Could .LA be a sleeper?

[WordWalker]

Saw this article about ICANN & potential new TLDs:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081110/BUSINESS/811100254

So, if it's true that, "Marriott is considering acquiring the rights to Marriott.nyc, Marriott.travel or Marriott.vacations", then the sudden popularity of .LA couldn't be far behind. The only difference is that .LA is available right now.

The .NYC campaign is well under way:

http://www.openplans.org/projects/campaign-for.nyc/project-home

I'm finding that .LA is, for the most part, overlooked by domainers compared to other TLDs. Because of this, some really great names are still available. I picked up Tattoos.LA, TalkRadio.LA, Refinancing.LA, Dentists.LA and many more. As part of a geo-based domain strategy, I think .LA could be a good move.

Anyone else staking out a little .LA domain turf? I'm wondering what .LA domains other people are going after.

 

[GF]

Could you imagine the outrage if .ca was called by someone "the official extension of the state of California" and began marketing it as such?

Ooooooh, that would be nuts! :o

 

[-REECE-]

Oh yes! Especially considering it seems almost half the domainers on here are from California :D

Someone did try a Hollywood.ca stunt awhile back for 10k+ if memory serves me correctly

Could you imagine the outrage if .ca was called by someone "the official extension of the state of California" and began marketing it as such?

Ooooooh, that would be nuts! :o

 

[kubativity]

well. whats the difference then with .TV? its also a ccTLD that has been marketed otherwise.

I gave up all but one of my .LA names. I still have faith that this market will open up.

 

[MicroGuy]

I think the registry should be honest under the FAQs. Would it kill them to at least be truthful somewhere on the About Page with something like...umm..."The Truth"?

".LA is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Lao People's Democratic Republic."

It's possible that the people of Laos may one day decide they want their extension back. Then what? This could happen (and has) with other ccTLDs as well. The only way to seriously develop a site on a ccTLD like .LA, is to own the .COM backup like uStream does with .TV.

Otherwise the Country that was assigned the ccTLD and ultimately controls it will have the site owners by the Kajeebees. IMHO.

 

[Domainace]

I feel bad for the people of Laos... The registry publicizes it as the extension for the city of Los Angeles - lame.

Really, that's the least of their problems.

This really highlights how important it is that a stable government is behind the extension. Like a previous poster, that's why I would avoid .cn

Say a few years down the line, after the 2nd great depression ends, Chinese complain that greedy imperialist Westerners are making their domains unaffordable to small businesses. The government swoops in and changes the rules, leaving the foreigners empty handed - all to great acclaim in the Chinese media.

Win-win for the Chinese pols. First they get a bit of popularity. Second, they get to steal the names for themselves!

 

[ecalc]

... So, if it's true that, "Marriott is considering acquiring the rights to Marriott.nyc, Marriott.travel or Marriott.vacations", then the sudden popularity of .LA couldn't be far behind. The only difference is that .LA is available right now...

The pressdemocrat link that you posted has a WSJ 10-nov-2008 byline, so it's odd to read their words that Marriott is "considering" marriott.travel when WHOIS shows that domain name registered by Marriott International since 20-nov-2007 or earlier. Note that marriott.la was registered by a guy with a hotmail address, not Marriott International, on 20-june-2008. Few domainers care about Marriott International domain registration habits, but if you do, you might be concerned that Marriott splurged on a .travel but passed on .la. Maybe the board of directors shot it down.

 

[labrocca]

Smarter move imho is keyword.us.la Follow the trends of co.uk and com.au
At least the people of Laos would only be whoring one domain really not their entire registry.

tattoos.us.la
restaurants.us.la
travel.us.la

And such...

 

[VisualArtistFrankBonilla]

Nice

Good extension or not, I wish it was me who sold Business.la for $17,500!!! :yell:


Frank

 

[DomainTalker]

Reminds me of .MU...of Mauritious (sp?).....Can be marketed as .mu for 'music'...


...I think I still own Rock.mu(sic) & Dance.mu(sic)...lol


Then again....Why the hell not, eh..?...

.

 

[Timewarp]

There are a handful of music sites that use .dj which is kind of cool.

All the good geos for california were taken in .ca a while ago so someone was thinking about it.

As for localization problems its not always a big deal, my .ws and .cc sites rank okay in the usa where they are aimed.

 

[Dean]

The management of this TLD looks dodgy and that would explain the lack of investment in it.

 

[VisualArtistFrankBonilla]

Marketplace.la

I have Marketplace.la



Frank

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

The biggest obstacle.

Teach the public to use them.

You might of just taught your mom how to use the Internet, now throw this .la, .nyc curve ball at her and you'll fry her circuits.

Even IFsomehow these other tld's become popular, you are looking at 5-10 years down the road it will not be overnight on their launch day.

Please. Don't stereotype. I think moms are smart enough to figure out that .la and .nyc are internet extensions.

Being a mom myself to a 38-year-old, I do believe I could give my son a run for his money on the internet.

In fact, I was the one who showed him how to find GoDaddy coupons and how to create a custom domain.

:blink:

*

 

[acronym007]

*



Please. Don't stereotype. I think moms are smart enough to figure out that .la and .nyc are internet extensions.

Being a mom myself to a 38-year-old, I do believe I could give my son a run for his money on the internet.

In fact, I was the one who showed him how to find GoDaddy coupons and how to create a custom domain.

:blink:

*

Of course my post was generic but your have read it again to understand it. More or less I was saying it will take some time to ingrain the new extentions into people and older the generations the most difficult. You and I are near the same age, I was referring to the generation above us, hence your mom/my mom. I'm not referring to a young lady like yourself. The generation above us, there are exceptions, do not use or understand the full power of the Internet in fact I was at the hospital the other day and this elderly lady was going to use a phone book, I mean how archaic... LOL

You go MOM!

 

[Robbie]

I own three.la and havent had any issues the registrar.

Regards,

Robbie

 

[kashif]

I have liability.la... Any .la lover can bargain me for this domain... :hehe:

 

[Ms Domainer]

Of course my post was generic but your have read it again to understand it. More or less I was saying it will take some time to ingrain the new extentions into people and older the generations the most difficult. You and I are near the same age, I was referring to the generation above us, hence your mom/my mom. I'm not referring to a young lady like yourself. The generation above us, there are exceptions, do not use or understand the full power of the Internet in fact I was at the hospital the other day and this elderly lady was going to use a phone book, I mean how archaic... LOL

You go MOM!

I will!

:D Though I must say that my 90-year-old mother-in-law (before she passed away two years ago) had started to surf the web. She also had an email address and would use it fairly regularly, although she complained that the font was too small (even in her emails).

But you flatter me, so all is good.