.net, .org, or .what?

[Andy]

Like 99% of webmasters, I would prefer to have a DOT COM domain name but you can still do OK with many other kinds of domain names in my experience. For example, I have a successful site that is a .ws and it has the dreaded dashes in the domain name.

[12noon]

.net .com and .org make a name sound more official and more thought about, but when it comes down to it, it's what content you have on the website that matters more than the name. As long as your website can be found, the name is just the icing on the cake.
 

[Menard]

As long as your website can be found, the name is just the icing on the cake.
 

Choosing your domain name, as well the extension, is part of making your website easy to find. Primarily making it something that is easy to remember for visitors, unless you are primarily building it for search engine traffic. People will have a tendency to think of websites as dotcoms, and many will make that assumption in searching or typing in an address; which is why I would prefer a dotcom if available.

If a dotcom is not available for the domain, barring another dotcom using different keywords, I would prefer a dotorg over a dotnet. For me (maybe this is just my quirk) it is easier to remember the dotorg extension than the dotnet; I have made the mistake of typing out the address for a dotnet and ended up putting in the dotcom extension by accident, which I generally don't make that mistake with dotorgs. Dotorg does have a bonus of appearing authoritative and neutral just by its traditional association with organizations rather than commercial enterprise.

Of course, in the case with PyramidEnergy.org, I was surprised that was available. If the dotnet and dotorg had been available in it, I can't say which I would have preferred; I probably would have taken both, but used the dotorg for the advantages I already mentioned.

[steve80]

I do prefer the .com extension then the .net . THe .org extension is used so much by non profit organizations that might give the wrong impression about your site.

[donecweb]

I don't think that the majority of the people even think about the extension. It is mostly the people in the business that even notice the extensions.

[microvps]

You are incorrect. .COM domain name extension drives people crazy.

[donecweb]

You are incorrect. .COM domain name extension drives people crazy.

In what way does ".COM domain name extension drives people crazy" as I have never heard of it bothering anyone before?

[Queen Bee]

I have never heard of that either, Don. I have always thought of .com as the universally preferred domain name extension.

[12noon]

Has anyone read about .TEL
http://telnic.org/
I think these names will be more for mobile phones.

[Andy]

Has anyone read about .TEL
http://telnic.org/
I think these names will be more for mobile phones.

It's good if the registry is regulated to only include businesses that are making good use of the domain name IMHO

[couponsitescript.com]

Rarely to I get another extension. I used .org, .info. In the last 2 years never.
I look and look until I find a .com available.

[MadMan90]

I like them in this order: .net, .org, .info

[Liliane]

>net, .org and .com are top level domain. Choosing one would not make any difference on choosing others. It would make difference when you would have country specific domain and top level domain. If you want to target your audience on specific to one country only, prefer to have country specific domain otherwise top level domain would be an ideal choice.