I just recently purchased a .org domain at an auction. It is only occurring to me now (duh!) to check what rules there are for using a .org. Can I use it like any other domain or are there special rules that I must follow?

Vito

Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I know, it can be used for whatever purposes you wish.

Originally posted by Centralized
Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I know, it can be used for whatever purposes you wish.

That's what I thought also.. have you searched on google, vito?

Yes. And what I get is "recommended for use by not-for-profit organizations". So I don't know how fussy that "recommendation" is. Can I use .org for a for-profit site?

Vito

I believe that back in the day, .com was strictly for commercial, .net was for whatever i guess, and .org was for organization only.. and i believe you had to be one...

i think though, since domains have all became widely used, then they went ahead and just made them all universal TLD's.. but that is based on instinct and some reading i did a while back

vito,

As my father always said, Im a non-profit organization. There are no limitations on the .org tld. You better give the ICANN folks some free tutorials just to make everything okay though.

ok i have found the answer, and it is no.

According to IANA.ORG, "Public Interest Registry" (PIR.ORG) is in charge of the .ORG domains.

In the FAQ section of PIR.ORG the .ORG domain is not to be used for profit.

http://www.pir.org/faqs.html#noncommercial
What does "noncommercial" mean?

PIR advocates .ORG for noncommercial uses. Noncommercial endeavors are those not conducted or maintained for the purpose of making a profit. This wide range includes (but isn't limited to) charitable, artistic, scientific, personal, educational, social, cultural, and religious endeavors.

.ORG sites are run by clubs, incorporated and unincorporated not-for-profit organizations, industry associations, families, individuals, schools, foundations, and more. Even for-profit companies run .ORG sites devoted to their noncommercial activities, such as charitable or volunteer programs.

Many noncommercial organizations conduct commerce, often to support their activities. Examples include clubs that raise funds, hospitals, noncommercial Web sites that run advertising to support their operations, and so on.

Thanks for the info.. But I doubt that rule is actively enforced, is it?

Originally posted by theqase
ok i have found the answer, and it is no.

According to IANA.ORG, "Public Interest Registry" (PIR.ORG) is in charge of the .ORG domains.

In the FAQ section of PIR.ORG the .ORG domain is not to be used for profit.

http://www.pir.org/faqs.html#noncommercial

Nowhere does it state that .org domain names are not to be used for profit. You simply pasted the answer to 'What does "noncommercial" mean?'

.com, .net, and .org domain names are unrestricted. Anyone can register them for any purpose.

".ORG has always been -- and will continue to be -- an open and unrestricted domain. Anyone will be allowed to register and use .ORG domain names.

ICANN requires that .ORG remain an open and unrestricted domain."

.org has changed recently and i wouldn't be surprised if those rules are now inforced.

i know you can't register 2 letter domaisn with .org and something about name servers

.ORG rules can be used by anybody. They are simply by their nature targeted towards nonprofits.

ddent its not about who can use them but what you can use them for?

Hmm. There seem to be divided opinions on this...

Vito

Originally posted by vito
Hmm. There seem to be divided opinions on this...

Vito
The truth is: .org has been MEANT for non-profit organizations as .com for commercial entities. But they were and are NOT RESTRICTIVE as .edu, .mil, .gov or even .biz.

Rules can change, however; and the .org registry has been assigned to PIR (Public Interest Registry), a new not-for-profit organization established by the Internet Society (ISOC). So things might change in the future just as the U.S. might pull out of the UN. LOL! God knows.

But for now, you can do whatever you like with your newly registered .org. And it's not about opinion, it doesn't matter what people think. ;) :cool:

7. Why won't .ORG be strictly limited to not-for-profits from now on?

.ORG has been an open and unrestricted domain since it was created in the 1980s. ICANN has therefore decided (and PIR agrees) that .ORG should remain an open and unrestricted domain. This will keep .ORG registration affordable, fast, and fair.

It would be difficult, expensive, and sometimes unfair to impose new restrictions. Some of the issues are:

It would be difficult to determine who is a "not-for-profit" and who isn't. Every country has different laws and definitions about what a nonprofit is.


.ORG isn't just for registered not-for-profit organizations. It's the recognized home for all kinds of noncommercial activity -- registered and unregistered, formal and informal.


Verifying the site and credentials of every applicant around the world could multiply the cost and time for registering a .ORG domain. Verification would require many staff people who read different languages, and would slow down the registration process from minutes to weeks or months. PIR will receive just $6 per year for each .ORG domain name, most of which goes to running and improving .ORG's infrastructure and technology.


Since .ORG has been unrestricted for so long, it would be unfair to take domains away from people who registered them under old requirements.

http://www.pir.org/faqs.html#notforprofits

Hehe, hostjet, you beat me to it by minutes. I had virtually the same info copied and pasted into my reply, then I saw your post. :D

Thanks all for your input. :beer:

Vito

so what is the final outcome?

Use it as you wish. Great name (ok so I let you win it at the auction LOL) But I got 38DD.org for a buck, isn't life grand? :D

I'll make you a deal, TC. I promise to let you know when I launch OnlineSupport.org if you let us all know when 38DD.org goes live. I of course want a complimentary pass for the first month or two... :D

Vito

38DD.org will be a shrine to all unfortunate souls that are top-heavy. But that's another OnlineSupport story :D

:emlaugh:

Vito

oh how clever you guys are :P i was about to ask the same question when i saw this. thanks for the great info provided here :)
-kohashi