The new domains are coming! "Dot-biz is going to be the next coming of
dot-com," I recently read in an article in the Denver Post. The buzz has
begun. Seven new top-level domains have been approved by ICANN, the
organization that governs domains, and could be available as early as
spring of this year. The new domains approved are .biz, .info, .aero,
.coop, .museum, .pro, and .name.
Pre-registration sites like PreRegisterYourDomains.com have already begun
taking applications claiming that "Three million domain names will be
registered in the first five minutes." That same Denver Post article later
says, "If predictions from analysts hold true -- dot-biz will rival the
popularity of dot-com -- startups will no longer have to settle for
second-tier domain names." Hogwash! -- To put it gently. Dot-com will
always be the supreme ruler of domain names. Here's why:
Word Association
Ask anyone the first three words that come to mind when you say 'Internet'
and one will almost always be 'dot-com' along with 'Web' or 'surfing.'
Dot-com is forever chiseled into our brains as directly associated with the
Internet.
'Old Habits Die Hard'
The new domains will confuse the average everyday Web surfer. With so many
suffixes it will be harder to find the information for which they are
looking. Out of frustration they will most likely resort to the old
standby, dot-com.
Marketing
Big businesses like IBM and Microsoft have already spent billions promoting
their dot-coms' in print and media advertising. Is Microsoft going to
switch to promoting Microsoft.biz instead of Microsoft.com? Not likely.
Brand Protection
The same people who own the corresponding dot-com will most likely buy up
most of the dot-biz (said to be restricted to business only) and dot-info
(open to anyone) to protect their valuable brand. Someone with fishland.com
is not going to want someone else to own fishland.biz and fishland.info.
They already do much the same thing with .net. Why would they treat other
names differently? Sad to say, but the real winners here are probably the
lawyers, who will be kept busy for years with trademark infringement suits.
Meaning
None of the new top level domains meanings are as elegant or as classy as
dot-com, which can mean 'communication' or 'commercial.' Dot-biz obviously
stands for 'business,' but it sounds like slang and it also happens to mean
sh** in the United Kingdom.
'Information,' the meaning of dot-info, would be perfect if it was
restricted to sites with a high concentration of information about a
certain topic, but it's not. The domain name is unrestricted, and can be
registered by anyone. Surfers will quickly lose trust that all dot-info
sites actually contain quality information.
Dot-pro and Dot-name will be effective, but on a limited level. To register
a dot-pro you must 'prove' you are a professional on the topic in the
domain name. Dot-name will be for individuals' names only (good luck to all
the John Smiths out there.)
Appeal
Sure the new TLD's, especially dot-biz, will make it easier for smaller
companies to get a Web address that fits their business. But will it be as
appealing as a dot-com? Those businesses that have a dot-biz domain may
seem to be in a different class than the dot-com and it may be harder than
ever for them to compete. It may be worth it for them to invest more money
in a dot-com domain that be 'stuck' with a dot-biz. Even with the recent
doom of a few dot-com companies, there are many that are still going strong
and they continue to breathe life into the dot-com world. The only new TLD
applicant that might have been able to rival the dot-com for appeal was
dot-Web. Unfortunately the application for dot-Web was not approved by ICANN.
Bottom Line
Dot-com is established and respected. It has the distinction of being one
of the first domain names of the new Internet frontier and the most sought
after. The new domains will make it easier to get a home on the Web and
will have a place in the cyberworld of Internet. But Dot-com will always be
the beautiful white mansion up on the hill with the brand new Ferrari out
front.
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Wayne Ford is the founder and president of DomainsWeekly.com
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