Using WordPress in Your URL

Just an FYI, did you know that it is in violation of the WordPress trademark to use “WordPress” in your url? You can see here what they say in on their site, but in a nutshell…

It’s best to use yourdomainwp.com instead. For example if you have a site called WordPress Themes, your URL should be wpthemes. And if you already have a URL with WordPress in it, they say:

“If you already have a domain with “WordPress” in it, redirecting it to the “wp” equivalent is fine, just as long as the main one users see and you promote doesn’t contain “WordPress.”

But I still see this abused all the time. Have you? It’s important to remember what this great open source software is giving us, free of charge.

Also, you will find many sites, although they don’t have WordPress in the url, they have it in the site name. This is okay to do. But what you shouldn’t do is make it look like it’s affiliated with the official WordPress site. Also, do not take chunks of text from the WordPress site and drop it onto your site as if it’s your own copy. I see this done and it really irks me. This is copyrighted information.

What you need to do is note that copy has been taken from the WordPress site, by giving them credit. And most important, if you do have WordPress in the name of your site, please put a disclaimer at the bottom of the site that it is in no way affiliated with WordPress.com or WordPress.org.

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Buying a Domain? Beware!

I was just reading a colleague’s post on using your own domain at WordPress.com. For example, www.yourdomain.com, rather than www. yourdomain.wordpress.com. Good advice, but it got me thinking of domains. Especially the horror stories I hear.

You may be like hundreds, if not thousands of other people out there, and have bought a domain, or several domains to hold onto, in case you ever need them. Or maybe you bought that one domain that is “the one” and you have used it forever! Nevertheless, here’s a true story…

We’ll call her Jane. Jane wanted a website built, looked around at different designers, asked about prices, etc, and finally decided on her choice. All is well so far.

The web designer talked with her and asked her if she had a domain.

No, not yet.

Well, what’s the name of your company?

She told him.

Well, let me see if that is available. Time goes by…

Yes, it is! Let me go ahead and register it for you. In fact I’ll just throw that into the package

She jumped up and down. Yes, my domain is available! What are the chances of that??!! Please, do register it for me.

So the process moves forward. But shortly after this initial discussion, the web designer suddenly became sick, and said he wouldn’t be able to do the site for her.

Okay, I will get another designer. And about my domain name?

Yes, I would be happy to sell it to you for $200.

What?!

The story ends with her not having her own domain not only because of budget limitation, but because of a dishonest, and not upfront, web designer.

Lesson learned. Now, I know some people out there will say, Hey, this happens. It’s the cost of doing business. She should have known. NOT!

It’s web people like that, who give the rest of us a bad name. They know what they are doing. And I think it’s a bunch of crap. Especially when I have registered domains for clients, and yes, in their own name.

SO BEWARE! My suggestion.

If you know and trust your designer, and they ask you to if you want them to register it for you, say yes, and ask that it be registered in your name. ONLY if you know and trust them.

But to be on the safe side,  if you are thinking of having a website done for you, go and check yourself if the domain is available. And if it is, YOU register it. All you have to do is go to a hosting service, such as Bluehost.com, type in what you want, and they will let you know if it’s available.

One last note. I knew someone that knew their “dream” domain was not yet purchased. They talked to someone about possible web design, but decided not to use them. Unfortunately, they shared what domain they were wanting to purchase, and by the time they did go in to register it, it was taken. No proof here of who did it, but you can only wonder…bad web designer or strange coincidence?

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