Dot-Branding is Expanding Companies’ Internet Options

It surprises me how many people, even those with jobs in technology, aren’t familiar with the distinction between a .com and a .org domain suffix. FYI .com is for a company and .org is for an organization. Other suffixes like .net, .info, .biz and .tv are a little more understandable but commonly confused or forgotten. So businesses wanting to ensure site traffic stick to the standards.

Recently though, the groundwork was laid for those standards to change. In the wake of the controversial decision to allow adult sites to use a .xxx domain, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved a plan to accept applications for new domain extensions. Cities and companies are already in line to claim their dots like .nyc , .paris, .unicef and .cannon.

Others are being hush hush about potential post script due to fierce competition. Even if keywords aren’t identical, ones that are “confusingly similar” will be rejected. Basically Steve Jobs couldn’t have .apple if a farmers group had already claimed .apples.

ICANN is expecting a flood of applications despite the steep cost of the personalized domain. It costs $185,000 just for the application and also requires 150 pages of policy documentation. Once approved the technical set up runs about $100,000 and it costs as much to maintain the dot-domain each year. So it’s not necessarily intended for your mom and pop ops.

The idea is that large companies can increase brand awareness and internet security in one swoop. By controlling the suffix, users will know a bogus site with a quick glance no matter what the long confusing URL link shows. Site structure and construction can also be simplified and made more efficient by deleting the top level folder and housing the site’s components in the top-level of the .brand domain.

Chairman of ICANN's Board of Directors, Peter Dengate Thrush explains, "We have provided a platform for the next generation of creativity and inspiration." The organization will begin accepting applications in November and December of this year and those accepted will start rolling out next year.


By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for TechCareersBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.