Domain names go.to business

What's in a name? A lot of money if it's the right Internet domain name.

Anyone who uses a computer knows domain names .com or .org. But what about .to or .me?

The .me registry in Montenegro went live in 2008. Since then, more than 320,000 names have been registered.

Why so popular?

Ask Matt and Katy Mansell. Matt bought willshemarry.me. Katy said yes.

And after that the couple used the site to keep friends abreast of wedding plans.

But there's more. Matt has had "an awful lot of people" want to buy the domain. He hasn't set a price or agreed to sell even though .me names like his are selling post-purchase at auction for the likes of $10,000 and $15,000. The .me domain is also being registered by major companies. Microsoft.me, for example. Tonga's domain -- .to -- has proved popular for call-to-action sites like go.to and how.to.

Not everyone thinks this technology fad is worth the dollars it is drawing. The BBC reports that technology commentator Bill Thompson isn't convinced there is enough value attached to a domain name to justify such big prices.

It might look good on their business cards, he said, but a larger advantage is doubtful.

But then there's Matt.

Offer him another name like willshemarry.me, and he's likely to say, "Just tell.me where to.sign."