Predictions for next week’s new TLD lottery
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
We’re pretty much guaranteed that something won’t go as planned.
Tickets for next week’s new top level domain “prioritization draw” went on sale this morning.
The draw will take place on Monday on Los Angeles.
Despite the big money at stake for applicants, I predict there will be a few snafus. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened in the new TLD process.
But this time it might technically be at the fault of an applicant rather than ICANN.
Here are a few things I could see happen:
1. Applicants will show up without the required documentation or identification.
They’ll have to scramble to get the documentation in place. If they show up Monday, they might miss out on getting tickets.
Judging by questions during last week’s webinar about the prioritization draw, the documentation requirements aren’t that simple.
2. At least one applicant will be surprised when they don’t hear their name drawn.
For some reason, they don’t have a ticket in the draw despite thinking they do.
3. At least one IDN applicant won’t buy a ticket, thinking they’ll be prioritized anyway.
IDN applicants that don’t buy a ticket will get a slot after everyone who did buy a ticket.
Tags: new top level domains
Will the results made known immediately or only after 24 hours?
The draw numbers will be printed in such a way that the number 1 will look the same way upside down, and the digits 9 and 6 will be inverses. Fighting will break out among those who draw 6, 9, 19, 16, and 91, while the recipient of slot 69 will just sit there flipping the card and wondering why it comes out the same way.
@ M – if you watch online you’ll see them immediately. Otherwise I think they said it will be 24 hours to publish online.