STEVE JOBS, Apple founder once said, “Some people say, "Give the customers what they want." But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'" People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.”
The vast majority of small businesses in the United States have only heard about a handful of domain name extensions. The most popular domain extensions among businesses are .com, .net, .org, .us, and some of the new gTLDs. However, what many small businesses and domain investors are not aware of is that as of May 18, 2023, there are 1479 TLDs in the IATA database. You can access the full list at data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt. One of the newer TLDs that grabbed my attention is .GDN.
.GDN is managed by GDN Registry FZ-LLC, a subsidiary of JSC NIS. The company is based in Dubai. According to the registrar's website “.GDN is the extension if you are a start-up, a small business, or even a professional in the global world and want to “Make Your Presence Globally. If you are an established brand or company with a massive world presence, you can have a .gdn to perfect your niche by using it to drive traffic to your .com website, hence a global domain name.” .GDN has no boundaries, no restrictions, and doesn’t belong to a specific TLD category.
A quick housekeeping before I continue with this article about .GDN. First, please understand that this article is for informational purposes and is not intended to serve as a guide in domain investing. Moreover, I do not have any business affiliation with .GDN Registry. That said, the purpose of this article is to share my views as to why I chose to invest in .GDN. The two most important reasons that influenced my decision are the registration fee for .gdn which is about $9.44 at Epik and I love the fact that .GDN extension is 3-letters just like .COM, .NET, .ORG, .BIZ, .EDU, etc.
There are approximately 64 TLDs that are three letters. With the exception of the five mentioned above, the other 3-letter TLDs include .APP, .ART, .BAR, .BID, .BIO, .BOO, .CAB, .CAM, .CAR, .CEO, .DAY, .DEV, .DOG, .ECO, .FIT, .FUN, .FYI, .GAY, .HOW, .ICU, .INC, .INK, .KIM, .KRD, .LAT, .LAW, .LLC, .LOL, .LTD, .MBA, .MEN, .MOE, .MOM, .NEW, .NGO, .NYC, .ONE, .ONG, .ONL, .PRO, .PUB, .RED, .RIP, .RUN, .SEX, .SKI, .SOY, .TAX, .TEL, .TOP, .UNO, .VET, .VIN, .VIP, .WIN, .WTF, .XXX and .XYZ.
According to Wikipedia, “The Registry Agreement for .GDN was made official on July 31, 2014. It became available to the general public on 7 March 2016. The top three countries where .gdn is registered are the United States, China, and the Russian Federation. .GDN made 300,000+ registrations in less than a year after the general public launch. The domain is registered in 119 countries.”
Repurposed Top Level Domain
According to the Merriam-Webber dictionary, repurposed means, “to give a new purpose or use.” According to GDN Registry, .GDN stands for “Global Domain Name.” However, GDN is also an abbreviation for several business-related terms such as Global Digital Network, Global Distribution Network, Google Display Network, and Geo Domain Network. Garden, etc. GDN is not a new term, but it is being repurposed.
Geo Domain Name
GDN stands for Geo-Domain Name. .GDN could allow any local company to offer its services in any part of the world. .GDN could make it possible for a business or organization to use a generic domain extension in cross-border business. For example, a small Indian startup in the tourism industry looking to market its services to European tourists may hesitate to use .IN. However, .GDN might be the best extension for this startup because it is not restricted to a specific region.
Google Display Network
.GDN could be the perfect TLD for more than 2 million apps and website that uses GDN. ‘GDN stands for Google Display Network, and it is a collection of websites and apps that have partnered with Google to display ads on their sites. Essentially these websites, when joining up to GDN, give Google the ability to place ads into pre-determined ad slots on each website and/or app. GDN is the largest display network on the web. So, through their freely available Google Ads platform, you as an advertiser can bid to get your ad on any of these sites.”
Substitute for .GARDEN
.GARDEN is one of the 1479 domain extensions. The .garden specifically caters to gardening businesses and communities. However, “GDN” is also an abbreviation for GARDEN. .GDN could be used as a substitute for .garden TLD. The global sales value of gardening was 96.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Anyone or business in this sector can use .gdn to promote their garden products or as a redirect to their website. A domain redirect is a website where a web browser will direct a domain name to another. For example, Relentless.com is redirected to Amazon.com.
Global Digital Network
Global Digital Network or GDN is a group of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and individuals who collaborate for the purpose of increasing economic growth and curbing poverty by working to raise household incomes. Businesses or organizations that are part of GDN could create a separate website with .gdn extension. This website could serve as a platform where donors and recipients can engage in meaningful dialogue. Moreover, a website on .gdn could be an excellent way for businesses or organizations that are part of the Global Digital Network to reaffirm their commitment to economic growth and curbing poverty in emerging countries.
Global Dating Network
A recent FiveThirtyEight.com poll shows that “58% of GenZ said they enjoy being single more than being in a relationship.” According to statista.com, “the revenue in the Online Dating market is projected to reach US$2.98 billion in 2023. In the Online Dating market, the number of users is expected to amount to 438 million users by 2027.” Yes, there are several gTLDs specifically dedicated to the dating industry. The two that come to mind are .date and .single. However, I think .gdn could also be repurposed to serve this ever-growing industry. For transparency reasons, I own Vegas.singles and Mesa.singles.
Goods Delivery Note
A goods delivery note or GDN is a document that accompanies a shipment of goods and provides a list of the products and quality of the goods included in the delivery. We all know it is a hassle when tracking packages on the sender's website. Imagine for a second that your favorite online retailer has a dedicated website where you could track just orders. That would be great right? Imagine using Amazon.gdn to track your Amazon packages, Louis.gdn to track your expensive Louis Vuitton bags or Walmart.gdn to track your Walmart online orders. I am sure just having a website dedicated to tracking your purchases will make life less stressful. In my opinion, .gdn could be the perfect repurposed domain extension for digital Goods delivery notes.
Conclusion
Domain name extensions are constantly being repurposed and this evolution is here to stay. For example, the popular view of .com is that it is an abbreviation for “commercial.” However, not everyone knows that “COM” is also an abbreviation for Communication, Company, Commerce, Commander in the US DoD, Computer Output Microfiche, Chain Of Memories, Change Of Mission, and Communication Port., Computers, ComOps, etc. Of course, .com is a TLD in the Domain Name System of the Internet.
Saul of Tarsus once said, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” In my upcoming book titled “EVOLUTION,” I discussed in great detail the role of repurposed TLDs. In the future, it is individuals or businesses with foresight that will decide how TLD will be used. The challenge associated with this present dispensation is that we are waiting for someone else to create a new path. Unfortunately, what we don’t realize is that those who create new paths will also set the rules.
What are your thoughts on the future of repurposed TLDs? In your view, does .gdn stand a chance in the already overcrowded field of domain name extensions?
The vast majority of small businesses in the United States have only heard about a handful of domain name extensions. The most popular domain extensions among businesses are .com, .net, .org, .us, and some of the new gTLDs. However, what many small businesses and domain investors are not aware of is that as of May 18, 2023, there are 1479 TLDs in the IATA database. You can access the full list at data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt. One of the newer TLDs that grabbed my attention is .GDN.
.GDN is managed by GDN Registry FZ-LLC, a subsidiary of JSC NIS. The company is based in Dubai. According to the registrar's website “.GDN is the extension if you are a start-up, a small business, or even a professional in the global world and want to “Make Your Presence Globally. If you are an established brand or company with a massive world presence, you can have a .gdn to perfect your niche by using it to drive traffic to your .com website, hence a global domain name.” .GDN has no boundaries, no restrictions, and doesn’t belong to a specific TLD category.
A quick housekeeping before I continue with this article about .GDN. First, please understand that this article is for informational purposes and is not intended to serve as a guide in domain investing. Moreover, I do not have any business affiliation with .GDN Registry. That said, the purpose of this article is to share my views as to why I chose to invest in .GDN. The two most important reasons that influenced my decision are the registration fee for .gdn which is about $9.44 at Epik and I love the fact that .GDN extension is 3-letters just like .COM, .NET, .ORG, .BIZ, .EDU, etc.
There are approximately 64 TLDs that are three letters. With the exception of the five mentioned above, the other 3-letter TLDs include .APP, .ART, .BAR, .BID, .BIO, .BOO, .CAB, .CAM, .CAR, .CEO, .DAY, .DEV, .DOG, .ECO, .FIT, .FUN, .FYI, .GAY, .HOW, .ICU, .INC, .INK, .KIM, .KRD, .LAT, .LAW, .LLC, .LOL, .LTD, .MBA, .MEN, .MOE, .MOM, .NEW, .NGO, .NYC, .ONE, .ONG, .ONL, .PRO, .PUB, .RED, .RIP, .RUN, .SEX, .SKI, .SOY, .TAX, .TEL, .TOP, .UNO, .VET, .VIN, .VIP, .WIN, .WTF, .XXX and .XYZ.
According to Wikipedia, “The Registry Agreement for .GDN was made official on July 31, 2014. It became available to the general public on 7 March 2016. The top three countries where .gdn is registered are the United States, China, and the Russian Federation. .GDN made 300,000+ registrations in less than a year after the general public launch. The domain is registered in 119 countries.”
Repurposed Top Level Domain
According to the Merriam-Webber dictionary, repurposed means, “to give a new purpose or use.” According to GDN Registry, .GDN stands for “Global Domain Name.” However, GDN is also an abbreviation for several business-related terms such as Global Digital Network, Global Distribution Network, Google Display Network, and Geo Domain Network. Garden, etc. GDN is not a new term, but it is being repurposed.
Geo Domain Name
GDN stands for Geo-Domain Name. .GDN could allow any local company to offer its services in any part of the world. .GDN could make it possible for a business or organization to use a generic domain extension in cross-border business. For example, a small Indian startup in the tourism industry looking to market its services to European tourists may hesitate to use .IN. However, .GDN might be the best extension for this startup because it is not restricted to a specific region.
Google Display Network
.GDN could be the perfect TLD for more than 2 million apps and website that uses GDN. ‘GDN stands for Google Display Network, and it is a collection of websites and apps that have partnered with Google to display ads on their sites. Essentially these websites, when joining up to GDN, give Google the ability to place ads into pre-determined ad slots on each website and/or app. GDN is the largest display network on the web. So, through their freely available Google Ads platform, you as an advertiser can bid to get your ad on any of these sites.”
Substitute for .GARDEN
.GARDEN is one of the 1479 domain extensions. The .garden specifically caters to gardening businesses and communities. However, “GDN” is also an abbreviation for GARDEN. .GDN could be used as a substitute for .garden TLD. The global sales value of gardening was 96.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Anyone or business in this sector can use .gdn to promote their garden products or as a redirect to their website. A domain redirect is a website where a web browser will direct a domain name to another. For example, Relentless.com is redirected to Amazon.com.
Global Digital Network
Global Digital Network or GDN is a group of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and individuals who collaborate for the purpose of increasing economic growth and curbing poverty by working to raise household incomes. Businesses or organizations that are part of GDN could create a separate website with .gdn extension. This website could serve as a platform where donors and recipients can engage in meaningful dialogue. Moreover, a website on .gdn could be an excellent way for businesses or organizations that are part of the Global Digital Network to reaffirm their commitment to economic growth and curbing poverty in emerging countries.
Global Dating Network
A recent FiveThirtyEight.com poll shows that “58% of GenZ said they enjoy being single more than being in a relationship.” According to statista.com, “the revenue in the Online Dating market is projected to reach US$2.98 billion in 2023. In the Online Dating market, the number of users is expected to amount to 438 million users by 2027.” Yes, there are several gTLDs specifically dedicated to the dating industry. The two that come to mind are .date and .single. However, I think .gdn could also be repurposed to serve this ever-growing industry. For transparency reasons, I own Vegas.singles and Mesa.singles.
Goods Delivery Note
A goods delivery note or GDN is a document that accompanies a shipment of goods and provides a list of the products and quality of the goods included in the delivery. We all know it is a hassle when tracking packages on the sender's website. Imagine for a second that your favorite online retailer has a dedicated website where you could track just orders. That would be great right? Imagine using Amazon.gdn to track your Amazon packages, Louis.gdn to track your expensive Louis Vuitton bags or Walmart.gdn to track your Walmart online orders. I am sure just having a website dedicated to tracking your purchases will make life less stressful. In my opinion, .gdn could be the perfect repurposed domain extension for digital Goods delivery notes.
Conclusion
Domain name extensions are constantly being repurposed and this evolution is here to stay. For example, the popular view of .com is that it is an abbreviation for “commercial.” However, not everyone knows that “COM” is also an abbreviation for Communication, Company, Commerce, Commander in the US DoD, Computer Output Microfiche, Chain Of Memories, Change Of Mission, and Communication Port., Computers, ComOps, etc. Of course, .com is a TLD in the Domain Name System of the Internet.
Saul of Tarsus once said, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” In my upcoming book titled “EVOLUTION,” I discussed in great detail the role of repurposed TLDs. In the future, it is individuals or businesses with foresight that will decide how TLD will be used. The challenge associated with this present dispensation is that we are waiting for someone else to create a new path. Unfortunately, what we don’t realize is that those who create new paths will also set the rules.
What are your thoughts on the future of repurposed TLDs? In your view, does .gdn stand a chance in the already overcrowded field of domain name extensions?
