Could domain name .eco be a force for environmental change?

[Blake]

Ranked as a top new domain name, will .eco improve corporate sustainability performance or become the digital version of corporate greenwash?

Greenwash. Some would argue it happens all the time. Indeed, as a CSR professional I have been accused of aiding and abetting greenwash myself. I like to think otherwise, but I can see why people hold those views, when companies seem to do good with one hand and bad with the other.

Imagine what people will think when they see those same companies with a website that ends with .eco. It could well be happening by next year but by working together, the global environmental community could ensure .eco is not greenwash. Instead it can become a vehicle for improving corporate sustainability performance.

In June, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organisation that runs the Internet, announced that 1,910 different companies had applied to run 1,410 new top-level domain names (those website suffixes like .com). Sometimes these are companies aiming to protect their brand name such as .apple and .google (which is also applying for .earth), while others include geographic domains such as .scot. When the winning companies start selling these next year, we will see what has been described as the digital equivalent of the 19th century American landgrab.

Read More
Courtesy of: Adam Garfunkel @ Guardian.co.uk

 

[Kate]

I can't wait for .eco, I mean how could we live without this thing

:bah:

 

[symboldomain]

I fear that .eco will suffer a similar fate
to all the other "we're about something cool
and trendy" TLD's.

On a slightly more political note, now that
the Global Warming/Carbon Tax balloon has well
and truly been deflated, I can't see there being
many takers at all for the .eco extension.

 

[alien51]

This .ECO tld extension, will die.

What exactly does "eco" stands for? Perhaps, 'ecosystem'? Most humans do not have 'ecosystem' as part of their english vocabulary. The word 'green' is more associated with the environment. And to some extent, the word 'earth'.

But .ECO ??? Sounds closer to anything related to the economy and debates between Obama and Romney. Or analysis from Wallstreet stock brokers and policy makers.

It is much worse, if .ECO turns out to be an acronym like Environmental Change Organization. Newly-invented acronyms are easily lost in peoples' memories.

 

[iowadawg]

Before we officially call .eco dead?

Let us see what Al "I invented the intertubes" Gore has to say.

For if he backs .eco?
It is truly dead!

 

[999names]

dot Eco dot Bio etc will make dot orgs more popular.

 

[imadam]

WAY TO MANY NEW EXTENSIONS! Sorry for the caps, I just want to get my point across. The launch of all these new exttensions just seems so pointless.