.co Why .CO will will not do well

[adinfinite]

well maybe the title of the thread is a little harsh. I dunno. But I had an experience recently where I was helping my gf to organize a fundraiser. She wanted a website set up but the name we wanted was taken in all good extensions except .co, &.tel. So i decided to go with .CO. To make an otherwise long story short, we had pamphlets and invitations made for the event. Then a series of things happened that made me really question the usefulness and value of .co domains:

1) The guy at the printing shop who was making the promo material called to ask " are you sure the website is coorect? It seems to be missing the letter m at the end" lol

2) When we finally got them printed and handed out to over 700 people we kept getting calls about whether or not the website address was correct. I had to keep telling people to "jut type it in, it works"

3) At the event we had a guess speaker who kept encouraging people to go to www.nameof charity.com ( instead of .co ) and donate. Lol

Now I must admit that it might not have been a good idea to put up a charity site on a .co. But I thought that since the actual charity has its own .org already and this entity and site was created for the sole purpose of raising money for the charity in a one off event, then it wouldnt be much of a problem.

I know we sent a lot of traffic to the .com because the 700 in attendance were told to "tell their friends and family" LOL.

I am thinking that only domainers and people close to the industry ( registrars etc) see value in .co. My experience is that the man on the street who constitutes the "traffic" we all crave is totally confused by it. It will take a lot to get regular everyday people to accept it. Probably way more than a superbowl commercial as Godaddy is planning.

I am not saying it doesnt have some value. But for those dreaming of a .co/.com parity situation I say dream on!

I know many people are gonna point to the fact that overstock bought and is currently using o.co. thats fine. I wonder how much type ins O.co gets that are not from domainers? lol. Besides they have O.com to back it up. LOL

 

[snoop]

Does EVERYONE know .TV or .ME yet?
...
MY point is, why can't you give it fair time...I just don't understand...
If it doesn't "click" with people, then it won't...but stop magically predicting the future of this legitimate extension by the fact that it IS a NEW thing and not EVERYONE knows about it YET.
Just because you're "computer savvy", it doesn't mean that you know how the internet really functions.
...
Peace out!

How long would you like to give, .tv is 14 years old. Perhaps wait till we are all in retirement homes before judgement is passed? Are we still waiting for the jury to return on .mobi and .cc as well or are we able to express our own opinions based on what we are seeing?

I think if you are going to complain about others saying .co extension isn't very good as though nothing should be said about it till some unknown future point in time then you shouldn't call it a "legitimate" extension yourself.

 

[VisualArtistFrankBonilla]

Good sales

I seem to be seeing a lot of good .co sales!

 

[DU]

I seem to be seeing a lot of good .co sales!

Yes. But bear in mind that all the .co sales are reported in a big .co showcase thread (and many are not sales but 'reported' offers).... where most other sales aren't really discussed all that much - but they're still happening.

I'm not dissing .co. There are and have been some VERY impressive sales; however, if you spend all your time at the Honda dealership you might not realize how many GM cars are being sold... (everyone needs a rental some time)

I think .co has done better than most expected... but there have been significant down moments to make the future less than certain imho.

 

[the_poet]

Let's give it at least 2 years, we can't really express any verdict after only 5 months. The general public doesn't know the extension yet and I don't find it surprising at all. I think, at this stage, .co is being discovered by those who need to setup a website (for any kind of purpose) and find themselves with two options: settling for a longer .com or registering the exact domain they're after in .co. While there are people like Jennifer's son who choose the .com (I'm sure), there are also those who choose to go with .co. I find both approaches respectable, anyway I have to say I can see new .co domains everyday (I'm referring to websites owned by small-medium sized companies, not those owned by domainers).

 

[sam320]

I think people are still suspicious of .co. It doesn't help that some domains are giving it a bad rep...

 

[snicksnack]

I think people are still suspicious of .co. It doesn't help that some domains are giving it a bad rep...

what domains are you talking about ?

 

[dragtastic]

what domains are you talking about ?

yes - please explain since there are many .co's that are developed and used worldwide.

 

[emjohn]

*

I just want to say that I'm not a .co hater; in fact, I have a few.

But I must tell you about a conversation I had with my son. At the end of the month, his job ends, so he's looking to find a name for his freelance business (he's going to build a website).

While he's savvy about computers and has dabbled in coding, etc., he knows very little (if anything) about domaining.

He went to check at GoDaddy for some names (which I would have recommended against, unless you plan to reg on the spot, so he is a newb). The one he really wanted was already regged in .com, but .co was available.

He said, "Hmmm...if I register that, everyone will go to the .com. By the way, what IS .co, anyway?"

I helped find him a good solid end user .com name, one that includes his name and what he does (He has a common first and last name--we don't share the same last name). It will rank well in our area because he's known for what he does.

In all good conscience, I could not recommend .co.

My son's reaction suggests to me that .co will continue to be a ccTLD and a domainer's TLD.

*

Your son's reaction is pretty normal. But did you ask him TODAY whether he remembers .co? I bet you he does. Some people make it seem like .co should have been telepathically beamed into all our heads. This is not the case. .co IS known as "company" around the world, with most adults, but still requires a learning process for the younger folk. They understand faster than you think.

Question is: How can you know about something that has never been presented to you? You can't! But it CAN be learned.

 

[TOXX]

Question is: How can you know about something that has never been presented to you? You can't! But it CAN be learned.

Ditto!
...
I also wonder why there are no .ME, .INFO, .TV, .CC, etc. "hater threads"...

 

[DU]

Your son's reaction is pretty normal. But did you ask him TODAY whether he remembers .co? I bet you he does. Some people make it seem like .co should have been telepathically beamed into all our heads. This is not the case. .co IS known as "company" around the world, with most adults, but still requires a learning process for the younger folk. They understand faster than you think.

Question is: How can you know about something that has never been presented to you? You can't! But it CAN be learned.

Co also means .consumer and it also means .community and it also means .commerce it also means .colombia. This variety is great for the registrar but it really shows the fundamental flaw with .co - sure it means things but which one?

On the one hand I've read - it's global it means company... and on the other... that's a Spanish keyword which obviously works with a .co

The SAME person.

The extension either means Company OR it means Colombia - trying to fit a two pegs into one hole makes things confusing.

Bottom line is that most people can also remember TV, mobi, info, travel, museum, ST, ME, RU, co.uk, ,EU

"Me" apparently now means Mobile Enabled. cc means "close enough to CN to be good enough for Chinese people".

The question is not about being memorable (people remembered del.icio.us) it's purely about whether it attaches as a professional and proper address. Will people associate the extension with real companies with real value. It's too early to tell - but this is not a 3-5 year find out. We'll know within the year. imho.

When it comes to "developed" sites people also should look up the words "canonical link".

---------- Post added at 11:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 AM ----------

Ditto!
...
I also wonder why there are no .ME, .INFO, .TV, .CC, etc. "hater threads"...

You've been in the .TV subforum. You've been in the .US forum. You've been in the .ME forum. .MOBI??!

There's hate there but it doesn't meet with the vitriolic supporters anymore. It takes two to tango.

Those making money don't care to argue. Those losing money have left. It will happen here too.

In 2 years this will all die down and victory will be claimed one way or the other and Snoop will still be there

 

[emjohn]

Co also means .consumer and it also means .community and it also means .commerce it also means .colombia. This variety is great for the registrar but it really shows the fundamental flaw with .co - sure it means things but which one?

On the one hand I've read - it's global it means company... and on the other... that's a Spanish keyword which obviously works with a .co

The SAME person.

The extension either means Company OR it means Colombia - trying to fit a two pegs into one hole makes things confusing.

Bottom line is that most people can also remember TV, mobi, info, travel, museum, ST, ME, RU, co.uk, ,EU

"Me" apparently now means Mobile Enabled. cc means "close enough to CN to be good enough for Chinese people".

The question is not about being memorable (people remembered del.icio.us) it's purely about whether it attaches as a professional and proper address. Will people associate the extension with real companies with real value. It's too early to tell - but this is not a 3-5 year find out. We'll know within the year. imho.

When it comes to "developed" sites people also should look up the words "canonical link".

---------- Post added at 11:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 AM ----------



You've been in the .TV subforum. You've been in the .US forum. You've been in the .ME forum. .MOBI??!

There's hate there but it doesn't meet with the vitriolic supporters anymore. It takes two to tango.

Those making money don't care to argue. Those losing money have left. It will happen here too.

In 2 years this will all die down and victory will be claimed one way or the other and Snoop will still be there

OK Mr. Default....now you're just making stuff up. Look in every dictionary and you will find the abbreviation "co" and the first entry is almost always "company". This has been so for hundreds of years, like it or not. There is no confusion, and actually, who really cares? The "it's Colombia" argument has already been disposed of and the .co as the "company extension" was marketed that way from the beginning. Where's the confusion?.

 

[DU]

OK Mr. Default....now you're just making stuff up. Look in every dictionary and you will find the abbreviation "co" and the first entry is almost always "company". This has been so for hundreds of years, like it or not. There is no confusion, and actually, who really cares? The "it's Colombia" argument has already been disposed of and the .co as the "company extension" was marketed that way from the beginning. Where's the confusion?.

Associated globally with the words “COmpany,” “COrporation” and “COmmerce” – the .CO domain is easy to recognize, simple to remember and flexible to use. And that makes it the perfect platform for today’s socially networked individuals, entrepreneurs and companies to create .COmmunities, share .COntent, and .COnnect, .COmmunicate and .COllaborate


Source: http://www.cointernet.co/domain

Yeah. I'm the one making it up.

Why is SELLO.co huge?

Because it's a great GLOBAL keyword or because it's Spanish and therefore works with Colombia.

Please educate me why 2 people appraised at $0 and you appraised at low-mid $XXXX

---------- Post added at 12:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 PM ----------

Also - as I have pointed out .co isn't global for company (or at least share traded).

AG is short for Aktiengesellschaft
Inc means incorporated
SA is short for Sociedad Anónima
NV is short for Naamloze Vennootschap

I'm sure there are more....

My point is that it DOESN'T MATTER and trying to make it something just doesn't help. The question is ALWAYS whether consumers associate it with a quality site whether it is .CO, .BS or DOT TV.

I didn't slag off .co - merely stated that people are trying to slam 10 different meanings to it which is great at registration time... but in reality it's the ultimate perception that matters.

 

[emjohn]

Associated globally with the words “COmpany,” “COrporation” and “COmmerce” – the .CO domain is easy to recognize, simple to remember and flexible to use. And that makes it the perfect platform for today’s socially networked individuals, entrepreneurs and companies to create .COmmunities, share .COntent, and .COnnect, .COmmunicate and .COllaborate


Source: http://www.cointernet.co/domain

Yeah. I'm the one making it up.

Why is SELLO.co huge?

Because it's a great GLOBAL keyword or because it's Spanish and therefore works with Colombia.

Please educate me why 2 people appraised at $0 and you appraised at MID $XXXX

---------- Post added at 12:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 PM ----------

Also - as I have pointed out .co isn't global for company (or at least share traded).

AG is short for Aktiengesellschaft
Inc means incorporated
SA is short for Sociedad Anónima
NV is short for Naamloze Vennootschap

I'm sure there are more....

My point is that it DOESN'T MATTER and trying to make it something just doesn't help. The question is ALWAYS whether consumers associate it with a quality site whether it is .CO, .BS or DOT TV.

I didn't slag off .co - merely stated that people are trying to slam 10 different meanings to it which is great at registration time... but in reality it's the ultimate perception that matters.

I appraised sello.co at low-mid $xxxx (NB to the moderator, this is just a restatement, not an appraisal in this thread). Not Mid $xxxx.

If you read the post, I explained it. Sello means "Postage Stamp" in Spanish. The other two appraisers were probably not aware of that.
"Sellos" is the plural and is a category-definer at Spanish Ebay. Go check out Ebay.es.
I based that evaluation (take it for what it's worth) on the fact that Sello goes well with .co for obvious reasons. This is a common word for 500 Mill people in the world. Need I say more?

On top of it, there is the word "sell" in there which only adds to the value.

 

[Kate]

What I find funny in domaining is that there are people who put so much energy at attempting to anticipate the future 'needs' of consumers.
IMO some people are taking it too seriously.
It's no rocket science in fact, domaining consists in investing in the extensions that are popular with end users. Watch the market, understand, and buy.
If you try to figure out the Internet of 2060 it becomes gambling.

There is no shortage of cheerleaders yet they seem reluctant to take their own medicine.

 

[snoop]

I find it odd that people would argue that everyone knows what ".co" means. People don't know what this means, the vast majority have never heard of it before. Arguing "co" means company is more logical but the argument that the first entry in a dictionary for "co" is company doesn't hold water in my view,

Here is dictionary.com for example,

CO 
1.
Colorado (approved esp. for use with zip code).
2.
Commanding Officer.
3.
conscientious objector.

Merriam webster,

1
cash order
2
Colorado
3
commanding officer
4
conscientious objector
5
corrections officer

"co" could mean a lot of things, some might assume ".co" means company, I wouldn't assume everyone or even most think like that though.

---------- Post added at 04:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------

What I find funny in domaining is that there are people who put so much energy at attempting to anticipate the future 'needs' of consumers.
IMO some people are taking it too seriously.
It's no rocket science in fact, domaining consists in investing in the extensions that are popular with end users. Watch the market, understand, and buy.
If you try to figure out the Internet of 2060 it becomes gambling.

There is no shortage of cheerleaders yet they seem reluctant to take their own medicine.

I think this is very true. Far too much money put into "what might work out". Usually the argument is that it is like .com in 1994 but really the circumstances are entirely different. I think a lot of money will be lost in this extension just like all the other alts before it but only time will tell.

The same is true for lots of other areas of domaining, like trend names, 3d, 3g, hd, solar etc, very rarely does trying to predict the future work in domaining. Better off making money today.

 

[ctbon]

"co" could mean a lot of things, some might assume ".co" means company, I wouldn't assume everyone or even most think like that though.

I think this is THE major point of contention and I absolutely disagree with this. I think MOST people (esp. businesses) associate CO with company. It's the reason we are even discussing this. How well did .ws do? It doesn't make sense. Dot CO does make sense and all of you know it so stop pretending you are clueless.

The fact that that so many countries use .co.ll doesn't hurt either.

 

[Kate]

The fact that that so many countries use .co.ll doesn't hurt either.

Here are a few:
.co.uk
.co.nz
.co.za
.co.cr
...

Also:
.com.au
.com.tr
.com.cy
.com.gt
...
and many more

Now if you're asking local people which part of the domain they could do without, I'm pretty certain most would say get rid of the .co/.com part, because the rightmost part of the domain (aka ccTLD) identifies the country - this is where there is strong sense of self-indentification.

So they would have 2nd level domains like this:
.uk
.au (as for .au it's currently being discussed)
etc

Just in recent years quite a few countries have released 2nd level registrations.
The .co(m).tld extensions are fewer and fewer.

 

[emjohn]

I find it odd that people would argue that everyone knows what ".co" means. People don't know what this means, the vast majority have never heard of it before. Arguing "co" means company is more logical but the argument that the first entry in a dictionary for "co" is company doesn't hold water in my view,

Here is dictionary.com for example,



Merriam webster,



"co" could mean a lot of things, some might assume ".co" means company, I wouldn't assume everyone or even most think like that though.

---------- Post added at 04:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------



I think this is very true. Far too much money put into "what might work out". Usually the argument is that it is like .com in 1994 but really the circumstances are entirely different. I think a lot of money will be lost in this extension just like all the other alts before it but only time will tell.

The same is true for lots of other areas of domaining, like trend names, 3d, 3g, hd, solar etc, very rarely does trying to predict the future work in domaining. Better off making money today.

I think that argument is somewhat specious. If you type in "co dictionary" into Google, the first entry is from "reference.com". The link is to the definition page for "company". If you type in just "co", you get first a link to the .co registry and then the Wikipedia entry for "company". Need I say more?

You will always find multiple entries in a dictionary. Very few would know that 'co" stands for "cash order" and few, outside of the US, would know co can stand for Colorado. "Company" is by far the most well known for the co abbreviation. I would say this is more fact than assumption.

 

[the_poet]

When someone, either from America or any other country, reads 'CocaCola.CO', I highly doubt his first thought of that 'CO' isn't 'company'. In fact I think that 'CO' for 'company' when written after a brand (especially big ones) is one of those words known worldwide.

 

[snoop]

I think that argument is somewhat specious. If you type in "co dictionary" into Google, the first entry is from "reference.com". The link is to the definition page for "company". If you type in just "co", you get first a link to the .co registry and then the Wikipedia entry for "company". Need I say more?

You will always find multiple entries in a dictionary. Very few would know that 'co" stands for "cash order" and few, outside of the US, would know co can stand for Colorado. "Company" is by far the most well known for the co abbreviation. I would say this is more fact than assumption.

Why not just admit your original comment (below) was wrong?

OK Mr. Default....now you're just making stuff up. Look in every dictionary and you will find the abbreviation "co" and the first entry is almost always "company". This has been so for hundreds of years, like it or not.

What dictionaries lists "company" as the first definition for "co", can you even list one let alone it being "almost always" that way (which is what your claim was).

---------- Post added at 03:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:52 PM ----------

When someone, either from America or any other country, reads 'CocaCola.CO', I highly doubt his first thought of that 'CO' isn't 'company'. In fact I think that 'CO' for 'company' when written after a brand (especially big ones) is one of those words known worldwide.

I think there is probably a few readings for that,

cocacola.company
cocacola.corporation
cocacola.typo-of-com
colacola.what-is-that-extension
cocacola.colombia

---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:57 PM ----------

I think this is THE major point of contention and I absolutely disagree with this. I think MOST people (esp. businesses) associate CO with company. It's the reason we are even discussing this. How well did .ws do? It doesn't make sense. Dot CO does make sense and all of you know it so stop pretending you are clueless.

Lots of extensions have made more sense than .ws (which was marketed as web site and world site), .tv, .info, .us, .mobi, doesn't mean they have done well because they may sound better than .ws. None of them have gone anywhere beyond niche markets really because they are just alternates, not mainstream.

The question in my view is, why would people use .co, the fact that it can be rebranded as "company" isn't enough I think. You could argue .com could mean company, but nobody cares about that. There needs to be a really compelling reason, like everyone else using it. I would compare it to trying to get people to use a different type of power point plug or trying to convince them that the international language should be something other than English. People generally won't do something unusual unless there is a really good reason for it.