It would be nice to find new uses for domain names, but there’s a reason nothing has come to fruition yet.
.XYZ’s new promotion comparing numeric .xyz domain names to bitcoin is certainly bizarre.
One of the pitches in Uniregistry’s promotional email yesterday was that cheap number .xyz domains could be used in ways domain names currently are not used:
Nominal overhead costs allow businesses and entrepreneurs to affordably register blocks of .xyz domains (e.g. everything between 1230000.xyz – 1239999.xyz or all dates between 01012018.xyz – 12312018.xyz), which can then be paired with Internet of Things (IoT) device serial numbers, used as vanity addresses for system networks, matched to phone numbers or identification numbers, traded as digital currencies, or repurposed for any other type of creative function.
Finding new uses for domain names is the only hope the domain name industry has for faster growth. Unfortunately, domain names as they are currently orchestrated under ICANN are not well positioned.
One example is the Internet of Things.
We have 40+ connected devices in our home including an oven, our garage door, locks, lightbulbs, window shades and more. It’s what my wife does for a living. (Listen to her podcast!)
There’s no use for a domain name for any of these devices. Believe me, I’ve tried to think of unique ways domain names could be used with connected devices. I see a role for registry technology but not traditional domain names.
The closest thing we have to a domain name being assigned to a device is having an email address assigned to a connected picture frame.
Even if there is a use for domains and devices like these it wouldn’t work well under the new top level domain name program. Between registry fees (25 cents) and ICANN tax (18 cents), it’s an expensive way to use domains.
I could see a .brand domain owner justify this from a branding perspective. The brand owner would also not have to worry about a third-party registry jacking up prices. Still…there’s little point to this.
Don’t get me wrong. I’d love for a good use like this to come along. I just don’t see how unique second level domain names are a more efficient and effective way of accessing devices.
I think “Bizarre” is a great word to describe this. I have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. It’s really out there.
“…Unfortunately, domain names as they are currently orchestrated under ICANN are now well positioned…”
I assume you meant “…are not well positioned…” (which changes the meaning of the sentence significantly)? 🙂
Indeed…thanks! fixed
I like the idea of natural language phrase domain names used like call-to-action buttons on posters or TV ads, but I’m bias – http://phrases.for.sale
However, it does show it possible to come up with innovative new uses for domain names within the existing framework.
Full disclosure, as a registry operator I am somewhat biased, but as James mentioned above, there are uses for domain names that make sense and that go beyond use as a primary web address. For example as logical shortcuts or marketable deep links to existing content/destinations. Watchmaker Swatch has content on their website about their Swatch Club. They use Swatch.club as a simple, logical and marketable shortcut to that section of their site. Many others use a memorable domain name to link to their Facebook page or other social platform. Custom domains for campaigns and calls to action, when easy to remember, are very effective across all medium. For my book (WARNING: SHAMELESS PLUG AHEAD), which you can hear about on the Domain Name Wire podcast episode #138, I use a memorable domain as a shortcut to the book’s page on Amazon.com, so folks don’t have to search for it. The book is called “Everything I Know about Business and Marketing, I Learned from THE TOXIC AVENGER” so I have the domain name http://www.ToxicAvenger.Marketing pointing directly to the book on Amazon. (END OF SHAMELESS PLUG).
That said, to Andrew’s point, applying domains to IoT devices may not be an imminent opportunity… But at least it is food for thought, and one never knows for sure where creative thinking may lead…
I think link shorteners and memorable forwards make a lot of sense and definitely goes beyond the primary web address. I’d categorize this is a current use, though.
I guess the concept of using a domain as a shortcut or forward is not new. What is new is the ability to do so with a domain that matches an easy to remember, semantically correct phrase, thanks to the introduction of more and meaningful extension choices. 🙂
Although geeky computer code style shorteners, like bit.ly, have been around for some time, the use of contextually appropriate semantic shorteners is rare and can have only arisen since the introduction of new-GTLDs.
fitness.for.men, ladies.of.fashion, baby.and.mom, pride.of.london, break.from.work – these are all great domain names, and I would argue definitely represent an innovation in domain use over bit.ly
To me the surprise is that this isn’t a market the registry operators seem to be embracing / promoting and http://names.of.london seems to be the only company actively working in this field.
Domains will always be a doorway to a product, service, information, etc. I don’t think we should only be looking at the domain itself for new uses, but more on new technology to couple with a domain for new uses (One example of technology that could impact domains and the way people access would be; voice recognition search coupled with new gTLD keyword extensions).
Have you been reading my posting for today, Eric ?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-things-you-need-know-spoken-readable-semantic-domain-james-stevens
Andrew- have been reading a really cool IOT blog for the past year or so but had no idea that it was your wife’s until this post! Now I know why you are so tech savvy! Much talent in your household!
Cheers,
Mike
There is a very simple way to “make domain names great again.” If this is done, it could redound to the benefit of everyone – all types of domains, the entire national and global economy as well. I have posted about it before.
All it takes, in essence, is a word.
The word has to come “from the top down.” Contrary to what many may think, however, this time that does NOT mean the captains and titans of private industry. It means the government. Specifically, it means “Uncle Sam.”
One of the great and often sad ironies of our day is witnessing how things often get worse, are made worse, and a great “dumbing down” occurs with respect to so many things despite the advance of time and technology. And one of those things which has so clearly suffered this fate is domain names.
Here in the US, still the largest economy in the world, a great new “dark ages” and “dumbing down” has descended regarding domain names. People in general know less about them than they did before, not more. They are more in the dark about them and less able to use and understand them than even before the turn of the century. Despite their proliferation in ubiquitous TV advertising, for instance, domain names are nothing more than things to type into the search box of Google for most.
Now many in the industry may be afraid or reluctant to admit it plainly, but there’s no mystery what the greatest opponent has been to bring about this new regression and descent of public awareness, competency and skill with domain names – namely Google, and now also similar entities such as Facebook, etc.
Domain names are down, but they still can’t be destroyed.
Look at this recent article:
“Domain Names Are Fading From User View”
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20170428_domain_names_are_fading_from_user_view/
Indeed, they are fading from user view – yet in plain sight, right in front of people’s faces, even, as I mentioned above, as they see more and more and more of them continually featured on television commercials no less. A great irony and a great paradox.
“Email is dead, email is dying, email is dying and dead, yada yada.” Who remembers such silly talk in recent years, or has everyone forgotten?
In the same way, “they” can do what they will to kill and bury the importance and value of domain names, but all they can really do is throw a great blanket over them and hope no entity or influence even greater than themselves decides to simply throw it off.
And that’s where the “government” comes in, “Uncle Sam.” In the great assembly of the “PTB,” the powers that be, the government is the one earthly big “G” that’s even bigger and more powerful than the great “big G” itself and its cohorts.
And all Uncle Sam has to do, all Uncle Sam has ever had to do, is simply say the word:
“Domain names are good.”
“We want you to know about domain names.”
“Domain names have great value for the health and strength of this nation, and by extension the world.”
“We want you to have a new and solid basic understanding and ‘literacy’ with respect to domain names and all things ‘Internet,’ just like basic driving, reading, and arithmetic skills, so that you as citizens can enhance and expand your potential and contribute in that sphere of life to the likely and potential benefit of society and the economy as a whole. From the greatest to the least, from the free public Internet access venues to private home broadband and everywhere beside in between. This can only be good for society.”
And the one platform and catalyst perfectly poised and positioned to bring this about is the great “sleeping giant” still comatose since 2002 of .US.
It is not the registry, but the government that can do this with nothing but a word, at virtually no cost even. And not just the spoken word, but the kind of true word accompanied by simple actions that also walk the talk, such as making new strategically influential public use of .US as well that truly demonstrate meaning business.
I also posted about this over here recently: https://onlinedomain.com/2017/05/04/domain-name-news/wishful-thinking-will-not-change-domain-names-used/#comment-183966
If the US government, “Uncle Sam,” were to simply do that with the long lingering sleeper .US, appealing to the patriotic wishes and inclinations which still abundantly exist throughout the populace for the strengthening and improvement of the country, it could usher in a whole new era that “lifts all boats” as it were – every part of the domain name industry, every TLD, the basic potential of the citizenry from top to bottom, and the health, strength and prosperity of the country and even extending to the world. The only ones with anything to lose are the other “PTB” that would not want to see their great power, wealth and influence diluted to any degree and have been allowed all this time to buy and have their way at the expense of everyone else.
Historical context is important here. Much of the talk around novel uses for domains – particularly numerical domains – was born during the 2015 Chinese surge.
Around that time, a zillion and a half domainers with CHIPs and numerical domains for sale began touting this class of inventory as representative of a wholly new use case – a kind of pseudo-currency, whereby domains act mainly as a repository of value. This innovation – so the argument went – sprang from China’s need to securely move wealth across borders. Domains were to be traded back and forth like stock shares or poker CHIPs (what I called “tokens”). Usage, whether as a developed website or even for email, was an outmoded notion, we were continually told. And those who insisted upon such usage were deemed hopelessly old-fashioned.
Most domainers bought into this concept at the time. Now, if someone wishes to decry this $1 .XYZ category and the registry’s ambitions for it to function as a pseudo-currency, then that’s 100% fine. But for the sake of consistency, that person must ALSO stop proclaiming about this new use case for CHIPs and numerical .COMs. Logically, folks, you can’t have it both ways.
Either domains have new use cases such as stand-ins for currency, or domains are confined to normal use cases such as websites and email. And if you concede that domains can act as currency, then it makes a LOT of sense for the actual medium for that currency to be as cheap as possible. We don’t use gold coins anymore because paper bills are cheaper.
There’s a crucial irony here: If the domains-as-currency model makes any sense at all, then the market WILL PHASE OUT the expensive metals, supplanting gold and silver (CHIPs and short numerical .COMs) with baser metals like copper or nickel or even paper (6, 7, 8, 9-digit domains in cheaper TLDs like .XYZ). That’s bad news for people who coined the domains-as-currency argument. But it is the natural conclusion of their own argument.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
bitcoin, like gold, retains its value though its rarity. dot-COM names, like gold, have value due to the history of the TLD – there is only one dot-COM and nobody could argue it doesn’t represent a special case, but XYZ does not have this.
It is this rarity and special status that continues to guarantee the value of dot-COM domains. XYZ is just another new-GTLD.
The law of the market, supply & demand, says that when the supply out-stripps the demand the price will not be sustained.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-gtld-registries-should-listen-margaret-thatcher-james-stevens
Further … “This innovation – so the argument went – sprang from China’s need to securely move wealth across borders.” … should the Chinese Government change the currency export restrictions, this use case would disappear overnight and, like the Dutch Tulip Bubble, the value basis of the system would collapse with it.
@James Stevens,
It’s gratifying to see people are still using my Dutch Tulip Bubble analogy from April 2015:
https://domainnamewire.com/2015/04/07/analyzing-namejet-and-short-domain-name-sales/
Being the biggest and most catastrophic early financial bubbles, it surely has to be the go-to analogy. It is the all time classic “you really should learn from past mistakes” story.
Plus, you get to teach people a little European History at the same time 🙂
James
Clear that the latest marketing has done nothing to stem the exodus. .XYZ has shrunk by 250,000 domains since the campaign started 36 hours ago.
To the point made by James and Jeff – It would be very interesting for a registry and/or registrar to do a real case study here with an outside partner.
Something like an A/B test via print where all else being the same the CTA was either existingdomain.tld/url-of-marketing-campaign or ctadomain.tld.I also suspect that the shorter CTA would lead to a higher click through rate, but I think publishing a case study like this would go a long way in illustrating to an ever more data driven marketing industry that domains are important. That industry is a low hanging fruit that the industry seems to have only sporadic relations/success with. Going to a marketing firm and saying “look this shorter descriptive domain is more memorable and direct so conversions will be easier” is a good pitch, but a great pitch is “on average switching to a short descriptive domain like X leads to a conversion rate that is X% higher – here’s 10 examples of tests we ran.”
That kind of data benefits this whole industry as a whole and is sorely lacking. Whether you’re trying to promote a short .com or premium new TLD – the industry needs more hard data to prove that domains are relevant outside of ancedotal use cases.
100% agree – I think there are various strong cases, like this, where the new-GTLD registry operators need to start coming together for the greater good of all their businesses.
The case for a cross-party marketing and awareness operation is really overwhelming.
Marketing dollars pooled will have more impact than the little-here-little-there we mostly so far (with a few exceptions).
Bit.ly quote 34% higher click-through on / over their standard shortener.
With “.” on the first page of a mobile keyboard, and “/” not, domains as shorteners are easier to enter on mobile – so easy in fact that we get ~600K uses a year on one of our domains, 90% from mobile, probably by accident seeing as the domains aren’t getting a whole heap of promotion.
Some Google Analytics in “7 Things You Need to Know about Spoken / Readable / Semantic Domain Names” … https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-things-you-need-know-spoken-readable-semantic-domain-james-stevens
Currently getting about 100 a day on “romper[s].for.men”, I contacted romphim.com, but had no reply!
The real challenge will be deterring abuse in such a cheap namespace. This is referenced in their paper so they have considered it, but only time will tell if the availability of automated domain registration systems (registrars with APIs, registry-registrar connection with EPP) at such a price will prevail over reaction time of anti-abuse systems and processes.