I bought my first domain on the 15th of April 2000. Now, more than 20 years later, I have almost 30 domains to my name with a few expired ones in the rear view mirror. Not all those domains are for me, though. I have set up domains for projects as gifts to friends and family members. I’ve given domains for birthdays, Christmas and to celebrate the birth of a child. For some, I also host their sites, others their emails.

My first domain was to share teaching materials before the concept of Creative Commons was even conceived. Some domains were to help projects but most were about maintaining online identity. This session will outline the key lessons I’ve learned over the years about online identity, the technology required to maintain it and the knowledge, skills and mindset involved. It will cover:

• Key knowledge and skills required to own a domain
• Pitfalls and hidden difficulties with domain ownership
• Ways of leveraging a domain into a website or an email presence
• Changes in the processes and options over the last 20 years and future prospects
• Novel ways of hosting websites, emails and identities
• Dilemmas faced by individuals and institutions in maintaining online identities