Useful URLs

URLs are where it all starts. If you have a personal Web site, chances are the URL is something like

http://www.longISPname.com/ ~yourusername/pagename.html

That is, if you're lucky. Some Web sites have URLs that are longer and make less sense than that.

But what are you to do about it?

Get Your Own Domain Name

Most businesses set up their own domain with the InterNIC. This allows them to have the URL

http://www.CompanyName.com/

.

First you must find out if your possible site is available. Choose any word or phrase, less than 26 characters long. This simple form at Network Solutions will tell you if your domain has been taken already

However, getting a domain name from Network Solutions (the InterNIC) costs as much as $35 per year. Plus, you have to host your Web site somewhere, and that can cost anywhere from free to $45 per month or more.

URL Redirection

A simple solution is to use your existing Web page, but set up a URL redirect. There are many companies that will give you a short URL that forwards people to your existing Web page. These URLs make it much simpler for people to remember how to get to your site. Some examples of this are

http://window.to/

and

http://gonow.to/

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