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
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
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
The Three Lessons We Can Learn from gTLDs’ Past
History is a great teacher, we are told. So, on the cusp of an explosion in new top-level domains, what can we learn from the two previous expansions of the Internet’s naming space? And what are the pitfalls to avoid? Let’s just assume the fundamental and obvious lessons of realistic expectations, a solid business plan and prudent resource management, and instead focus on the little talked about but still critical lessons that will separate... Read More
