With a little bit of pushing and nudging, you would be surprised what your mind can do. Generating domain ideas on your own may be hard at first, but once you get the creative juices flowing, you’ll find a number of available domains much better than anything a free finder service could suggest. Best of all, no computer is required.

To get started, sit down with a piece of a paper, a pencil, and a thesaurus. Think of words that identify the product or service your site provides (cars, window washing, etc.) and them down. Next, write down words you would like to be associated with your site. You can use adjectives like “quick” or “easy,” as well as suffixes, prefixes, and numbers. Using your thesaurus if necessary, write down at least ten solid domains you would be happy with. Don’t worry about checking for availability

This step is the most fun. Grab a group of friends, some beer, and sit down at a table. Explain your site to them, your goals, and show them the list. Ask them to help you make it even better. If your friends are willing devote as little as half an hour of serious brainstorming, your list will double in length.

Finally, go check and see which names on your list are available. Most registrars have a bulk domain registration tool that will let you enter as many as 100 names at once. Some of the names may already be registered, but chances are good you will find at least one that is available.

1. whorepresents.com
At first glance, this looks like a gift store for prostitutes when in fact the site is a a celebrity agent contact database called Who Represents.

2. democracyinaction.com
Titled DemocracyInAction, the domain could just as easily be used for an anti-government site called DemocracyInaction

3. therapistfinder.com
Whether you’re looking for a rapist or a therapist to help you later on, this website has you covered.

4. penisland.net
This isn’t what it looks like.

5. dickssportinggoods.jobs
Not the job you thought you were applying for?

These aren’t the only examples out there. It is easy to see why one should think about the sort of message a domain sends before registering. A name might look perfectly fine to you, but look like something totally different to everyone else. That’s why I always run my domain ideas by a few friends before making any sort of commitment.

Photo | jynmeyer

These sinister entrepreneurs register domain names that are close to major domain names, with the exception of a few typos. For example, if you want to go to internetblog.org.uk, but you accidentally type internerblog.org.uk, you might find yourself on a site filled with nothing but ads. If you click on an ad (or in some cases even if you do not), you have just made someone money.

In 2003, the United States made it illegal for domain companies to redirect users to sites that might be deemed harmful, such as pornography. However, simply selling ads to people has resulted in only small penalties, sometimes only involving turning over the questionable domain to the trademark owner. The real victims, however, lose valuable time, and some cases even money.

Phil Lodico, vice president of the Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse, said the problem is huge and is expected to explode further with the approval of new Internet domain name suffixes such as “.car” and “.travel.”

“At minimum, it’s an annoyance; at worst it’s a threat to the stability of online transactions,” Lodico said.

Source: Detroit News

The web site sells a PDF file for $19.95 that the site claims contains information on how to protect yourself and your family from the swine flu. The attackers would then use your payment information for identity theft and fraud.

F-Secure’s website lists the domain names, which include such names as: swineflushot.com, swineflusurvivalguide.com, and swineflusafety.info.

Source: ZDNet Asia
Photo: F-Secure

If you plan on conducting business in a specific locale, you may be better off with a domain specific to that country. For instance, Andorrans looking to buy a camera locally would probably feel more comfortable with CameraShop.ad instead of CameraShop.com.

2. Register the Domain Yourself
If you outsource your website design, a firm may offer to register the domain for you. Because the domain is what users rely on to get to your website, it is more valuable than any design work a third party might do. With this in mind, why would you let someone else have control over it? Register the domain yourself and make sure it stays in your name. In the event there is a dispute with your web designer, do you really want him or her to have ownership of your domain?

Many web hosts also do something similar where they will give you a domain for free if you sign up for a hosting plan. Approach these offers with caution. Most of these hosts stipulate that if you cancel your hosting, you also lose the domain.

3. Keep it Simple
In order to maintain high visitor return rates, make sure your domain name easy to remember. The fewer syllables, the better. As a rule of thumb, I keep all my domain registrations to two words or less.

There are some exceptions. If I owned a well known car dealer called Dover Auto Express, it would be in my best interest to use DoverAutoExpress.co.uk. Other good choices would be DoverAutos.co.uk or even AutoExpress.co.uk, but since many locals would already be familar with my business name, DoverAutoExpress.co.uk would be best. Businesses with names longer than three words should look into a shorter alternative. I would never think to create a site with the name KramerSmithFosterConsulting.com, but might consider KSFconsulting.com or register a domain with my city name in it, such as TorontoConsulting.com.

Back in the early days of the web, it used to be trendy to register domains with dashes. Instead of purchasing LondonBridge.com or IrelandTravelTours.com, people would opt for London-Bridge.com and Ireland-Travel-Tours.com. Today, domains with dashes are often used by spammers and are considered less professional in general. Use them only as a last resort.

4. Choose Singular Over Plural
When faced with a choice between a singular or plural domain, always pick the singular one. Plural domains, while still very good, are considered less attractive by domain professionals and singular words are thought to be easier to remember. Would a computer shopper’s first instinct be to visit Computer.com, or Computers.com?

5. Check it Once, Check it Twice, Check it Three Times
Once you think you have found the right domain for your website, take a few days and think your decision over. Get a few people together and see what they think of your choice. See how the name looks in logos and letter headings. The best domain ideas come after days or even weeks of thinking. A night at the bar with your friends after you’ve had three drinks is probably not the time for exploring possibilities.

When the popular Q&A site Experts-Exchange launched in 1996, it originally used the name expertsexchange.com. Many web users read this as “Expert Sex Change.” Soon after, the owner moved the site to experts-exchange.com. Maybe he should have thought his site name over more before setting it up.