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Domain Names as We Know Them Will Never Be The Same!

Frustrated by the lack of good .com domain names? What if you could purchase MLS.search or Raleigh.realestate. In a ground shaking move, 1500 members of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) organization meeting in Paris this week annouced a sweeping expansion to the naming convention of domains. This domain extension expansion most likely will radically alter the way users navigate the web.

The Current Standards for Domains

As you know all web addresses currently in use today fall under one of 21 top-level domain names. They are:

.country
.territory domains

And some generic ones in current use include:

.com (the most popular and prefered)
.net
.org
.gov
.edu
.aero

What Could New Domains Look like?

So what would the new extensions look like? Try .realestate as in CrystalCoastBlog.realestate or Raleigh.realestate or DrinkPepsiProducts.Pepsi for your favorite soft drink or DrinkBud.Budweiser or BuyF150.Ford. You get the picture. Of course, ICAAN stated it would consider preserving the integrity of trademarked names through what they call an "objection process". Implementation of the new extensions is slated for the second quarter of 2009.

I Hear the Domain Squatters Coming Out of the Woodwork!

So if this happens, all you domain squatters get your wallets ready. The race will be on for the prized new .RealEstate domains with this possible extension.

Helping you stay informed on the latest happenings in the world of domains,

Bobby

Your Crystal Coast Blogger

Posted by Bobby Carroll - Real Estate Marketing on 06/27/2008 08:49 AM

Comments (36)

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36 Comments on Domain Names as We Know Them Will Never Be The Same!

JUN

2008

Bobby,
Keep us posted on this, the possibilites are exciting.

Good morning Cynthia - Exciting is right! We have to stay on top of events like this for the sake of our clients plus all our friends here at AR. The long term implications of this announcement could be huge!

Hi Bob - Thanks for keeping all of us Rainers (and Dakno clients) in the loop about this important annoucement!

Holy Crap. . .Seems to me the internet is going to be very messy if this occurs. Seems like the SEO game will become very different.

Leon - I have been thinking about this more and more and it is my humble opinion change will be slow at first simply because we are so accustom to the .com's and the .net's of the Internet. Time will tell.

Hi Lori - For everyone that is ready to jump out of windows in tall buildings, no need to panic just yet. Let's see how this whole thing shakes out.

I have been thinking about this more and more and it is my humble opinion change will be slow at first simply because we are so accustom to the .com's and the .net's of the Internet.

Hi Bobby,

I agree with your analysis. It could be chaos at first. However, I believe the .com dominance will not be overturned overnight. I suggest that forward thinking AR agents should start making a short list of the .realestate domains they would like to own, just in case.

"Not Yet Licensed" - Your comments are appreciated and your advice could prove to be very wise as well!

When would this happen, if it does? Timeline?

I'll be ready in 2009 to scoop up the domain names that I want. Thansk for sharing

Erica - According to ICANN, it is supposed to kick in gear 2 Quarter 2009.

Mindy & Jay - I suggest all web-savvy agents keep your ear to the ground for additional updates as 2Q2009 draws closer.

I'm not sure it will make that much difference. Search is still where the power is and will be, as nearly as I can tell, for the forseeale future. With search, the extentions don't matter.

I think there will be more language and more specific places to go to. I think that searching for something will probably be easier. I think the 'new internet' will probably have to put everything in 'neat little drawers/compartments', (like a 'real estate' compartment; a 'vacation' compartment; a 'country' compartment, etc.). I think it may make things easier/faster in some ways and it will certainly drive up the price of domain names in other ways. I guess we will wait and see ... but hopefully by then we will all be working mostly from referrals and this won't hurt our business at all. :)

JUN

2008

Bobby-This will indeed be interesting...and many people discount the overseas domains....Other countries could be getting many of the prime names as well as our competition at home.

Bob......thanks for the info and please keep us in the loop as this develops.

JUN

2008

Bob this is really interesting information. You are right this will really change the landscape!

Bobby ~ This is definitely interesting. I have to agree that this conversion would take some time. BTW, nice image for this post.

Lenn - I definitely agree if you have mastered the key words and search terms for your market, history and great content is on your side when it comes to domain names and domain extensions. I would still keep I eye on this developing story. Remember, with Goggle, the line in the sand is subject change so it makes sense to stay abreast of the latest developments.

Sylvie - Who knows what 2 quarter 2009 will bring when these changes take a affect. I say be vigilant and keep in the know of the latest news surrounding this topic.

Interesting in deed Kathy. All the more reason to be aware of what these kind of changes may bring.

Hi Pam - Here is the real deal - my non-geek, technically challenged wife saw this announcement the other day and brought it to my attention. Is that not a "hoot"? Boy it helps to have her keep me on track of breaking news like this!

This reminds me of the 800 numbers. It took a while for the 866s and others to catch on, everyone wanted the 800#. Right now all the 8**# are the same. I think domains will see the same reluctance at first which will go away in short order,

Bobby, really? Actually, that sounds like a great idea......I'll want to keep my dot coms of course, but this sounds pretty good.....;-)

JUL

2008

Wow.... that will change the landscape of real estate website domain names.

JUL

2008

VERY nice post. One reference tho, NAR has stated that we can't use "MLS" in our domains, and they are fighting other entities useing it as well.

Hi Debbie - It's possible although Google still loves those old crusty domains with all the backlinks and great indexable content. I wouldn't be to worried about it.

Hello Teri - By all means - do keep your .com.

Hi Greg - Thanks! I gotta believe they will be snooping around to squash any URL's with the reference MLS as well any that contain the "REALTOR" reference. For kicks, I purchased and launched www.YouCanFollow.me.

This is very interesting. Let us know what the outcome turns out to be.

Jayme - I'm sitting on the sidelines with a Diet Coke and popcorn!

I like this idea. Domain squatters beware.

AUG

2008

I can only handle so many websites and domain names as it is now. Good grief Bobby!!!!

www.redwagonteam.com

AUG

2008

I have my feet firmly planted in both worlds – domains and real estate. Hopefully I can add some insight without causing any flaming or offending anyone.

There are many similarities in domains and real estate. One of the key similarities is that value is based on location – the better the location, or the domain, the more valuable it is. In the United States .com is Main Street, all of the other Top Level Domains (Tld’s) like .net or .realestate will always be side streets.

Why is .com Main Street? Because American businesses have spent billions of dollars promoting .com’s. It is extremely unlikely that a similar level of promotion, over an extended period of time, will ever occur for any other Tld. American consumers have .com permanently ingrained in their brains as the #1 suffix for Internet addresses – this is extremely hard to change (see the book Positioning for more on this topic).

There are further similarities between real estate and domains. If you were approached by an investor who wanted to buy and hold raw land, would you define him as a squatter? If this investor decided to legally put up billboards on his land, is he doing something wrong? If another buyer came along and wanted to buy the land to put up a building, but the original investor rejected the offer, would you begrudge him for making that choice? If the investor paid the taxes and the upkeep on the land for 5-10 years, in the speculative hope that it goes up in value, would you advise him to sell the land for the price he originally paid?

Domain investors are no different than real estate investors. They buy, hold and resell based on the speculation that their investments will increase in value. They also recognize that Internet traffic is valuable and they sometimes put up billboards on their property to capitalize on that traffic. Some innovative domain investors are now leasing their domains to end users – just like a commercial land lease.

These facts can be frustrating when you’re trying to find a good domain name. But, there are still thousands of good real estate .com’s available in the aftermarket. You just won’t find them as new registrations from GoDaddy, and they will cost more than a new registration. Again, just like real estate.

I enjoyed your comments. I have seen some really unique extensions in other countries and in time I'm sure we will see them here. Amything is impossible especially if money is involved.

thanks for you post

APR

Thanks much for the info

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