Domains

As the number of Internet sites grew exponentially along with the growth of the World Wide Web, finding specific locations became accordingly more challenging. URLs, or uniform resource locators, were developed to serve as Internet addresses and facilitate location of information. A URL contains a descriptor, or series of descriptors of a given location, followed by a suffix. The suffix, or domain, is set apart by a period followed by a standardized abbreviation that denotes its nature. The domain is that part of an Internet address that denotes the nature of the entity that posted the site. The most famous and largest domain is the ubiquitous “.com”. The domain name suffix, known as the top-level domain or TLD, serves as a vital indicator in a URL. The number of TLDs is limited, with their adoptions determined by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN. Prior to 2000, the accepted top-level domains were the following:

.gov-Government agencies

.edu-Educational institutions

.org-Organizations (nonprofit)

.mil-Military

.com-Commercial business

.net-Network organizations

Countries could also have domains such as the following:

.ca-Canada

.au-Australia

.uk-Great Britain

As of 2000, Icann approved seven new top-level domains to augment the original list. These TLDs included the following:

.biz-Business

.info-Unrestricted (open to any use)

.name-Individuals

.pro-Accountants, lawyers, physicians, and other professions

.museum-Museums

.aero-Air transport industry

.coop-cooperatives

While “dot-com” has become a cliché, it is clear that the designators now called TLDs are influential in bringing order to the myriad number of Internet sites on the World Wide Web. Whether the current presentation of TLDs is sufficient or more may need to be designated in the future remains to be seen.