Warning: This does not constitute advice on how to work with Internic, nor does it cover information officially provided by Internic. Visit their site for complete information; this page is to simplify the process and like all things online, will be revised to update the adaptations Internic makes to all of us.

I'm sharing these four steps up after making some mistakes that cost me tons of money during Christmas. Internic is a great service if you do it right the first time.

The key is, do it right and right means making sure that your contact email, registered under Administrative Contact, is one you can rely on.

Read my Christmas in Internic Hell to learn how important this is.

P.S. If you don't know what a domain name is, writething.com is one, as is webletter.net. Visit http://rs.internic.net/rs-internic.html to learn more about domain names.

Step 1. Think Up a Domain Name

Sound easy? After looking through their database, you might think otherwise. Think of a name, no special characters; act like it's a vanity license plate and you have a small space and alot of competition.

Just search Internic's Whois and find out if anyone else has your idea (maybe you can make a deal for it).

Step 2: Get Set for the Internic Database and Do Your Templates Right Important: If You Don't Get This Right, You Could Get Stuck

Internic has templates for submitting domain name moves, for changing your contact info if your email is going to change, and for whatever they need. Their system just takes your info and plugs it into the database. I've seen this work in hours and sometimes take weeks.

You can visit: http://rs.internic.net/help/templates.html

Pick up yours now. They are designed around three contacts. Here's my old one with comments on where to fill it in:

(Note: Do not send this to Internic; use their templates instead.)

****************** Please DO NOT REMOVE Version Number ********************

Domain Version Number: 3.0

**************** Please see attached detailed instructions *****************

******** Only for registrations under ROOT, COM, ORG, NET, EDU, GOV ********

Authorization 
[What do you want to do?  New domain or move your old one?]
0a. (N)ew (M)odify (D)elete....:M
0b. Auth Scheme................:
0c. Auth Info..................:

1.  Purpose/Description........:Modify tech contact and nameservers

2.  Complete Domain Name.......:
[Important to fill in right;  if you don't have a trademark to your 
domain name, it could be taken by the trademark owner.  This is 
your responsibility, not Internic's.]

Organization Using Domain Name
3a. Organization Name..........:
3b. Street Address.............:
3c. City.......................:
3d. State......................:
3e. Postal Code................:
3f. Country Code...............:

Administrative Contact
[Most Important;  the email address of this contact is like 
the CEO of the Web Site.  This person should be the owner
of the site, who will approve of any actions taken.  If the 
email contact is no longer existent, you'll have to fax them 
on company letterhead to have it changed.  Best of luck on that.]

4a. NIC Handle (if known)......: Internic's name for you
4b. (I)ndividual (R)ole........:
4c. Name.......................:
4d. Organization Name..........:
4e. Street Address.............:
4f. City.......................:
4g. State......................:
4h. Postal Code................:
4i. Country Code...............:
4j. Phone Number...............:
4k. Fax Number.................:
4l. E-Mailbox..................:

Technical Contact  [This is whoever runs your server]
5a. NIC Handle (if known)......:
5b. (I)ndividual (R)ole........:
5c. Name.......................:
5d. Organization Name..........:
5e. Street Address.............:
5f. City.......................:
5g. State......................:
5h. Postal Code................:
5i. Country Code...............:
5j. Phone Number...............:
5k. Fax Number.................:
5l. E-Mailbox..................:

Billing Contact [Who'll pay for this?]
6a. NIC Handle (if known)......:
6b. (I)ndividual (R)ole........:
6c. Name.......................:
6d. Organization Name..........:
6e. Street Address.............:
6f. City.......................:
6g. State......................:
6h. Postal Code................:
6i. Country Code...............:
6j. Phone Number...............:
6k. Fax Number.................:
6l. E-Mailbox..................:

Primary Name Server 
[DON'T MAKE THESE UP:  Get them from your  Internet Provider]
7a. Primary Server Hostname....:
7b. Primary Server Netaddress..:

Secondary Name Server(s)
8a. Secondary Server Hostname..:
8b. Secondary Server Netaddress:

Invoice Delivery 
[You'll have to pay about $50 a year (2 years) for the name]
9.  (E)mail (P)ostal...........:

Step 3. Internic is alot like the Internet; when the traffic gets heavy, things bog down. Doesn't help when your waiting, but you can check your registration at:

Registration: http://rs.internic.net/cgi-bin/finger

Don't kid yourself; they'll automatically email you when everything is through. You might spend days searching, thinking someone is hiding the truth. No one is hiding the truth. If things don't happen in a few weeks, act on it. But often it will happen much sooner. Just make sure that everything you send in is correct.

Step 4. Finally, open up your business with your domain name and use it to your advantage:

1. Add different email addresses for different parts of your business, and to track who is sending you email such as sales@webletter.net.

2. Get a provider who allows you to list your site as www.yoursite.com and simply, yoursite.com, without the www. It's standard and will make it easy for you to simplify your Web site name.

Whether you use www in front of your domain name is up to you. I don't like to use it anymore and people understand, but it's your choice.

5. If you are going to change your email from the administrative contact's listing, be sure to change it before you move.

It will be quick and save you a headache. A template is online for that as well.

You can visit: http://rs.internic.net/help/templates.html

I'm sure you'll have many more questions. This is just simple advice for someone who ran into the system and found it confusing. Internic has plenty more information for you to read through, FAQ's, and mailing lists if you have the interest.