The world of new TLDs can be confusing. Sometimes even the words can be confusing.
Joseph Peterson recently discussed naming conventions in his DNW post Categorizing Top Level Domains: “nTLDs”, suggesting that new gTLDs released since 2014 should be referred to as nTLDs (for “new” TLDs), to distinguish them from the other new top level domains that followed .com before the more recent rush of new names.
Anything outside the original extensions that isn’t a country-code domain, such as the popular .me, .cc or .ws, counts as a generic TLD. However, it’s not always simple.
Regular readers and the TLD-savvy will already know that even within the generic things can get very specific: there isn’t very much generic about .lawyer or .property, and then there’s the geographic domains for cities and regions.
But one of the most important variations in the brave new world of gTLDs are the truly generic.
New TLDs .onl, .website and .xyz are locked in a fierce battle for generic supremacy – with all aiming to be the most generic. Now a new challenger has entered the ring, in the form of the recently-released .space.
Far from targeting the galactic exploits of Elon Musk or Richard Branson (though if you do want a .SPACE web address, guys, call us!), .space isn’t for the extra-terrestrial explorer – instead it’s for anyone who wants a space to call their own online.
Don’t settle for a web address that nobody can remember, just to be .com – embrace a new generic domain today and make your home online.
