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The .COM, .ORG, or .NET entension part of your domain name is called the Top Level Domain or TLD.

3 of the original 7 generic TLDs can be used by anyone, anywhere, without restriction. However, there are conventional uses.

   * .com: "commercial" - choose this one for US based business

   * .net: "network - often used by network operators or ISPs

   * .org: "organization - choose this one for a non-profit site

These generic TLDs can also be used by anyone

   * .biz (must be a business)

   * .info (informational site)

   * .name (individuals real or fictitious)

These TLDs have restricted uses , and — are reserved for specific industries or institutions.

   * .aero aviation-related businesses

   * .coop (cooperative)

   * .edu ( U.S. educational)

   * .gov (U.S. government )

   * .int (international)

   * .mil (U.S. Dept. of Defense)

   * .museum (museum associations or professionals)

   * .pro (professionals. Professional credentials must be verified. Also law.pro, .med.pro, and .cpa.pro)

   * .travel (travel industry - agents, airlines, hoteliers, tourism bureaus, etc.)

Country-Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) use a 2-letter county code in place of the the .com, .net or .org extention. Each of 244 countries has its own code, e.g. .us (United States), .mx (Mexico) .uk (United Kingdom).

Usage restrictions are controlled by the country. Some ccTLDs are restricted to to entities located in that country, e.g. .ca (Canada) while others have no restrictions whatsoever, e.g. .tv. (Tuvalu) and .fm (Micronesia).

Some companies are choosing to use these last ccTLDS because of the connotation (.tv, .fm) even though their business is not located in those countries.