Right of the Dot and Architelos Join Forces to Offer Comprehensive Marketing, Valuation and Management Services for New TLD Applications

Deerfield Beach, FL, Aug. 10, 2011 - RIGHT OF THE DOT, a domain name strategy consulting group for new generic top-level domain (gTLD) applicants and existing TLDs, announced today that it has entered into a cooperative arrangement with Architelos, a consulting and managed services company serving the same market. Under the arrangement, Architelos will refer gTLD applicants seeking premium domain name consulting services to RIGHT OF THE DOT,... Read More

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

New CFO and CTO Join Architelos, Positioning Company for Major Role in New TLD Rollout

RESTON, VA, June 16, 2011—Architelos, Inc. today announced that Norbert Grey and Michael Young have joined the company as chief financial officer and chief technology officer, respectively. The two industry veterans raise the profile and increase the breadth of services Architelos is poised to provide. They join co-founders Alexa Raad and John Matson, creating an executive team of industry leaders with successful track records of launching,... 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

Facebook.com/brand versus a new TLD. What’s a brand to do?

Last week I published an article in Ad Age that the editors titled “Should your company jump on the dot-brand bandwagon?“. I received several emails and LinkedIn requests from advertising and PR agencies as well as brand managers. One of the questions I received had to do with my opinion on whether brands that are currently promoting themselves via Facebook, e.g., “Find us on Facebook.com/brand,” should consider the new TLDs. The... Read More

Should Your Company Jump on the Dot-Brand Bandwagon?Published in Advertising Age, May 2, 2011, by Architelos CEO Alexa Raad

What if you build it, and they don’t come? By summer, new top-level domains — the letters to the right of the dot in a web address — will likely be approved for release. In fact, companies will soon be able to apply for TLDs representing their brand (e.g., .Canon) or a generic term (.shop), run the registry that controls them, and then sell domain names using the extensions. Until now, our main windows to the online world have been... Read More

Everything you should know about a TLD business case, but didn’t know to askPublished in CircleID, April 6, 2011, by Architelos CEO Alexa Raad

Applying for a new Top Level Domain is an expensive and lengthy process, costing an estimated $500K for application and various legal and professional services. Central to the application is the business case. Even though ICANN requires an albeit simple version, most applicants must have a credible business case, especially if they need to secure internal approval, or more importantly attract and secure outside investment. Given the truth to the maxim... Read More