I’ve been a keen supporter of the new gTLD system since its launch two years ago.
It is the evolution of an Internet name space that was densely occupied by those that ventured into domain investing early on.
While I still invest in and support the original TLD triad, .com, .net and .org, I consider myself very open-minded about the new gTLDs and the purpose they serve.
In particular, brand awareness benefits tremendously from matching keyword+gTLD pairs, something I’ve talked about extensively in the past.
For now, I will focus on a recent incident, when a potential buyer inquiring for one of my .com domains, decided to use a new gTLD instead.
My keyword1+keyword2 .com domain was bypassed, albeit at a savings of $5,000 for the potential buyer, who spent forty bucks for the keyword1.keyword2 equivalent.
Naturally, the sale fell through and a domain based on a new gTLD was born.
And despite losing a sale, I’m fine with that.
I don’t invest heavily in domains where this happens often, but it did happen, and I would like to use it as an example of how times are changing in how domain investing is perceived.
Consumers no longer have “no alternative options,” they have plenty of good enough options to register domains, instead of paying what some of them consider “outrageous amounts” of money.
In this case, I wished the new gTLD owner best of luck in their future endeavors, and while I remain confident in the value of my .com, I tip my virtual hat to those who utilize these non-com domains to their benefit.
That’s a good perspective you have. I wish more domainers had your open attitude. I’ve adjusted my attitude several times over years – a few times because I wanted to and a few times because I needed to!
He will buy it from yo later 🙂
Domains are great but cannot be afforded at set times by all, to some people $5K is a lottery ticket, to others it is a night at the club.
I have come across this with a .town, he put up a wordpress page, and it never really got off the ground, more of a personal project, as I followed his progress. For him to jusitfy paying thousands for some a project, I tend to agree as I wouldn’t either.
You are always going to have their traffic bleed to the .com, and to be honest whenever I buy anything, I want the best, so it is always on the back of your mind, the better name still eludes me.
The better GTLD’s come with premiums, which after a few years evens the score, and as you see registries pay more for extensions, those premiums will only get steeper. I like my grandfathered .com’s
Think this is where gTLDs succeed. K1+K2 will always be shorter domains than K1+K2+.com (4 characters less) which is better for mobile. They will have much better results on Google which we are already starting to see.
@Adam
The thing about GTLD’s they are not uniform, they do not work for all keywords, their is no general consensus, with .com you can have terms like DigitalPaper.com, DIgitalPapers.com, yet can I do this with GTLD’s, is there a .papers? We as domainers know this, but the average consumer is clueless.
It is a all or nothing sytem, when it comes to top tier clients.
Yes, I love when this happens. The .com version you are holding will ultimately become more valuable as a result of their decision to register the alternate extension. If and when their venture succeeds, they will be back to pay you ten fold.