[ugahairydawgs]

Trying to get setup with a new e-mail address, using a personal domain through Google Apps. My first preference would be @firstnamelastname.com, but that is already taken (as is @firstnamelastname.net and flastname.com). Out of these two, which do you think look best?

@firstnamelastname.org
@fmlastname.com

Almost feels weird to use a .org address for personal mail, but I'm not really in love with the first name middle initial setup either.

Thoughts on the subject?

[lindstrom]

Trying to get setup with a new e-mail address, using a personal domain through Google Apps. My first preference would be @firstnamelastname.com, but that is already taken (as is @firstnamelastname.net and flastname.com). Out of these two, which do you think look best?

@firstnamelastname.org
@fmlastname.com

Almost feels weird to use a .org address for personal mail, but I'm not really in love with the first name middle initial setup either.

Thoughts on the subject?

I will find it weird having a "john@johnesquire.org" - better would be "john@esquire.org"
or firstname.lastname@gmail.com

what about "@lastname.net" - is that avail?

yourfirstname@lastname.net
yourwifesfirstname@lastname.net

:-)

or just skip e-mail and use snailmail instead...

[ugahairydawgs]

The problem there is that there is a ski company whose name is my last name. So the following are all taken:

lastname.com
lastname.net
lastname.org
lastname.co
lastname.info
lastname.us
lastname.biz
firstnamelastname.com
firstnamelastname.net

[lindstrom]

The problem there is that there is a ski company whose name is my last name. So the following are all taken:

lastname.com
lastname.net
lastname.org
lastname.co
lastname.info
lastname.us
lastname.biz
firstnamelastname.com
firstnamelastname.net

When it comes to personal e-mail, that you most likely will use for many years - there is a few things I would advice... these are my personal opinions and other might have other views...

-I would NOT use Yahoo, hotmail or Live. I have been in situations where these have been blocked in corporate mailservers - preventing me from sending mail to them.

-I would consider Gmail as one of the few solid providers, and now also have 2 step login, which makes the e-mail as safe as it can be.

-I would NOT use personal domain mail from those providers who buy up thousands of name-domains where YOU don't get control over the domain itself, but only a e-mail account. In the past I have been using a few of those - but - they don't last for long - they change all the time - and are not very compatible with any other systems.

-IF you get your own "family domain" - I would register a account with Google Apps - so that Google run it. That way you don't have to think about hosting, and it's free - and you can have 10 email accounts in your domain - for free... and you get 10GB of constantly increasing space - for free....there are also many backup options that work with Gmail - so you can back up the entire e-mail account to a local computer - (Mailstore Home)... it just works...

-When it comes to the domain itself... IF firstname.lastname@gmail is avail - take it - for now... perhaps you are lucky and can grab a "real" domain next year...
but also consider domain names like @TheLastname.com or first letter of your firstname - and then last @JLastname.com .... - or - just be creative and find another one that you can live with - not connected to lastname at all ... @AthensOnline.com ? Perhaps having a domain like that could make you money as well... have a Godaddy account which gives you plenty e-mail addresses included - and resell them to others in your area... I think a normal Godaddy WebHosting Deluxe account (Unix) today comes with 500 emails included... and unlimited domains and bandwidt can be connected to it..and 150GB of space - and the best part is that it is all dynamic - so you can expand whatever you want - whenever....

anyway - just my thoughts today :-)

good luck

[trucky]

A .org domain is generally reserved for non-profit organizations.

[lindstrom]

A .org domain is generally reserved for non-profit organizations.

it is open to register for Any person, as long as it is available... not a requirement to be non-profit...

[trucky]

it is open to register for Any person, as long as it is available... not a requirement to be non-profit...

I guess it's just been "understood" in the community for so long that .org, although unrestricted, was intended to serve the noncommercial community. Perhaps even moreso than "understood" it was originally touted as one of the "rules [icann.org]".

[lindstrom]

I guess it's just been "understood" in the community for so long that .org, although unrestricted, was intended to serve the noncommercial community. Perhaps even moreso than "understood" it was originally touted as one of the "rules [icann.org]".

perhaps - but many - a lot - use .org as private family domains for web/email

.com is also "understood" to be the "Com"ercial side of Internet - but many private persons use this as their own little family hideout on the net..

[ugahairydawgs]

perhaps - but many - a lot - use .org as private family domains for web/email

.com is also "understood" to be the "Com"ercial side of Internet - but many private persons use this as their own little family hideout on the net..

Does e-mail for non-commercial purposes not fall under those understood rules?

[lindstrom]

Does e-mail for non-commercial purposes not fall under those understood rules?

.org is not restricted - no matter what they might intended to do in the beginning...
It is perfectly OK to use .org as your own private place...

One of the few reserved is .gov and .edu... .edu used to be open for anyone - but - now you need to be a registered educational unit to do so.. and .gov - well - you need to know someone in Government to register that

and remember - .com was initially intended as comercial space on the internet - but these days people don't care about that... everybody got their own .com somewhere...

[SCrid2000]

I have firstname@lastname.net - com (amazingly) was taken, and network seemed an appropriate tld.
I personally wouldn't want anything like user@firstlast.com or .anything really. Shame how so many good domain names are taken and just sat on for commercial purposes.

[_StephenBB81]

I have first@lastname.com for my email address since 2000

I have considered also buying flastname.com and and making an email address as mr@fllastname.com

I would question can you have
contactlastname.com?

so your email address would read
firstname@contactlastname.com

[mssca]

I don't like .org so now I only have .com and .net because from my POV, they are better. I have the .net for emails and NAS and server remote access while .com function as my main domain.

If your last name is too long or often misspelled by others, try adding an initial to the domain.

All the best.

Sent from BlackBerry Bold 9900

[ugahairydawgs]

I have firstname@lastname.net - com (amazingly) was taken, and network seemed an appropriate tld.
I personally wouldn't want anything like user@firstlast.com or .anything really. Shame how so many good domain names are taken and just sat on for commercial purposes.

Yeah...that's what I'm running into. .net and .org for my last name are both being sat on with a for sale sign. My lastname.org has someone trying to flip it for $2,500.00.