Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Greg Cox <glcox AT pobox.com>]

> In the article, I expressed the opinion that many web users will get
> .BIZ and .COM domains confused. Don't we see this today with .NET
> and .ORG domains?

Considering the overall misuse (southernstatesnissan.net?  Oh, what
part of the backbone does your dealership manage?) has led to .net,
.org, and .com being ingrained in the average joe's brain, I don't
think it's really a problem.

> I believe that .COMs are the only domains that will ever be useful
> for businesses.  Does anyone have a differing opinion, or was I
> stating the obvious?

After an initial glut of established companies snarfing up their own
already-established domains (microsoft.biz, ibm.biz), as well as the
'cute' names (noneofyour.biz mindyourown.biz oh haha aren't I so witty
and clever hey look at me clever over here hey please notice me clever
right here yoohoo clever hey cleverness right here in your own backyard
hey laugh please where are you going waah), there won't be much left,
and we'll be back to where we started.  Open as many flat namespaces
as you like, all you'll be doing is causing a lot of people to be
adding aliases to their http and smtp servers and paying $35/yr for
the privilege.  Flat namespaces suck.  Open up .us, make people have
to think even the slightest bit when registering/accessing a domain.

Taking the story's "area code" idea one step farther, I think
.biz/.info/all-the-new-TLDs are going to be to .com as 877/866 are to
800 numbers: they date you, possibly brand you as too-new-to-deal-with.
At least for a while, until they become part of the grand picture, .biz
owners will be second-class citizens.  Then it'll all become just another
TLD, except it'll be full, and then hey why don't we add another one,
.corp yeah yeah that'll fix everything.

Wash.  Rinse.  Repeat.