Volume 20, Number 4
June 2003
BEING SOLO
Domain Names: This One's for You
By David Leffler
So you pat yourself on the back for figuring out how to use
e-mail and actually knowing how to send and download attached
documents. Now people tell you that you need your own domain name
because that Hotmail or AOL address makes you look like an
amateur.
What do people expect from you? There are only 24 hours in a day,
and in addition to everything else on your to-do list, now you
have to spend hours figuring out this domain name thing?
No need to worry. I will show you just how easy it is to take
this step up-without surrendering a weekend or paying someone a
lot of money to get the job done.
First, how important is it to have an e-mail address with a
personalized domain name? Well, how much time did you spend
picking out the font for your stationery? Deciding whether it
should be "Law Firm of" or "Law Office of"? Getting the placement
of pictures and diplomas just right on your walls?
Most of us feel that appearance does have some importance in
establishing a law practice. I slip up a bit in this regard
because I actually have allowed my daughter Julia to hang a few
drawings she has made (which include photos of our Pekingese dog,
Lioba, and sayings like "Lioba Rocks!") on my office walls, and I
don't take them down when clients come to visit. Julia assures
me, however, that they will be worth a lot of money one day when
she becomes a big movie star.
But I am still careful about the appearance of my business cards,
stationery, and whatever leaves my office, and I use a
personalized domain name for my e-mail address. Why? Because too
often I saw the negative reaction of clients to my AOL e-mail
address. Face it, having your own domain name looks more
professional.
There are any number of companies on the Internet that will
assist you in registering your domain name. You need very little
technical knowledge to do it.
Let's go through the steps involved with the service that I use
at www.register.com. There are lots of services cheaper than the
$35 charged by Register.com if you only want to register a domain
name for e-mail purposes, so ask friends and associates what are
their recommendations. The procedures for registering a domain
name are very similar no matter which service you choose.
At the top of the Register.com site it says, "Find a Web
address," with an arrow pointing to a box preceded by the letters
"www." All you have to do is type in the name of the site that
you wish and click on the "Go!" button.
This will take you to a page that will inform you whether or not
the domain name you want is available and with which extensions
(.com, .net, etc.), along with suggestions for other names. I
recommend that you try to find a domain name with the ".com"
extension because this projects a more established image.
So, let's say that your last name just happens to be DiCaprio.
Unfortunately, you will find that this name has already been
taken, but perhaps this is not too terrible if you are related to
the movie star by the same name and he can get you tickets to the
Oscars.
You will probably find that your name has already been
registered, even if it is not shared with a movie star. However,
there is something that you can do about this. Try adding the
word "law" to the end of your name and see if that is available.
As of the date that I am writing this article, DiCaprioLaw.com is
available for registration, and if DiCaprio happens to be your
last name, this would be a good domain name for you to
choose.
You will notice that Register.com suggests other names as well,
such as dicapriolaws.com and dicaprio-law.com. These registration
services want to help you find a domain name because they only
make money when you purchase one. You could also add other things
to create an available domain name, such as an abbreviation for
your city or state, or add your first initial or initials at the
beginning of your name.
For instance, using my prior example, if some lawyer with the
same last name as you already has DiCaprioLaw.com and the initial
of your first name is "L," try LDiCaprioLaw.com. Or if you live
in California, try DiCaprioLawCA.com. Keep the name as short as
possible because a long domain name will be difficult to fit on a
business card and stationery. A long domain name also is more
burdensome for clients and potential clients to type.
Once you have selected an available domain name, Register.com
will ask you what level of service you want, either just an
e-mail address, an e-mail address and a simplified website, or a
more professional website, all for different prices. Register.com
provides software that permits you to set up a website without
any programming skills. If you want to create a website, consider
using Register.com or another service that offers this type of
"package deal" rather than just a bare-bones registration
service. Check the support offered by each service as well
(Register.com promises "toll-free 24/7 live expert
support").
After selecting a level of service, you provide your name,
address, and credit card information, and you immediately become
the proud owner of a domain name! Register.com offers a webmail
service that lets you use the web to access e-mail sent to your
new address, but you will want to receive e-mail through Outlook
or some other e-mail client software; such client software offers
services that are unavailable through webmail.
Configuring your e-mail client software may be a bit challenging
and drive you to a tech guru friend for what will be only a few
minutes of advice, but you should attempt it on your own first.
In Outlook, click "Tools" and then "Accounts," where you click
"Add." Choose "Mail," which will take you through a setup wizard
that you likely will be able to do by yourself.
Once you have set up this brand-new e-mail address, you will want
to do your best not to have it sullied with spam. Never use your
new e-mail address in public-on websites, in an article that you
are writing, or on public boards or listserves. Instead, use
another e-mail address just for these public purposes, such as
your Hotmail or AOL e-mail address. You may notice that I follow
my own advice by providing lefflermailbox@aol.com as my e-mail
address in my bio for this article.
Go check right now to see what domain names are available to you.
There is no obligation to buy, so this is a good way to get
started without feeling that you have to commit right away. But I
would encourage you to follow through-there is a real sense of
pride that you will feel when handing out your business card with
your own domain name.
David Leffler maintains a solo law practice in New York City,
where he assists his clients in the formation, growth, and sale
of their businesses.
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