.CO Domains - do we like??

By
Real Estate Agent

This is a topic I'd like to get to the bottom of... .co domains. For those of you who don't know - .co domains are now available. .Co is the domain assigned to the Republic of Columbia. As of July 20th, 2010, any company, organization, or entrepreneur can use a .CO domain for their online branding needs.

Read more on wiki here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.co 

They're available at Godaddy.com or lots of other registry site (Godaddy's cheap!).  It initially sounded to me like they will eventually take off - and why wouldn't they? Seems a little easier to type one less letter... no? We love this kind of stuff, right?

Well after watching this video by Chris Pirillo - I wonder...

 

 

It sounds like I'm going to have to do some further investigating. What do you guys think about them?

Posted by

 

Emily Read
Director of Marketing and Technology

Keller Williams Salt Lake City

  
www.KWSaltLake.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rainer
133,502
Kimberly A Norgard
Devlin McNiff Halstead Real Estate - East Hampton, NY

I'm not crazy about it.  But I think it will catch on.

Feb 18, 2011 10:48 PM #17
Rainmaker
650,497
Barbara Hensley
RE/MAX Properties - Rockwall, TX
Homes for Sale in Rockwall County, Texas

Emily, this is interesting.  They may take off...however...I think i will just buy more .com domains so I will have a supply when they run out.  

Feb 18, 2011 10:50 PM #18
Rainmaker
1,157,329
FN LN
Toronto, ON

Emily - Columbia is not my market so I am unlikely to purchase co domains.

Feb 18, 2011 10:56 PM #19
Rainer
106,947
Elizabeth Byrne
Keller Williams Realty - Arlington, VA
Arlington Virginia Real Estate

.co? I agree with Chris, people will assume you made an error and will type .com anyway. I would rather have .net or .org before even considering .co. CO is also an abbreviation for Colorado. Too confusing!

Feb 18, 2011 11:03 PM #20
Ambassador
1,726,934
Richard Weisser
Richard Weisser Realty - Newnan, GA
Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional

It's kust another way to make people pay for domains that they already own. And it opens the door to more trademark infringement. It's all about money, plain and simple.

Feb 18, 2011 11:48 PM #21
Rainmaker
811,539
Cindy Edwards
RE/MAX Checkmate - Johnson City, TN
CRS, GRI, PMN - Northeast Tennessee - 423-677-6677

Eventually we may need it, but I think it's just a money maker.

Feb 19, 2011 12:18 AM #22
Rainmaker
1,434,627
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Emily, I have to agree with the video. Unless you're from the Republic of Columbia, I don't think it will catch on or have much utility.

Feb 19, 2011 12:51 AM #23
Rainer
189,225
Don Hintz
2D-enterprises / HAUS Design, LLC - Anderson, IN

Emily,

It's one of those things... Typos are made frequently.  It's wise to grab the .co domain name associated with your main domain name.  There are some people (could be your main competitor) who buy the .net, .info and all the other dots.

Or it could be someone who wants to 'extort' money and they will 'point' the .co to a porn site.  I know of a managing broker who initially bought about a thousand domain names similar to to many of the top agents domain names in the same market.  He then wanted to auction the domain names back to the top agents and, depending on the agents response, spitefully, he pointed some of the domain names to some very undesirable sites.

Be careful and tread lightly.

Feb 19, 2011 01:12 AM #24
Rainmaker
565,035
Steve, Joel & Steve A. Chain
Chain Real Estate Investments & Mortgage, Steve & Joel Chain - Cottonwood, CA

Emily,

I'm wondering how the QR codes use will effect the value or devalue of the actual URL's as they gain in popularity?

Great topic,

Steve

Feb 19, 2011 01:27 AM #25
Rainer
122,753
Faina Reinhardt
HotRentalsNY.com - Manhattan, NY

.CO  is  a real waist of money. It's better to register .ifno. At least it cost $2 a year :)

Feb 19, 2011 01:35 AM #26
Anonymous
Tony

I like .co domains because they're short and meaningful, which is what domains names are meant for. Plus, Google treats them as gTLDs from a SEO point of view. (that's why I bought a 3-letter .co for my company). Here's proof of this:

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Webmasters/thread?tid=18cfda837cec2f50&hl=en

Feb 19, 2011 01:48 AM #27
Rainer
23,613
Donna Gallegos
South Group Real Estate - Pensacola, FL
I don't work 9 to 5, I work Start to Finish

I noticed Overstock.com is using the new co. very effectively with the new O.co domain. Really, its about running out of .coms and most companies want a .com instead of other endings because ,com is the most well known and used. It is tough to think of a nice short .com that is not taken. What bugs me is that now I have to buy the .co to make sure my domain is the one customers actually find.

Feb 19, 2011 01:54 AM #28
Rainer
123,029
Cory Barbee
San Diego, CA
Broker (760) 563-4022

I'll take the wait and see approach with this...some much info..we have to be really good a determining what is garbage and what is useful...making us all smarter..

Feb 19, 2011 02:10 AM #29
Ambassador
1,705,660
Tammie White, Broker
Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN
Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Interesting question. I'll take a wait and see attitude.

Feb 19, 2011 03:20 AM #30
Rainer
485,960
Coach KC™
Prosperitor LLC dba Secured Futures - Albuquerque, NM
Marketing • Productivity • Revenue • Development

I personally think it will be similar to the 800 toll-free numbers versus the 888 toll-free numbers.

FOR EXAMPLE: 1-800-WIDGETS will gain more calls as the result of the marketing by a copy-cat 1-888-WIDGETS. (I don't know where this number rings, PLEASE DON'T CALL IT. This is just for illustrative purposes.)

Similarly, "ThinkersWanted.com" will benefit from a copy-cat "ThinkersWanted.co"

--Coach KC™

Feb 19, 2011 05:14 AM #31
Rainmaker
1,098,903
Bob & Leilani Souza
Souza Realty 916.408.5500 - Roseville, CA
Greater Sacramento Area Homes, Land & Investments

Hmmm...thanks for posting about this interesting topic, Emily (and congrats on the feature!) I am not buying into the .co as I don't see it being any different from the others that have not caught on. :)

Leilani

Feb 19, 2011 06:23 AM #32
Ambassador
2,306,898
1~Judi Barrett
Integrity Real Estate Services 118 SE AVE N, Idabel, OK 74745 - Idabel, OK
BS Ed, Integrity Real Estate Services -IDABEL OK

I bought integrityrealestate.co  a while back. I  haven't used it yet but will.  I was glad to get it. 

Feb 19, 2011 09:07 AM #34
Rainmaker
98,059
Evan Russell
Russell Realty Group - Boston, MA

the  .co i very confusing to the less than tech savvy people.  They assume they need the "m" at the end and it will mislead the customer. 

Feb 19, 2011 09:41 AM #35
Rainmaker
1,677,591
Lyn Sims
RE/MAX Suburban - Schaumburg, IL
Schaumburg Real Estate

Lame.

Feb 19, 2011 10:54 AM #36
Rainmaker
149,301
Linda Lohman
Fonville Morisey Realty - Cary, NC
Former Teacher/Broker

I'd be interested to know how Google handles the .co?  Let's face it they are the SEO temple where most of us worship.

Feb 20, 2011 10:50 AM #37
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