By now, you’ve probably seen this ad:
It’s sort-of funny, and a small part of the vague, baseless .XXX ad campaign, although I’m actually familiar with the comic featured in this particular ad (He’s actually quite funny, he made this gem, possibly one of my favorite YouTube videos.)
The biggest selling point for these .XXX domains, at this point, seems to be “buy them…because they’re new!”
New top-level domains (.com, .org, .net are traditional top-level domains that everyone is familiar with) are a growing problem. Not because of the fact that no one can recognize them – like O.co, for example – but because it creates a cash-grab squatting situation.
Anyone can register any domain, and when a new top-level domain is established, there’s a registration frenzy…to say the least. Domain squatters extort brand-recognized domains, and sell them for a hefty profit. It happens all the time, even though we don’t see it, and it’s always going to happen as long as the Internet is around.
When the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) establishes a new top-level domain, like .XXX, squatters (and established businesses) vie for as many registered domain names as they can. We end up with companies registering tons of domains that they don’t use, so others won’t use them – and take away from organic traffic and branding.
In a sense, the establishment of .XXX can be seen as a monstrous cash grab – since, after all, it’s in Amazon’s best interest to register www.amazon.xxx so it doesn’t appear as a porn site the moment you visit it by accident, or otherwise.
Mashable has an awesome breakdown on the situation, and you can find it here. But most importantly, it shows the wasteful spending any company with an online presence has to make:
Think I’m exaggerating? The AP reports that 80,000 XXX domains were sold in presale and many companies like Pepsi and Nike lined up to purchase adult domains. The University of Kansas reportedly just paid $3,000 for a variety of XXX URLs.
So, whether they like it or not, they have to register these sites out of necessity. The extortion becomes obvious once you read GoDaddy’s landing page for registering a .XXX domain (which costs $99 a year, unlike the normal $10-$15 it costs to register a .com):
Secure your brand. Protect your reputation.
Perhaps you’d like to create an adult entertainment website. Or maybe you’re here to keep your brand from being registered as a .XXX by someone else. Whatever your reasons for wanting a .XXX domain, you’ve come to the right place. To check the availability of your domain, type the name you want into the search box above.
It’s a sham, and a shame. No one wants to purchase a .XXX domain, but, since anyone can, it’s the best way to protect yourself. And, in the end, a monstrous cash grab.