The .PRO Discussion

[InvisionTech]

It seems .PRO is slowly coming out of the cage with cheaper reg prices than they were a year ago and major registrars like netsol taking notice of the extension and promoting it.

Here are some that I picked up in last couple of days:

Alexandria.pro

Anchorage.pro

Arlington.pro

Belfast.pro

Birmingham.pro

Budapest.pro

Durham.pro

Fairfax.pro

Italian.pro

Lisbon.pro

Fire away with your regs after the relaunch on September 8th, 2008.

 

[JoeBiz]

Patience is a virtue, but stubbornness isn't.
Time does not always pay off, because extensions can actually depreciate over time. When a new extension is launched, the value peaks during the hype (release) period. But that doesn't last long, after the initial frenzy it comes more or less worthless.
Just look at the amounts paid at the landrush .co/.mobi/.asia auctions, and the current valuation for these extensions.
All new extensions have proven that the expectations and reality do not converge.

So you're telling me that being patient is the wrong thing to do. Instead I should assume that they are never going to increase in value so I should do what ??? I have no delusions of becoming rich from dot Pros but I am in the black. Where is my mistake?

Assume you are my broker. What are your specific recommendations?

---------- Post added at 07:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:56 AM ----------

All new extensions have proven that the expectations and reality do not converge.

I'll agree with "Most," but not "All." De, In, Co.Uk off the top of my head.

---------- Post added at 07:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:08 AM ----------

There are a ton of people that think .com will remain king for many generations to come. I realize that they have a huge amount of marketing dollars and corporations around them but the internet is also a curious place and I think you have to be prepared for the possibility that the public could quickly change their mindset and explore other options. This gtld tidal wave could get really interesting.

That definitely makes sense, 104 millions .com domains, some of which are as old as 1985 are suddenly in urgent need of replacement
.com isn't going anywhere, the only major trend is that the market share of ccTLDs will continue to grow.

He didn't say that "104 millions .com domains, some of which are as old as 1985 are suddenly in urgent need of replacement
hhh."

He said that "the internet is also a curious place and I think you have to be prepared for the possibility that the public could quickly change their mindset and explore other options.

And one example of that is Org leap frogging over Net. People were laughing at Orgs three years ago. I'm quite happy that I decided to hold mine. Again (as with Pros) the options were dump them or hold them. Dumping eliminates any chance of a return on my investment. Holding them for a few dollars a year paid off.

And again, I am in the Black with Pros. Why would I dump anything that is in the Black?

-----------------------------

The big Zip Code buy was a peculiar thing to watch. One year ago someone thought that was a hot idea. One year later, they obviously changed their mind. Feel free to explain that one to me when you have the time.

Regarding Pro credentials, some people think they are a good thing. But without them I think that a lot more people would have taken a look at Pros and with that the extension would have gotten more exposure.

Instead, if you decide to buy a Pro, at one point during the registration you reach the credentials page. I think that a lot of people stop there and drop it.

And they aren't messing around like they used to. I've had my credentials checked three times. The third was just last week. And yes they do compare your certification number with the regulating authority. They checked mine and couldn't find a match. But I had given them a valid certification number, but they could not find it on the Board of Examiners site. Finally, at their suggestion, I faxed a copy of my diploma and a copy of the letter from the Board informing me that I had past the exam. That letter had school name, my name, full name of the board, date and my certification number ... stamped and dated. They were satisfied with that. But I am going to dig up some more support material to reinforce what they already have.



8^X

 

[Kate]

Well, so far that's true, but it doesn't mean that will persist as the ability to hand reg a .COM anywhere near reasonably fitting for an arbitrary endeavor is becoming nearly impossible.

Okay, say that .com is saturated and will no longer grow (not true). It's still 104M registrations, a number of which are still coveted domains.

Yeah, but most of those extensions are tacky or have some blatant inherent liability, IMO.

...

.pro sounds great, but the the rules are too idiopathic to fathom in some ways. That can be fixed.

...

Some of the new proposed gTLDs seem less saddled with the same liabilities and may stand a better chance. Only time will tell.

The new extensions all share one common flaw: they are not needed or wanted. But sometimes they can find a niche where they fit in: .me would be an example.

One problem of .pro is being in competition with .com, just like .biz or .co. So it's nothing special really.

In the early days, .pro was 'special' because you had to be vetted in order to own a .pro but the system was pointless because it was restricted to 4 countries and a limited range of professions.
But there is no tangible benefit because consumers are unfamiliar with the extension, and don't even know that it's more 'trustworthy' with the vetting in place.

We know that extensions with red tape and restrictions are unpopular. But people never learn, for example the guys behind the pointless .secure TLD essentially want to pick up where .pro .jobs and others failed.

In the next few years we could have .inc, .llc, .ltd, .corp and I wouldn't be surprised if each of these quickly outnumbers .pro.
The weak extensions will be diluted, not those that are established.

.COMs aren't going anywhere, but people can't afford them as the namespace is saturated and people hoard and squat on them and jack up the prices. I don't see .COM as losing its prestige for a long time if ever. But people are being forced to find alternatives, and so far I don't see really fitting alternatives offered, but that could change.

The so-called scarcity of domains is the biggest scam from icann and its shareholders, I mean stakeholders :p
There is no scarcity of domain names, there is scarcity of quality but it's the nature of things. Each domain is unique. So there is only one sex.com. You don't create quality by setting up new arbitrary extensions. If the problem was so serious, people should have been flocking to the new TLDs that were set up post-2000. That didn't happen.

Now if somebody is looking for alternate extensions, there are plenty of alternatives already. Somebody who doesn't want to pay more than regfee is not going to buy your .com at a premium anyway so it's not business lost to domainers.

So you're telling me that being patient is the wrong thing to do. Instead I should assume that they are never going to increase in value so I should do what ???

My message has always been simple: not all extensions are equal. Domainers must be able to sort the wheat from the shaft, that is identify the extensions with potential and stay away from the extensions that are doomed to stagnate. Generally speaking and to make things clear, that means all new extensions, not .pro in particular.
Domaining is no rocket science at all. We focus on the extensions that are already valuable today because they have been embraced by end users. Investing in a new extension is completely different, it's gambling. It's anticipating that it will become big and desirable one day. History has shown that this scenario never happens.
Among the new extensions .info is probably the most successful (in numbers). Yet there is little value in it...

In 2005 I had the belief that .us could become a giant like .de or .co.uk and even bigger due to the larger US market. Later I came to the conclusion that it doesn't have to be like that, each TLD and market is different. .us could very well remain marginal, and .com dominant in the US - unlike the other industrialized countries where ccTLDs are dominant.
I simply acknowledged the reality and adjusted my strategy and expectations. No wishful thinking, no delusion.

I'll agree with "Most," but not "All." De, In, Co.Uk off the top of my head.

What are you talking about.
These are not new extensions, there are ccTLDs... that are very old !
New extensions are the artificial stuff like .biz .info .coop .aero .pro etc
But .co is a relaunched, branded ccTLD. It's not a new extension. Same for .tv.

Domainers seem to have blinders on, it took them many years to take notice of the ccTLDs, now many still believe that .co.uk or .de are the only ccTLDs that have value

---------- Post added at 07:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:37 AM ----------

He said that "the internet is also a curious place and I think you have to be prepared for the possibility that the public could quickly change their mindset and explore other options.

I understand the statement like this: "Consumers could become more open to alternate extensions in the future".
That doesn't mean the established stuff becomes obsolete.

And one example of that is Org leap frogging over Net. People were laughing at Orgs three years ago.

Who ? The people who were laughing at the ccTLDs I suppose.
.org has its own 'niche', with plenty of end users who would never want to 'upgrade' to .com.
.net is different, many were registered because the .com was taken.
.org is a solid extension, but for domaining purposes the opportunities are more limited than .com for example. The less popular the extension is, the fewer opportunities.

And again, I am in the Black with Pros. Why would I dump anything that is in the Black?

I guess Mike Mann must be in the black with .co too, but that does not mean .co is is good for domainers as a whole, is a good investment, or has a bright future.
Surely he is not thinking for a second .co is going to be a major extension. He just flips the names and moves on. He has an exit strategy.
My advice would be to shift your focus elsewhere when you stop being in the black.

The big Zip Code buy was a peculiar thing to watch. One year ago someone thought that was a hot idea. One year later, they obviously changed their mind. Feel free to explain that one to me when you have the time.

Is that a question for me ?

 

[JoeBiz]

SDINC - You are giving me a lot of examples but you still haven't answered my question. What is your recommendation in real time, now?

 

[Kate]

Why do you want recommendations from me, you obviously don't need them since you are in the black and doing well :gl:
Anybody dabbling in .pro who isn't making a profit right now, should be seeking advice from you, not me.

Broadly speaking, for anybody else who isn't making money yet, my suggestions are of a generic nature: just look at what types of domains do sell, which extensions, identify the niche that are profitable, do research, don't believe the hype, avoid speculating heavily on unproven extensions etc.

 

[JoeBiz]

My message has always been simple: not all extensions are equal. Domainers must be able to sort the wheat from the shaft, that is identify the extensions with potential and stay away from the extensions that are doomed to stagnate. Generally speaking and to make things clear, that means all new extensions, not .pro in particular.
Domaining is no rocket science at all. We focus on the extensions that are already valuable today because they have been embraced by end users. Investing in a new extension is completely different, it's gambling. It's anticipating that it will become big and desirable one day. History has shown that this scenario never happens.

I have never said that I thought Pro would become big and desirable. If they make a surge, I sell, I make money. I don't care what happens to Pro beyond that.
-------------------
Org was laughable just three years ago. I know. I was there.
-------------------
Mike flips the names and move on. What do you think I'm trying to do ... if not that.
-------------------
"My advice would be to shift your focus elsewhere when you stop being in the black."

My focus is and has been elsewhere. My Pros don't require any attention or maintenance. You don't have to advertise them to sell them. End users check the whois and come to me.

---------- Post added at 09:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:57 AM ----------

Why do you want recommendations from me, you obviously don't need them since you are in the black and doing well :gl:
Anybody dabbling in .pro who isn't making a profit right now, should be seeking advice from you, not me.

Broadly speaking, for anybody else who isn't making money yet, my suggestions are of a generic nature: just look at what types of domains do sell, which extensions, identify the niche that are profitable, do research, don't believe the hype, avoid speculating heavily on unproven extensions etc.

Well you have surely been here when I didn't ask for your recommendations. ALL you have done is give recommendations and advice and tell us what we have done wrong. Now I ask you to answer one simple, direct question and you dodge it. That takes a lot of the gas out of everything else you've posted.

Just answer the question.


8^X

---------- Post added at 09:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:08 AM ----------

A massive 7.9 earthquake just hit the Philippines.

 

[Kate]

Just answer the question.

What is your recommendation in real time, now?

The sensible thing to do would be pursue whatever strategy is profitable to you but not necessarily to anybody else, while having an exit strategy and keeping in mind .pro has no future :gl: :imho:

 

[webdomain]

I think Afilias provides .pro a future along with their on going growth. Hopefully as we get into the last quarter of the year Afilias will step up and take charge. In the mean time I'm working to get a few .pro's to the first page of google.

 

[sky]

The new extensions all share one common flaw: they are not needed or wanted. But sometimes they can find a niche where they fit in: .me would be an example.

One problem of .pro is being in competition with .com, just like .biz or .co. So it's nothing special really.

In the next few years we could have .inc, .llc, .ltd, .corp and I wouldn't be surprised if each of these quickly outnumbers .pro

Virtually every extension has a particularly cute or nifty way it pairs-up with certain keywords. There are always exceptions. "kiss.me" would be a great use of dot me, but "toys.me" doesn't work at all, IMO. "toys.com" works. "toys.de" works. "toys.pro" - pfft... what does that even mean from the end user's perspective? Whereas "golf.pro" sounds better than "golf.com", unless your site sells golf supplies. So the idea that dot pro is in direct "competition" with dot com doesn't ring true with me. It is an alternative with its own peculiarities. Whereas dot biz is much more directly in competition with dot com, because biz=business, com=company - business/company - very similar. pro=professional, com=company - professional/company - very different connotations.

Once end users see enough non- dot coms representing quality sites, the belief that a website has to have a .com to be worthwhile will erode (and I'm sure that's the case already). Visitors may still make some assumptions about .com being the most revered, but generally it will be a matter of those end users seeing names and extensions as somehow fitting the nature of the site, or being clever, funny, practical or impressive in some way or another. E.g. anything that justifies the domain name's use and attracts visitors is just fine. And for certain sites, gTLD doesn't matter at all - a weird brand name, or even xyz.biz works.

Regarding .ltd, .corp, .llc, .inc surpassing dot pro... I have my eye on one of those gTLDs, because I have an LLC. But here's the rub - those TLDs doesn't mean much for a site unless it's the name of a company one actually owns. That's a limitation dot pro doesn't have. Unless the goal is some kind of trademark or infringement on a trade. Seems like a strong legal case could be made for cyber squatting for hoarders of those. I don't see how those names compete with .pro.

And why does it matter that pro doesn't saturate to the degree .com has? As long as it doesn't go away, people who have them will use them. People who want them will buy them. Consumers who need the service and like, or at least accept the sound of the domain will click on them in the SERP. So what's the big liability that .com staunch adherents keep citing? That .pro sells for 1/10th to 1/100th of what .com does for a strong keyword? So if I can sell a .pro for 'only' $1500, is that bad for me just because the .com might sell for $25,000, when I only paid $3.49 - $15 for it? Not really. I'd love the $25K, but to me $1500 isn't chump change either. I'll take it. And if I sell a few for that price, was more than worth my while.

 

[-EM-]

Whereas "golf.pro" sounds even better than "golf.com", *unless* your site is selling golf supplies.

Please don't say this, as it is ridiculous.

I wouldn't expect any professional site, or build by a professional, or even about a profession, or anything related to this, if everyone can register a .pro domain.

 

[Kate]

I think Afilias provides .pro a future along with their on going growth. Hopefully as we get into the last quarter of the year Afilias will step up and take charge.

Afilias acquired .mobi two years and a half ago.
Did anything special happen in .mobi since then ?
Four years ago, .pro was relaunched with relaxed requirements. Did .pro become more mainstream or raised its profile significantly ?
Is there anything particular that is supposed to happen in the last quarter, that we should know ?

 

[sky]

Afilias acquired .mobi two years and a half ago.
Did anything special happen in .mobi since then ?
Four years ago, .pro was relaunched with relaxed requirements. Did .pro become more mainstream or raised its profile significantly ?
Is there anything particular that is supposed to happen in the last quarter, that we should know ?

EnCirca's fee for .PRO's is $3.49 now (for the first year). A wake-up call for me and no doubt many others. No one will know how effective it is until months later when the resulting reg count results are posted. Maybe at that price a threshold is crossed where domineers say "what the hell, worth a try/"

When .pro was $15, from my standpoint, it was still too expensive to invest in enough fresh reg domains to be worth the trouble. But at a 78% price reduction, things are looking rosier. At $3.49, less than 1/2 the price of a .COM, and cheaper than you can get a .INFO, .CO or a ccTLD for, I'm sure many domainers will take another look and can get the message out to end-users as well. I've reg'd about ten new keyword .PROs in the past couple of weeks and even found a couple that had some very solid stats, where all had well-above average value. At $3.49 a pop, I can afford to do some domain tasting and expand my portfolio, and just absorb the losses, chalking it up to entertainment.

I'm completing development on a pro site. About 70%, and it will probably be up in a month or two. So, I assume other people w/day jobs are in the same boat - committed to development but taking more time than they'd like it to. When those efforts complete, it could help reach critical mass too and we could see .pros starting to make a showing.

Since the COM situation is forcing people to look for cool sounding names for their sites in other TLDs, what needs to be communicated to potential .pro buyers is that getting getting legit to own one or more 2nd level .pro domains is as simple as getting a business license or an LLC, or a notary license. Well within the grasp of an individual or small business.

The domain industry is changing - we can all see that. .COM space used up, over-priced (from the standpoint of the average Jane), the gTLD rush coming down the pike. This is not the time to close the book on .PRO, this is the time to hang tight and watch, maybe pick up a few for speculation, like a lottery ticket - you don't really expect it to pay off, but if you don't play, you can't win. And keep developing. But don't mortgage your house for it.

 

[JoeBiz]

Please don't say this, as it is ridiculous.

I wouldn't expect any professional site, or build by a professional, or even about a profession, or anything related to this, if everyone can register a .pro domain.

There are a number of sites built by professionals using .pro. And Golf.pro is worth a small fortune.

---------- Post added at 06:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:51 PM ----------

The sensible thing to do would be pursue whatever strategy is profitable to you but not necessarily to anybody else, while having an exit strategy and keeping in mind .pro has no future :gl: :imho:

And that's exactly what I'm doing. Thank you.

Can you tell me with all honesty, briefly, concisely why you spend so much time telling everyone that Pro is a dud? Why do you care?

And ... with all of the knowledge that you spread throughout the Pro thread, you should have, by now, applied this knowledge in the real world and be sitting on your private island drinking fresh coconut milk. Is that where you are now?

Both of these questions apply to the discussion and are serious questions. Please don't divert from the questions with an ambiguous ramble.

Gotta go. Everyone have a good Labor Day weekend !!! 8^X

8^X

 

[sky]

Please don't say this, as it is ridiculous.

I wouldn't expect any professional site, or build by a professional, or even about a profession, or anything related to this, if everyone can register a .pro domain.

Huh? Any domain name can be registered by anyone, and not live up to the name's potential. But if the site provides a good service and has a sexy memorable name, that site is setting pretty. So, what's ridiculous about saying that PRO sounds good? It does. It just sounds cool and always has.

Testimony to that is when you consider how many .COM domains have the word PRO in them. End users are not thinking about how much a domain name sells for when they decide whether a URL is worth clicking on the name in SERP. They look at what sounds right and looks acceptable.

 

[-EM-]

Huh? Any domain name can be registered by anyone, and not live up to the name's potential. But if the site provides a good service and has a sexy memorable name, that site is setting pretty. So, what's ridiculous about saying that PRO sounds good? It does. It just sounds cool and always has.

Testimony to that is when you consider how many .COM domains have the word PRO in them. End users are not thinking about how much a domain name sells for when they decide whether a URL is worth clicking on the name in SERP. They look at what sounds right and looks acceptable.

"registered by anyone"
That is the main problem IMO, their "restriction" should be more effective.

"if the site provides a good service and has a sexy memorable name, that site is setting pretty."
This can be said about any TLD.

"So, what's ridiculous about saying that PRO sounds good?"

Whereas "golf.pro" sounds even better than "golf.com", *unless* your site is selling golf supplies.

I was referring to the bold text.
Any TLD sounds good if it is pronounceable.

"Testimony to that is when you consider how many .COM domains have the word PRO in them. End users are not thinking about how much a domain name sells for when they decide whether a URL is worth clicking on the name in SERP. They look at what sounds right and looks acceptable."
There are also lots of .com domains that have "web", "host", "news" etc. Are you going to say the same thing for .web, .host, .news etc?

 

[sky]

"registered by anyone"
That is the main problem IMO, their "restriction" should be more effective.

Or just not be there at all. .COM doesn't need any restrictions. The good and/or strategic sites win, the others wither.

"if the site provides a good service and has a sexy memorable name, that site is setting pretty."
This can be said about any TLD.

Definitely; but it helps if the TLD (extension) has that quality inherently, and tends to be more complimentary to more strong keywords.

"So, what's ridiculous about saying that PRO sounds good?"

I was referring to the bold text.
Any TLD sounds good if it is pronounceable.

I disagree. .pro sounds better than .mobi or .me because it is a venerated colloquialism.

"Testimony to that is when you consider how many .COM domains have the word PRO in them. End users are not thinking about how much a domain name sells for when they decide whether a URL is worth clicking on the name in SERP. They look at what sounds right and looks acceptable."
There are also lots of .com domains that have "web", "host", "news" etc. Are you going to say the same thing for .web, .host, .news etc?

Absolutely! It is testimony to the value of the term that it is in so many URL's. Web is the all-out winner there, when you enter allinurl: web, allinurl: host, and allinurl: pro into the URL field of the browser.

But they're valuable for different reasons. Pro is valuable and popular because it implies skill, experience and the elite and has always been a high compliment in popular culture. That explains why it is found in so many URLs. The other ones are present in a lot of URLs for different reasons.

 

[Kate]

Can you tell me with all honesty, briefly, concisely why you spend so much time telling everyone that Pro is a dud? Why do you care?

It's not about .pro in particular, I criticize other TLDs as well and I point out the flawed logic and the wishful thinking where I see it. Domainers are losing money because of being delusional. But why not give it another 10 years just for kicks.

And ... with all of the knowledge that you spread throughout the Pro thread, you should have, by now, applied this knowledge in the real world and be sitting on your private island drinking fresh coconut milk. Is that where you are now?

From my island I can see the raft of the Medusa domainers are clinging to

Gotta go. Everyone have a good Labor Day weekend !!!

You too %%-

 

[mwzd]

Well, so far that's true, but it doesn't mean that will persist as the ability to hand reg a .COM anywhere near reasonably fitting for an arbitrary endeavor is becoming nearly impossible.

It already is impossible, why brandable .coms are selling, people w/ the .com blinders on think followersheep.com is a viable business name.

Okay, say that .com is saturated and will no longer grow (not true). It's still 104M registrations, a number of which are still coveted domains.

As a percentage I'd say a LOT more registered .pro would make business sense than .com equivalent.

I wouldn't expect any professional site, or build by a professional, or even about a profession, or anything related to this, if everyone can register a .pro domain.

You mean "just like .com"? Read this next quote again, in case you missed out...

Or just not be there at all. .COM doesn't need any restrictions. The good and/or strategic sites win, the others wither.

With 1900 new extensions, restrictions are only here for some time, eventually they'll all be free to reg, or closed namespaces, as the case may be.

Domain names have no built-in value, especially outlying extensions.

I'm going to disagree with this, a good domain has inherent value, even in outlying extensions. Try and find "insurance" or "casino" or "poker" in any of the 300 or so extensions active today.

I'd for example look at how many .pro are actually developed and not in domainers hands.

This is a complete BS argument, one could ask the same of undeveloped .coms and come away with a similar answer.

and keeping in mind .pro has no future :gl: :imho:

Since you're not invested in it, there is no future for you in .pro, otoh, the extension itself has just hit the base of an exponential growth curve and top domains are that much more valuable because of all the new registrations.

That is the main problem IMO, their "restriction" should be more effective.

Why? So it doesn't offer competition to crap keywords in unrestricted namespaces like .com / .net / .info / .biz? ICANN did remove restrictions from .org, why not the same for .pro?

Again, get a .pro if the same in .com would cost you 100k or more and you will benefit, if you register imacooldentist.pro - you should go for the .com, at least it has enough users at the bottom of the barrel to accept it just because it's a .com

 

[-EM-]

mwzd, Can you please tell me what kind of sites should I expect from .pro?
I don't know who's the owner of this domain, but here is camera.pro, great keyword, fits with .pro, but where is the pro site? It is only a noomle site.
"So it doesn't offer competition to crap keywords in unrestricted namespaces like .com / .net / .info / .biz? ICANN did remove restrictions from .org, why not the same for .pro?"

I don't expect organization sites from .org. IMO, .org lost its meaning.

 

[mwzd]

The bottomline is that the kind of site you can expect on .pro would be dependent on the development budget of the company that owns it, just like .com or any of the other tlds out there.

Some people can only afford noomle, so that's what they do.

Could me more for legal protection than actually for revenues, who knows?

 

[Kate]

I'm going to disagree with this, a good domain has inherent value, even in outlying extensions. Try and find "insurance" or "casino" or "poker" in any of the 300 or so extensions active today.

As for the casino.tld or poker.tld sales, almost all are still parked, inactive, unresolving, undeveloped. A few are affiliates redirects but there is almost none that is developed properly. That should come as no surprise.
Why would any self-respecting gambling company want to brand around .tk, .io or the obscure extension of a remote territory that is inhabited by penguins ?
Seriously ? The best you should expect is a crappy MFA site, with very few exceptions.

But as long as domainers are buying, it could be argued that there is a market for those domains. A market of suckers (looking for another bigger sucker ?).

This is a complete BS argument, one could ask the same of undeveloped .coms and come away with a similar answer.

It isn't a BS argument.

The share of domainer ownership should certainly be taken into account. Because a disproportionate amount of speculation can actually be detrimental to the development of an extension. In general domainers do little to enhance an extension, they resell, they park, they do some light development (sometimes) but they do not contribute like normal end users.
End users (and consumers) will shun any alt extension that they perceive to be 'squatted' and lacking bona fide development.

Speculation works when the extension has already been embraced by end users, but when speculation takes a foothold early on, it has a repellent effect.

Any interest in .eu has been killed by the excessive speculation and gaming of the sunrise TM system. Same thing had happened with .info years earlier, .biz to some extent. Few domainers remember of have done research - back then confidence in new TLDs was badly shaken because of the opportunists gaming the system. Little has changed since then.

The bottom line is that the figures alone don't tell the whole story, but they can reveal troubling trends as I've seen with .co & .xxx.