A domain name is a label that you purchase from a Registrar. They are your internet identity. It's the part of the web address that comes after the www. Domain names are not case sensitive but you have to find one that someone doesn’t already own.  You can go to whois.net to find out if the the domain name you want is already owned.

The rule of thumb is that .org are non-profit organizations and .com are commercial.

Registering a domain name. When you purchase a domain name, you are registering it. There are many registrars such as stratumwebdomains, godaddy, network solutions, etc.to purchase a domain from. Domain names are puchased for an annual time period and must be renewed before it expires in order to keep the rights to it.

Things to consider when registering a domain name.
1.  If you are an organization, it should be registered in the organizations name not an individuals.  This will make it easier to gain control of if the individual leaves the organization and didn't leave the login information. When registering, you list both an admin and a tech. It will add flexibility if you list two different individuals.

2.  Registration periods end. As the expiration date approaches, the registrar will send out emails telling you it's time to renew.  If these emails are ignored or not received because the registrant has changed their email address and/or left the organization, the domain name will expire. Once it expires your website and email addresses will stop working.  You have a certain number of days to renew it before it becomes available for someone else to purchase.

3.  There are businesses that make their income from buying up recently expired domain names and then selling them back to the organization for a jacked up price.

4.  For an annual fee, we can manage your domain for you. We hold the domain and guarantee that it won't expire. If you leave our services we transfer the domain to you. For us to manage a domain, it must be registered in our account at stratumwebdomains.com.