New gTLD: a few things I noticed in October 2023

A fast note about what I noticed in the new gTLD world recently:

• Amendment to .ONE new gTLD.
• Renewal notice for .BERLIN new gTLD.
• Revocation Report for .CITYEATS
• Revocation Report for .FRONTDOOR
• .BOT new gTLD, Trademark Claims Period: 30 October 2023 to 30 January 2024.
• The .DESI new gTLD was transferred to a proposed Emergency Back-End Registry Operator Program - ICANN.
• The .FLICKR new gTLD was granted the status of ".BRAND". If the date does not exactly match, it is because the info was updated laitely.
• The .CEO new gTLD was acquired by a third party.
• The GAP Trademark; just dropped 2 dotBrand new gTLDs:
• the .BANAREPUBLIC Top-Level Domain and,
• the .OLDNAVY Top-Level Domain.
• The .SCA new gTLD was terminated.

The .CEO new gTLD was just acquired, let's keep an eye on this one

As announced in this press release, the .XYZ Registry just acquired another Top-Level Domain, the .CEO new gTLD. 

If this information is of interest for very few, what is interesting here is that .XYZ and its team can be good at developing registries: the .XYZ domain name extension counts 3,678,385 domain names created and it is the new gTLD with the highest volume of domain names created since the first round of the ICANN news gTLD program in 2012.

The .CEO Top-Level domain is a niche TLD dedicated to Chief Executive Officers "only" and counts 3,768 domain names today (Octover the 13th, 2023). Let's have a look at this publication in exactly 6 months to check if the extensions kept developing or not.

Below a screenshot from ntldstats.com with numbers dated October the 13th 2023: 

New gTLD Reports were just updated (September 2023)

Reminder, we recently added two reports for two types of new gTLD applications: Community and Geographic.

In regard to the situation on social network Twitter (now "X") and the strange beahvior of its leader about the russian war against Ukraine and its hardly promoted political opinions, we are (probably) moving our announcements to Bluesky so don't be surprised to click on links pointing to this new social media.

Use this invite code to join Bluesky: bsky-social-3wfer-oxuck (single use only). You will be invited to paste it when you register.

New gTLDs are on Bluesky

We just joined the new App entitled Bluesky where we will probably be migrating from Twitter, (now called "X"). Note that we will keep posting on Twitter since this move is new and the app is not yet officially opened : it requires a invitation code to join. 

Once you have joined (and once you have joined only), you can use: gtld.bsky.social and add us. If you have not joined, it will probably take you to the frontpage of Bluesky.

The reason for this move is simple:

• I, Jean Guillon, don't like the way Elon Musk communicates on Twitter because he owns the application: I do not accept his speach on Ukraine. What is going on right now is not acceptable. I like Teslas though.
• Twitter is becoming a spam machine, it happens more and more that I am (automatically?) retweeted by bots dealing with things that have absolutely nothing to do with new gTLDs: accounts from naked women for example. This is annoying.
  Also, the non-consensual nudity policy is too hypocritical for me. I extracted this from this policy "Pornography and other forms of consensually produced adult content are allowed on Twitter, provided that this media is marked as sensitive. Doing so provides people who may not want to see this type of content with a warning that they will need to acknowledge before viewing your media". This is pure crap. I have stopped reporting accounts, it is useless and nothing changes.
  This is not the kind of tool I want to use for my profession.

I hope Bluesky can bo better than this. For example, there is neither pornography nor spam on LinbkedIn.

In the future, we will change our URL to a personalized domain name.

AUGUST 2023: new gTLDs reports were just updated

New gTLD reports are monthly captures of domain name volumes according to specific groups, businesses or industries. On the last day of each month, we take a snapshot of these numbers so one can see if they increase or decrease form a month to the other. This method is a good way to see if these domain names meet with adoption...or not.

We now update 22 categories. Check the SPORTS category: https://www.gtld.report/sport

Registries: where is the Holy Grail?

There are multiple registries I follow on LinkedIn and there is an hitoric one, Identity Digital (ex "Donuts"), I particularly like to check publications since their number one objective is to find ways to install their domain names and have clients to renew them. This is to me the Holy Grail every Registry is looking for and the job of Rachel Sterling, latest CMO at Identity Digital.

I read a lot of publications from Registrars, Registries and Backend Registries but as a Marketing guy, I also have my opinion on where this Holy Grail could be. I listed below standard and innovative methods to develop a Top-Level Domain focusing on meeting with adoption.

Traditional methods:

Registries, when they can afford it, essentially use the same methods:

• The network of accredited Registrars (when Registrars want them as a TLD to sell),
• Premium domain names
• Press Release
• Auto promotion in the online press
• Give away for one year
• Promotion at Registrars
• There are probably other ways but I try to be fast in my publications.

New and innovative methods:

1. I believe Registries can sell more and meet with adoption when they already have a network willing to buy "now" (and this information should be validated prior to creating the new gTLD application). It is precicsly what community TLDs try to achieve but numbers don't lie and - with experience - I believe this method would be much more efficient if community applications were just generic applications.
2. Poiting the Registry DNS to a CMS (Content Management System).
1. It is what the .TEL Registry attempted to do prior to the first Round of the ICANN new gTLD program in 2007. They succeeded and then failed. They were settlers but I was a serious fan of .TEL and kept using and renewing mine until Round 1 of new gTLDs in 2010. The .TEL was a directory solution which required to buy a domain name, use a second login and password to access its CMS, which then required to set up the directory: quite complex at the time but very innovative and exciting for the owner.
2. It is what the .BEST Registry (participant in Round of new gTLDs) is achieving right now after acquiring the TLD from its initial owner. The domain name is then automatically set-up when downloading the APP onto your mobile: https://app.best/. By the way, registrations are increasing in 2023.
3. Using a .BRAND to offer a service using a CMS: the method here is quite simple, it requires to sell a service, not a domain name. If this method does not benefit from the network of accredited Registrars, it kills all other problems met by the .TEL Registry in 2007: one login and one password "only" and operating costs reduced. Want to check for an example?

Round 2 of new gTLDs could be announced as early as 2026. Thinking that submitting another application in the huge list of already existing TLDs will be a success - without a studied project - is naive. Jovenet Consulting will help you prepare your project.

New gTLDs: "Reminder"

A few things that I noticed about new gTLDs recently:

• ICANN: "...we anticipate that the AGB will be finalized in May 2025, which enables the application round to open in Q2 2026 (with the goal of April 2026). Any delays to the timeline of the Policy Implementation work stream will cause delays to the opening of the round" (source).
• The .MUSIC Sunrise Period starts 11 September 2023 to 15 November 2023 (source).
• It is over for Jean Lassalle, Former Deputy in the National Assembly of France, to complain about the .LASALLE new gTLD, the Trademark Claims Period eneded on Jul 2023 (source). Note that this is a joke.
• On the .HOTEL Independent Review Process (IRP) documents, there is something new dated July 2023 but good luck with this reading (source).
• The .SPORT new gTLD was transferred in July (source).

July new gTLD Reports: