Businesses urged to use .cc domains

Woy Woy software developer Mark Snell has urged local businesses to adopt ".cc" domain names to promote the Central Coast.

Few people were aware that the ".cc" domain was available and could be used just as ".com" or ".com.au", said Mr Snell of Open Windows Computer Consultancy.

"The use of a '.cc' domain name fits well with the new Central Coast 'CC' logo," he said.

The logo was recently released as part of the State Government's "Moving Forward" program for use by local businesses.

Mr Snell said he had written to the various authorities which had endorsed the Central Coast logo calling on them to adopt the ".cc" domain as "the domain for the Central Coast".

Australia was one of the few countries to be allocated more than one domain suffix.

The ".cc" was actually allocated to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, rather than the Central Coast, said Mr Snell.

Christmas Island also had its own domain of "cx" and the Hearn and Macdonald Islands had "hm".

"There is nothing to stop the Central Coast from adopting the '.cc' domain," he said.

"Because it has been released only relatively recently and is being marketed as an international domain, relatively few names have been taken up."

Many ".cc" names were still available that were not available as ".com.au" or ".com", said Mr Snell.

He said the cost of a .cc domain name was no more expensive than a ".com.au" name, but third-level locality domain names using "the-peninsula.cc" or ".woy-woy.cc" could be provided less expensively.

Mr Snell said his business had purchased locality domain names to reduce the cost to the smaller local businesses.

He said his business was selling the locality "sub-domains" for a fee of $10 a year, with an email and five-page web service costing just $10 a month.

A range of other email and web hosting services and internet programming services were also available through Open Window's domain name site www.CCoast.CC.

Mr Snell said a proportion of the purchase cost of ".cc" domains went to provide telecommunications infrastructure for the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Previous sales had funded the installation of a GSM telephone system, which provided internet access for Cocos Island businesses and schools.

Similarly, it was planned to put a proportion of the proceeds of Central Coast locality registrations to the Coast's IT peak body, Connect Central Coast, to work to improve telecommunications here.

Domain name purchases and further information are available on the website www.ccoast.cc.

Media release, November 2