Interesting range of perspectives.
I don’t see the new TLDs as being dead. The fact is, some of them have tremendous value when used properly.
In the process of determining the worth of the new TLDs, domainers are so hungry for opportunity within their realm that they have forgotten to analyze the depth of new TLDs, and to properly assess the value proposition each may offer. Are they dot coms? No. Could some of them have the potential to rival dot coms? Yes… but it’s a combination of factors that will elevate those worthy of elevation to that level.
Further, some of the new TLDs were never launched to be money makers for domainers, they were launched for personal development by end-user hobbyists, special interests, and essentially, blogging. TLDs, like the dot me or dot space, are very limited in scope to what an end-user might pay, but unlimited to what a hobbyist might develop. These, like so many other new TLDs, are for the end-user to register and use, with very few offering the opportunity to profit from reselling.
Instead of analyzing this, many domainers have been in a rush to run out and buy a ton of shit, believing that end-users would eventually pay high fees to obtain these domains, simply because they have a dictionary meaning or happen to be an industry product, word, or term. For many, this won’t happen, and it’s obvious why to those who take the time to reason before making their decision. Just because EFG.com can fetch five or six figure sales, doesn’t mean it’s a smart investment to register EFG.clothing. The fact of the matter remains that a lot of the new TLDs have a small assortment of words specific to each new TLD that actually work. For most other non-relatable verbs, nouns, and adjectives, they sound stupid, make no sense, and have a very slim hope of monetizing beyond the registrar’s level.
Also, consider the strong factors in determining how this launch of new TLDs is significantly different than the release during the early millennium with the dot mobi’s, biz, org, info, etc. Firstly, it’s very challenging to find a suitable .com, since all short, viable domain names are gone, and because so many are priced out of reality, other logical alternatives become attractive. Secondly, in my opinion and most importantly, thanks to the massive growth, maturing, and innovative technological mindset of the IGen/Gen Z or Centennials, the Internet and the technologies associated with it are soon to be entering the next phase of Semantic Web progression. It is this highly adaptive generation that holds the key. It’s baffling how this is so overlooked. The Millennials and the younger population are the generations who will innovate the next phase of the internet well beyond what we’ve currently achieved. It’s also this demographic who has a different mindset than which was common 20, 15, even 10 years ago… and are much more accepting than their aging forefathers.
A good example of this thought process and adaptability would be in the fairly recent rise of the .io extension. It’s the Indian Ocean, let’s call a spade a spade… yet, it has transcended into a marquee TLD with value to those in technology – and it’s all thanks to modifying our thoughts to interpret io as an acronym for Input Output. Incidentally, it’s this perceived usage of the newer io TLD that is starting to do quite well, with many strong sales having been posted over past few months.
The days of registering 1,2,3 and 4 letter domains of value are limited, if not done altogether, with the .com clearly being the most desirable and king of all. Simply doing AHGD.co or 22314.xyz isn’t going to garner massive results in the foreseeable future, but for the thinking domainer, the opportunity is still very much alive and emphasised with some of these new ‘dead’ TLD’s.
A little common sense, reasoning, and logic would help all of us to better perceive the value proposition of particular domains within the new TLDs, and in turn will save all who call domaining their profession a lot of money. Instead of regurgitating useless dot coms or registering 20+ character domains, give it a little time: you might profit if played wisely.
To say that the new TLDs are dead, is a premature statement.
it was only a matter of time
