The .ME TLD Blog

Godaddy just added the upcoming .ME extension to their homepage! Click on “Coming Soon! .ME” under the domain name search box and you’ll find the FAQ page they put up here. There’s a few interesting tidbits of information, but not a lot that we didn’t already know before. They’re planning to launch “late spring to early summer 2008″, so it might be a little earlier than we expected. However, anyone who’s watched the tech industry for a while knows that release dates are not infrequently pushed back. On top of that, it could be a while after the launch before most of us can apply for a .ME domain because there will be a sunrise period. The sunrise period is a length of time reserved for trademark holders to book their trademarked names as a .ME domain name. Only after then will the general public have a chance to apply for the .MEs of their choice.

For each country code TLD (ccTLD) as explained in my last post, the respective government has the last word on the use and management of their own domain extension. In November, the government of Montenegro (the country assigned the .ME TLD) issued a public tender to find the companies that would manage .ME. ICANN accredited registrars meeting certain requirements were invited to submit a proposal. Three groups all of which were already active players in the domain industry submitted a bid to run the extension.

• DemandMedia/eNom/Neustar
• Afilias/GoDaddy/Me-Net
• Verisign/Dotster

A board commissioned by the Montenegrin government awarded the contract to the Afilias, Godaddy, and Me-Net trio. This move shows that the country is interested in promoting their extension to appeal to a worldwide audience which is good news if you’re going to get some names in .ME.

I think they were smart to take the Afilias, Godaddy, and Me-Net contract mainly because of the huge marketing strength Godaddy has. Though I don’t like Godaddy’s egregious upselling for their overrated addons when you’re just trying to buy a domain, you must admit they are the world’s largest domain registrar. One of Godaddy’s advantages is how it can market the .ME domain right to its gigantic customer base. As well as beating eNom in sheer size, Godaddy’s user base is made up of more end users compared to eNom, which is mainly a wholesale registrar that provides to resellers. End users are far more likely to build websites with real content on the domains they buy (which helps to grow any new domain extension) versus a domain collector.

Afilias will be providing the registry infrastructure. Afilias currently runs the registry for .org, .info, and certain ccTLDs. If you were around for the .info launch back in 2001, you might remember that the chaotic sunrise period. The intention of the sunrise period was to allow a period of time exclusively for trademark holders to reserve their trademarked names in the new domain extension to protect from cybersquatters. Some people abused the sunrise period providing invalid trademark information to squander away highly desirable names for themselves. I’d like to see Afilias regulate the launch of .ME better but all-around, they are a solid company.

Me-Net is a local Montenegrin company which bidded with Godaddy and Afilias to run the .ME extension. I couldn’t find much background on them or even a company website which is pretty disappointing for an Internet company.

The three companies Godaddy, Afilias, and Me-Net will be working in partnership to manage and promote the extension under a new consortium called DoMEn. The duration of their contract with the government of Montenegro is five years, which may be renewed at the end of the term.

You can read the Godaddy and Afilias press releases.

Montenegro is a relatively small European state formerly part of the now defunct Yugoslavia. In 2006, Montenegro declared independence from the loose state union between Serbia and Montenegro that lasted from 2003. Each country in the world has a TLD (top-level domain; commonly known as a domain extension) intended for use by websites associated with that certain region. Four months ago, ICANN the group overseeing the creation of new domain extensions gave Montenegro its own TLD, .ME. Previously, Montenegrin websites used a subdomain under the the country code TLD for Yugoslavia, .CG.YU.

Once the news got out, Internet users immediately realized the potential use of .ME outside of Montenegro. Every English speaker knows the word “me” and probably uses it daily. Plus, social networking and self-publishing on the Internet is wildly popular nowadays with the advent of Web 2.0, both uses perfect candidates for a .ME domain. Not to mention the endless possibility for cute domain “hacks” made popular by sites like del.icio.us (delicious) and blo.gs (blogs). Who wouldn’t love to have a name for their site like about.me, buy.me, help.me, or download.me? The extension is so memorable providing many branding opportunities.

Top quality names are already taken in any extension that’s been around for a while, particularly .com. You have to be very creative to get a marketable name in .com nowadays. This is different when a new TLD launches. A wide range of names suddenly become available for the nominal cost of registration fee and those who act quickly are rewarded with good names.

In the past, a handful of countries have offered up their domain extension to the world in the hopes of generating additional income. One of the best examples is .TV of Tuvalu a tiny island out in the Pacific Ocean. Anybody in the world can get a .TV domain and so it caught on, because everybody knows what a TV is! Studios are buying up .TV domain names related to their channels and programs. Online video sites are sprouting up on .TV domains.

The Montenegro government is planning to allow anyone worldwide to register a .ME domain as well and has signed a contract with Godaddy, Afilias, and Me-Net (a local company) to market and run the extension.

Ever since the announcement that .ME domain names will eventually be available for registration, we’ve been following the development of the extension closely. Whether you want to snatch a name for your own use or you’re a domain investor, the best thing you can do right now is to put as much information as you can on your side.

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