Yvette Miller ⬥ 19 May
Domain names are important assets for those looking to build brands, and marketers are talking about new top-level domains as a creative new platform for online real estate.
For security and stability purposes, it’s not a good idea to lease a domain name (especially if, as the article suggests, it’s going to cost you “several hundred or thousand dollars per month”). The article’s other pointers are better bets: You can get creative with your domain name (though we wouldn’t advise adding a hyphen, like the author suggests) and do check out the new top-level domain names (TLDs) like .PHOTOGRAPHY or .LONDON to see if they make sense for your business. Another marketer points out one of the intuitive benefits of new TLDs is: “Small businesses will benefit tremendously. For example Jim Smith the plumber can now be found easily at jimsmith.plumber. Brands that came late to the dotcom party in the 1990s can now register their brands.”
For Your Radar
May 19 – May 22: Internet Week New York
June 4: First ICANN Auction
June 22 – 26: ICANN 50 in London
October 12 – 16: ICANN 51 in Los Angeles
October 29: Nine-Month Contracting Deadline for Applicants with CIRs
July 29, 2015: 18-Month Contracting Deadline for Applicants with CIRs that Request and are Granted the 9-month extension
Public Comment Periods to Consider:
May 31: Comment period closes on ICANN’s Draft Five-Year Strategic Plan (FY16 – FY20)
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