Life was simple back in the old days. There were .gov sites, .com sites, .net sites and .org sites for government, commercial, networking and non-profit websites. Somewhere along the line, .mil snuck in for military sites, and then the organization (ICANN) that assigns TLDs (Top Level Domains) went crazy with ccTLDs, or country code TLDs.
Today you can buy a .us domain, ,.uk or .de domain or some with more interesting applications like .ly or .to – I would imagine planning.to would be a great domain for a procrastinator. (Don’t bother, someone already grabbed it.)
But back to simple TLDs. They expanded as well with .biz, .info, .travel and 20-30 more. But more recently the .xxx TLD for adult sites became available. When new TLDs become available, there’s a procedure for selling domains.
Companies or individuals with trademarks get a sunrise period to protect their brand. That ended Oct. 28 and I would imagine ibm.xxx, ford.xxx and vatican.xxx have already been snapped up by their owners to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Next is a landrush period for members of the sponsored community – In this case the adult community – To grab their favorite domains. For .xxx, that period is Nov. 8 to Nov. 25. Then, general availability begins, and for .xxx, this period begins Dec. 6. That’s when you and I can buy .xxx domains to our heart’s content.
The reason I know this is because my registrar sent me a note suggesting I “Protect your brand, secure your .XXX” They’re giving me an opportunity to ensure no one else buys “woodp.xxx.”
Hm, their motive is obvious profit driven – Domain registrations is their business – But I don’t recall a similar email when .biz, .info, .travel and the 20-30 other options were made available. Clearly, they’re hoping I react to some evil person grabbing woodp.xxx, and perhaps .xxx versions of the other domains I own.
So? I’ve decided I’m not going to grab it or any other .xxx options. It’s too desperate a move by my registrar. Will I regret it years from now? Time will tell.