.PRO in 2008???

[Ben42]

Was curious if anyone else thinks 2008 will be .pro's break out year. I have a bit invested so I am one-sided?

Will the restictions be lifted?

Will end users learn of it?

Will they see that Newhampshire-Exterminators.com is horrible compared to Pest.pro?

lol

 

[Seabass]

It will never be more than a novelty extension at any price or relaxation of rules.

 

[nrmillions]

.Pro has the sort of legitimacy and credibility that would appeal to blue chips.

Why does .pro have that kind of credibility? If they drop reg prices, 95% of .pro domains will be parked pages on sedo owned by domainers just like all the other extensions. Just because you type in a domain.pro doesnt mean it is a professional's website, anyone can go online and buy a .pro.

 

[Kate]

Encirca has read the thread

 

[akcampbell]

Why does .pro have that kind of credibility? If they drop reg prices, 95% of .pro domains will be parked pages on sedo owned by domainers just like all the other extensions. Just because you type in a domain.pro doesnt mean it is a professional's website, anyone can go online and buy a .pro.

Blue chips consider themselves to be experts in their fields and that's the definition of pro. When a corporate brands themselves with a .com, the extension is just ticking a box, with .pro it's adding weight to the keyword. It's like using bold tags in HTML.

Most .infos and .mobis are parked but as alternative extensions they have made huge progress. It's a painful, slow, process but it can be done over time. 5m .infos were registered as of this week. Who'd have thought that 6 years ago? Domainers are even regging and trading LLL.infos. I don't expect to see an information site when I click on a .info, 99% of .infos aren't developed but .infos have become a domaining currency for enthusiasts.

I'm not saying .Pro is going to get anywhere, I'm actually very negative on .Pro at the moment because I've heard that the changes being proposed for .Pro are minor, a few more countries and professions will be able to reg them, big deal, it's not going to increase registrations.

However, what I can see in .Pro is potential if it was run by a commercially astute and domainer friendly registry. It's a business oriented gTLD and there aren't many of those around and there aren't likely to be many in the future, considering the pace ICANN works at. It has value but only if managed properly. That might be years away so all .pro domainers can do is baton down the hatches, drop their weaker keywords and focus on increasing the quality of their holdings.

I actually bought a .Pro today, Tutor.pro for $500. It's an unexceptional keyword but fits the extension.

 

[livecrunch]

I bought makemoneyonline.pro just because I always wanted to have .com but never go to it because of the cost.
I am money making blogger and I think with some seo skills i can rank better then .net and other domain extensions.

Btw currently i am developing that website for "make money online professionals" i don't regret buying it for sale or for myself.

 

[Name Trader]

If and when they relax restrictions, reduce prices, raise awareness, then I predict that after that all happens, .pro will then mirror the experience of .biz, over time. So, 2008 is definitely not going to be .pro's year. It'll never "take-off" in the same way that .biz has never "taken-off". It'll always be a has-been tld. At least for the next 10 years, in the same way the .biz has evolved, over time.

 

[akcampbell]

The big difference between .Pro and .Biz is that .Biz is an abbreviation, it doesn't mean anything or add anything to the keyword.

If you look in trademark registers, you won't find the word Biz very often but you will find alot of instances of Pro. If you put in Pro.com and Biz.com into Google you get 3m references to Pro.com versus 800k references to Biz.com. This is because Pro is a popular trademark prefix and suffix, Biz isn't.

I do see parallels between the extensions in terms of keyword suitability but I'm convinced .Pro could go further than .Biz in the long run with a level playing field. The problem is the playing field isn't level and Registry.pro is about as uncommercial, short sighted, impractical, and lethargic as a registry can be.

The hardest thing in domaining is to pick extensions that are capable of changing their position in the pecking order. I put some chips on .Pro because the registry is running it so badly that change is inevitable, even if it means the extension disappears completely. If it cost $10 to register, I think .Pro would trounce .Biz within a couple of years and could be the main commercial brandable gTLD rival to .com within 10 years.

 

[mwzd]

then I predict that after that all happens, .pro will then mirror the experience of .biz, over time... It'll never "take-off" in the same way that .biz has never "taken-off".

This from a .asia investor?

I actually don't care either way, have 4 .biz (all developed) and 9 .pro - but i'd take .pro over .biz anyday, but then, thats just me and what do I know :hehe:

 

[bocanames]

"pro" is part of lots of company names and the names of their services, as AKCampbell rightly points out. Not only that, but "pro" is recognized across many cultures where English is not the primary spoken language as meaning "professional" - just ask someone in Thailand or Brazil.

The provisions of the ICANN contract and the registry's interpretation of them are what is stifling this extension, not anything inherent in ".PRO"

 

[Name Trader]

This from a .asia investor?

I wouldn't call 1 domain for personal use an .asia investment Which btw I didn't get and it looks to me like the auction rules weren't followed. 2 HK companies just talking together and they were awarded the name. I think there is space for an .asia tld. Do I think it will satisfy our instant need for gratification? Probably not. But then neither will .pro or .biz. What I'm trying to point out is the .biz has been around a long time and languished for most of that time. However I think it's a relevant tld today. How long did that take? how long has it taken .info? What I'm saying is that it's going to take that long also for .pro to become relevant. It's not going to happen in 2008. Heck. Will all the criteria even be met by the end of 2008? Which was the OP's original question.

I actually don't care either way, have 4 .biz (all developed) and 9 .pro - but i'd take .pro over .biz anyday, but then, thats just me and what do I know :hehe:

Why aren't those .pro names developed but all your .biz names are?

 

[mwzd]

Why aren't those .pro names developed but all your .biz names are?

Have had the .biz for a bit (2001/2002/2004)

.PRO I got last year. Have put so much money into developing one of them that its hurting

I plan to develop at least 3 of .pro this year.