With the noise of new tlds and category specific domain names, I wonder why one of the largest categories on the Internet is not yet approved......
dot-xxx.
The idea of .xxx has been around since as early as the late nineties. It has had its ups and downs with the application process through ICANN. And, even made it to politicians in Washington. But, why is it not out yet??
It turns out that with the onslaught of new tlds, ICANN is very concerned about new tlds' morality and affect on public order. In a Morality and Public Order Memo submitted by ICANN in October 2008, they state that these new, "strings must not be contrary to generally accepted legal norms relating to morality and public order that are recognized under international principles of law."
This is just bologna! Everyone knows that pornographic material is on the Internet. And even if you are not a frequent customer, most know where the nearest XXX store is.
Why are we being so hypercritical? Think about it this way. It is ok to have an adult site in .com, .net, .me, or any other extension, but having the tld as .xxx is somehow NOT moral??
With bonuses being cut, bailouts in the works, unemployment at high rates, and almost everyone looking over their shoulder wondering if they are the next to be laid off, this turn of events is a good sign for the domainer world. In fact,others like Allied Internet Solutions Inc.are stating, "While most of the economy is on it's heels the internet sector is showing signs of life and vitality."
One thing is for certain, people and corporations understand that domains are a good investment. There is definitely money out there; however, why put it into a bank or the stock market? If you are skeptical of the recent fraud like I am, you can understand where they are getting this distrust of the financial institutions.
Although these sales are a positive sign, they are very rare names. These "category killers" that are short, sweet and summarize a complete sector are out there, but not that many. I think this investment or buying behavior is mirroring the need for us to understand the content of a website before clicking; thus, the value of these properties should only continue to rise. It is not a secret that we are all looking for information on the Internet that is more and more specialized. Maybe some of these strong, one-word domains will become new tlds? We have already seen it with .travel, which is one of the largest e-commerce categories on the Internet. Are these categories large enough and have enough interest?
I woke up this morning, put on my green, and headed to work in the traffic. Looking from side to side, it looked like the majority were sportin' green, whether Irish or not it is an occasion to dream of trips to Ireland or maybe just to the local Irish Pub after work for green beer.
As I know many domainers and recent auctions have focused on celebration specific domain names, I did a little investigation as to some St. Pattie's Day worthy names. These should give you a little boost through your day. That is until 5:00 PM (and on St. Pattie's Day it is 5 o'clock somewhere). I can smell the corned beef and cabbage already.
Available St. Pattie's Day domain names (I have separated if multiple names for a portfolio were available):
Recently at the ICANN meeting in Mexico City, it was announced that Dot Eco LLC is expected to submit an application for .eco later this year. In the onslaught of new tlds, this new green domain seemed to be all the buzz at the meeting and even afterwards. In hopes of creating a unique space on the Internet for the expression of environmental causes and companies to promote environmental programs, .eco has emerged.
To add fuel to the fire, former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Al Gore, openly endorsed the .eco domain. In fact, his Alliance for Climate Protection has decided to partner with Dot Eco LLC in order to further promote and support this new domain.
Unlike other domain registries, the .eco domain plans to give generated profits from the .eco domain to environmental charities. This is yet another ingenious way to fund raise for non-profit environmental organizations.
In reading the news from the ICANN meeting and various other bloggers, it is no surprise that there is push back from the new tld nay-sayers. With so much invested in large .com domain portfolios, it is no wonder that they don’t want another domain out there for competition or dilution. However, I would have to wonder what .org thinks about this new venture.
It seems to me that many green initiatives and organizations already have a place on the web with .org. The examples are endless: sierraclub.org, wwf.org, greenpeace.org, and the list continues. How does .eco plan on competing with this heavily branded “do-gooders” domain? After all we have all came to the understanding that .org=organization and more often than none a non-profit cause.
Is green big enough for an Internet vertical? It is very popular now and definitely something that will continue to grow. Can you see larger corporations like google.eco or yahoo.eco for their environmental friendly practices?
Let's face it. It just isn’t enough to have a Yahoo or Gmail account anymore. Now if you don’t have a Facebook and LinkedIn account, point blank…..you are living in the past. More than ever before, we are multi-tasking machines in which communicating to different communities through various different channels is the way of our New World.
Let me take you through a typical day. I start my drive to work while checking and responding to emails and texting at every stoplight (I do try very hard not to drive and text at the same time, just limiting it to idle time). I then arrive at work and greet my team, “Good morning.” I sit and open Instant Messanger (IM) and Outlook.As I quickly skim the emails that I didn't address on my way to work,I IM a message quickly instead of poking my head out to the desks and cubes of other worker bees like me.Within seconds, the answer of my question with a telephone number or status of a task is in my IM account with a ping.
After getting into the groove of the office, typically in the afternoon, you will notice my multi-tasking skills are at high speed. My phone is ringing; I am halfway through writing an email; my personal cell is vibrating; and numerous people from all over the world are either Skype-ing me or IM-ing me with various questions regarding the progress report, how my day is going, and if I will be attending the next ICANN meeting. It is no secret to any of my colleagues that my office is really buzzing, ringing, pinging, and vibrating every day.
As today was yet another one of my typical office days, this leads me into the point of this post.......
Social Media Multi-tasking....Are we at our limit?
Maybe I am just becoming more aware of this, as I am not only doing social media for personal, but also professional reasons.I find that during my day I am on Facebook or LinkedIn to gather info and communicate to my various audiences.I find myself speaking to a professional contact regarding their Facebook status or LinkedIn profile update.It is rather scary.
But, when are there too many social networks? Is there such a thing? Is there a way to house all of these into a simpler world with perhaps only one login and password?
In surfing the domainer and Internet news this week from the Mexico meeting there was much about new tlds, the application process, and security on the Internet. However, I wanted to pick a distinct topic; so, I gravitated towards a cctld, but one that I had not heard of before and is being marketed and used in a distinct way…. .mp
Although not new to the Internet, .mp was launched in the late 90’s, as the cctld of the Mariana Islands.For many, you may be wondering where are the Mariana Islands? Well, don’t fret, I, too, despite being well traveled asked the same thing.The Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth of the U.S., are in the Pacific and stretch from Guam to near Japan.
With very few registered, other than governmental entities, .mp needed another niche.At $20 a pop, the cost of registering is not an issue, but it is the awareness and the reason to get a .mp.This is where chi.mp comes into play.You may wonder why I am talking about chimpanzees, but I am not.Chi.mp was recently created as a new solution for managing your online identity, your content, and your contacts…all while controlling who sees it.Apparently, this service will be free, but I have tried unsuccessfully to get my available .mp through chi.mp and have been told that I need a beta code and that I would need to network to see if someone in my network had one.(If you have a beta code please send it to me.)
Although I can't get the beta coda (thusfar) I do think they have a viable product.
So far they claim (but I don’t know if it is true), that with chi.mp you will have your unique place on the web to manage all of your social media, content, and contacts without the need to remember your already long list of user ids and passwords.By using OpenID, you will have a centralized user authentication system.Yes, that means you may log on to many services with the same digital identity. Plus, there is the added factor that you own your content (unlike other communities that shall remain nameless).
I am eager to try this out, but if chi.mp waits too long to get me a beta code, I will loose my interest and get my .tel later this month when they are $20 a pop too.By the way, I don’t plan on getting rid of my other domains as they have history, but I do see the need for other tlds or cctlds that can do this aggregation of services to make my day at the office or just social networking from the couch an easier, one stop shop experience.
For followers of this post, if you have a beta code for chi.mp, please send it to me via email.
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