We asked Gemini (an AI) the question, and as expected, it lacks ideas and imagination.
The META new gTLD could be a .BRAND or a .COMMUNITY application but we, at Jovenet Consulting, think there is a strategic move to make for Mark Zuckerberg in 2026.
Many .BRAND applicants want their domain name extension to protect their assets and sometimes do nothing with it, or create a few personalized domain names to introduce themselves a better way.
With more than 3 billion users*, Facebook Meta has an opportunity to create something that is terribly missing on Internet: domain names without spam (phishing, etc...). Many existing operators have been trying to secure domains and emails for decades with fantastic technical tools such as SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI...but let's be honest : things are doing better but we still receive spam and all sort of phishing emails of all kind. I personally find homographic attacks interesting ones.
If "meta" is a sign short enough to be acceptable at the end of an email, it is the Facebook platform that could become the next gMail with a new way to guarantee that all incoming emails are spam free.
If existing methods to block spam do not work entirely, operating the largest social media platform is an opportunity to start from scratch and do three things:
* https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
Registries offering generic strings (like ".club" or ".consulting" for example) can be difficult to launch because domain names are created leaving their user with the "what do I do now with my domain name?" question.
Most of the time, this question has been answered prior to buying but it means creating a website or an email and the answer to the question: "now I have to do it" remains.
Some platforms such as Linktree can be the answer to that question.
In the past, we've seen a Registry, the .TEL Registry, who offered its Registrants (the owners of the domain name) to set up some sort of Directory : the registered domain name was set up on specific DNS which lead to a platform the Registrant could set-up to point to links, phone numbers, ads...
The alternative to change DNS to preferred ones was possible but came second. This initiative then failed and .TEL domain names returned to be registered just like all others and benefiting from the Registrar's options.
I believe niche TLDs, who want to offer that little "something more", should return to creating their dedicated platform so their buyers don't have to end with the "Now I have to do it" question right after registering their new domain name.
Reminder: the .TEL registry was launched in...2007, the next Round of new gTLDs is launching in 2026. I am confident there's a lot more to invent for upcoming niche TLDs to be ready when the next Round begins. Idea here.
Want to offer something more than just domain names in 2026? Jovenet Consulting will build your innovative project.
I know many don't want these to be displayed as examples but hey...this is a subject for the next Round of new gTLDs: what type of generic and community projects could be successful ones? To me, they rely on two things:
The typical route for growing a domain registry leans heavily on registrar distribution. But what happens when that channel isn’t enough - or isn’t working for your target audience?
.CV, originally the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Cape Verde, has undergone a quiet transformation. It now operates more like a generic top-level domain (gTLD) — repositioned and reimagined for global individual use, specifically for resumes and personal branding.
We’ve learned some tough but valuable lessons: registrars don’t always drive demand for niche-use gTLDs. Despite signing on with more than 20 registrars, .CV saw minimal movement in its audiences - curriculum vitae, cryptoverse. The product needed more than shelf space — it needed a purpose and direct distribution.
So we turned the model on its head: instead of waiting for users to find .CV through traditional channels, we built our own demand-side path. A product called Hello.CV now offers users theirname.cv — a complete, AI-powered resume site — bypassing the need to shop through registrars at all. Users sign up for a personal domain, generate a profile site, and link it to job applications or social bios in minutes. Think of it as Linktree meets LinkedIn, but with your own domain.
In doing so, we’re not just registering domains — we’re solving a problem. And that, more than anything, is what many new gTLD applicants should think about heading into Round 2: what job does your domain do? Who is it built for? And can you reach them directly?
We’re not anti-registrar — we’re just realistic. For gTLDs with a specific or emerging use case, assuming registrars will do the heavy lifting is optimistic at best. Building demand-side products, integrating into real-world workflows (like job applications), and going direct to users might be the only way to win in a cluttered namespace future.
.CV is a test case. It’s a ccTLD behaving like a gTLD, built to serve people — not just protect brands. The early signs are promising. We’ll keep sharing what we learn.
The Directory is free to register to and there is no need to be friend of a friend to be listed. I list all new gTLD providers wanting to register. I yet have not found a way to acquire even more visibility for subscribers but I will offer a way to advertise when I return in September. It is quite possible that I offer the first three positions on top of the list or...banners.
As published on the 06/24/2025, it is with no surprise that the AFNIC was renewed as the Backend-Registry provider of the .PARIS new generic Top-Level Domain.
What caught my attention in the announcement is this paragraph :
"Afnic’s remit will also be expanded to include communication and promotion of the .paris TLD, as well as the development of initiatives designed to increase its adoption by businesses and private individuals."
Extracted from the introduction to the AFNIC service:
"Afnic, the association in charge of the .fr top-level domain and several other French overseas and generic TLDs, announced today the release as free software of its tool named IBDNS, standing for Intentionally Broken DNS."
More here.
You probably own domain names that have been in your portfolio forever and you've never found a use for them. Well, I have.
I am referring to these domain names waiting in your portfolio : these you always wanted to keep because they are your family name, your Trademark of that fantastic generic keyword that you have had for years and never found the time to build something around it.
I use OVH as my Registrar where a small hosting space is offered with each domain name purchased. A free SSL certificate is part of that hosting (both need need to be activated). The thing I added to this "tip" is Artificial Intelligence.
I went to these few domains names I own and, as an example, I will use one with my family name for my demo: guillon.eu.
Something very unattractive about the ICANN new gTLD program is that you have to search for common basic questions like: "how do I proceed to create my domain name extension?", "who do I talk to?", "how much doe it cost?", etc.
There are several reasons for this : an easy one is: "the ICANN new gTLD applicant guidebook has not yet been published, so we can't give you a price".
With my experience learnt from the first Round of the ICANN new gTLD program in 2012 a price is difficult to produce because no one can tell what is going to happen.
Once applications were submitted in 2012, I also read invoices increased by ten times compared to what some other applicants had paid ! Some projects could absolutely not be profitable for this reason and some filed.
Today, the AI starts to offer good answers about what one must do or pay. Legal and Financial questions are important too and the AI starts to be a very good tool to help in the application process. We answer many of these questions on www.gtld.blog, the AI will answer - and publish - your answers too if you want to send them to us.
The ASP is intended to make the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round application and evaluation processes and fees more accessible to entities that would like to operate a registry but would otherwise be unable to apply, because of financial and resource constraints.
I am probably sure that many noticed...that the first new gTLD applicant guidebook (and probably the upcoming one for the 2026 ICANN new gTLD Round) blocked interested applicants for submitting an application for the .LOCAL new generic Top-Level Domain.
It is the chosen one for innovative project "John Wolley" which focuses on city names but we have to take a different approach since this TLD is blocked.
We all know that one advantage to create a new domain name extension, a generic one, a dotBrand (or any other), is to benefit from the availability of "to be created" generic second level domains : domain names such as shoes.tld (".tld" is an example here), product.tld , mobile.tld or paris.tld
If the real SEO (Search Engine Optimization) benefit of using a generic name relies on what Google says, one think remains certain : the benefit of using a generic name is clear on a leaflet, a visit card, in the paper or online press. Reading a generic domain name is nicer and easier to comprehend than reading a descriptive domain name, and by the way : the shorter, the better.
Can generic city names such as "boston.tld" benefit for local content in search engine optimization? if - again - "Google decides", the benefit remains in the title : a word is a word and "boston" alone as the second level domain name says it all : a website with this generic domain name is probably going to be about the city of Boston. I asked that exact same question to an AI and this is the answer received :
"...notably Google, explicitly state that geoTLDs are treated like other generic TLDs (.com, .org) and do not provide any direct algorithmic ranking advantage for local searches based on the TLD itself. Keywords within the TLD also offer no direct SEO benefit. In contrast, country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) like .uk or .ca do serve as strong geographic signals for country-level targeting."
Scary, isn't?
Now, it also says this:
"Potential benefits of city TLDs like .boston are primarily indirect, stemming from branding and user perception. They can strongly signal local relevance, potentially enhancing user trust, reinforcing community connection, and possibly improving click-through rates (CTR) from local searchers who recognize the geographic identifier."Much nicer.
Using city names as second level domains for local content makes sense in the next round of the ICANN new gTLD program. Industrializing such domain name creations using a .BRAND Top-Level Domain makes the project a cash machine if the minimum annual income per domain is $40. To learn more about this project : talk to us.
On April 9, 2025 at Civic Hall, join ICANN for a discussion on the opportunities for nonprofits and businesses to create their own exclusive, descriptive, and memorable label on the Internet through the operation of a gTLD.
If the question about the cost to submit an application is now known, the cost to operate one is now the important one in a .BRAND new gTLD project.
As an approximate guide and depending on how many domains you plan to register in your TLD, this provider answers that question - per year - to operate your dotBrand gTLD, depending on the level of support and outsourcing you require.
South Africa: Cape Town Stakeholders breakfast meeting co - hosted with Girl Hype regarding ICANN's upcoming Next Round of New Generic Top-Level Domains (ngTLDs) and the associated Applicant Support Program (ASP). This session aims to create awareness and provide visibility into these exciting initiatives that will shape the future of the Domain Name System.
Learn more here.
When reading a text, I find mistakes awful ; the same when forgetting a capital letter to a first or family name : it appears to me like a poorly marketed product.
I recently checked the indexed pages of a .BRAND Top-Level Domain in Google and noticed a few things were missing. Isn't a branded domain name ending in ".brand" (instead of ".com") a way to identify as a Brand?
Were missing a Title of the page : it appeared in Google's results with the full domain name of the page, including the "https" in the Title. As a description of the indexed page, I could read : "No information is available for this page. Learn why", with a hyperlink on a Google support page, explaining the reason why there could be no information available".
Well, when in control of all domain names, I believe that insisting on a good Title and Description of a page to be indexed by search engines is an efficient way to promote a Brand. It is a matter of setting up a policy in place for all domain names creators from that Brand.
Since adding the Brand's name in each Title for example, and a minimum characters for the description repeating the brand's name at least once, is an easy way to proceed, why aren't such policies in place?
Forgive my easy way to criticize, especially when it is important to add that not all brands are the same : some are regional ones and some are much bigger at an international level, with probably much more people allowed to created a domain name.
In reality, this demonstrates one thing to me : it is still early in the .BRAND history and if dotBrands are clearly a fantastic tool to better identify online, it is still to be found how to use them.
Below is an interesting read for entities interested in submitting an application through the ICANN Applicant Support Program - "and pay less". The 19 pages "ASP Applicant Checklist" clearly informs about what the administrative work consists in : good luck to all applicants. The application submission period is expected to close 19 November 2025.
This is Table of Contents Organization Information of the ASP Applicant Checklist :
3 new Sunrise Periods were just announced by the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers for those who still don't know.
