Religious groups vie for domains in name grab

[Blake]

Religious groups have long vied for prime parcels of land, planting churches on town squares and monasteries amid isolated mountains. But now they’re targeting less-tangible real estate: cyberspace.

At a time when answers to life’s questions seem just a mouse click away, the online land grab could become a lucrative investment for savvy spiritual leaders, said Heidi Campbell, an associate professor at Texas A&M University.

“Religious groups clearly see the importance and potential profitability — in ideological or financial terms — to defining the Internet or Web space in this way,” said Campbell, an expert on religious groups online.

For the first time in its history, the international nonprofit that doles out generic Internet domain names such as “.com” and “.edu” will allow more specific Web address extensions like “.church.”

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Courtesy of: DANIEL BURKE @ KansasCity.com