Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The TLD project at ICANN is just fantastic

I am amazed to see companies and “supposed” professionals of the domain name ... wake up.
I first thought ICANN was taking too long to launch these new TLD's but check the result: this ICANN project has been in preparation for more than 2 years ! We started exposing it to the public in mid 2008. The guide (applicant guide book) has been commented upon once, then twice ; comments were taken into account by ICANN and adapted.

A third version of this manual is now available and there will be a fourth one until ... applicants are able to apply.
  • “Yes”, it is expensive,
  • “Yes”, it is complicated,
  • And “Yes”, Intellectual Property is going to have a hard time.
I am ... happy to read pessimistic studies and comments about this project ; it means one thing : brands, companies and communities are - at last - waking up.

Expensive you said?

Once informed, the only thing I want is to watch companies go beyond their obsession : price.
I know how much it cost a company to advertize in the press for one single print. Won't these same companies invest in a project which will bring them...a much better result - everyday - on Internet?

I wouldn’t be surprised to see that the price of an application is lowered in the first quarter of 2010: it is one of the major feed back I receive these months from the interested communities.

Complicated?

Check the web: few companies have the experience in dealing with these projects. Planning to set up a "Top Level Domain" requires a type of knowledge companies may not have. For this reason it is important to rely on a good partner who will not only be a technical one: a TLD is a very - VERY - powerful communication tool.

Google and Bling.com are fighting hard : which of the 2 will make the better use of new TLDs ?

Intellectual Property

Is it really the job of "Intellectual Property" to decide about a communication project? I believe that the role of intellectual property is to make an advice available; communication people should feel much more concerned about acquiring their own "Top Level Domain name".

Did you realize what the importance of web sites was, 15 years ago? Did you know your email was going to become so important in your business life?

Today, ICANN is offering communities an entry point on the web: their specific "domain name extension".

Let’s take an example: wouldn’t you feel at the right place trying to export your wine on www.export.wine ?

I certainly would.

;-)

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