This may be more
useful for a website developers forum, but since I don't know any of those I'll
start here.
I've been working
with a group to start a webpage for a Museum organization. Some members have
promoted calling us www.xxx.com, while
others (especially myself) heavily favor www.xxx.org. The .com'ers believe that a
number of people do not differentiate between .org and .com and are more likely
to start with .com when blindly typing in a web address. I have yet to meet a
person who looks for a museum under .com and always use .org.
Is anyone aware of
any studies or documentation about web users habits regarding .com and .org? Are
all of the .org Museum websites out there losing visitors because they do not
use or have not registered their name with .com as well? Is their a "stigma"
attached to museum's using .com addresses, i.e. do they look more for-profit
instead of non-profit?
I realize this may
not be the best forum, but if anybody has any answers, ideas, or suggestions I
would be glad to hear them. Please feel free to respond on and/or off
list.
Thanks in
advance,
George
Garner
P.S. I'm hoping we
can reserve both addresses to satisfy both "sides." The problem is what to use
for our generic email address - we would have to list it as [log in to unmask] or .org.
National
Speedskating Museum and Hall of Fame
George Garner, Director and
Curator
P.O. Box 3120, Saratoga
Springs, NY 12866
(518)
587-2609