Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Article: "studying .BRAND New gTLDs"

Many participants in the latest ICANN meeting in Copenhagen asked that same question: "when is the next round of the ICANN new gTLD program?". If the question came from new gTLD service providers, I also noticed that it was different from "the first round": now the question focuses more on .BRANDs rather than Generic TLDs dedicated to selling domain names. The question also comes more from representatives of certain Trademarks who want to acquire a .BRAND domain name extension.

Read my article on CircleId

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

New domains won’t get cheaper: really?

I just read another negative article about new gTLDs and, if I admit that I did not read it until the end (long articles are rarely read until the end), I think it can be a good read on the SEO part.

The title is wrong
New gTLDs (and we are talking about "new domain names" here, not "new domain name extensions" ("new gTLDs" stands for "new generic Top-Level Domains" = first level domain = the domain name extension = different from the second level domain name which comes right before the last dot in a domain name. Got it? ;-)
But let's just not focus on a title but on the content of the article which seems to explain why new domain names "are going not going to be cheaper".

The story
The title is wrong because another registry just announced the opposite for its list of domain name extensions.

In the beginning of March 2017, a multiple Registry announced a price increase (read "Is this a death spiral for new top level domain names?") which caused many domain name investors to criticize that move: when you have purchased domain names, it is the registry who decides about the price. The registrar HAS to follow. He is the one to tell his client - the domain name investor - that he will have to pay more. So this is negative for everybody and in particular for the person to renew the domain names.

The reality
Very recently, another "multiple registry" (a company to operate several new gTLDs), announced the opposite: a serious price decrease. Boston Ivy is specialized in financial domain name extensions (".FOREX" - ".BROKER" - ".MARKETS" - ".TRADING") and published this:
  1. domain ending in ".broker": legacy price = $500. New price = $20
  2. domain ending in ".forex": legacy price = $1,000. New price = $30
  3. domain ending in ".markets": legacy price = $40. New price = $10
  4. domain ending in ".trading": legacy price = $50. New price = $12
Why investing now is a good move
So yes...domain investors can keep investing in legacy ".com" domain names at huge prices but targeting financial TLDs, in particular when there are so few domain names registered, can be a good move and the reason is simple: short and generic domain names - the most valuable domain names when it comes to investing in domain names - are available to register.

The announcement is available here.

What you missed in our previous Newsletters:
  1. The Changing Conversation Surrounding gTLDs;
  2. Randstad.tech
  3. HOT - New gTLDs, the series (Chapter 1);
  4. The .AFRICA Sunrise Period (Sunrise Period: 04 April 2017 to 03 June 2017;
  5. When will the next round of the new gTLDs take place?
  6. New gTLD Success Will Be Measured Only by Use;
  7. Why PR Pros Should Consider a Not-Com Domain;
  8. A Complaint about ICANN’s New Complaints Office;
  9. .AFRICA Case Update;
  10. Confusing - New TLDs aren’t dead, but some business models won’t work;
  11. Boston Ivy Gets Competitive With Its TLDs, Offers Registrars New Wholesale Pricing;
  12. For new gTLD service providers - Preparing for "Round 2" of the ICANN new gTLD program?
  13. Ending soon: the .ECO Sunrise Period: Sunday, 2 April, 2017 - 16:00;
  14. HOT - .BRAND Specialized Reports (download the .BRAND SEO report);
  15. The dotAfrica (.Africa) gtld delegation has been faced by so much controversy for some time now;
  16. New gTLD registries want a $17 million ICANN rebate.

Friday, March 24, 2017

How to use my .BRAND extension?

This is a question that comes back often as many ".BRAND" new gTLD applicants have submitted an expensive application to the ICANN to operate their personalized domain name extension but... they still don't know what to do with it.

What do other applicants do with their ".BRAND" ?
The DOT BRAND Observatory answers that question with a certain number of case figures. Learn more from other .BRAND new gTLD applicants:
  • .BARCLAYS
  • .BNP PARIBAS
  • .BRADESCO
  • .CITIC
  • .FAGE
  • .DNP
  • .JCB
  • .LECLERC
  • .SEAT
  • .SENER
  • .WEIR
Check the case studies here.


What you missed from our previous Newsletters:
  1. Basics on SEO and new gTLDs;
  2. ICANN Round 2: comments are open;
  3. HOT - Dot Brands on Advertising;
  4. How Long Does a URS Case Take?
  5. Why the new ".markets" TLD?
  6. gTLD Domain Name Counts 2017 - Start Of Month;
  7. Casino.online was sold for $201,250;
  8. Emirates (airline) and .email gTLD;
  9. NEW - Number of domains per .BRAND TLD;
  10. This .yachts domain shouldn’t have been lost;
  11. 5 Positive New gTLD Charts;
  12. Owner of .feedback lacks transparency;
  13. New gTLD регистратуры просят ICANN снизить сумму выплат;
  14. Update on .VIP and .BOSTON new gTLDs;
  15. HOT - New gTLD projections and...reality;
  16. .FEEDBACK gets negative feedback on public interest;
  17. The ASOP Honors Leading Companies at ICANN;
  18. New TLD registries ask for 75% cost reduction.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

ICANN Round 2: time to comment

The next round of the ICANN new gTLD program will open. If you disagree with what happens in the first round and want to check which modifications were suggested (and contribute for the next round to be a better one), this is the place to express yourself.

This public comment proceeding is being opened in order to obtain input on the Community Comment questionnaire developed by the GNSO's Policy Development Process Working Group that is evaluating what changes or additions need to be made to existing new gTLD policy recommendations.
 How to proceed:

  1. Read this - far too long - page first but since you won't read it until the end, proceed to next step;
  2. Download this document and check what's new;
  3. To send a comment, email here: comments-subsequent-procedures-22mar17@icann.org;
  4. Check comments here (there are none at the moment of this publication).

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

The .HEALTH Sunrise Period

The .HEALTH new gTLD (for domain names ending in ".health", instead of ".com") now has a date for its Sunrise Period:
  • START: Monday, 8 May, 2017 - 16:00;
  • END: Friday, 7 July, 2017 - 16:00.
What does the application say about .HEALTH:
“Health” is the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor. As a global society, health is a measure of soundness of body, mind or being. Health can mean freedom from disease or ailment. Virtually everywhere in the world, and across many stakeholder segments, health is a major contributor to the economy and serves as a leading and influential indicator for measuring any one country or territory’s economic and societal strengths and weaknesses against others. Throughout the world, people rate health one of their highest priorities and concerns. Whether these are mental, physical, economic or social, these concerns are commonly linked to education and literacy, food and nutrition, fitness and exercise, medicines and therapies, environment and nature, technology and innovation, insurance and employment, for professional research and others.
The detailed explanation is rather long so I suggest to read the rest of it here (download the application then).

All dates for the Sunrise Period (and after) can be found at the Trademark Clearinghouse. Official website of the Registry is: https://get.health/. To register your domain name, check for an accredited Registrar to participate in the Sunrise Period.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Registry announces new pricing

Boston Ivy is pleased to announce competitive wholesale pricing for domain name registrations, renewals and transfers as follows.

Prices have dropped:
  1. .BROKER domain names: price was $500,00. Now: $20,00
  2. .FOREX domain names: price was $1,000,00Now: $30,00
  3. .MARKETS domain names: price was $40,00. Now: $10,00
  4. .TRADING domain names: price was $50,00. Now: $12,00
See: www.bostonivy.co for details.

What you missed from our previous Newsletters:
  1. The gTLDs you Should Register for Your Brand;
  2. The languages of new top level domains (Part 8);
  3. There's a New .HEALTH Domain and It Could Save You From Fake Medicine;
  4. HOT - CENTR publishes its Report on ICANN58;
  5. .FUN: Sunrise Period is ending;
  6. People hate new gTLDs: the truth;
  7. .FEEDBACK gTLD in breach of contract after big brand “fraud” claims;
  8. Adopted ICANN Board Resolutions:
    1. .SPORT : Consideration of the dot Sport Limited v. ICANN Independent Review Process Final Declaration;
    2. .PERSIANGULF : Consideration of the Gulf Cooperation Council v. ICANN Independent Review Process Final Declaration;
    3. Protections for Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement Identifiers in gTLDs.
  9. How could operating a Registry become cheaper;
  10. Speculations on Domain Industry;
  11. GAC Communiqué (Interesting read until page 9);
  12. .AFRICA gTLD redelegation possible if DotConnectAfrica wins case.

Friday, March 17, 2017

People hate new gTLDs: the truth

Honorable Rick Schwartz is a domainer a domain name investor and has no lesson to receive in terms of buying and reselling domain names. Note that domain name investing has nothing to do with cybersquatting: it is today a very serious job and some successful investors are able to earn thousands of dollars.Some new domain names are sometimes sold for more than $100,000.00...just for one single name.

We all read complaints about new domain names from the ICANN new gTLD programs and I believe this post from M. Schwartz explains part of it, if not all.

New domain names are offering something new and I agree here that the market is being flooded, sometimes creating confusion but - as a person to keep a very close eye on the new gTLD world and its evolution - I also noticed that the major part of those who keep complaining that "new gTLDs are failing"..are the one involved in reselling ".com" domain names: a value which is being lowered due to the high volume of new domain names released to the market. I understand the frustration but new gTLDs were not created for speculators.

Some domainers thought that investing in new generic second level domains would make them earn fast cash. Unfortunately, this will take longer to happen since there are now so many new domain name extensions. I personally invested in "newsletter.tokyo" and "newsletter.ski"

The funny thing is that registry who recently announced an increase of his prices to remain profitable (taking registrants to pay a higher price), and some to conclude that the entire new gTLD program was a failure due to this: did you look around who is complaining? I did.
In the end...very few are.
:-)

What you missed from our previous Newsletters:
  1. Company launching .HEALTH to beat .com and .org
  2. Inaction on Discriminatory Treatment of .GAY
  3. Cybersquatting disputes relating to new gTLDs rose to 16%;
  4. Power Rangers (the movie): http://www.powerrangers.movie/
  5. Answering your brand TLD questions;
  6. Domain Name Drama;
  7. A registry slashed its wholesale prices up to 97%;
  8. ICANN58 Copenhagen: The TMCH Debate;
  9. UA of New Top-Level Domains Reloaded;
  10. New gTLD Domains Win The SEO Hero Contest;
  11. ICANN wants response on Domain Name System study;
  12. What the DOT is going on?
  13. Study reveals that new gTLDs comprise seven of the top 10 domains used by spammers;
  14. .LOAN has over 1,500,000 general and premium domain registrations;
  15. IP professionals hit back after new call to rethink online trademark protection mechanisms;
  16. HOT - Communication agencies and ".BRANDs";
  17. Let’s Talk About Worst Case New gTLD Scenarios;
  18. New .Health Top-Level Domain is coming;
  19. Do you use .home and .mail on your network?
  20. Future .BRAND applicants: did you notice?
  21. Tech giant Amazon has adopted and currently utilizes the fully-Chinese domain name 亚马逊.在线;
  22. The scramble for the .africa domain name has been long and brutal, and it isn’t over yet;
  23. Schilling expects GoDaddy to return after dumping Uniregistry gTLDs;
  24. The Wait Continues for .Corp, .Home and .Mail;
  25. Can .ART domain give the art business an online boost?
  26. Poll: what would motivate you to buy domains under any of the new gtlds?
  27. .AFRICA joins the internet;
  28. ICANN and the future of the new gTLDs;
  29. Africa gets its own Internet domain, 25 years after the WWW launched;
  30. ICANN's Special Privileges for Trademark Owners are The.WORST
  31. Frank Schilling explains price hike
  32. Nouvelles extensions: tous à vos ".MARQUES"? (in French);
  33. Is .GUITARS a failed TLD?
  34. Getting linguistic with new top level domains;
  35. The new gTLD sky is not falling…
  36. Inside ICANN - Draft 0.5 of the New gTLD Guidebook;
  37. Uncertainty Could Doom the New Domain Names;
  38. Will other registries increase their price?
  39. Co-marketing agreement with .CLUB and .BAR;
  40. Interesting (.BRAND new gTLDs' list);
  41. Root Stability Study Final Report Now Available;
  42. Here are Uniregistry new TLD prices;
  43. New gTLDs are Like Used Cars;
  44. Donuts gaat in hoger beroep, lancering .WEB veraf;
  45. .SUCKS en promo, une aubaine pour les cybersquatteurs (in French).

Thursday, March 16, 2017

French want their .BRAND new gTLD

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

New gTLD Auction Proceeds Cross Community Working Group meeting

The new gTLD Program established auctions as a mechanism of last resort to resolve string contention (Competition between 2 or more applicants for TLDs).

Most string contention sets (approximately 90% of sets scheduled for auction) have been resolved through other means before reaching an auction conducted by ICANN through ICANN's authorized auction service provider, Power Auctions LLC.

It was recognized from the outset that significant funds could accrue as a result of several auctions. As such, these auction proceeds have been reserved and earmarked until the Board authorizes a plan for the appropriate use of the funds.

These proceeds are to be considered as an exceptional, one-time source of revenue. The ICANN community has now chartered a Cross-Community Working Group (CCWG) to develop a proposal(s) for eventual consideration by the ICANN Board on the mechanism that should be created to allocate the new gTLD Auction Proceeds.

This is a face-to-face meeting of the CCWG which is open to anyone interested to observe and participate in.

Starts Wednesday, March 15 • 3:15pm - 4:30pm (happening today)

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Communication agencies and ".BRANDs"

What is the job of a communication agency but to help other companies with their communication?

New gTLDs belong to communication
At least, it is what I thought until I noticed that - as an independent new gTLD consultant - I started to receive more calls from communication agencies with that question:
"M. Guillon, we receive a question about creating a domain name extension and we would require your help to answer our client."
Translation:
"M. Guillon, our clients asked about creating his extension and we have no clue what he is talking about, can you please help us so we don't look like idiots?"
I am often amazed to note that communication agencies don't really worry about domain names when I am able to tell a customer with a new project: "if the domain name you want to register is taken, then consider changing the name of your company or your Trademark". And I do not necessarily refer to new domain names from the ICANN new gTLD program here.
A domain name is where it all starts for a company on Internet so "yes": we're talking about serious communication here because what follows is a sound in someone's mouth, a domain name written on a visit card; on paper press: it is what readers will try to remember to find a company's website on Internet.

Communication agencies don't know about ".BRANDs"
Who, more than communication experts, want to deliver innovation to their client? As a new gTLD expert with a degree in marketing and communication, I strongly think that communication specialists need to be educated, and I don't mean to be "trained" here but educated first: the first step is to comprehend what a ".BRAND" domain name extension can bring to a Trademark instead of leaving it with just a "hey it's too expensive".

There are plenty of reasons why a .BRAND new gTLD can benefit to a Trademark or a company (precision, branding, SEO with generic domains, control of the security, identity...) but isn't one of best selling point to own a personalized domain name extension, the possibility to initiate TODAY, the online future of a company?

Existing ".BRAND" new gTLD applicants
Many have had their extension since 2014 but they don't use it. We are in 2017 and the next round of the ICANN new gTLD program won't start before 2020 (more or less): isn't it time to initiate a strategy to be in place when competition starts from scratch in the next application round of the ICANN new gTLD program? A .BRAND personalized domain name extension is an opportunity to get years ahead the competition but it requires...to start...to be in place on time.

I checked the list of the FRENCH new gTLD applicants and few .BRANDs use their extension. I feel they miss an opportunity to become a game changer: in the travel industry in particular when -  and this is just one example - so many geographic domain names could be used! Do communication agencies only know how a .BRAND can be used? And if they don't, isn't it time?

No need to replace the existing
A .BRAND does not necessarily require to change it all and replace the existing strategy (when there is one). It first requires to sit behind a table, check which scenarios can be put in place, what the objectives of a company are and where does that company wants to be in 5 to 10 years: at the exact same place facing the exact same online communication problems as its competitors, or a few years ahead having demonstrated strong innovation?

Looking forward to innovate? Talk to Jovenet Consulting.

Monday, March 13, 2017

Progress of New gTLD Program reviews

This is an interesting PDF to download. I suggest the reading of:
  • Program Reviews & Policy Timeline (Projected)
  • Next Steps
  • New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Procedure Working Group Avri Doria, Jeff Neuman
  • Timeline – Where are we now?
  • Review of All Rights Protection Mechanisms Policy Development Procedure Working Group Phil Corwin
  • What are the current challenges & issues under discussion?
  • Future Impact?
  • Risk factors (disruptive new gTLD developments)
  • Recommendations

Friday, March 10, 2017

New gTLDs: what you missed

This is the list of publications that you could find in our previous newsletters. Subscribe to receive them directly in your email.
  1. Public Comments: recommendations for new gTLDs;
  2. HOT - How much it costs to run a domain name registry;
  3. Getting Your TLD Legal in China (the MIIT Process Unboxed);
  4. OUPS - The end of the ICANN new gTLD program?
  5. Question/Answers: if ICANN only charges 18¢ per domain name, why am I paying $10?
  6. Is this a death spiral for new top level domain names?
  7. Und was hat Canon nun damit zu tun?
  8. Protecting Your Brand’s Email Channel (.BANK and .INSURANCE);
  9. ICANN: should there in fact be additional new gTLDs in the future?
  10. HOT - Big price increases needed to keep new gTLDs alive;
  11. HOT - What are the different new gTLDs and which are...the future ones?
  12. New gTLD service providers - Want to exist in "Round 2"?
  13. Donuts’ appeal means .Web is a long way off;
  14. The .FUN Sunrise Period ends: Friday, 24 March, 2017 - 16:00 check the calendar;
  15. New gTLD Applications for .HOME, .CORP, and .MAIL;
  16. Authentic Web Announces Financing;
  17. The .LOTTO new gTLD (lawsuit);
  18. The Top 10 New gTLDs Sold in 2017 to Date;
  19. How the New Domains Translate into the Real World;
  20. Surprising conclusion about the languages of new TLDs;
  21. Podcast: In the ..CLOUD;
  22. Creating a brand new gTLD? Long list of ideas here;
  23. New - New gTLD Dispute Resolution Procedure;
  24. Never Draw Quick Conclusions Based on New gTLD Stats;
  25. French - Les nTLDs tendent à s’imposer – en volumes:
    1. Une tendance à la stabilisation du marché des noms de domaine ? 
    2. Etat statistique des nTLDs au samedi 4/03/17 (données publiées) ;
    3. Entre les sirènes chinoises et « l’avenir radieux » d’un Second Round ;
    4. La preuve par l’exemple ;
    5. The Dark Side of the [.]MOON;
  26. Google is testing the .HOW new gTLD
  27. How MLB is using its .MLB domain name;
  28. ICANN GDD: New gTLD Program Reviews;
  29. Early access to .eco trade names for non-profits and NGOs;
  30. Domainer Rails Against New Extensions;
  31. The automotive URLs that are the gold standard for dealerships;
  32. Domaintest.boo (by Google).

Thursday, March 9, 2017

ICANN new gTLDs: I made it to "participate"

As a proud member of the PDPGW, the PPDWG, sorry, the PDDWG, sorry again I'll make it simple, the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Working Group, I could finally make it to join discussions and PARTICIPATE.

ICANN wants/needs more people to help, they can be individuals and professionals...politicians too.

I once tried to participate in the .WINE and .VIN new gTLD discussions in 2011 and in 2013 but the ICANN seemed more interested in answering to French ministry Axelle Lemaire on the 18 June 2014 with zero knowledge on the subject, rather than to me a year before on the 3 April 2013, and with concrete solutions. But we all know how it works, don't we? ;-)

Anyway...
This time I decided to "participate" in the ICANN process the right way and joined the right working group. At ICANN, it is how you participate: you join a Working Group (often called "WG") to add what you think is good, to improve the next round of the ICANN new gTLD program. Then, some other people deal with it. There are conference calls you can attend and meeting where all these people can gather to discuss. Then these solutions are presented to - I am not sure about my answer - "a council" but the ICANN board is the one to have the final decision. Can someone help me here because I did not find who decides in the official doucumentation.

My contribution: Singular and Plural TLDs are "a mess"
For a consumer (the "registrant" for geeks), it is already difficult to choose if a domain name will be registered with or without an "s" (at the second level for geeks) so one can imagine how COMPLEX it is when the exact same domain name extension also exists in its plural version with another "s" (at the first level for geeks). A list of all these extensions is available here.

An example
An example to give - and which did not exist prior to the launching of new gTLDs - is this owner of a gift shop, planning to register a domain name for his online boutique, who does not know that he can register the same domain name ending in ".gifts" (with an "s") when he registered myonlineboutique.gift (with no "s").

How I made it to "participate"
The issue of Singular coexisting with Plural TLDs is an issue that I wanted to see resolved in the next round of the ICANN new gTLD program, so I added my explanation and solution to the draft on Work Track Three: Objections. Basically, I added to saying that it was an issue and that, as a solution, either one or the other TLD should be validated, but not the two of them because it is very confusing for consumers.

I don't know how other participants make it to spend SO MUCH time on this, and I admit that I am impressed and would like to be able to contribute as much as them, but unfortunately, I cannot afford it: time is money and days are shorts. I received a lot of emails from the organizers with updates and offerings to join calls and meet in the next ICANN meeting in Copenhagen but again...even if I live in France, Copenhagen is not next door: my clients are.

So: what's next?
The result of my contribution now appears in the COMPETITION, CONSUMER TRUST AND CONSUMER CHOICE REVIEW TEAM DRAFT REPORT. It is a 144 pages document which lists everything that is being discussed as improvements for Round two of the ICANN new gTLD program.
Don't expect to find a solution to the problem in this document because, at this stage, the wording looks more like:
"it would appear there was not a clear consistent ruling in all cases. In some cases, singular and plural versions were not considered to be confusingly similar" or "It would appear that inconsistency in outcome on singular/plural cases arose because the DRSP process allowed for different expert panelists to examine individual cases although they were based on similar situations".
Five years after, we are still in the "analysis mode" rather than in the "solution mode" but some possible solutions to the problem start to appear:
"This could be avoided in future by ensuring that all similar cases of plural versus singular strings were examined by the same expert panelist or by determining in advance that strings would not be delegated for singular and plurals of the same gTLD" and "The Subsequent Procedures PDP should consider adopting new policies to avoid the potential for inconsistent results in string confusion objections".
A consensus?
A "success measure" appears on page 117 and says:
"...should singular and plural versions be allowed, objection panels evaluate all such cases with a consistent approach such that all single or plural disputes are resolved in the same manner".
If this is no final decision to definitely kill singular VS Plural versions of a TLD, it definitely is a good start. Let's hope  that such isolate problem won't take years to be solved.

Houston: we have a problem

ICANN is discussing the problem of Singular VS Plural new gTLDs at the moment and decisions "should be taken" prior round 2 to begin, in regard to this awful option to allow both strings to exist at the same time. The draft of the report can be reviewed here (PDF download). It starts page 115.

Something that I don't understand
This is an extract of the REAL ESTATE new gTLD report (entitled "Singular and Plural new generic Top-Level Domains") from March 2017, which clearly shows that there is a HUGE difference between the number of registered domain names ending in ".loan" (instead of ".com") and the number of domains ending in ".loans", with an "s".


Of course, I have my idea about this surprisingly high difference but I am interested in hearing other explanations.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Uniregistry Price Hike Up to 30 Times: can ICANN save the registrants?

The price hike by Uniregistry is a right move executed in a wrong way. With this decision:
  • Uniregistry Wins 
  • ICANN Loses 
  • Old Registrants Lose with no choice 
  • New Registrants Lose with a choice 
The steep price increase is likely to make Uniregistry new gtlds more profitable. However, they do not seem to care for their existing registrants which includes me. Businesses use domain for online presence. This domain become a part of their online existence and they cannot afford to lose it. This is where Uniregistry is trying to make money. A bigger problems lies with what would be the future price hikes.
A big problem for existing registrants is illustrated below.

.Hosting tld current and assumed registrations with proposed 15 times price increase:
In the above table you would notice that Uniregistry is making exceptionally good sales even if their number of registration fall by 75% with every price raise.

What about the poor registrants, who developed and promoted their website by using the .hosting and similar new gtld from Uniregistry. Unfortunately, many of the registrants will be forced to abandon their domain as paying that kind of price will be out of question. The money and the efforts that this registrants have spend to brand their domains is all lost. Does Uniregistry care for this?

For a new registrant, they have a choice whether to pay or not for the high price tlds. However, for the existing registrant their business is trapped in this domain and they have no choice but to pay whatever is asked for.

It is understandable for Uniregistry to increase prices as they need to make the tlds profitable, but definitely not by putting the existing customers under the hammer.

A similar price increase took with certain tlds from Donuts. They handled it really well. The price increase was only for the new customers. Old customers remain unaffected. This showed that Donuts registry cared for the business profitability as well as their customers.

Being a fan of new gtld I will stick to new gtld domains, however, I will stay away from registries that charge their existing users exorbitantly and assume that prior notice would be sufficient.

ICANN, as domain registrant we believe that you are their to protect our interest. Kindly intervene this.

Friday, March 3, 2017

New gTLDs: from one month to the other

The second day of each month is a long day for me since it means that I have to update all of my new gTLD reports dedicated to registration volumes. Here is what I noticed:
  1. Catering: this report shows few variations between February and March. Trademarks to have applied for their .BRAND new gTLD still don't use it.
  2. Photography: the .WEBCAM and .PICS new gTLDs clearly have a problem with their registrations. the .PICS new gTLD almost lost half of its registrations in 3 months. The .ART Top-Level Domain is doing extremely good and domain name registrations increase significantly.
  3. City names: the two versions of the .MOSCOW new gTLD (and its IDN version) keep losing registrations.
  4. Company names: subscribe to our Newsletter to receive it and notice the change for the .WORLD Top-Level Domains ;-)
  5. The Law: there are nine new gTLDs and no evolution since last month. We keep an eye on the .FAIRWINDS new gTLD: the only IP domain name service provider to have applied for its .BRAND domain name extension.
  6. Finance: the .LOAN new gTLD has now almost 1.5 million registrations while .BID lost 10,000 registrations. The .CASH progresses too and the .FOREX Trademark registered 24 more domain names since last month (which is a lot for a .BRAND).
  7. Colors: .BLUE - .PINK and .BLACK are diving but the .RED new gTLD.
  8. Sports: the .CLUB new gTLD looses 30,000 registrations in one month. The .BIKE does much better and .GAMES progresses significantly too. The .SKI sinks into the red but the .MLB trademark registers more domain names.
  9. Alcohol: .WINE and .VIN keep increasing (who would have doubted it? Certainly not me);
  10. Real Estate: the .REALTOR loses registrations as well as .IMMO and .ARCHI clearly sinks from 4,736 registrations in February to...1,794 in March: what's happening? The .AGENCY gains more than 1,000 more registrations. The .FORSALE - .PLACE and .CREDIT are doing good too.
  11. Singular VS Plural TLDs: the .ACCOUNTANT - .NEWS - .PET and .REVIEW are doing great but .WORK is diving.
  12. French applicants: .OVH - .BZH and .PARIS are losing registrations.
  13. Religion: the .FAITH new gTLD is doing extremely good.
  14. Generic domain name extensions (to replace ".com"): .SITE and .ONLINE are highly noticed with an important number of registrations. We will remove the .GDN new gTLD from our listing soon.
  15. Cars: Some .BRAND new gTLDs have started to register one more domain name (...)
  16. Health: the .DIET domain name extension looses a lot of domain name registrations this month. Still waiting for .HEALTH to launch. Will it ever launch?
  17. New gTLDs for French: the list is long and .VOTE is noticed with more domain name registrations.
  18. Adults: .SEX - .PORN and .WTF are not doing good this month.
Have a good week-end.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

The .HOW new gTLD

Google is offering the .HOW new gTLD. According to the number of results indexed - 1,180,000 from where I am and the 2,495 domains registered - there is something going on.

Have a look here for indexed URLs ending in ".how".

Here is what the .HOW new gTLD applications says:
The proposed gTLD will provide the marketplace with direct association to the term, ʺhow.ʺ The mission of this gTLD, .how, is to provide a dedicated domain space in which registrants can enact second-level domains that position content relating to ʺin what manner or wayʺ one executes a task, as in ʺhow to do ʹsomething.ʹʺ Charleston Road Registry believes that registrants will find value in associating with this gTLD, which could have a vast array of purposes for enterprises, small businesses, groups or individuals seeking to associate with the term ʺhowʺ.
What you missed in our previous Newsletters:
  1. List of new Top Level Domains for the most recognizable brands;
  2. The Trusted Notifier Program (by Donuts);
  3. Article: "Best about .BEST",
  4. Rightside $NAME Q4 2016 Results (40 new gTLDs such as .LIVE and .NEWS);
  5. Legitimate domains deterred by TMCH service?
  6. Notice and Takedown in the Domain Name System (ICANN);
  7. .AFRICA top level domain name about to take its place in cyberspace;
  8. Bitcoin.Casino;
  9. .GLOBAL Welcomes Domain Investors;
  10. HOT - .AUDI supports German dealerships;
  11. NewG talk #27 (final);
  12. ICANN meetings:
    1. GNSO New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process Working Group Meeting: 08:30-11:45 Hall B4.2;
    2. ICANN GDD: New gTLD Program Reviews: 15:15-16:45 Hall A3;
    3. GNSO New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP Working Group Community Dialogue: 17:00-18:30 Hall C1.4;
    4. GAC discussion on new gTLDs Policies: (Tuesday, March 14 • 9:00am - 10:30am).
  13. La La Land: http://www.lalaland.movie/
  14. POLL - Cast your vote (poll on the right column of gTLD.club);
  15. Trademark Clearinghouse: the revised report;
  16. Ending soon: the .BROADWAY Sunrise Period (Sunday, 5 March, 2017);
  17. The luck of the .IRISH
  18. Not wrong - Round 2 of new gTLDs: stop complaining!
  19. New gTLDs Can Add Meaning & Context to a Domain Name Squatting Dispute;
  20. Vanity URL with Your .BRAND: the Key to Supercharging Your SEO?
  21. Do you have a Canon ID? (https://myid.canon);
  22. Terra Omega (http://www.terra.omega).

Don't know what to do with your .BRAND new gTLD?

This article, written by Andrew Allemann, explains how the Major League of Baseball (the .MLB new gTLD) uses its own domain names ending in ".mlb" as redirections for search engine optimization.

The actual known problem with .BRAND new gTLDs is that they still have no idea what to do with their personalized domain name extension.

If the solution offered in this article also relies on Google's mood, it remains a concrete answer to the number one question asked by existing and future .BRAND new gTLD applicants: what is the benefit of spending so much money in my personalized domain name extension? This article ads one good answer to the question.

Read the article

.BRAND new gTLD Reports are updated once a month: CLICK HERE !