news The Domain Industry Is About To Change BIGTIME!!!

[daj]

The net could see its biggest transformation in decades if plans to open up the address system are passed.

The net's regulators will vote on Thursday to decide if the strict rules on so-called top level domain names, such as .com or .uk, can be relaxed.

If approved, it could allow companies to turn their brands into domain names while individuals could also carve out their own corner of the net.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7468855.stm

 

[homebuyer]

My TLD

Just think, each and every domainer will finally be able to have his/her own two-character domain:

AA.kfkdjf848fkdknier4jfeffdkdkmcbbxioowzxmcnvojskskdj

 

[autotim]

The application fee of $39-390k is peanuts for businesses and it does not represent a barrier to entry which will artificially support TLD prices.

Until widespread use of the internet, most companies had a phone number that they advertised to some extent (even on their stationary). To the average punter, these numbers were insufficiently recognisable to distinguish from the next (people couldn’t remember numbers – same problem with IP’s, thus the DNS) number, so along came the yellow pages and later 1800-JUNK kind of numbers. Now the problem is that there are going to be so many TLD’s, gTLD’s and ccTLD’s that users will be faced with immense confusion as to which TLD to use to navigate to their destination (except to those companies that have already established a brand on the internet under .com) …..which means they will simply visit a search engine. Thus, there is no reason why bristolsockshop.com will be any more or less valuable than bristolsockshop.tv or bristolsock.shop.

 

[DnEbook]

fashion.shop ????????

 

[autotim]

evirtual1 - what does 'fashion.shop ????????' actually mean?

 

[DnEbook]

just a example of what someone may wish to create if we can choose our own

 

[Charley]

I don't see this being worth anything.

Then I will set a big $$$$$$ budget to secure the following extensions:

.con
.c0n
.co0m
.coom
.ccom
.comm
.cpom
.comn
.
.
.

 

[raredn.com]

Just think, each and every domainer will finally be able to have his/her own two-character domain:

AA.kfkdjf848fkdknier4jfeffdkdkmcbbxioowzxmcnvojskskdj

Funny one

 

[accent]

.museum
.coop
.aero
.travel
Well over two hundred country extensions
even .biz - which was intended to directly compete with .com

If all those have not diminished .com, why would more of them have much effect?

I posted on this issue months ago, few noticed, nobody was worried. Now everybody is jumping at shadows. $4 gas will do that to people.

 

[johntv]

.museum
.coop
.aero
.travel
Well over two hundred country extensions
even .biz - which was intended to directly compete with .com

If all those have not diminished .com, why would more of them have much effect?

I posted on this issue months ago, few noticed, nobody was worried. Now everybody is jumping at shadows. $4 gas will do that to people.

Fully agree!

This will do no harm. Actually, I even think that in times of more confusion on the internet (more extensions) people and companies will even stick more to the already established and recognizable extensions.

 

[raghav_romil]

i dont think so if even this revolution comes, this can be a success. actually this leaves a lot of less scope for the actual domaing thing. domain registrars would not have gone ahead with new extensions. their opening of new extensions mean that actually there is a lot of more scope in the cctld and other ones.. probably go daddy sells .info 's for $ 1 currently. it didnt do it before, and who know s wat will be the price for .info's, i personally feel that watever be the extension (uf course must relate to the domain) the name is very important. and if there is no tld then it leaves a very less scope for various domain names and i dont see that happening,...

p.s - godaddy' bob parson has a lot of influence on net, he could ufcourse see it coming. he recently auctioned .me (i, me , myself).. so i suppose that s a proof.. but i might be wrong too.

 

[networkmsia]

.com is like prime real estate in the REAL WORLD. Owning a premium generic 1 word .com is like owning a skyscraper in a huge city such as New York, London, Tokyo, and etc.

Yes the Government will always develop properties throughout the country, even in odd places, in rural places. But you can observe that the prime .com properties just like skyscrapers will continue to rise.

 

[james0306]

We will pretty possible to see following things once the revolution comes.

(1) In the beginning, nice keyword and brandable .com prices rise, due to the confusion brought by new extensions.
(2) Because of the high price of .com, new companies start to pick up nice and cheap names with new extensions. Some nice sites show up gradually.
(3) After 7-10 years, new generations are totally used all the creative extensions. Premium .COM are still favorites of big companies which show credibility and trustable. However, type-in traffic will drop dramatically. We will see huge drop of Poor quality .com then.
(4) People use search engines heavily, SEO become much more important.

Any comments are welcome.

 

[Charley]

.museum
.coop
.aero
.travel

People think that this will create awareness. But how many are going to be registered ? Not to mention the registration prices of each.

 

[accent]

We will pretty possible to see following things once the revolution comes.

(1) In the beginning, nice keyword and brandable .com prices rise, due to the confusion brought by new extensions.
(2) Because of the high price of .com, new companies start to pick up nice and cheap names with new extensions. Some nice sites show up gradually.
(3) After 7-10 years, new generations are totally used all the creative extensions. Premium .COM are still favorites of big companies which show credibility and trustable. However, type-in traffic will drop dramatically. We will see huge drop of Poor quality .com then.
(4) People use search engines heavily, SEO become much more important.

Any comments are welcome.

These things have been happening with the extensions we have now. On the radio in the last week or so I have heard (along with the .coms) .net, .org, .biz, .us and - believe it or not - a .bz (Seattle radio). So there is some spill over into other extensions.

For the domain investor the question is "where is the best ROI?" Snoop has been saying, based on his research, that the other extensions trail .com in ROI (he may have included .org and .net, I forget). So that already established trend would point to the continued growth of .com.

There are how many streets in the New York area? Yet a small section of Fifth Avenue still commands extremely high Real Estate prices. People will always want the "best" address for their business. Com.

The internet continues to grow rapidly. The mobile internet has barely begun. The inflow of new end-users will be far larger than the loss to new extensions.

The one thing that has changed, I suspect, is that the better names will be auctioned or otherwise capitalized - no more landrush gems for us in these new extensions.

 

[james0306]

Thanks for the input, Charley and accentnepal,

I have few concerns here.

People think that this will create awareness. But how many are going to be registered ? Not to mention the registration prices of each.

The internet continues to grow rapidly. The mobile internet has barely begun. The inflow of new end-users will be far larger than the loss to new extensions.

We are actually talking about hundreds, or even thousands new extensions, instead of the current 70-80. Many of them will be even provided to end users for free. ( I will do so, if I can afford .shop annual fee. Keep some premium word, and provide all the rest to others for free or at a very low cost, 10 cents per year)

As talked to my 7 years old nephew yesterday, he doesn't even know .com is the very first extension on internet. All he cares if there are needed contents under the site, no matter what the extension is.

I am not saying that any new extension can replace .com, however, I don't think any reason can stop the huge dilution.

How do you guys think ?

 

[mwzd]

We are actually talking about hundreds, or even thousands new extensions, instead of the current 70-80.

There are currently 20 gTLDs and 248 ccTLDs granted permission by iCann.

Many of them will be even provided to end users for free.

Then you'll be the only one I'm guessing.

Surely not many of the businesses who are going to invest upwards of $100,000 in the TLD and its subsequent promotion will be so altruistic. Its a business after all.

 

[james0306]

There are currently 20 gTLDs and 248 ccTLDs granted permission by iCann.

Thanks for the correction. I always want to find out the correct number.

Then you'll be the only one I'm guessing.

I really hope so. :]

Samit, can you please share with me about your view on this ? Thanks,

 

[mwzd]

Ok, I went ahead and wrote a small blogpost.

http://www.mwzd.com/2008/06/25/forget-domains-buy-a-tld/

Feel free to leave your comments there as well, cheers!

 

[accent]

We are actually talking about hundreds, or even thousands new extensions, instead of the current 70-80.

The list of currently available extensions is in my signature - it's the second link where it says "country code". There are a whole bunch of them now live (>200) and a few more that have not been opened.

Many of them will be even provided to end users for free. ( I will do so, if I can afford .shop annual fee. Keep some premium word, and provide all the rest to others for free or at a very low cost, 10 cents per year) ....

People can get free "domains" on facebook and blogger - and dozens of other places - even free full fledged domain names on the .tk extension (there are minimum traffic requirements and they keep trying to upsell you, but whatever). But these low rent districts are not where someone would want to build a business.

I am not saying that any new extension can replace .com, however, I don't think any reason can stop the huge dilution.

How do you guys think ?

I do not expect a significant dilution.

Long before ICANN unveils it's thousandth gTLD they will have either:
1. Run into massive opposition from major corporations who are sick of yet another group of defensive registrations,
2. Run out of groups / cities / companies willing to spend the $$,$$$ needed to buy an extension and the $$$,$$$ needed to run one (plus publicity) or
3. Seen so many failed extensions - with substantial losses to the promoters, that nobody else is willing to give it a go.

Domainers and defensive regs are the primary sources of funds for new extensions - flood the market and both groups will begin to ignore you.

 

[DomainLobe]

Everyone is worried about the recent news regarding ICANN allowing a multitude of new and unique tlds.

An analogy with the stockmarket is useful in contemplating this 'news'.

There are Blue Chips, small to large caps, micro-caps.....
Although new tlds are of interest to most of us and potentailly profitable to a few of us these new offerings are similar to OTC stocks - far too small to have any fundamental impact on the Big domains (.com and many ccTLDs).

Some of these new tlds will most certainly transtion to the main exchange but this will take considerable time and money.

Stick with your Domain Asset Allocation and don't worry.