Reputation Management 101: Register Your Own Domain Name

Posted by Kristine on 25 September 2013.

Shortly after the name of the royal baby was announced, domain names such as princegeorgeofcambridge.org, georgealexanderlouis.com and princegeorgecambridge.co.uk were already taken by cybersquatters. By virtue of being the British royal family’s newest member and third in line to the throne, Prince George’s name has become such a hot commodity and a lot of people want to cash in on it.

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman lost a UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy) for philippepierredauman.com after failing to prove that he has copyright on his own name. The domain name is now apparently being held for ransom. For a corporate head honcho with a reputation to protect, this is obviously a big deal.

Moral lesson: register your own domain name before someone else beats you to it. It’s a lot cheaper than having to buy it from an enterprising cybersquatter or filing a complaint with ICANN to get your name back.

Getting a personal domain name isn’t just for a CEO or members of the royal family. Even if you’re not famous and you have no immediate plans of being in the spotlight, it’s still beneficial for you to register your own domain name.

Online reputation is becoming more important nowadays. The search results on your name can influence your potential employment, acceptance into a good college and even your dating prospects. Having your own domain name gives you better control of your online image. You can direct your domain name to your blog, your online CV or your Facebook profile (assuming that you’re careful enough not to post compromising photos and status messages).

Owning your domain name also prevents other people from using it to malign you. Imagine if you made someone mad and as a form of revenge, that person buys your domain name and uses it to publish negative stuff about you. You’d have to live with having a domain name devoted solely to making you look bad.

Getting a domain name is very cheap and easy to do. It’s worth the minimal effort to secure your good name online. And who knows, if you do get to be a CEO someday or you turned out to be a long-lost heir to some royal line, then you’d have one less thing to worry about.