HUTCHINSON, Kan. - What's in a name? A lot when it's a domain,such as www.hcu.coop. That's the Web address that Hutchinson CreditUnion just scooped up when it became available again from theNational Cooperative Business Association, the trade groupadministering .coop addresses. "The co-op addresses are notwell-known yet, but we see it as a positioning statement for who weare and what we are, enough so to make it a desirable name," saysCasey Swarts, vice president of marketing for the $81 million,13,000-member community CU in central Kansas. "People around hereknow us as HCU, too, so it really makes sense," Swarts adds.HCU'scurrent address is www.hutchinsoncreditunion.com. "It works, ofcourse, but it's really way too long," Swarts says. "And HCU.comhas been taken by someone who doesn't use it. We've negotiated withthem but it wasn't successful." HCU.coop first was claimed by aUtah CU after the NCBA began offering the names in January 2002.That organization let it expire and Hutchinson CU has agreed to paythe $275 it will cost to keep it for the first three years, threetimes what .com names typically cost. "It's worth it," Swarts says.Others have done the same. For example, Boeing Employees CreditUnion also scooped up its corresponding .coop name, www.becu.coop,and that address now opens the same page as www.becu.com andwww.becu.org. Lots of prime names are still there for the taking,says Richard Dines, director of member services for the NCBA inWashington, D.C. They include money.coop, our.coop, cuhere.coop,Midwest.coop and a long list of acronyms such as scu.coop andpcu.coop. "This is the chance some co-ops have been waiting for,"Dines says. "Some of these newly available names will fit theirneeds perfectly." That's how they see it in Hutchinson, Swartssays. "We've got to get people used to calling it `co-op' insteadof `coop', but we really think they will once they hear it a coupletimes," the CU marketing vice president says. "Our CEO, GarthStrand, really thinks it will be a great name, too, and we'regetting our marketing materials ready now - statement stuffers,business cards - as well as preparing to change all those e-mailaddresses hiding everywhere." Hutchinson CU is awaiting finalapproval from the NCBA to use the name. "Unlike .com, which anyonecan get, you truly have to be a co-op and be checked out by thepeople registering those names," Swarts says. "Of course, that'swhat we are, and this name switch will give us more opportunitiesto explain to our members and the community what co-op reallymeans." To check on newly expired names, go towww.nic.coop/downloads/deleteddomains.xls. -

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