ICANN is working on plans to allow operation of an unlimited number of Top Level Domains, or TLDs. I am a member of an Implementation Recommendation Team, created by the ICANN Board to develop procedures to avoid user confusion and trademark infringement in the new gTLD space. As a result, I am interested to see the reaction of the Internet and business community to the new gTLDs. So far, most comments I receive are skeptical. This attitude is reflected in an article posted yesterday on The Industry Standard - "Latest Plan for Domain Names is as Doomed as .coop and .mobi".

My take: it will require more than merely the introduction of new gTLDs for success. We don't need "just another" TLD. There needs to be a business reason to motivate registrants to use the new gTLDs. Like any other product, what's the competitive advantage? What's the key point of difference? Why is the gTLD not merely another "me too" contender that offers no reason for being. And more, it can't merely have a reason. It must be a reason that users will want.

So what are the break-through ideas for new gTLDs? If anyone has them, they are keeping quiet. But I'm eager to see.

Of course, if I knew the answer, I'd change my day job.

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