Which is Better: .Com with dashes or undashed .net?

Example-And-Example.com or ExampleAndExample.net?

[spike2131]

"Word and Word" is a relativly well known phrase in my niche. I own both Word-And-Word.com or WordAndWord.net... (WordandWord.com goes to another site).

Which is better to use for my main site?

My plan was to use one of these, and have the other redirect to it, But which one is better to publicise?

Which are people more likly to remeber well enough to type in, without going over to my competitor?

[edited by: Webwork at 7:24 pm (utc) on Sep. 16, 2006]
[edit reason] Charter [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]

[Quadrille]

In general, I'd always select a .com over a dot net; people and browsers default to it, and a .net simply allows type-ins to go to the .com

Your situation is complicated by the fact that wordandword.com is taken; so you are already losing out to them - and will continue to do so.

However good 'word and word' seems to be, I'd worry a lot about appearing to be a me-too site, whichever name you use.

I'd ALWAYS look for a unique name, one that is unlikely (as opposed to extremely likely) to get confused with an established .com site. Then I'd 301 all other domains to the new site, to maximise type in error referrals (not that you'll get many).

Thing is about a me-too site, is that however well it does, it can never achieve brand status. And, rightly or wrongly, wordandword trumps word-and-word.

It ain't easy; but I'd keep on looking. :)

[trader]

I would probably go for org over the net, depending on the category to a degree, or a variation of the com perhaps by adding a key word to front or back.

For example, if stockoptions.com is taken try to reg stockoptionstrading.com or tradingstockoptions.com

[Corey Bryant]

.com is the main TLD that most people think of these days I think. Personally, that is always what I try first.

I would imagine that would change in the future with more and more TLDs coming out that the mindset will

-Corey

[romon]

.com - looks more authoritatively

[nickbj]

So how would you all rate a .ws TLD? These are being strongly promoted right now. (By me, too)

[jtara]

So how would you all rate a .ws TLD?

Zero.

I did hear a .ws website advertised (oops, I mean a "supporter message") on my local NPR station the other day. Was kind of a shock. I'd think NPR would have more class. ;)

[Corey Bryant]

I think some of the newer TLDs will take some time.

Reminds me of toll free numbers - how some people in the United States would rather have a 800 number, rather than an 888, 877, or 866 toll free number.

-Corey

[jtara]

I think some of the newer TLDs will take some time.

.ws isn't a "newer" TLD, though. It's the ccTLD for Western Samoa. It is being "marketed" by the company that has the contract with Western Samoa as meaning "website".

They had the gaul to complain to ICANN that proposed .web or .website gTLDs would cause "confusion".

.tv is the ccTLD for the tiny island nation of Tuvalu. They've had some success marketing it as meaning "television".

[Corey Bryant]

Sorry jtara, I meant to add the advertising and maketing part. Even though they might have been around for awhile, they are just being marketed now in a different manner

-Corey

[John Carpenter]

Word-And-Word.com or WordAndWord.net

A domain name with more than one dash looks like some spam experiment. Feel-free-to-disagree-with-me.com

[TerranRich]

Good point, John. I see a lot of spam website with hyphens littered throughout.

Word-and-word.com is a bit of a handful to type in, compared to Wordandword.com. What about Word-word.com? Or other alternatives? Is that feasible?

[dipen]

I strongly believe in unless the domain is not worthy enough, like a brand, location, entity name, do not use "-".

If the other person has taken .com, take .net and all the other extn available and build on 1 of them.

[spike2131]

I went with WordAndWord.net, because I think is easier to type and agree that the dashes look spammy.

Thanks, all, for your input.