Not a lot, but you can’t ignore that some people are choosing .com alternatives.
It’s no secret that usage of new top level domain names has been far below industry expectations. But that doesn’t mean people aren’t using them and using them in greater numbers.
I’m at the Podcast Movement conference in Anaheim promoting my PodcastGuests.com service. Yesterday I exchanged business cards with about 50 people.
Most of these people use .com addresses. As an audio conference, I wasn’t surprised to also see some .fm domain names. But there were also new top level domains. I came across both a .online and .life domain name yesterday.
I’ve noticed that a number of subscribers to my PodcastGuests.com service use new domain names. Yes, it’s still dominated by .com, but some users are finding new domain name choices to be a good alternative to a lower-quality domain in older TLDs like .com.
Slowly, but surely, true adoption of new TLDs is occurring.
Richard says
Of course they chose them. Because the matching .com is just too expensive. Perfectly fine. But a startup that gets funding and grows will always try and buy the matching .com. No matter what. Paul Graham said it right:
“The problem with not having the .com of your name is that it signals weakness”
http://paulgraham.com/name.html
Andrew Allemann says
Sure. But if you’re a solo podcaster or blogger, it might make sense.
Richard says
Absolutely
ada says
Good luck to you if you want to sell domains to “a solo podcaster or blogger”
Alfredo says
I some what disagree! Here’s a recent funded startup that just finished A round for 1.5 million dollars and decided on a .jobs since it says exactly what it’s about (www.apli.jobs) And if you see data from big incubators such as YCombinator, read techCrunch, etc, you see most startups are not really using always a .com (it looks that it’s around 50%), most of them use name hacks, .IO, or a tld that works for them. From what ive understood, they get the name they want and it looks innovative.
(https://www.crunchbase.com/funding-round/db4189a9b836db0ac4730d0302c30e5a )
C.S. Watch says
Ab-so-lutely there is a place for other TLDs. The .com is just the commercial suffix (‘making or intended to make a profit’). If one doesn’t intend to ask people to open their wallets, then one is at play in the fields of the Lord. You and Sumner Redstone can go kill it on MySpace.
Any Prime Generation toddler knows that a good .com communicates that the company is $uccessful. Meaning, the consumer can cease expending effort (stop the line of inquiry about your quality, etc.), and just buy your stuff. Because other people have endorsed you with their spending dollars or their venture capital.
If you as an entrepreneur put your shoulder to the wheel and coin your own chic .com from the jump, plenty of this branding benefit is yours gratis. Along with the boatload of cash you save on marketing, trademark, data security…
Chad Folk says
When I start seeing companies who sell urine supplys and promoting its brand other then .com on there products, then I will say user adoption with New TLD’s have found some traction. I have 5 different companies and pictures from 5 different venues that when urinating only to see the .com promotion in the urinal. What better location to promote you company then a man relieving himself. I would say .com is really so deep now (in urinals even) that only a technology shift would give it any hope of making real inroads or a small dent in .com dominance. Next time your at a conference or venue and relieve yourself, look at the companies products and there distribution strategy of promotions.. .Com rules the urinals, that wont be penetrated anytime soon.
Mark says
Interesting analogy of urinals, .com, and relieving yourself. I was once in the broadcasting business (owned a few television stations). For those who are not aware, when television first came into being, the government set up a system of channel assignment in the continental US. Because of propagation, akin in some ways to the public’s general acceptance of .com, the lower channels were taken first, and the higher frequencies pretty much laid unused for decades. Much like the public’s general familiarity with .com, they were also use to searching the old television sets for the lower channels.
So as a young man, the only chance I had to get into the business was to file for one for the upper channels. I was stunned to encounter what can only be considered outright laughter at my plan. What I particularly remember, is that the general analogy was toilets, and everything associated with them, in referring to the value of my channel.
I remember being somewhat depressed going to my first broadcasting convention. The main speaker there was Ted Turner, the founder of CNN. Turner had gotten his start buying a higher frequency station which was was near bankruptcy. As luck would have it, the gentleman who did my engineering, also had done a lot of work for Turner, and he invited me to have lunch with him and Turner. He could not have been any nicer. He went on to tell me that technology is changing, and that more people would start using cable and other means of viewing content, and at that point it didn’t mean anything what frequency you were on. Also told me to get in on the ground floor of a “new technology” called cellular phones. I did. Got in grabbed a bunch of license and sold them to ATT, but that is another story.
Fast forward…. As luck would further have it….cellular went crazy, and there was/is a dramatic need for spectrum to handle the traffic. And what was directly adjacent to my “s..t” channel…. Cellular frequencies. Well….golly? Who would have thought it?
That piece of “s..t” channel that I paid the US government all of $500 for, I just sold for almost 170 million dollars at the recent auction. (they no longer give them away for $500…lol) Turns out the propagation characteristics are ideal fro cellular AND cheaper to construct and operate.
I specifically remember one genius telling me I could use that channel to clean my a.s if I ever ran out of toilet paper.
So, in conclusion, the urinal description of anything but .com really brought back some memories.
Gene says
This is a fabulous, and very instructive set of stories. Thank you for sharing them!
C.S. Watch says
This post is so meta…Darth Com…
Gene says
The fact that the 1% (or less) of extremely successful businesses will probably upgrade to the dot-com is not the point.
The real point is this: Of the surviving businesses that are only somewhat or moderately successful (let’s say that represents 25% of the total pool of startups), which have opted to go with a gTLD…almost NONE of those are going to ‘upgrade’ to the dot-com for 6 or 7 figures.
But, while these may never become unicorns, there sheer volume, customer reach, guerrilla marketing, and good will in the marketplace will serve as the catalyst for greater market penetration in the coming years.
There are hundreds of thousands of gTLDs that make as much, or MORE, sense than the companion or close substitute dot-com does.
For example, I own PrivateJet.VIP.
Is anyone going to tell me that there’s not a single private aviation business on earth that would be interested in that name…especially since PrivateJet.com sold for $30mm, and is completely off the market?
Do you think that one of those startups would get better SEO and branding by using PrivateJets4VIPs.com, or VIPPRIVATEJETS.com?
Richard says
If privatejet.vip is such a “no brainer” how come you still own it? Do you get any inquiries at all? Does the domain have any organic traffic? Why is privatejet.vip better than privatejet.top? What if there is a .jet TLD in the next round and someone gets private.jet? Would that be better than privatejet.vip? And last but not least why do you think privatejetvip.com is still available for registration? (by the time of writing that posting)
Mr Ed says
Just picked up privatejet.horse
Taking offers over 300k
Richard says
“Is anyone going to tell me that there’s not a single private aviation business on earth that would be interested in that name…especially since PrivateJet.com sold for $30mm, and is completely off the market?
Do you think that one of those startups would get better SEO and branding by using PrivateJets4VIPs.com, or VIPPRIVATEJETS.com?”
Yes and yes.
Even privatejetvip.com is a much better alternative and that one is still free for registration (by the time writing this)
Michael Anthony Castello says
Yes, all domain names in some respect exactly function the same. You cans find a website as an address. The big difference in.com is that some of them are pillars of distribution. This would be somewhat similar to everyone knowing the how to find the Pyramids of Egypt, the Empire State building, London’s Big Ben and the Great Wall of China, etc.
Most everyone knows where they are. No one’s ever going to find or know about the Pyramids of the Bahamas, Big Ben in Fire Island, or the Great Wall of Lisbon. That’s the difference in having Jet.com as opposed to a Jet.yoga.
The ones that get direct-navigation are not only easy to find, but they come to you.
.Com rules with marketing and distribution. That’s were the big money is. It’s not going to change anytime soon.
Gene says
I agree with you, Michael. But in the example that I gave about PrivateJet.com…it doesn’t help any to imply that someone in the private aviation space needs to have that exact name, because it’s the ‘premier domain name in the space.’
So the question is…since there is only ONE PrivateJet.com…what do you suggest that the other 500 – 1,000 players in the space use for their domain name since they cannot, by definition, have that one?
Michael Anthony Castello says
Gene, All domain names have value. But there is a hierarchy in whether there are personal needs or business needs in their use.
You can take any domain name extension and with enough money make it a global brand. But you would spend much less money attaining that status with a .com because of the public’s current perception of the Internet being a .com or ccTLD address.
For private use, dot anything is fine. As a business, it must be a dot com or ccTLD if your intentions are to grow locally, nationally and globally.
That’s what gives domain names vast value; the ability to grow a brand.
John says
Hey Gene, see what I mentioned about your domains below…
John says
(your domain, not domains)
abchevyPhil says
Car.loans verse Carloans.com
Both are fantastic 6 figure names.
Nick says
It’s true, some use them. Just like people see .biz and .info being used. I saw a .cc bumper sticker once.
Kellie says
I love, love, love seeing what WordPress.com users are registering and building their websites and blogs on. We did our first wide launch two weeks ago and I’m seeing individuals, organizations, small businesses of all kinds adopt them. Sure, it’s dwarfed by .com, but it’s growing and we have barely touched how we deliver the results.
It’s these types of folks/users that make up the bulk of domain purchases (regardless of what TLD they opt for) and the more they register and USE new gTLD domains the more recognition/normal they will seem. It’s a cycle. That’s one of the reasons I am excited to offer them at WordPress.com – the creativity that our users show in selecting a name is wonderful. Seeing them put to use is the best part.
Alfredo says
I do agree! hopefully wordpress starts accepting more TLD’s when people create their blogs/pages, etc!! I think now its only legacy and .BLOG!
Kellie says
We actually offer over 250 now. 🙂
Alfredo says
That’s good!
Although i tried to get one with the wordpress plan, but it just lets me choose legacy or a .blog! will there be new TLD’s in the future when you get the wordpress plan from wordpress.com ?
ThcNames says
The drops are going to be pretty massive. People blog for 2 – 3 posts then quit. 🙂
ThcNames says
.BLOG is best for screwing early adopters.
https://chrisschidle.com/the-dot-blog-bait-and-switch/
Right Kellie?
Chad Folk says
TLD’s in general have a great common technology and utility purpose. To each his/her own on to what house they choose to spend time on and with.. If we look at utility value of any URL in any extension, are we getting optimal value in its capability and utility? If no, then why spent any additional time or resources, esp in global (india/china) markets with new TLD’s trying to lasso billions of people around a cool idea.. Its about results and facts are Facts.. Whats funny is when one chooses not to pay $2,500 for the .com only to spend $100 to buy a .whatever and lose $100,000 in customers/yearly due to many factors.. Some people are cheap but time and time again, you get what you pay.. New TLD buyers, great, your in early just be prepare to ride it out 5 or 10 years or more which is ok as we bought most of our “chain” names 15 years ago and just now seeing ROI on that vertical… I LOVE URL’s for its utility and tech and were all in one big happy family and should do more to educate people on those values..
John says
Almost all the sites I have seen are junk sites, scam sites, and spam sites on new TLDs. That’s going to have to change before they get any respect, traffic, and acceptance.
John says
.Com is still the cream as a TLD by a million times a million miles. .US is still a sleeping giant that doesn’t have to remain that way, may not remain that way, and never had to be that way from the start, a whole discussion in itself. There are always going to be rare exceptions among Keyword + TLD pairs that are appealing. Even rarer for whole TLDs. I certainly like a few specific domains and to some degree whole TLDs as an end user, NOT just as a “domainer.” As for the one of the examples mentioned here, by the way, PrivateJet.vip, in my opinion that is a truly spectacular rare exception and is worth a fortune.
John says
LOL:
.com
“cream of monikers”
“crown of monikers”
“crest of monikers”