Every web page is located on something called a server. USAonline.Net is a domain on one such server. The Internet is made up of millions of servers. A server is a HIGH CAPACITY computer which stores web pages on its hard drive so you and I can access them, and is always powered on & connected to the Internet. Servers have addresses like http://www.usaonline.net. There may be many companies with different domain names using one server, or the server may be used for only one company. Most companies are now on the Internet, and most have addresses in the format   www.companyname.com,    so if you want to visit ford's web page, you can probably just type www.ford.com ( That really is their address, and the same is true for many other companies ). Try it with some companies you are interested in.

NOTE: The : HTTP:// in an Internet address means: ( Hyper Text Transfer Protocol )

An Internet address is also called a URL ( Uniform Resourse Locator )

Companies are not the only people who have their own servers. ( remember, the server is the expensive, high capacity computer which stores the web pages ) You may see addresses like:

www.whitehouse.gov (The Whitehouse)

www.wwf.org   (the World Wildlife Fund).

There are several "extensions" which are used as the last three letters of an address. The address extension, like filename extensions, tells us something about the people using them. The common extensions and meanings include:

.gov = government

.mil = military

.org = non-profit organizations

.net = networks, or Internet Service Providers.

.com = companies or commercial

.edu = educational

Finally, sometimes you will see a 2 letter code after the extension, such as: www.somecompany.something.au

The .au indicates the company is located someplace other than the United States. In this case it is in Australia. Each country is assigned its own 2 letter code.

Each Server can have many Domains.  A Domain address makes you look like you have your own VIRTUAL server. In effect you do, although the domain may actually reside on the same physical server with many other domains. It is then called a VIRTUAL domain .

We host many Virtual domains on our servers for companies all over the world. If you would like additional information on hosting your domain, please call: 570-4300 and ask to speak to a sales representitive. They will gladly answer all your questions and explain how easy it is to get your own VIRTUAL domain on the Internet.