One of the particular challenges faced in the preservation of Web sites is the persistency of Web site domain. If your resources are held on the main institutional Web site, particularly one with a .ac.uk domain name, then your domain is unlikely to disappear - and if it does, then this will probably be a result of your institution being shut down.

If, however, you are using an alternative domain name (such as a .org, .org.uk, .co.uk or .com) then you will need to take care in managing the registration for your domain. If you have an annual re-registration for your domain, you will need to ensure that your internal administrative management procedures will ensure that the domain name is renewed prior to the expiry date - and be warned, that if you fail to renew the domain name, you may find that the domain is purchased by a third party. If you inadvertently fail to renew the domain name subscription in time and find that your domain has been purchased by a third party, you may find yourself in the position of having to pay what could be a significant fee to repossess the domain name.

Read the rest of this entry »