Dead-on Post by Rick Schwartz about Established TLDs

[Ms Domainer]

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This is one of the smartest posts I have read by a domain blogger:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/10/bi...ception-everything-review-current-extensions/

Rick Schwartz analyzes the possible effects that .whatever might bring to the table for the existing ccTLDs and gTLDs.

Like Rick, I see cautious optimism regarding established TLDs, including .us.

My opinion :I believe that .web could be a game changer, but it depends how its registry markets it.

What do you think?

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[mjnels]

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This is one of the smartest posts I have read by a domain blogger:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/10/bi...ception-everything-review-current-extensions/

Rick Schwartz analyzes the possible effects that .whatever might bring to the table for the existing ccTLDs and gTLDs.

Like Rick, I see cautious optimism regarding established TLDs, including .us.

My opinion :I believe that .web could be a game changer, but it depends how its registry markets it.

What do you think?

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i think the people saying the new TLD's are mostly crap but that ".web is one of the good ones" dont understand whats happening.

nobody is looking for .net's second cousin's brother (.web)... the entire thing happening all at once is the game changer here... not individual TLD's.

 

[Keith]

the entire thing happening all at once is the game changer here... not individual TLD's.

Game changer? Who's going to register and use these extensions? My guess is that the majority of regs will be defensive. A fair percentage will be made by speculators who will most likely lose their money. A very tiny amount will be endusers. Seems like it's business as usual in the domain world to me!

 

[Kate]

.web is pointless, but I'm sure there will be people registering some names.
I could be wrong, but I am under the impression that Rick understimates ccTLD.
In some markets they overshadow .com almost completely for local use.
Concerning .us, I'm not expecting anything from Neustar any longer after so many years. I think the US will remain an exception as the only major country shunning its own ccTLD. Sad.

 

[mjnels]

Game changer? Who's going to register and use these extensions? My guess is that the majority of regs will be defensive. A fair percentage will be made by speculators who will most likely lose their money. A very tiny amount will be endusers. Seems like it's business as usual in the domain world to me!

business as usual was like 1 TLD a year... not 1,000.

people pretending this is business as usual probably cant see the difference between a light shower and a hurricane.

 

[Keith]

business as usual was like 1 TLD a year... not 1,000.

people pretending this is business as usual probably cant see the difference between a light shower and a hurricane.

It's literally a numbers game, as in, there won't be enough registrations to keep many of these afloat.

 

[mjnels]

It's literally a numbers game, as in, there won't be enough registrations to keep many of these afloat.

afloat for who? if a TLD cant make it financially another active registry will probably just add it to its inventory for a penny or whatever the liquidation value of .ninja is at the time..

 

[Keith]

afloat for who? if a TLD cant make it financially another active registry will probably just add it to its inventory for a penny or whatever the liquidation value of .ninja is at the time..

Adding a thousand piss poor tlds to your inventory doesn't make the tlds a success. It simply adds cash flow to the registry that owns them.

We are in the game of buying and selling domains. Just because .ninja exists doesn't mean that .ninja domains have value. I see about 1000 .ninjas heading our way and 99 percent will be an epic fail.

 

[mjnels]

Adding a thousand piss poor tlds to your inventory doesn't make the tlds a success. It simply adds cash flow to the registry that owns them.

We are in the game of buying and selling domains. Just because .ninja exists doesn't mean that .ninja domains have value. I see about 1000 .ninjas heading our way and 99 percent will be an epic fail.

the mere existence of so many at once will make it normal eventually though. exposure..

thats obviously the first step when businesses consider using .com or "something else".... if domainers wont admit that eventually .anything wont be seen as weird or "oh you couldnt get the .com huh" then the conversation ends there.

the success of a particular registry and exposure to 1,000 TLD's are completely different angles.

the exposure to thousands of .anything at once will get the normalization ball rolling.

 

[Kate]

When you have too many sounds coming from all ways what you have in the end is background noise and the whole conversation becomes unintelligible.
Of course exposure is important, but just because you use a Klingonian domain doesn't mean I want one as well. I would take notice if my competitors or clients start looking at developed .klingon websites. The problem is that I fail to see the first mover advantage here. There has to be critical mass :talk:

 

[mjnels]

When you have too many sounds coming from all ways what you have in the end is background noise and the whole conversation becomes unintelligible.
Of course exposure is important, but just because you use a Klingonian domain doesn't mean I want one as well. I would take notice if my competitors or clients start looking at developed .klingon websites. The problem is that I fail to see the first mover advantage here. There has to be critical mass :talk:

im not saying you'd want a klingonian domain necessary but when you start seeing .klingon domains... then .wookie domains... then .toinfitityandbeyond... you may get the message that .weird isnt so weird.

you're right, i dont see the first mover advantage either in that regard but there will be "pawns" along to way to awareness..

im not even saying "domaining" in these alt-TLD's will be viable at that point... but its likely to erode the idea that .com is "prestigious"

 

[Keith]

the mere existence of so many at once will make it normal eventually though. exposure..

the exposure to thousands of .anything at once will get the normalization ball rolling.

Another way to look at it is thousands will be confusing. I don't doubt that a few hacks will be memorable but that's about it.

It's like saying .biz and .mobi would be relevant if they were released with a load of other extensions. Seems silly to say that IMO.

 

[mjnels]

Another way to look at it is thousands will be confusing. I don't doubt that a few hacks will be memorable but that's about it.

it will be confusing. but for that to happen you'll need to see them all over, everywhere.

a few hacks? nah if we're heading into the realm of more than 1,000 real actual words it will be many more than just a few hacks possible.

It's like saying .biz and .mobi would be relevant if they were released with a load of other extensions. Seems silly to say that IMO.

for the process of becoming "less weird" it is more relevant.

 

[.NJ]

Unless solid companies and end-users build with these new extensions, they are just going to be another fart in the wind.

My prediction:

As soon as the new .whatever's launch, 90% of them will instantly be swallowed by the gaping mouth's of the typical "this name is going to make me rich" attitudes.

Then you will see all the "domain feed" blogs ranting and raving that there are over 100,000 new registrations for .stupid and it's the next .com.

But they will fail to recognize that these "100,000" new registrations are by the same people reading the article.

In the end.....all the new registrations will sit in Joe Blow's portfolio with no movement because of the $xxx,xxx price tags until he finally drops them, or sell's to another dreamer with hopes of $$$$.

It's a vicious cycle waiting for it's victims.

Hence....History always repeats itself.

 

[Domainace]

I'm fairly sure these will have an impact, in that they will get people used to the idea of .anything, as mjnels said. Dotcom will be the prestige name for many years to come yet, though.

In one way, .net and .us could benefit. They will no longer be seen as odd man out, or "I couldn't afford the .com" domains. The .net will be one out of thousands - and may have slightly more prestige because it is familiar to people.

On the other hand, the flood of new tlds will probably reduce overall prices.

 

[Keith]

I'm fairly sure these will have an impact, in that they will get people used to the idea of .anything, as mjnels said.

The problem with that line thinking is that people have to SEE them to get used to them. Where are they going to see them? When is the last time you seen an ad for .co, .info, .anything other than .com or the occasional .org?

Think television, radio, billboards, sporting events. It's .com all the time and nothing else. A bunch of new tlds launched at the same time isn't going to change that. They can't magically become "normal" when nobody is developing or advertising them. Not going to happen...

 

[mjnels]

The problem with that line thinking is that people have to SEE them to get used to them. Where are they going to see them? When is the last time you seen an ad for .co, .info, .anything other than .com or the occasional .org?

Think television, radio, billboards, sporting events. It's .com all the time and nothing else. A bunch of new tlds launched at the same time isn't going to change that. They can't magically become "normal" when nobody is developing or advertising them. Not going to happen...

ive seen all the TLD's you named occasionally, within the last few weeks for sure... i saw a .mobi a few months ago. i was shocked, but i did see it and this wouldnt have been possible 10 years ago.

and so this is with only like a dozen "other" TLD's in existence.. when that number is in the thousands thats when occasional wont be very occasional anymore.

 

[Traveler]

The problem with that line thinking is that people have to SEE them to get used to them. Where are they going to see them? When is the last time you seen an ad for .co, .info, .anything other than .com or the occasional .org?

Think television, radio, billboards, sporting events. It's .com all the time and nothing else. A bunch of new tlds launched at the same time isn't going to change that. They can't magically become "normal" when nobody is developing or advertising them. Not going to happen...

There are going to be some fantastic combinations available for domain names and I think some Corporations with big budgets will develop and advertise them. That does not mean that those extensions will suddenly have value, but what will happen is the general public will eventually be aware that to the right of the "dot" there could be anything. When that happens, the game changes. It is not a matter of if it will happen, it will, it is a matter of when. The way information travels these days, I suspect it will be sooner rather than later.

 

[Keith]

ive seen all the TLD's you named occasionally, within the last few weeks for sure... i saw a .mobi a few months ago. i was shocked, but i did see it and this wouldnt have been possible 10 years ago.

Seeing something occasionally is the problem. You need to see it constantly to remember it. Now consider seeing a thousand different tlds every once in awhile. How in the world will you remember what you've seen in passing? You may say, oh I remember seeing something.web or something.inc, but you'll never remember what the "something" before the dot was.

 

[JB Lions]

There are going to be some fantastic combinations available for domain names and I think some Corporations with big budgets will develop and advertise them.

Why in the world would they do that, when they already have a working .com? Why haven't they already done it with existing alternative extensions? If they have big budgets, then they have the kind of money to buy .coms.