I don't see what the fuss is about. The faster that the world sees there's nothing magically special about ".com" the better for all of us,
i agree on almost all accounts.
i guess i worry about what is effectively a gTLD not being governed under the same rules as the rest of the gTLDs.
I think that's the background issue, each ccTLD supposedly has the right to establish its own policies and name registration process, now if they want to play in the open "domain name market" as Avri says "ala gTLD", the rules should be fair and the same for all. Also some ccTLDs are taking advantage of not having a contractual framework with ICANN so it gets mushy mushy to talk about compliance, accountability and fair use and treatment. And John, it is not like .COM, it is being advertised by some registrars as the "New dotCOM", proof ? here you go, this is one of the mails I received (I removed the information identifying the registrar):
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:31:11 +0200 (CEST) From: Registrar X To: ME Message-ID: <DONTBESOCLEVER> Subject: .CO domain, the new .COM MIME-Version: 1.0
THE NEW GLOBAL DOMAIN!
Dear Mr. Amodio,
Worldwide .CO registration starts today!
.CO is a new global domain extension - available to every person and every company worldwide.
So for the first time in many years, .CO will provide a significant new opportunity to register a truly global, recognizable and credible domain name extension.
Don't be left out. We've seen what happened with the saturation of .COM. Due to its meaningful and universal appeal, .CO has the potential to become just as popular.
So take advantage of this opportunity now!
Best regards, Your REGISTRAR X Internet Team
- .CO offers great opportunities because it is easily recognized, understood and remembered by end users globally.
- .CO can be used to mean COmpany, COmmunity, COllaboration, COmmerce, COntent, COnnection, etc. as appropriate to your audience.
- .CO is an excellent value for your money - reach customers worldwide for only $29.99 per year!
- With just a few mouse clicks on the X website you can register your .CO Domain today!
Act now to secure the best name options!
REGISTER NOW
As you can see from the text, .CO now means anything but Colombia ... Cheers Jorge