ICANN is also responsible for accrediting the domain name registrars. "Accredit" means to identify and set minimum standards for the performance of registration functions, to recognize persons or entities meeting those standards, and to enter into an accreditation agreement that sets forth the rules and procedures applicable to the provision of Registrar Services.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is an internationally organized, non-profit corporation that has responsibility for Internet Protocol (IP) address space allocation, protocol identifier assignment, generic (gTLD) and country code (ccTLD) Top-Level Domain name system management, and root server system management functions. These services were originally performed under U.S. Government contract by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and other entities. ICANN now performs the IANA function.

As a private-public partnership, ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of global Internet communities; and to developing policy appropriate to its mission through bottom-up, consensus-based processes.

What is InterNic?
The InterNic website is operated by ICANN to provide the public information regarding Internet domain name registration services.

Visit the InterNic website to:

* Search domain records in the Registry Whois
* Find registrar contact details in the Accredited Registrar Directory
* File a registrar complaint through the Registrar Problem Report Form  Also, send a copy of the complaint in an email to registrar-info@icann.org.  ICANN will forward your complaint to the registrar for review and further handling though they do not guarantee a reply.
* Report inaccurate Whois data through the Whois Data Problem Report Form

What is the Domain Name System (DNS)?
The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address called its "IP address" (Internet Protocol address).  Because IP addresses (which are strings of numbers) are hard to remember, the DNS allows a familiar string of letters (the "domain name") to be used instead. So rather than typing "192.0.34.65," you can type "www.icann.org."

How do I register a domain name?
Domain names can be registered through many different companies (known as "registrars") that compete with one another.  A listing of these companies appears in the Registrar Directory.  The registrar you choose will ask you to provide contact information for 4 different contacts, which make up the registration.  1) Registrant.  The Registrant is the rightful owner of the domain and as such has the right to specify the other contacts for the domain and therefore has control over all of its settings.  2) Technical Contact.  The Technical Contact exists so that the Registrant can direct technical inquiries concerning the domain to another person, if necessary (possibly a Webmaster or Web Designer).  3) Administrative Contact.  The Administrative Contact exists to allow the Registrant to name a trusted party who may act as his or her surrogate for almost all matters concerning the domain.  It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to keep the Administrative Contact information up to date ESPECIALLY the E-mail address.  This e-mail address will be used to confirm most if not all major changes to the account.  4) Billing Contact.  The billing contact exists so that the Registrant can direct billing inquiries concerning the domain to another person or entity.

The registrar will then keep records of the contact information and submit the technical information to a central directory known as the "registry."  This registry provides other computers on the Internet the information necessary to send you e-mail or to find your web site.  You will also be required to enter a registration contract with the registrar, which sets forth the terms under which your registration is accepted and will be maintained.

What are the rules for registration of .biz, .com, .info, .name, .net, .org, and .pro names?
These un-sponsored top-level domains are open and unrestricted. Traditionally, however, most names are intended or reserved for specific use, as listed below. Please contact your registrar for more information or visit the Registry websites listed below.

* The .biz domain, operated by NeuLevel, Inc., is restricted to businesses.
* The .com domain, operated by VeriSign Global Registry Services, is a generic top-level domain originally intended for commercial businesses around the world.
* The .info domain, operated by Afilias Limited, is an unrestricted domain for websites containing information about you, your organization, your products or any other information you'd like to make available to a global audience.
* The .name domain, operated by Global Name Registry, is reserved for individuals.
* The .net domain, operated by VeriSign Global Registry Services, is a generic top-level domain used by many types of organizations and individuals globally; it was historically intended for and is still commonly used by Internet service providers.
* The .org domain, operated by Public Interest Registry, is unrestricted, but was intended to serve the noncommercial community.
* The .pro domain, operated by RegistryPro, is restricted to certified professionals and related entities.

What are domain names ending with two-letter combinations, like .ca?
Two letter domains, such as .uk, .de and .jp (for example), are called country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and correspond to a country, territory, or other geographic location. The rules and policies for registering ccTLDs vary significantly and a number of ccTLDs are reserved for use by citizens of the corresponding country.

Some ICANN-accredited registrars provide registration services in the ccTLDs, however, ICANN does not accredit registrars or set registration policies for ccTLDs. For details about ccTLD registration policies, you should contact the designated country code manager.  View a list of all delegated ccTLDs & their designated managers

DNS Resources NEW
DNS - An Introduction You know DNS is vital to your success with a website, but how does it work? Here's a quick intro to help you understand it better.

DNS Locator Handy tool that lets you look all domains and websites that are hosted on a specific nameserver. Includes links to retreive WhoIS information, Alexa ranking and incoming links for each domain found.

DNS Stuff Free fast, advanced and comprehensive web-based DNS and domain name tools for DNS hosting, going beyond just ping, tracert/traceroute, WHOIS and DNS lookups.

Trusted ICANN Accredited Registrars
GoDaddy.com Pay less for domain names. Register your .com, .net and .org domains. Bulk pricing and private domain name registration options. Web hosting and email accounts available. Go Daddy is a fully accredited ICANN registrar

eNom The #1 Reseller Registrar, ICANN accredited - Domain name registration, Web Site Hosting, Email Services, Club Drop and Web Site Monitor.

Moniker More than just domain names, it's a full service domain name registrar. Moniker offers superior domain name services for managing your domain names.

Industry News NEW
ICANN.Org
ICANNWatch.Org
ICANN.blog.us
DN Journal The Industry News Magazine

Domain Food Fresh news served up from around the domain name industry

Research
TESS Trademark Search - TESS is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's official search engine.

Overture Suggestion Tool - Overture's Suggestion Tool is one of the most important tools in the domainers kit. Type in a word or term and it will tell you how many people searched for that term in their system the previous month. Type in a domain name with the extension and if you get a number returned you almost certainly have a name that is already getting visitors.

Alexa - Give a good idea of how much traffic a domain receives. Alexa tracks where their toolbar users visit and uses the data to assign a ranking number to every website. The number (which appears on the toolbar) shows where the site you are visiting ranks among all sites on the web. More detailed traffic information is available by clicking on the ranking number. Alexa is now owned by Amazon.
Alexa Overview: http://www.alexa.com/data/details/main?q=&url= domain
Alexa Traffic stats: http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?url= domain
Alexa Related Links: http://www.alexa.com/data/details/related_links?q=&url= domain  
Alexa Sites Linking In: http://www.alexa.com/data/ds/linksin?q=link:domain/&url= domain

Wayback Machine - Domain history is revealed by the Archive Wayback Machine. Type in a domain address and if it previously had an active web site on it, the Wayback machine will let you see those old web pages! Data comes from Alexa who has archived billions of web pages dating back many years.

PPC Income NEW Compares various Pay Per Click sponsors and helps domain owners find the best way to monetize the type-in traffic of your undeveloped domain names.

Whois
Verisign Whois VeriSign's DNS registry services include the COM NET Registry (VCNR), which manages relationships with more than 160 ICANN-accredited domain registrars who submit over 100 million domain name transactions daily.

Internic Whois

Whois.sc Domain name search tool; allows wildcard search of current and deleted/expired whois domains.

Domain Name Tools
Wordtracker Compiles a database of terms that people search for. You enter some keywords, and we tell you how often people search for them, and also tell you how many competing sites use those keywords. Wordtracker helps you find all keyword combinations that bear any relation to your business, service or product - many of which you might never have considered.

Clever Forward Free URL Forwarding

DomainsBot DomainsBot helps people find the perfect domain name through an intuitive domain name suggestion system that can understand users' ideas, based on word or terms supplied, and suggest suitable domain names. This free service is used by thousands of webmasters, domainers, and branding professionals.

Nameboy Nameboy helps you formulate domain names in a novel way. You enter your favorite keywords and it returns a list of domains, including names with similar words, that may be just what you are looking for.

Acronym Finder 3-Letter reference tool. This site lets you type in a 3-letter acronym to find out what that set of letters is commonly used to represent. May give you some ideas for your 3-letter domains. The pop-ups on this site are annoying though.

Domain Name Industry Statistical Information

Ben Edelman

Official IANA registrar ID codes

Zooknic Internet Intelligence

Verisign Domain Brief

Daily Changes  Daily Domain Registration Statistics including new registrations, transfers, deletions and overall gains.


URL Trends

Registrar Stats

Domain Name Forums

The Domain Name Forum

Name Pros

Domain State

Domain Name Talk

Brokerages
Domain Name Aftermarket from Godaddy

AfterNic

Sedo

Back Ordering Service
Go Daddy

eNom ClubDrop