# .co.uk **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 8, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918 "2002-11-08T19:33:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dom\_samourai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed655f/32.png) [@dom\_samourai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dom_samourai)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/1 "2002-11-08T19:33:21Z")
hi to everyone, had to put the dot co dot uk in there so everyone knows i’m english don’t ignore me just because of that-please:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/2 "2002-11-09T01:42:47Z")
I think the “Location: england” pretty much gave that away, **dom**. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/3 "2002-11-09T12:05:46Z")
Not sure why you’d think you’d be ignored because of your nationality, **dom samouri**. Welcome to the SDMB – you might find it easier to greet folk in the MPSIMS forum. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/4 "2002-11-09T12:07:12Z")
Aannnd – folk there will spell your user name right, too! Ugh! Sorry, **dom samourai**! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![dom\_samourai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed655f/32.png) [@dom\_samourai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dom_samourai)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/5 "2002-11-09T12:19:36Z")
cheers,only clicked here cz the main page said that newbies post here ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/6 "2002-11-09T12:34:48Z")
Well, for testing purposes, yes. Your subject is more suited for Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share, or MPSIMS. And welcome aboard. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/7 "2002-11-09T14:31:48Z")
Speaking as a fellow citizen of our sceptred isle welcome. Don’t worry old chap, there are a few of us brits here. Standing tall against those damn ex-colonials and europeans. I look forward to you helping us give johnny foreigner a run for his money. Its not hard dear boy - they turn and run at the first sight of cold steel… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/8 "2002-11-09T15:21:21Z")
I always wondered what the .co stood for. .uk is obvious (and I bet .co will be too once someone tells me) ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/9 "2002-11-09T15:25:33Z")
.co is equivalent to, and is commonly used instead of, .com for sites originating outside the USA. ---
**Author:** ![tritone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@tritone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tritone)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/10 "2002-11-09T15:48:28Z")
I’ve only ever seen .co used for British sites - certainly down here, we use .com.au I’ve never understood quite why the Brits are so contrary about this - .com is good enough for the rest of the world, why can’t they use .com.uk? Huh? Hi, **dom samourai**! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/11 "2002-11-09T15:51:22Z")
there’s a pleasant kind of symmetry to .co.uk rather than .com.uk 🙂 plus the word “co” is regularly used as an abbreviation of “company” already - so it probably seemed natural to go with “co” rather than “com”. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/12 "2002-11-09T15:58:50Z")
Makes sense, thx. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/13 "2002-11-09T16:10:15Z")
The UK is not the only country to use .co - I’ve seen .co.nz for example. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/14 "2002-11-09T16:35:48Z")
So, if it’s just .com it’s American? I’ve never seen .com.us or a .co.us. Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/15 "2002-11-09T17:49:04Z")
AFAIK, provided your preferred domain name is still available, you can call it .com or whatever no matter where you register it, but because America got there first, you Yanks got your hands on the generic suffixes for your own sites. There has been some criticism of this in the past; that the generic suffixes ought to be used for sites that have an international purpose primarily, and that American-oriented sites ought to have national suffixes too, but it would require a lot of redesignation that the owning companies are reluctant to do. It wouldn’t be impossible, though. ---
**Author:** ![dom\_samourai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed655f/32.png) [@dom\_samourai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dom_samourai)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/16 "2002-11-10T21:01:18Z")
everton u doin fine ,me a red scally soz ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/17 "2002-11-10T23:50:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dom samourai \* > \*\*everton u doin fine ,me a red scally soz \*\* I’ll let you off, **dom** - 'specially after this weekend’s results :). Welcome aboard the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![dom\_samourai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed655f/32.png) [@dom\_samourai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dom_samourai)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/18 "2002-11-12T10:55:05Z")
much appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-uk/135918/19 "2002-11-12T11:13:20Z")
There is also **.co.jp**. I presume the US got **.com** because Al Gore reserved it for them… 😉