Top-level domains -- the Internet equivalent of area codes -- are going to expand.

Seven new TLDs are expected to be added to accommodate the explosive growth of the World Wide Web.

Ken Rudin is chief executive officer of Emergent Corp., which will be developing and operating the new set of TLDs this year.

He said the system "should be live" around the end of the first quarter of 1999.

TLDs are the last part of a domain's name, such as .com. The next to last part of a domain name is referred to as a second-level domain, like cnn in cnn.com.

The well-known TLDs now in use are .org, .com, .net, .edu, .mil and .gov.

Another set of TLDs are two-letter domains for countries, such as .jp for Japan.

Planned TLDs for '99 are .firm (for firms), .shop or .store (for retailers), .web (for Web activities), .arts (culture), .rec (recreation), .info (information services) and .nom (individual or personal nomenclature).

The presence of new TLDs will not require any changes to the current ones.

Rudin said that while it would be "naive to assume there will be absolutely zero confusion" with the upcoming change, the new TLDs will help both users and Web sites.

 1. Dynamic HTML
 2. New Domains
 3. Metered Bandwidth
 4. Web-TV
 5. Rich Ads
 6. The Big Chill
 7. Middlemen
 8. Digital Detente
 9. Cybercommerce
10. Web standards

 1. Push
 2. Windows CE
 3. 56K
 4. Cable Modem
 5. Web-TV
 6. Net Magazines
 7. Apple's Demise
 8. Mac Clones
 9. E-Cash
10. Comdex '96