Six Key Issues About Operating a TLD RegistryPublished in CircleID, July 26, 2011, by Architelos CTO Michael Young

Brand owners unfamiliar with the domain name system (DNS) are hearing that their first step in registering a top level domain (TLD) is to select a back-end TLD registry provider. The fear instilled in them is that if they don’t act quickly, all available service providers will have reached their capacity. Given ICANN’s tight and inflexible application submission schedule, brands don’t want to be left at the starting gate. That’s... Read More

The ICANN New gTLD Program is Approved: Now What? How to Submit a Quality Application in 6 MonthsPublished in CircleID, July 11, 2011, by Architelos COO John Matson

On January 12, 2012, the application window opens. Any corporation or organization can submit a request to own a piece of the Internet — their own top-level domain (TLD). Many reporters are confusing a TLD with a domain name. But the difference is like renting a single apartment (a domain name) versus owning the entire real estate complex (with a potentially unlimited number of domain names). And most important, when you own it, you set the... Read More

Architelos Announces TLD “Front-Office” Management Services

RESTON, VA, June 20, 2011—Architelos, Inc. today announced its Top level domain (TLD) Management Services (TMS) for registry “front-office” operations it will offer new TLD contract winners. TMS is an outsourced solution for new TLDs as well as small registries, so they can quickly launch and/or manage their business operations, while off-loading much of the costs and risks. TMS: Front-End Support, Back-End Connectivity TMS provides... Read More

The User Experience with New TLDs: How to Avoid the Junk Mail file or ‘User Unknown’Published in CircleID, May 25, 2011, by Architelos CEO Alexa Raad

As new top-level domains (TLDs) are launched, the industry mustn’t overlook the customer experience. A key question is this: Will the software applications we all use, recognize the new TLDs and know what to do with them in a timely fashion? Think email and even form-fill applications. I speak from experience here. In 2006 when we launched the .MOBI TLD, there were arguably only a handful of .MOBI email addresses in existence. To my dismay,... Read More

Top 3 New Requirements to the TLD Evaluation Criteria and What They Mean for Applicants

Three sections of the redlined version of the Draft Evaluation Criteria for new Top-Level Domains (TLDs) caught my attention. It seems ICANN wants to ensure it has information to not only evaluate and score responses, but to conduct a post-launch analysis of the program’s success in terms of expanded competition, consumer choice and trust. That additional information means more work by both the applicant and for ICANN. But it’s a good... Read More