Whether used or not, domain names are those that have been registered with the InterNIC. If these registered domain names are not being used they are generally parked, with the result that they are inactive and not being used as an active website or for some e-commerce business. In effect, if you come up with a name that you like for yourself but are not quite ready to do anything with it, it is still advisable to register it so that this name is out of circulation and not available for anybody else to make use of it.

A domain name is that which you type into your web browser in order to find the website you want. In other words, you type in http://www.looking4U.com - or just www.looking4U.com without the 'http://' - and, if you substitute 'looking4U.com' with your chosen website, you arrive at the website of your choice. As it happens, the owner of this site is prepared to sell - for offers in excess of $10,000!

Advantages of Domain Name Parking
Apart from the obvious advantages of saving on the monthly hosting fees, domain name parking displays advertising that is especially relevant to the name of your domain. When a visitor clicks on one of the links, you get paid. This pay-per-click payment may not be a lot, usually anything from £0.10p up to £4.00 per click, if you have a series of websites and each day have 1,000 clicks, which is a good income in anybody's language!

Managing Domain Names
The first thing you need to do is to set up your actual domain name and profile. Take, for example, fishing. You set up the properties of your Domain Profile and upload all your fishing files into the folder in your Domain Profile. After that, you start making money - you have done your bit! As there is no maximum limit, you can, in fact list many names on domain name parking. Once set up, however, each of your domain names needs to be managed. In order to make this as easy as possible, however, the Domain Parking Company provides you with a step-by-step guide to manage your domains through your administration/control area.

Domain Extensions
You will find domain extensions at the end of your domain names. As an example, your domain name is www.yourself.com: the '.com' is the domain extension. Domain extensions are also referred to as top level domains or TLD; they are often referred to as a suffix; sometimes you will hear them referred to as a domain root. There are many examples of domain extensions, with the most common ones being '.com; .org; .co.uk; and .name'. Others include '.tv' - for those inimitable television shopping channels; and 'gsi.gov.uk' which is the domain extension used by government departments in the UK.

Domain Brokering
Transferring a domain name or identifying its true market value is something that needs to be taken seriously and it is better not to have to do this yourself. There are many domain name brokering companies on the market, such as Hey, whose business it is to cover all aspects of domain name sales and transfers, ensuring both parties obtain the best deal possible.