So you have a brilliant idea for an adult website. You’ve decided to build a page dedicated to small penises and you’re going to call it MICROSHAFT. There’s only one problem. MICROSHAFT.COM is already taken. So are MICROSHAFT.NET, MICROSHAFT.ORG and even MICROSHAFT.BIZ.

What do you do? Do you look for a variation on the domain? Do you try to register MICCROSHAFT or MICRROSHAFT? Maybe you think you’ll get away with registering a hyphenated version such as MICRO-SHAFT. Yes, that will make you the clever one. Not.

Get real.

In the first place, MICROSHAFT isn’t that great a domain name. It’s too similar too MICROSOFT. Gates and Co. are ferociously protective of their brand name. They have unlimited funds and a legion of lawyers. You might fight them in court and you might win but at what cost?

"The reality is that your domain name should be as close to original as possible. Your domain should stand alone."

Second of all MICROSHAFT.com is taken. Some other schmuck already registered the domain. Still other goobers registered the .net, .org, .info, .tv and even the .us versions of MICROSHAFT. Deal in reality here. MICROSHAFT is not the domain for you.

We all know what we want from a domain name. We want it to be short and easy to remember. We want it to inform surfers of the content on our site. We want a domain name that contains all or a portion of relative search keywords. We want to build a brand around our domain name. We want a domain name that we can truly call our own.

Sadly, most of the good domain names are taken. It’s getting harder and harder to register a decent one. Want to use the word ‘sex’ in your domain? Good luck finding an unregistered domain containing that word. For that matter, good luck finding a domain that contains the words, porn or fuck.

While you’re contemplating that, here’s another bit of reality:

Domain names don’t mean shit.

You can be the proud owner of the greatest domain name in the whole world but it won’t matter if you don’t have the website to back it up. You need quality content and a good design. You need to have a website that surfers will want to visit more than once. What’s more, you need to know how to promote that site. You need to know how to optimize it for the search engines. You need to do regular updates and make sure you’ve got sturdy hosting. When a surfer gets to your page, they need to have a reason to stay and a domain name alone simply isn’t enough of a reason.

Take heart. There’s hope.

One thing to be hopeful for is that there’s a lot of expired domain names out there. People are letting great domains expire every single day. If you found a domain name you absolutely can’t live without, see if it’s about to expire. If it is, then put it on backorder. The process may take a while and the registrant might still renew, but you at least have a chance.

Another avenue of hope is to look and see if the domain is for sale by the registrant. If you visit WWW.MICROSHAFT.COM you’ll discover that it is indeed, for sale. Pay the right price and it could be yours for as long as you keep it registered in your name.

In addition, there are plenty of domain auctions and for-sale sites. Many of these domains come with pre-existing traffic. The owners have done the hard work of promotion and search engine submission/optimization. All you have to do is bid, buy and transfer.

The reality is that your domain name should be as close to original as possible. Your domain should stand alone. You shouldn’t register a domain name that stands on the shoulders of another. If your domain sounds like or is similar in spelling to a well-known site or brand, don’t buy it. If you search for a domain and discover the .com version is taken, don’t register the .net or the .org. Just move on. Go back to the drawing board. There’s always another option. If you take the time and think hard, you’re bound to come up with a domain that is fresh, memorable and all your own.

For example, WEEDICK.COM is available!