New gTLDs: 3 conferences are coming

Let's talk .NYC : Thursday 23 February
Lets meet and talk tech, NYC, domains and auction. We have some great info on how .nyc is doing, what's coming next and much more. You can be investor, developer, fan or just curious about .nyc domain.
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DomainX: Sunday 9 April
Since inception in 2014, DomainX™ has been a dedicated annual domain name conference with multiple yearly events across the globe to network, spread awareness and educate public about domain names and the industry.
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Domaining Europe: Sunday 14 May
DomainingEurope is an event, where many Top Level Decision makers from the global Domain Industry meet,make Business and share new tendencies, tools and knowledge.
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More dates to be announced in coming Newsletters.

.MOTO or .MOTORCYCLES ?

I received an email asking me why the .MOTO new gTLD was not listed in the SPORT new gTLD report.

Answer
The .MOTO new gTLD is a Trademark for which Charleston Road Registry (Google's company for new gTLDs) submitted an application to the ICANN. It intends to operate the extension as a closed registry with Google as the sole registrar and Motorola Mobility (and its affiliates), as the sole registrants.

For this reason it does not appear in the Sport new gTLD report.

Continental new gTLDs

Generic Top-Level Domains:

1. .ASIA = done
2. .AFRICA = done
3. .EUROPE = to be done? (the ".eu" top-level domain already exists but is considered as a ccTLD)
4. .AMERICA = to be done?
5. .OCEANIA = to be done?
6. .ANTARTICA = to be done?

The .AFRICA new gTLD

.AFRICA new gTLD was delegated.

Check here (15 February 2017).

4 years to delegate the .AFRICA new gTLD

On the 13th of June 2012 was published the list of new gTLD applicants who submitted an application for a new generic Top-Level Domains. Check down this page to find the list. One might be surprised to see that there was one application only on that list...but in fact, there were two. The second applicant made a mistake submitting its application and applied for the ".DOTAFRICA" new gTLD instead (see below in the list). This issue was solver later one.

Almost 5 years to launch a TLD
I stopped following the different legal procedures a long ago since it was unclear what really happened and to be honest...what a waste of time and money. What to remember:

• Official delegation: official date of the delegation: 15 February 2017 (check the ICANN publication);
• Official registry: http://nic.africa/;
• Application submitted by the applicant to the ICANN: the application;
• Date of the Sunrise Period to be published soon here. 

What you missed in our previous Newsletters:

1. HOT - The languages of new top level domains (part 5 in a series examining the geography of new domain endings (nTLDs);
2. .SPACE new gTLD is 2 years old;
3. New gTLDs: meaning of the MIIT Accreditation;
4. Thoughts About the Proposed Copyright Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy;
5. Interesting: "We Need a New Industrial Internet";
6. Amazon launches new Amazon Chime service on a .brand new gTLD;
7. New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Working Group Transcript;
8. Listen to Mert Saka at Turkey DNS Forum 2017;
9. Live new domains:
1. LIVE: https://insideretail.live/
2. UNICOM: http://www.unicom/sitemap/index.html (sitemap)
3. NATURA: https://global.natura
10. 1 more new gTLD gets the nod from China;
11. The DNA Initiative Isn't Healthy for the Internet;
12. .BRAND new gTLDs: answers from "Nomulus";
13. ICANN to begin delegation of .AFRICA domain;
14. New .BRAND gTLDs:
1. Amazon: https://chime.aws
2. AFL: http://play.afl
15. Why new gTLDs rule in usability!
16. Geo “.Com” Vs. Geo “New gTLD”;
17. .ART domain name launch shuts down over technical difficulties;
18. NewG talk #25 (the rise of .loan has been spectacular);
19. U.S. Antitrust Division investigating Verisign running .WEB new gTLD;
20. Chinese TLDs get Chinese approval;
21. .Ceo and .best to release 1 and 2 character domains;
22. Which new domains are sold?
23. The .AFRICA new gTLD:
1. ICANN Free to Proceed with Delegation of .AFRICA;
2. Third time lucky: ICANN beats off .africa ban;
3. .AFRICA to finally go live after judge denies injunction.

New gTLD reports for February 2017

New gTLD reports for the month of February 2017 have been published. These were published on a weekly basis in 2016 for the launching of most of the new generic Top-Level Domains. These publications focus on domain name registration volumes according to businesses and industries.

Industries and businesses
A list of “themes” was chosen to target specific business and activities: new gTLDs related to CATERING, PHOTOGRAPHY, CITIES, COMPANIES, The LAW, FINANCE, COLORS, SPORT, ALCOHOL, REAL ESTATE, Singular VS Plural versions of a new gTLD, FRENCH new gTLD applications, RELIGION, GENERIC TLDs, CARS, HEALTH, new gTLDs with a FRENCH connotation and ADULTS.

These themes offer registrants two possibilities:

1. “Learn” and get to know which domain name extensions exist in their core business so they can register corresponding domain names if they want to;
2. “Stay in touch” so they can keep an eye on the domain name expansion related to their activity.

Registration volumes
One could wonder why it matters to follow new domain name registration volumes.

If it first matters for a dentist to know that there is a domain name extension ending in “.dentist” which exists (instead of “.com”), a “.agency” for an agency or a “.football” for a football federation; it is also important to know that such identities can correspond to your core business and that they are available to anyone who wants to register one. No need for an authorization to buy one and have a perfectly identified presence on Internet.

Second, domain name registration volumes offer the option to keep an eye on trends: when domain name registration volumes increase in an activity, it means that professionals are buying these domain names and that the activity concerned is developing on Internet under a brand new name.

A good example to give are “.cloud” domain names. Let’s be honest: who cares about “clouds”? Well, you’d be surprised to see that this domain name extension is massively being adopted by professionals of the cloud business with almost 100,000 domain name registrations. 

February 2017
It if was difficult to compare figures from January 2017 with figures from the last week of December 2016, it makes more sense to compare domain name registration volumes from January 2017 and February 2017. These figures are, and will be, updated on the second day of each month. Note that figures in blue represent a noticeable increase of domain name registrations, in red when they decrease from a month to the other.

All updated reports are available here.

Which: .TEL or .CONTACT new gTLD?

I own a certain number of .TEL domain names (ie: registries.tel) because of the precision they offer. I consider that they are a right choice to point someone to a place where they could find your phone number and other contact details or directions. The pages offered by .TEL are basic and go straight to the point: the info is found in zero click.

Many registrants just received an email explaining that this is going to change and it is going to be possible to set up DNS to point .TEL domains to other kind of contents but the one offered by the .TEL platform: and after all, why not?

If I understand this move by the registry, probably because registration volumes are decreasing, I believe that opening these domains to other kind of uses could save the registry from declining. It is possible too that the strategy is to focus more on domain name investors: not to forget that some .tel domains are now old and using them for SEO might be of interest.

So where's the "but"?
I believe the "but" comes from the approaching .CONTACT new gTLD. I think it makes sense for readers of  website to find a place which offers how to contact a company and .TEL had succeeded in offering this "one page" place where a reader could find all contact options. This was innovation to me and it still is.

Three questions that I have:

1. Question 1: would someone want to call me on the telephone (the meaning of "tel")? or would someone want to find a way to contact me by telephone, send me an email or Skype me (the meaning of "contact")? Thinking twice, I think that ".contact" is more more appropriate for that job.
2. Question 2: is a complete website needed for  a ".contact" or a ".tel" website? I wouldn't build a website using such domain names: one single page would be enough and...I found the .TEL platform was already very good at offering this service (even if I found that it required too many clicks to add a link). I will migrate my .TEL domains to the new platform offered by the registry but I won't create websites for one reason: a website has to be hosted and the .TEL platform is already providing this. I won't change something that is already offering me satisfaction.
3. Question 3: isn't the .CONTACT new gTLD offer the exact same as the .TEL one? We don't know if innovation is coming with the .CONTACT new gTLD - unless that sentence on front page which says: "A platform for hosting contact sites. Conversations have never been so easy." There are two keywords here: "platform" and "conversations" - but it seems to be the case. We don't know yet if adoption will be met on a new concept but if it is, I'd say that .TEL has a problem because the registry who finds how to attract consumers offering added value with a domain name purchase, is not known yet in the history of Internet.
   The two word on the .CONTACT registry's front page seem to say it all: this is going to be an innovation and I can't wait to see what's coming.

As I wrote it above, I understand the position of the .TEL Registry to "do something" and change things if registrants stop renew their .TEL domain name. Unfortunately, if an innovation is coming with the .CONTACT new gTLD - which I already find quite attractive for companies - it is possible that it does not save the .TEL Registry. There were other things to do but to drop this TLD in the new gTLD arena. I hope domain name investors participate in saving .TEL because it is the only way that I see for this registry to survive.

The .FUN Sunrise Period starts but...

The Trademark Clearinghouse is launching the .FUN Sunrise Period today:

• STARTS: Monday, 23 January, 2017;
• ENDS: Friday, 24 March, 2017.

There were three applicants for the .FUN new gTLD.

An interesting thing to know for future registrant of a ".fun" domain name is that there is a similar domain name extension: the .FUND new gTLD.

If I would not really worry about securing a similar ".fund" domain name as the registrant of a ".fun", I would certainly secure a ".fun" if I already owned of a ".fund". If the chance to add a "d" hitting a ".fun" domain name is very low, the chance to forget the letter "d" when entering "fund" is much higher.

I have no idea how much it is going to cost to register a ".fun" domain name but if the price is low, the 8,600+ owners of a ".fund" domain name might consider participating in the .FUN Sunrise Period...if they have a trademark registered.