would be to talk to a trademark attorney about your rights.


----------



## AustinJeff (May 12, 2007)

Ujudgnme2 said:


> I haven't heard anyone ever suing for a domain name.


A Google search for " 'domain name' lawsuit" returns over 966,000 entries. There have been multi-million dollar settlements, businesses have been destroyed, etc.



Ujudgnme2 said:


> It's not the consumer/user's fault if this name is used.....its not the same as using the same business name as someone else.


Actually, it's exactly the same -- at least as far as I can tell from the reports on the lawsuits I have read.


----------



## paulo (Dec 13, 2006)

denab said:


> Rodney,
> 
> If I already have a trademark on my name for my business and someone is currently trying to have the name used and spelled the same with the .com website ..is there anything I can do


Who registered their name first?
Who used the "name" which is trademarked first?
Is the trademark "applied for" or already registered?

Because if the other party started using the name first, they may have some grounds to oppose your trademarking of the name, especially if its in the same business.


----------



## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

There's also the issue of *innate* domain rights. Since the back-lash against cyber squatting, trademark or not, you can claim ownership.

I'm not sure who it was (I think Madonna or someone like that, and a company (may have been The Gap, again might not have been) who got domains in the late 90s because they were "recognised rightful owners" and using that domain was tantamount to image infringement, trademark or not.


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

AustinJeff said:


> Also, keep in mind that if the .com is already taken, there's a decent chance the owner also has a trademark.


Exactly - registering the dot com is about more than just _having_ the dot com.


----------



## howrdstern (May 7, 2007)

.net is completely cool, i've had one for over five years and i get no problems- also article1.net and american apparel uses .net among thousands of others and when i started it was better because people took an extra note of it being different- but now it's like no big deal


----------



## denab (Jun 3, 2007)

Thanks Everyone, 
That makes me feel better since I had to use .net I'm just curious to see what is going to be on the website that is using my trademark name. Right now it just says under construction. I will keep checking . According to Allmark Trademark thay can't use my name and sell the same product. But if they are selling something else I can't do anything about it..oh well that's all I care about is that it isnt used for T-shirts. Thanks again for all the help


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> also article1.net and american apparel uses .net among thousands of others


Trust me, if Article1 or AmericanApparel could have had the dot com, they would have got it in a second.

They had to _settle_ for the .NET because the dot com was already taken by another business.

It's obvious there are problems because if you go to americanapparel.com, they have a small note about them not being americanapparel.net. They must have had a LOT of visitors asking them where the shirts were.


----------



## howrdstern (May 7, 2007)

Rodney said:


> Trust me, if Article1 or AmericanApparel could have had the dot com, they would have got it in a second.
> 
> They had to _settle_ for the .NET because the dot com was already taken by another business.
> 
> It's obvious there are problems because if you go to americanapparel.com, they have a small note about them not being americanapparel.net. They must have had a LOT of visitors asking them where the shirts were.


 I think the point is it's a small hurdle and a good designer/problem solver makes a weakness a strength, and i actually think .NET is a non issue, most all tv is switching to .tv such as tnt.tv etc. dot com is no longer the only thing peeps consider, perhaps 5 years ago you'd be lost. and a google search (for my brand name) a dot net, comes before all the dot com's for the same name listing


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> and a google search (for my brand name) a dot net, comes before all the dot com's for the same name listing


I wasn't really discussing the search engine aspects. That's a totally different issue. I agree, with search engines, the name doesn't matter.

For offline advertising (radio, TV, print, etc), the domain name DOES matter.

Dot COM is still the extension to have, even though other extensions are being tested and used. 

The average consumer doesn't know what a .tv is and will probably type in .com anyway.


----------



## howrdstern (May 7, 2007)

Rodney said:


> I wasn't really discussing the search engine aspects. That's a totally different issue. I agree, with search engines, the name doesn't matter.
> 
> For offline advertising (radio, TV, print, etc), the domain name DOES matter.
> 
> ...


good points, but i think with creative marketing- i won't even matter


----------

