We’ve all navigated through websites ending in .com, .net, .org, .gov, and .edu, and in recent years been to a few sites ending in .biz, .us, .tv, and more. This is all soon to change. The internet body, more formally known as The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), voted today to allow the creation of thousands of new domain name extensions, from .paris to .pepsi. Google has called this a “domain name big bang.”
“Under the new system, the web’s 1.3 billion users would be able from 2009 to buy an unlimited number of generic addresses based on common words, brands or company names, cities or proper names.”
The overhaul will certainly change the way we surf the web, but will also allow businesses to truly “own” their name on the worldwide web. eBay is a perfect example of a brand that would flourish with it’s own domain extension. Imagine going to shoes.ebay for shoe auctions, or antiques.ebay for antique auctions, or sell.ebay if you simply wanted to sell something.
The release of new domain extensions does not only relate to individual businesses, but to entire types of businesses as well. If you have Chase Bank you would go to chase.bank, while someone looking to buy a new Honda would go to honda.car.
In theory, there could be thousands of new domain name extensions. However Twomey of ICANN says, “there are currently more than 160 million domain names and I do not expect to see the same number of new extensions created in 2009,” he said. Apparently not only will advanced technical skills be needed to setup a new domain extension, but one will also need a boat load of money as “industry experts expect the cost — which has yet to be fixed — could reach into the tens of thousands of dollars.”
Some cities or regions have been bending the rules already to get the domain they want. The city of Los Angeles has for example signed a deal with the southeast Asian state Laos to use its .la domain.
The possibilities are endless.
Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jienXKDbIYHNPcywgq84IqyHtbPw
Tags: .biz, .com, .me, .net, .org, .tv, .us, domain, domain extension, domain name, domain registration, google, hosting, icann, internet, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, registrar, registration









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