Published March 16, 2011
Increasing numbers of parents are securing a domain name for their children; long before they are even able to understand what the Internet actually is.
Most people who have ever tried to establish an email account bearing their name with a popular email service often find it's impossible to do as the name is invariably taken. Even registering a domain name in your own name can be quite a challenge.
An article on Canada's Brandon Sun highlights the trend towards registering email accounts, domain names and other online accounts for children in an effort to secure these digital items in their children's names before they are taken by someone else - in case their child would like to establish a presence at a later date. In some cases, these parents see the practice as just a novel thing to do or as a gift with a difference or sometimes, as an investment in their child's future.
While .com domain names are the most popular choice; as parents find these names are often already registered, they are turning to other extensions such as .net and .org.
Australian parents wanting a more local flavour are unable to register a .com.au in their child's name due to eligibility criteria not allowing it - .com.au is for business representations.
However, registering an id.au name is permissible - in fact, .id.au is the extension set aside specifically for personal use. The only other eligibility criteria for id.au registrations is registrants must be an Australian citizen or an Australian resident.
The extension cannot be registered for commercial purposes; which helps to preserve the space's recognition as existing exclusively for personal/hobby use and ensures less competition from registrations carried out for the purpose of reselling and other forms of commercial gain.
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How to register a name: Enter your choice in the search tool and click 'GO'. If after the check the domain names search results show your choice is available, you will then have the option to proceed to purchase registration; which is a very quick and easy process - start a search and find your ideal website address now.
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