Is "www" desirable in web site URL?

[Mary-Ellen Mort]

I decided that www. was just three extraneous letters to enter each 
time--so I selected my domain as "jobsmart.org"

WELL--I can't tell you how many people call or write me cause they are 
SURE someone left the www out.  We mapped "www.jobsmart.org" to work 
anyway--and people use it and link to it even though everything on site 
and in our promo materials says "http://jobsmart.org"

So it turns out it takes MORE fuss from me to explain this to folks (that 
"www." is NOT essential) that I WISH I had done the conventional thing.

Users expect it and many newer Net users get confused.

I say--go for the www,  no one will fault you for doing the "done" thing 
and you'll never have to explain it. (Heck the New York Times is: 
www.nytimes.com!)

Mary-Ellen Mort
http://jobsmart.org

On Thu, 12 Sep 1996, John Kupersmith wrote:

> I'm helping construct the URL for a new web site.
> It will either be:
>      http://www.co.washoe.nv.us
> or:
>      http://co.washoe.nv.us
> 
> Does anyone know of any advantages or disadvantages of having
> the letters "www" as part of a URL ... aside from saving key-
> strokes if we leave it out?  (BTW, this site doesn't exist yet, 
> so no point in trying to access it!)
> --jk
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>   John Kupersmith                          jkup at washoe.lib.nv.us
>   Internet Services Librarian        http://www.washoe.lib.nv.us
>   Washoe County Library                     voice:  702-785-4137
>   301 South Center St., Reno, NV 89501        fax:  702-785-4609
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
>