Fining a domain on the internet can be harder than finding a needle in a hay stack. The “dot com” is nearing max capacity for name choices, and what’s left is distinguishable character combinations. This is where gTLD’s come into play, and what will shape the internet to a more customizable experience. These “not coms,” as Jeff Davidoff, CMO of Donuts Inc. calls them, are a cause and effect of internet goers wanting a personal experience. Donuts Inc. is the vendor or wholeseller of the of these gTLD’s, but is only one of many.
gTLD’s can be best described as “name.brand”, so a florist would buy chagico.florist. It’s simple but at the same time describes the website and makes it more rememerable than a regular “dot com.” The internet is a customizable world where you’re able to change your username, email, avatar and personal brand at a whim. The “not coms” give creative freedom to the buyer, something that isn’t possible with normal domains.
The video advertisement from Donuts Inc also helps explain more:
While Donuts Inc. is calling it the “not com revolution” other companies have taken a more subtle approach. Radix has taken to calling them “domains with personality.” Either way these new domains have an uphill battle with changing how American consumers think of domains and websites. The younger generation born after 2000 will understand that .florist doesn’t require a .com or .net after the domain. However anyone from 22 up may make the mistake and not understand that the link someone provided is a valid domain. Foreign countries have already gone through the transition of country codes so they have an understand of non-traditional domains.
As we look into the future we could see a vast majority of the internet running of these “not coms”, while only the large established sites having .coms still. The endless amount of combinations will allow the internet to grow as more people begin to own and create websites. It’s also the next real estate boom for the internet, something which hasn’t happened since the 90’s. Companies and individuals are going to flock to registars to buy the most unique and sought after domains. Then later they can auction them off to startups, large business, or other people for much more than they purchased it for.
The down side to these domains is they are most often privately own domain extensions and cost a premium compared to “dot coms.” They may come down as more of them enter the market, but people have a rare chance to be apart of a large domain grab that will only happen once. The domains are easier to remember and have better combinations that business owners can use to better reflect the personality of the business.
I’d like to hear what you think of these “non coms” and how they will impact the internet in the coming years in the comments below.