Note: Information on this page is not intended to be comprehensive or authoritative. The intent is to provide some basic information as an aide to other Scouting organizations in the development of their own web sites. For more detailed and comprehensive information, please review the FAQ on Domain Names, Registrars, and Registration on the InterNIC website.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is simply a customized name or address for a web site. For example, the domain name for this web site is "www.troop159.org".

Web Sites have two types of addresses. One of them is a set of numbers such as: http://255.255.255.255. The other uses a domain name and might look like: http://www.troop159.org.

Domain Names are aliases that direct web browsers and other internet tools to the numerical address.

Is it necessary to have your own Domain Name?

NO! It is NOT necessary to have your own Domain Name. Many scouting units have built their web sites on space provided by geocities, angelfire, etc.

Why have a Domain Name?

There are two really good reasons to get your own Domain Name. Your site address is easier to remember and your site address becomes independent of it's actual location. That is, a site may be located anywhere on the internet and may even be relocated (moved from one host to another) without changing it's address or URL.

How can we get a Domain Name for our organization?

There are two important steps to getting your own Domain Name. First, you've got to decide what you want your Domain Name to be. This includes deciding whether it should be a ".org" or ".com" address. If you plan to create a large, high traffic site, then it might be wise to register both as a means of blocking potential trouble makers who might spoof your site with non-Scout-like content. The second step involves registering your chosen Domain Name (or names) at one of the official Domain Registration sites such as REGISTER.COM. A list of Domain Registrars is available from InterNIC. Once you have registered it, you own it. Note that this involves paying for the initial registration and for annual re-registration.

How do Domain Names work?

This involves the way requests are routed through the internet. Messages or requests are routed upward through a hierarchy of Domain Name Servers (DNS) until the requested Domain is found. Domain Name Servers have tables of domains and addresses. These addresses may point to other DNS servers that provide the final routing to the site. For example, this site is registered at register.com and is hosted at best-machine.com. Register.com shares their top-level registration data with other DNS registration sites. Requests for addresses on this site may go to register.com where they are directed to best-machine.com, where they are further directed to the specific local IP address within the best-machine