Dot What? Changes to Web Addresses
By Vanessa Salvia, 6/22/11
Traditionally, consumers have associated online businesses with .com addresses, but as of June 20, the new currency of the web is dot-anything-goes.
As in dot-beer, dot-pets, or dot-eco. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the organization created in 1998 to manage the Internet's unique system of addresses, approved the change allowing Internet address names to end with almost any word in any language. A new website can be almost anything now (up to 64 characters), and would allow organizations and businesses around the world to market themselves in new and innovative ways, with a memorable web address. But the question is, will anyone buy into it?
Before the ruling, there were 22 generic top-level domains (gTLDs), including the familiar domains such as .gov, .edu, .com, .org and .net, which end every web address. There were also about 200 country code gTLD's, such as .uk for a business registered in England. With all these options, about half of the more than 211 million web addresses in the world use the .com suffix, according to Internet research firm ZookNIC.
Pros
Website names that reflect the correct or desired name of a business or industry are often in short supply. The change could alleviate the difficulties some businesses and people have finding the web address they want. Now, instead of having to use an existing form, a business or person could end their address with anything they want, presumably with the industry, their city, or the name of their company.
The intent was to create more choice on the Internet and offer innovative opportunities for websites to stand out. ICANN says it will accept applications for addresses under the new rules from January 12 to April 12 of 2012. The first of the new domains could be online by late 2012.
Cons
Protecting your brand is one of the new challenges of this ruling. If you are happy with your website and aren't interested in changing, it may require a new vigilance to head off any potential trademark or brand-name infringement from other applicants who are using similar names. The new domains could introduce confusion over just which site is the "real" brand or business that a person wants. For instance, if your business is Foxy Pets, would you be found at www.foxypets.com, foxy.pets, or somewhere else?
The biggest drawback, however, is price. A company or government or individual that wants a domain-name suffix must pay ICANN $185,000 just to apply. The application itself is several hundred pages long. For those who do secure domain names, like .pets, there is a yearly fee to ICANN of around $25,000. Part of that cost is the vetting process to make sure that a company or person is entitled to own the domain name. For instance, a person registering a specific brand name, like .exxon, has to prove that they own the brand.
Conclusion
The effect of this ruling at this time is anyone's guess. The Internet has changed dramatically since it was first conceived and became open to the public about 20 years ago. We simply can't foresee how these changes might affect the Internet in the future. But, even though the 22 generic TLD's have been available for some time, most business owners choose to go with .com, because the other endings such as .biz or .info, often have a whiff of spamminess. For most businesses, our recommendations would be to buy your brand domain name if it is in your budget and you are interested in the strictest control over your Internet presence. For most businesses though, it is doubtful at this point that the different domains would be an advantage. Do get in the habit, however, of monitoring your brand name and conversations about you and your business online. Make checking up on domain names that are similar to your own a regular part of that management.
Traditionally, consumers have associated online businesses with .com addresses, but as of June 20, the new currency of the web is dot-anything-goes.
As in dot-beer, dot-pets, or dot-eco. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the organization created in 1998 to manage the Internet's unique system of addresses, approved the change allowing Internet address names to end with almost any word in any language. A new website can be almost anything now (up to 64 characters), and would allow organizations and businesses around the world to market themselves in new and innovative ways, with a memorable web address. But the question is, will anyone buy into it?
Before the ruling, there were 22 generic top-level domains (gTLDs), including the familiar domains such as .gov, .edu, .com, .org and .net, which end every web address. There were also about 200 country code gTLD's, such as .uk for a business registered in England. With all these options, about half of the more than 211 million web addresses in the world use the .com suffix, according to Internet research firm ZookNIC.
Pros
Website names that reflect the correct or desired name of a business or industry are often in short supply. The change could alleviate the difficulties some businesses and people have finding the web address they want. Now, instead of having to use an existing form, a business or person could end their address with anything they want, presumably with the industry, their city, or the name of their company.
The intent was to create more choice on the Internet and offer innovative opportunities for websites to stand out. ICANN says it will accept applications for addresses under the new rules from January 12 to April 12 of 2012. The first of the new domains could be online by late 2012.
Cons
Protecting your brand is one of the new challenges of this ruling. If you are happy with your website and aren't interested in changing, it may require a new vigilance to head off any potential trademark or brand-name infringement from other applicants who are using similar names. The new domains could introduce confusion over just which site is the "real" brand or business that a person wants. For instance, if your business is Foxy Pets, would you be found at www.foxypets.com, foxy.pets, or somewhere else?
The biggest drawback, however, is price. A company or government or individual that wants a domain-name suffix must pay ICANN $185,000 just to apply. The application itself is several hundred pages long. For those who do secure domain names, like .pets, there is a yearly fee to ICANN of around $25,000. Part of that cost is the vetting process to make sure that a company or person is entitled to own the domain name. For instance, a person registering a specific brand name, like .exxon, has to prove that they own the brand. Conclusion
The effect of this ruling at this time is anyone's guess. The Internet has changed dramatically since it was first conceived and became open to the public about 20 years ago. We simply can't foresee how these changes might affect the Internet in the future. But, even though the 22 generic TLD's have been available for some time, most business owners choose to go with .com, because the other endings such as .biz or .info, often have a whiff of spamminess. For most businesses, our recommendations would be to buy your brand domain name if it is in your budget and you are interested in the strictest control over your Internet presence. For most businesses though, it is doubtful at this point that the different domains would be an advantage. Do get in the habit, however, of monitoring your brand name and conversations about you and your business online. Make checking up on domain names that are similar to your own a regular part of that management.
