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Is an app really necessary?

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Another company shuts down its app to focus on the mobile web.

Picture of iPhone screen with app icons with words "Who needs Apps?"

“We’ve got have an app!” – businesses everywhere

But do they, really? Or is an app just a lazy way of making a mobile-friendly website?

I was reminded of this earlier this week when TransUnion canned its TrueIdentity app. The app allowed people to lock/unlock their credit report on TransUnion.

The company said it shut down the app because “we’ve focused on building an enhanced mobile experience on our website”.

Google has also started shutting down its apps. The company terminated its Adsense apps to focus on its mobile experience. Google said it makes more sense to focus its resources on one common platform (the web) rather than three (iOS, Android).

That said, businesses might benefit from maintaining apps because it’s like getting a bookmark on customers’ mobile phones. People are more likely to use a service if they see an icon on their phone whenever they use it.

.Gay domain now available for all

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The .gay domain name has finally entered general availability.

The .gay top level domain name entered general availability today, meaning anyone can register the domains.

It took a long time for .gay to come to fruition. There was a contentious and drawn-out process to allocate the top level domain name, and then the pandemic pushed back the release by a few months.

But it’s finally here.

A quick survey of domain name registrars shows that non-premium domains are available for around $25-$35. PorkBun appears to be the cheapest at $26.76. (While PorkBun is owned by the same people that own the .gay registry, the low pricing is due to PorkBun’s policy of making only about a dollar on each domain it sells.)

While anyone can now register .gay domains, those that want to use it for hate speech, bullying, or harassing LGBTQ persons, etc., need not apply. Domains used for these purposes will be suspended.

You can learn more about the .gay top level domain by listening to Domain Name Wire Podcast #299.

Milestone: There are now over 150 million .com domains registered

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.Com has over 150 million registrations 35 years after its launch.

Graphic showing that the base of .com domains is now over 150 million

There are now officially over 150 million .com domain names registered.

Verisign (NASDAQ: VRSN) updated its .com domain base statistics earlier today, revealing that .com hit the big milestone.

Just 20 years ago, there were only 10 million domains registered across .com, .net and .org combined. People said “all of the good domains are taken” back then, yet people have found another 140 million-plus .com domains to register.

Verisign, the registry for .com domains, has been a huge benefactor of the boom in domain names. It holds the sole contract for managing the .com registry and is rewarded with as much as $7.85 for each .com registered. It is contractually allowed to increase its prices starting this year.

In 2000, Verisign had 2,291 employees and grossed $475 million. It has sold off most of its businesses since then, focusing solely on running registries. Last year it grossed $1.23 billion with just 872 employees.

The rate of growth in .com has certainly slowed, however. Ten years ago, in September 2010, there were 118 million registered .com domains.

 

Why are two letter domains so sought after in China?

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Kassey Lee explores why two letter domains are valuable to Chinese companies.

Two Ls on a background that is yellow on the top and blue on the bottom

Actually, I found the answer in a comment made by Jeff Sass (CMO of .club) on the September 7 DomainSherpa show — even though he was not referring directly to China.

On the show, Jeff said, “When you get into two-letter domains regardless of the extension, the value is not just the fact that they are short two letters, but there are so many different potential applicants.” His comment applies to China, too.

First of all, Chinese companies highly value short domains. A good example is Jing Dong (京东), the third-largest internet company in the world, according to Wikipedia. In 2012, it already owned the brand-matching JingDong.com. However, the company wanted a shorter domain and upgraded to JD.com. Currently, JingDong.com forwards to JD.com.

Two letter domains have many different potential applicants. This is particularly true in China for a cultural reason that I explained in “The cultural reason 2 letter domains are valuable in China“.

Let’s take JD as an example. According to Domain Meaning Assistant, JD can be an acronym for more than 1,300 Pinyin phrases, which means a variety of Chinese brands. Here are ten examples to give you a taste of it.

Chinese brand Pinyin Meaning Application
京都 Jing Du Kyoto, Japan Japanese restaurant
景点 Jing Dian Scenic spot Tourism business
九鼎 Jiu Ding Nine sacred tripods Finance and investment
焦点 Jiao Dian Focus Investigative journalism
金盾 Jin Dun Golden shield Security
角度 Jiao Du Point of view Entertainment
绩点 Ji Dian Accomplishment point Education
绝顶 Jue Ding The very top Sports
健道 Jian Dao Healthy way Health business
决断 Jue Duan Make decision Business consulting

As you can see, two letter domains can be used to create a variety of Chinese brands. That’s why Chinese investors and companies own a lot of two letter domains.

GoDaddy acquires WooCommerce plugin developer

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GoDaddy bolsters WordPress and e-commerce offerings with acquisition.

GoDaddy has acquired WooCommerce plugin developer SkyVerge for an undisclosed price.

SkyVerge offers plugins that extend the functionality of WordPress’ e-commerce platform WooCommerce. Over 100,000 stores use SkyVerge’s plugins.

Some of the company’s WooCommerce plugins enable:

  • Restrict content and product access on your site, provide purchasing discounts, sell memberships, and easily manage members (memberships).
  • Sell Corporate, Group, or Team Memberships for your site.
  • Sell downloadable PDF Vouchers that can be redeemed in-person or in-store at a later date.
  • Export orders and customers to XML format on-demand or on an automated schedule.
  • Link accounts to social networks or allow for creation of new accounts with Twitter, Facebook, Google, and other networks for seamless login and checkout.
  • Connect your WooCommerce store to Google Analytics for advanced eCommerce event and customer behavior tracking.

SkyVerge also contributes to WooCommere core.

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