The official list of all top-level domains is maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).IANA also oversees the approval process for new proposed top-level domains. As of November 2015, the root domain contains 1096 top-level domains,[2] while a few have been retired and are no longer functional.
[1][edited by: stuntdubl at 4:55 pm (utc) on Nov 4, 2015]
1. How often do I see a startup move from a .io or .whatever to a .com? Far more often then I see the process move in the other direction.Seems to be part of the VC process that the .COM must be acquired if the US market is being targeted.
2. The new .keyword domains offer a sales pitch that reminds me of the sales pitch for .mobi, .biz, .travel, .info. Here's how that went: the windup, the pitch . . the ball in the dirtThey are, in some cases, very different from the .mobi/biz/info/travel TLDs in that they are far more specific. The .mobi/biz/info/travel were quite generic, in their own way. Many of the new gTLDs are specifc. This means that they follow ccTLD dynamics moreso than .COM or gTLD dynamics.
3. .keyword domains come with "value pricing". My interpretation of that? Suck as much money (value) out of the pockets of the "excited" before the firework fizzles -> dud. They might be more fun to play with without "value pricing". I suspect, once hard cold reality sets in, we'll be seeing the likes of $1.00 .infos (remember them) in the abundance of new gTLDs. Then it's SpamORama round 14, 15, 232, . . So, get in and get out before the facade is burnt to the ground.Some of this is to target domainers rather than developers. The whole ICANN process was expensive and these registries have to make money. They are not non-profit early ccTLD registries run by well-meaning but clueless academics. They are businesses. The $1 domains have already been seen and they have inflated the zones of some of the new gTLDs.
4. .nyc or .miami? They gain a bit of momentum by their local political / governmental endorsement and their restrictions on registration (if that sticks). All politics are local, so I can foresee that politics certainly will follow. Who gets to register, play with and who gets to object to BestHotel.miami? Gay.miami? Sex.miami? Nightclub.miami or .nyc? Perhaps, once the political headache gets painful enough, the localized gTLD market will collapse. Interesting times on the local gTLD front.Why should it collapse? Not everyone views such things as domainers. There is development in .NYC though there is also some overlap with the registrant's existing primary websites and they are typically .COM domains. These markets have the capability to develop like ccTLDs and the first few years of their growth will be slow. However they may gradually gain market share. The problem with thinking of these city gTLDs in purely domainer terms is that it misses a very important point in ccTLDs (the city gTLDs are, in effect, the equivalent of small to medium level ccTLDs). The extension in a ccTLD does not matter because people identify with the ccTLD as being their TLD. Thus the old .COM domainer rules of generic keyword domains don't have quite the same effect because the market is smaller and more focused.
My crystal ball is clearer looking backwards than forwards when it comes to new gTLDs. Most have bombed. What's so new, different and improved with "unlimited", "value priced", oh, and did I say unlimited - .law, .lawyer, .lawyers, .esq, .attorney, .attorneys . . . maybe .bankruptcylawyer, .injurylawyer, .familylaw . . .Not all have bombed (or have become zombie TLDs). Some are showing signs of development. (I ran a full web usage survey on all available new gTLDs in October so my view of their development would be somewhat better than most.) If anyone is looking to make a fast profit, then they may well be out of luck. This is not the open landrush of TLDs in the past. It is a business. The registries can hold back premium domain names for auction and can even engage in self-dealing. There's a great quote from the movie 'Rounders', "Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker." And that definitely applies to ccTLDs and new gTLDs.
