April is Freedom Month in South Africa when we celebrate the country’s first democratic elections held on 27 April 1994.
Father of the nation, Nelson Mandela, said on the first anniversary of this historical poll: “Wherever South Africans are across the globe, our hearts beat as one, as we renew our common loyalty to our country and our commitment to its future.”
Madiba’s words echo when we remember one way of renewing our common loyalty to the country and continent that gave us life and freedom is to register a .africa domain name.
With the number of registered .africa geographic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) having recently powered over the 30 000 milestone, it’s clear that these sought-after domain names are being snapped up by progressive individuals and organisations confident in the future of the Bright Continent and its powerhouse, the free Republic of South Africa.
“Anchoring digital identities around that perfect .africa domain name should be the number one digital resolution for freedom-loving young Africans. This is because a well-populated and vibrant African corner of cyberspace is the best way to protect fragile freedoms,” says Lucky Masilela, CEO of Registry Africa Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the ZA Central Registry (NPC), the administrator of the .africa gTLD.
April is Freedom Month but it’s always the right time to register domains that help underpin freedom by adding to free discourse on the web. “Africans must fully participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by being visible online through active domain name registration,” Mr Masilela advises.
Registry Africa provides five tips below to assist individuals and organisations in the registering of the best possible .africa domain name:
- Domain names are investments so stick with established leaders like .africa that are well-recognised and well-resourced for the long-term.
- While short is sweet, consider registering easy-to-remember combinations of words and phrases. Memorable phrases that appeal to end consumers are particularly useful for marketing campaigns.
- Register as many different spellings of your chosen .africa domain name as your budget will allow. This will dissuade cybersquatters and other unsavoury types from linking their illicit activities to your online presence.
- Choose a name that works well on the web, but which can also be effectively promoted across other traditional media platforms like radio and outdoor advertising.
- Think about using keywords in your domain name that describe the nature of your business, eg: www.parktownpainters.africa.
- Don’t forget to consider signing up for your chosen RaRs value-added services (eg: hosting, site builder, etc.) that will enable you to start using your .africa domain as quickly as possible.
- Remember to always register domains in your own name, and not in the name of your Internet Service Provider (ISP), advertising agency, social media consultant, or similar.
Mr Masilela concludes by urging Internet users seeking to register a suitable .africa domain to contact their preferred domain name registrar.
Registry Africa is the continent’s premium domain name Registry Operator with a pan-African mandate. In addition to the .africa domain name space, Registry Africa is also responsible for the management of the entire .ZA Second Level presence on the web.
CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.
