Dot-ninja, dot-guru, dot-news… every month there’s a new set of domain names to choose from. But are the choices that sensible?
In an unprecedented revenue-generating move, the array of global top level domain (gTLD) names that ICANN have released and continue to roll out over the next couple of years seem to be more novel than practical. But at least, finally, there’s a dedicated place for cat-with-a-lime-on-its-head.lol.
A lot of the domain names do make sense; for example, .movie and .band are great additions because it saves having to use NameOfMyMasterpieceTheMovie.com as a fudge. But many of the others either highlight the America-centric, business-oriented nature of the governing body’s thinking, or marginalise segments of society with blinkered naming choices.
Here are a few anomalies and inconsistencies I’ve uncovered:
| Available | Not available |
|---|---|
.mom |
.mum |
.men, .gent |
.women, .lady |
.gal |
.guy |
.lgbt, .gay |
.lesbian, .straight, .heterosexual |
.christmas, .church |
.diwali, .eid, .temple (because Christianity is the only faith) |
.democrat, .republican (which launched on separate dates) |
.conservative, .labour, .liberal (because there are only two party lines in world politics) |
.latino, .kiwi, .irish |
.asian, .chinese, .english, .french, .australian, .limey |
.ira |
Whaaat? Gerry Adams gets his own domain? |
.food, .coffee, .beer, .wine, .vodka |
.drink, .gin |
.guitars |
.keyboards, .synth |
.kim, .wang |
.john, .fred, .sarah, .stef (why do people called Kim and Wang deserve a TLD?) |
.hiphop, .dance, .country |
.pop, .classical, .romantic, .grime, .dubstep, .techno (why is hiphop as an art form special? It’s just as transient as any other musical genre) |
.insurance, .carinsurance, .autoinsurance, .lifeinsurance |
.homeinsurance, .petinsurance |
.frontdoor |
.backdoor |
.antivirus |
.antimalware, .virus, .malware |
.attorney, .lawyer |
.solicitor |
.llc, .llp, .ltd |
.plc |
.theatre, .theater, .tires |
.tyres (why have two different spellings for one, but only the US spelling of the other?) |
I’m sure there are plenty of others. I’ve got news for you America: you’re not the centre (or even the center) of the universe. Could we have more thought in future? Thanks.
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