GENERAL QUESTIONS
REGISTRATION QUESTIONS
TERM EXTENSION AND RENEWAL QUESTIONS
ANSWERS GENERAL QUESTIONS
| 1. |
What is a domain name?
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A domain name is a unique alpha-numeric address used to identify and locate a particular computer on
the Internet. It is used for web pages and e-mail addresses. For example, insta.biz is a domain name; its
unique web address is www.insta.biz; and the e-mail address can be sale@insta.biz, or support@insta.biz, etc.
Domain names allow internet users to type in an easy-to-remember name, such as "insta.biz", which gets
translated by the the Domain Name System (DNS) into numerical addresses (Internet Protocol numbers) such
as 64.141.114.253. The DNS allows ordinary internet users to find web sites and send e-mail without
having to memorize the numerical addresses.
A domain name is hierarchical and those at the same level of the hierarchy must be unique. For example, there
can be only one insta.biz
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| 2. |
What is a registry?
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A registry is a regional organization or entity that is responsible for assigning
domain names and Internet addresses. Each country maintains its own registry through
a certain company or organization. In addition, it is the registry's responsibility
to record and update these domain names, as well as the information associated with
them, on the root servers. A registry is usually under contract from its respective
government to control domain name registration.
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| 3. |
What is a registrar?
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A registrar is an organization or company, such as domainpeople.com, that is authorized by its
respective government or by ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to provide
registration services for domain names. A registrar must also be authorized by the registry to act
as an agent of the registry to process domain name registrations, where the agent is not a reseller.
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| 4. |
What is a registrant?
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A registrant is an individual or an organization under which a domain name is
registered. A registrant profile consists of administrative and technical information.
PLEASE NOTE: The "Registrant Field" is only applicable to .CA domain name registrations.
The registrant for .COM, .NET and .ORG is the original administrative contact listed at the
time of registration. If the administrative contact information has been changed since the
original registration, the most recent administrative contact information entered will be
visible in the WHOIS record. However, the database may retain the information
from the original administrative contact.
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| 5. |
What is a .CA domain name and why should I have one?
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Canadian Identity - the .CA domain is Canada’s online identity. Businesses with .CA
domain names are letting their customers know that they are Canadian (or have a Canadian
office) and that products ordered will not have to come over the border with excessive
shipping costs, currency exchange and duties.
Intellectual Property Protection - it is important for all companies with a presence
in Canada to protect their corporate identity by registering .CA domain names for their
company name, registered trademarks and product names. Some large companies register
hundreds of .CA domains to protect their intellectual property and to drive traffic to
their website.
Availability - new rules that govern .CA allow registrants to obtain unlimited
numbers of domain names. While almost 40 million .COMs are already taken, just over
550,000 .CAs have been registered. Many great names are still available under .CA.
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| 6. |
What is a .COM, .NET, or .ORG domain name and why should I have one?
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The .COM, .NET, and .ORG top level domains (TLD) are considered "global" TLDs. They
are not affiliated with any country, and are open for registration to the general
public. The .COM, .NET, and .ORG domains are administered through the NSI Registry. The
following are suggested uses for the TLDs:
.COM - commercial entities such as corporations.
.NET - An abbreviation for network administration.
.ORG - An abbreviation for non-profit organizations and institutions
However, many companies and individuals register all of the extensions to protect their names
and to avoid confusion with other companies and organizations.
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| 7. |
What does the .BIZ extension stand for?
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The .BIZ domain name extension, or Top Level Domain (TLD), is meant to be used for
commercial or business purposes. The .BIZ registry has issued guidelines that .BIZ domain
names are not intended for wholly personal or non-commercial purposes.
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| 8. |
What is the .INFO extension for?
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The .INFO extension is a true generic top level domain; in other words, like .COM, there
are no limitations placed on .INFO domain names' registration or use.
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| 9. |
What is .US?
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.US is “America’s Internet Address.” It is the official country code top-level
domain (ccTLD) for the United States within the global domain name system (DNS).
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ANSWERS REGISTRATION QUESTIONS
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Can I register a domain name for future use if I don't have a website yet?
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Absolutely! You do not need a website to register domain names. A lot of people register
domain names to reserve them for future use or to protect the name from cybersquatters.
(Cybersquatters are people who register domain names for the purpose of reselling them
at high prices to individuals or companies who want that name.)
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| 11. |
Do I need an e-mail address first to register a domain name?
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Yes, in order to process your registration, you must specify a valid working e-mail
address in your application. Otherwise, confirmations, passwords, invoices and
receipts cannot be sent to you.
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| 12. |
How many domain names can I register?
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There is no limit to how many domain names you register. Some individuals and organizations
register hundreds of domains to protect their company names, trademarks and product names as
well as to drive traffic to their website by registering generic words and phrases
specific to their industry.
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| 13. |
How many domain names can I register?
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There is no limit to how many domain names you register. Some individuals and organizations
register hundreds of domains to protect their company names, trademarks and product names as
well as to drive traffic to their website by registering generic words and phrases
specific to their industry.
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| 14. |
How do I know if the domain name I want has already been taken?
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The first part of the registration process is the domain search. Type in the name
you want and the search looks through the registry to determine whether the name you
requested is available or has already been registered by another party. If the
domain name is available, you can immediately proceed to the next step in the
registration process in order to secure the name.
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| 15. |
How do I find out WHO IS the current registrant of an existing domain name?
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To perform a WHOIS query on a domain name, please visit our
WHOIS page by clicking here. In the search field enter the name you would
like to search for. The system will tell you if the domain name is available,
already taken by another party or invalid. If the domain name is already registered
by another party, you can see the details of the existing registration.
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| 16. |
How do I find out WHO IS the current registrant of an existing domain name?
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To perform a WHOIS query on a domain name, please visit our
WHOIS page by clicking here. In the search field enter the name you would
like to search for. The system will tell you if the domain name is available,
already taken by another party or invalid. If the domain name is already registered
by another party, you can see the details of the existing registration.
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| 17. |
I no longer want my domain name and wish to cancel it. What is the procedure?
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Note that the registries has a no-refund policy even if the domain is subsequently
cancelled. Therefore, once a domain is approved and registered, fees paid to
Insta.biz are non-refundable. Therefor you can simply let your registration expire.
If you still want to cancel your .CA domain, the procedure
is as follows:
- The administrative contact listed for the domain registration must send a
written request to support@webnames.ca requesting the cancellation.
- Once Webnames.ca is satisfied that the request has been sent by the currently
listed administrative contact, we will initiate a cancellation request to CIRA.
- CIRA will ask that you confirm the cancellation by signing on to CIRA's website
with your private CIRA username & password.
- Once the confirmation is accepted by CIRA, they will suspend the domain for
30 days.
- If you make no attempts to reactivate the Registration within the 30-day
period, CIRA will cancel the Registration and make the domain name available
for registration by others.
- CIRA will advise you and Webnames.ca by e-mail that the Registration has been
cancelled.
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ANSWERS TERM EXTENSION OR RENEWAL QUESTIONS
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How do I extend or renew the term of my domain registration?
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Click "renew" link on the left menu bar or
click here and follow the instructions.
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| 19. |
How long may I extend my domain registration for?
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You may extend your domain registration for a .CA domain name for a period of one (1)
to ten (10) years provided that the unexpired registration period plus the requested
renewal period does not exceed eleven (11) years.
Please Note: The 10 year renewal can only be applied if the expiry date of the
domain name is within 90 days; otherwise the maximum renewal period is (9) nine years.
For .COM, .NET, .ORG, .BIZ or .INFO a registrant can extend the term from 1 to 10 years.
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| 20. |
When should I extend/renew my domain registration?
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You may use Insta.biz's Domain Management System to extend/renew your
domain registrations any time. You must renew your domain before the current
expiry date to avoid additional late fees. A registration not renewed within
thirty (30) days after the current expiry date will be cancelled.
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| 21. |
Will I be reminded to extend/renew my domain registration?
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Yes, Insta.biz will send you 3 reminder notices. These reminder notices are
currently defaulted to go to the contact person of your account and are timed as
follows:
- The first at 8 weeks before the current expiry date; and
- The second at 4 weeks before the current expiry date
- The third at 1 week before the current expiry date
CIRA will also send the administrative contact an email 60 days, 30 days and
again at 7 days prior to the current expiry date of our registration for a .CA
domain registration.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESSES UP TO DATE IN ORDER TO RECEIVE NOTICES
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| 22. |
What if I fail to extend/renew my registration before the current expiry date?
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.CA Domains
If a .CA domain has not been renewed by its expiry date, CIRA (the registry)
will automatically suspend the domain for 30 days from the expiry date. The registry
will advise of this suspension by email. Essentially, the effect is that an internet
user will not be able to send e-mail or access a web page which incorporates the
registered domain name until the registration is reactivated.
No late renewal fee is charged for reactivation. If the domain is not renewed within
the 30-day suspension period the registration will be cancelled and the domain name
will be made available to others for registration.
.COM/.NET/.ORG Domains
If a .COM/.NET/.ORG domain has not been renewed by its expiry date, the registry
will queue the domain for deletion 30 days from the expiry date. The domain will remain
active during the first 4 or 5 days of the grace period but will be inactive during the
remainder of the 30 day grace period. This means e-mail and web page access will stop.
No late renewal fee is charged for reactivation. If the domain is not renewed within
the 30-day grace period the registration will be cancelled and the domain name will be
made available to others for registration. Note, however, that it may take
the Registry up to 3 months to make the domain available for registration after a
domain's 30 day grace period has passed. Therefore, if you do not renew your domain in
time and try to register it later, you may wait up to 3 months to try to register your
domain before someone else takes it.
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| 23. |
How do I reactivate a suspended domain name registration?
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A registration which has been suspended for a failure to renew may be reactivated
within 30 days after the date of suspension. No late renewal fee is charged by the
registry. Simply renew your domain within the suspended period and the term you
choose will be added to the original expiry date of your domain.
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