The Internet gets interesting. Icann has decided to open by domain names beyond the standard .com and .org to everything.
As NYT reports…’New names could cover locations such as “.nyc” and “.berlin” or industries such as “.bank.”
What does this mean for advertising? BBC narrows it down to a simple point…’The decision means that companies could turn brands into web addresses, while individuals could use their names.’
I have a few thoughts on this issue:
1. Will it make the Internet even more chaotic and lead to confusion?
2. Does it give too much power to Icann and make it play the role of a censor?
3. Invariably someone is going to create a domain that is offensive to someone’s religion/beliefs or whatever..how will this be resolved?
4. Will this be the most exciting thing happening to Internet as non-English speakers can create their own sites?
5. How will brands manage this transition? If one can create a xxx.pepsi – what would that xxx be? Will this lead to creative technologies in brand management? Or will it drive up the cost for the major corporations in the world, as they will have no choice but to embrace it to protect their brand.
So many questions and so few answers…
