In 2002, when an international Web geek tried to set the world record for the longest domain name, he was told by Guinness:

“This record is currently rested, which means that no one can attempt this record and become a new record holder. It has been rested because there is no merit whatsoever in this. It takes little to no effort and is similar to taking the largest number in the world and then adding 1 to it.”

So there’s no chance of official recognition, but when I came across this whopper, I wondered ‘Was this the longest URL in New Zealand?’

www.barbaradoylesmysteryintrigueandmurderwknd.co.nz

Generally, the .co.nz Web space follows these domain name rules:

• Names are registered on a first come, first served basis
• Anyone can register a domain (except for moderated domains such as .cri.nz, .govt.nz, .iwi.nz and .mil.nz)
• Names must use only letters, numbers and hyphens without any spaces (name segments may not begin or end with a hyphen)
• Maximum length is 63 characters (not including the .co.nz extension)
• Minimum length is 2 characters
• Domain names are not case sensitive

So, at 41 characters our contender has a way to go. If you can beat this with your own URL, or you know of a longer Web address, we’d love to hear about it! Until then, this site holds the (unofficial) title…

NZS.com is a search engine and a directory, which means you can browse as well as search for New Zealand websites. With the fad for instantly gratifying search (seen by some as an easier option), it’s easy to forget that browsing can be a great way to find exactly what you’re looking for. We offer a clear, intuitive, easy-to-navigate directory structure, with thousands of categories. We’ve got everything from outdoor education and personal chefs, to dairy farming, wedding venues and adventure tours!

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It’s best to browse when…you know a little about your subject matter. Think of it like going to a library section where there’s a whole shelf of books on a particular topic. Say you’re looking for reiki (you know what reiki is and you want to find a local practitioner). You browse to the main Health category, click on the Alternative Health subcategory and, voila, there’s a Reiki category listing all New Zealand reiki practitioners.

It’s s best to search when…you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, or you’re unfamiliar with your subject matter. Let’s say you search for ‘reiki’ (it’s something you’ve heard of, but you have no idea where you might find it). Your search results tell you there are many relevant listings. You can also see that there’s a whole category devoted to Reiki in the directory, where you can browse all available listings in one place.

So you see, searching and browsing offer two different paths to the same end. The NZS.com directory combines the two – so you can enjoy the best of both worlds!