By Clare Lawrence 29th September 2003 Clare is CEO of Discount Domains Ltd a leading UK Domain name registration service.

What is a DETAGGED domain name? We get asked this question regularly.

Only UK domain names can be detagged. A domain name that has been DETAGGED is no longer hosted on valid name servers.

What happens if there are no longer valid nameservers showing against a domain name?

If no valid name servers are showing this means that any services such e-mail or a web site will no longer work.

Who can DETAG a domain name?

Only a domain registration service or agent can DETAG a domain name. This happens if relationship between domain name owner and agent expires, for example if registration fee or renewal fee is not paid.

When are domain names detagged?

Domain names can be detagged at any point after registration. Detagging signifies end of relationship between registration agent and registrant.

It is not necessarily an indication of whether a domain name is paid for or not.

How can I tell if a domain name is DETAGGED?

Domain names are relatively straightforward! Or at least that’s theory!!

The domain name is also, but technically not quiet correct, known as website address.

Using an ISP’s domain name can look amateurish in an e-mail addresses, it is much more so with websites, giving impression of hanging on another’s coat tails. The only exception being when a firm wants to re-inforce a local or professional affiliation by appearing as part of an existing site dedicated to a region or association. Even in such cases autonomy and continuity are better assured by having one’s own domain and merely using a page on third party’s site to point users toward it.

Domains are classified according to their endings or “suffixes”. As a commercial organisation a company will almost certainly want a domain ending in .com or .co.uk. Other endings such as .biz and .ltd.uk are at least to date, insufficiently familiar to users, meaning name can be too readily misremembered. Of two desirable suffixes, .com is preferable for business with international activities, and arguably gives impression of a bigger organisation, whilst .co.uk helps reassure users on largely American-dominated web that they are indeed dealing with a UK firm.

The part of domain name before suffix will usually by firms trading name, provided of course that domain name has not already been registered, (which is increasingly likely these days). If name is very long an abbreviation may be considered. Domain names are not case sensitive.