How the Web was Won

or What's in a Domain Name?

by Jane Cook

There was no doubt about it. The FSCA needed a web site. For a while now we had been hoping that some expert would volunteer to build us one, but no such luck. With no expert in sight, I decided to give it a go. It was like Aesop's fable: all the mice agreed that a bell should be placed on the cat, but no-one had faintest idea how to set about it.

Just choosing a domain name turned out to be quite an adventure. The most obvious choice of course was 'fsca-acse.org', but I had an even more brilliant idea. Why couldn't we have two names, 'fsca.org' and 'acse.org' - one for each official language? Well, before our frugal President, Isabelle Dhavernas, even had a chance to balk at the double expense, I thought I would see if 'FSCA.ORG and ACSE.ORG were available as domain names.

To my disappointment, 'fsca.org' was already taken - by the Florida Spillage Control Association, and who could begrudge it them? Even worse, the search engines revealed the existence of several more 'FSCAs', including the Florida Sportsmen's Conservation Association, (wouldn't want to mess with them), the Florida School Counselor's Association, the Fédération suisse des clubs d'auteurs, the Frederick Sister Cities Association and, my favourite, the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (look it up). I thought perhaps we could benefit by snapping up new members from a confused public. But then again, we could lose members that way too.

Well then, what about 'acse.org'? No, that was bagged too, by the Association of Chinese Scientists and Engineers. So, it was back to our first choice: http://www.fsca-acse.org

There was no competition for that one.