dotBerlin seeks special gTLD status

DotBerlin GmbH & Co, the brains behind the proposed .berlin gTLD and early embracer of the new gTLD system, is asking ICANN for special preference in the gTLD application process.

Basically, it believes that companies who had their applications ready before ICANN went public with the new gTLD system should be reviewed first. While this request obviously benefits DotBerlin, the company has a point.

When ICANN begins accepting proposals, there will be a mad flurry of applicants. Why not let those who have spent years planning and marketing their proposals go first? ICANN must ensure that gTLD operators have their cards together before making approvals. Someone who rushes off half-cocked to obtain .gibberish may not be ready to operate a domain extension.

Photo | Flickr

New gTLDs Available for Preorder, Customers Being Misled

Registrars Pool.com and Quintaris made news today with their new joint preorder program for gTLDs under the auspice of ICANN’s new policy, which allows the creation of additional domain extensions by businesses and organizations

The names are being registered at a rate of 10,000 per day. The extensions available include .nyc, .berlin, .xxx, .blog, .news, .radio, .dallas, .sucks, .futbol, .family, .arab, .health, .golf, .resort, and .quebec.

Only a name and email address is required to reserve a domain. The preorder site is available here. No fees have to be paid until the domain is approved and registered.
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Is There a Future for .NYC?

New York has it all. From Broadway to the United Nations to Harlem, is there anything the city is missing? Apparently so. If the Big Apple has its way, soon there will be a new geo TLD- .nyc.

The idea has been bandied about the city by various individuals and groups for some time. It was first officially brought up at a Queens city council meeting in 2001, but entrepreneur and NYC resident Paul Garrin says differently. He claims to have invented the idea himself in 1996. He claims he has been using .nyc domains on his own servers for years, though they have never been accessible from the web.

In a February address to the city, Council Speaker Christine Quinn brought up the idea of .nyc as a way to increase revenue.

Mark Twain famously advised “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” Well now we can make more New York addresses – just on the internet! A local business won’t have to outbid a guy in Kansas to get Tony’s Pizza dot com. They’ll be able to get Tony’s Pizza dot NYC, a name associated with the greatest city – and home of the greatest pizza – in the world. Most importantly, we expect to generate millions of dollars a year through the sale of web addresses ending in dot NYC.

Regardless of who invented .nyc, would a city-level domain extension be successful? There are two sides to the question.
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