Just When You Got Used To Internet Tags …

The demand for Internet addresses has spawned a new set of on-line tags.

All Internet addresses in the United States now end with one of six domain names: .com for commercial businesses, .org for nonprofit organizations, .net for networks, .edu for educational institutions, .gov for governmental bodies or .mil for the military.

Under changes approved Tuesday, seven endings will be added: .store for businesses offering goods, .info for information services, .nom for individuals who want personal sites, .firm for businesses or firms, .web for entities emphasizing the World Wide Web, .arts for cultural groups and .rec for recreational or entertainment activities.

The change won’t affect existing names.

The endings were proposed by the International Ad Hoc Committee, a group of 11 representatives of Internet, legal and other international standards groups. They were approved by five organizations that help oversee the Internet functions: the Internet Society and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunication Union and the International Trademark Association.