We’ve been hearing some interesting rumors lately. Certain businesses that we have talked to recently are convinced that ICANN will extend the new gTLD application period beyond the allotted three-month window, running from January 12 to April 12 of this year. Their argument is, if enough applicants complain that three months is not enough time to properly prepare the complex new gTLD application, ICANN will have no choice but to push back the deadline. Continue reading “Word on the Street”
Month: January 2012
Oh, ICANN…
Sometimes it seems like we spend a lot of time ragging on ICANN here on gTLD Strategy. It’s not that we have some inherent beef with the organization. But sometimes, like that kid in grade school who always corrected your grammar (“Actually, it’s ‘you and I ,’ not ‘you and me’”), ICANN does things that make it hard to love. Really hard. Continue reading “Oh, ICANN…”
Swimming in a Sea of Deadlines
It’s no secret that ICANN can be a tricky organization to deal with. The technical terminology and acronyms alone are enough to trip anyone up. But what about the constantly changing list of dates and deadlines?
First, there was the hard cutoff for the new gTLD application period. Anyone who wishes to apply for a new gTLD must submit a complete application, along with the complete application fee, by 11:59 pm UTC on April 12, 2012. We have known about this deadline for quite some time now. Continue reading “Swimming in a Sea of Deadlines”
Application Period Opens with a New Applicant Guidebook
The day has finally arrived. The new gTLD application period is officially open, and as a special treat to mark the occasion, ICANN has dropped a new version of the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook. This marks the eighth iteration of the Guidebook and, as with earlier updated versions, ICANN has also published a document that summarizes the changes, alongside documentation to justify its reasons for making those changes. The PDF version is available here. In this post, we’ll discuss the changes that will have the most impact on businesses planning to apply for gTLDs. Continue reading “Application Period Opens with a New Applicant Guidebook”
Follow-Up: We Could See a New Applicant Guidebook on Jan. 11
Last Wednesday we posted that we had received indication from ICANN’s new gTLD Customer Support Center that there would be a new Applicant Guidebook coming out. Unfortunately, at that time, we could not say when that new Guidebook would be published. Now, after some digging around ICANN’s website, we at least know when the new version should be ready: Wednesday, January 11. Continue reading “Follow-Up: We Could See a New Applicant Guidebook on Jan. 11”
Strickling Speaks Out
Earlier this week, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Lawrence Strickling sent a letter to ICANN Chairman Steve Crocker urging ICANN to consider implementing certain measures in regards to the New gTLD Program. Those suggestions are as follows: Continue reading “Strickling Speaks Out”
Late Hit
Today is Wednesday, January 4, 2012: T-minus 8 days until the new gTLD application period opens next Thursday. While applicants will have a full three months to submit their applications, some are working diligently this week to ensure that their applications are fully prepared to submit on January 12.
So you can understand our surprise when we found out yesterday that ICANN plans to release a new version of the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook. Continue reading “Late Hit”
Fresh Out of Luck
Last week, customers trying to order groceries from New York-based delivery service FreshDirect were met not with the usual homepage but with a stock website from Network Solutions LLC. FreshDirect had let its domain name, FreshDirect.com, expire, leading to a service outage that prevented customers from placing orders online, according to Bloomberg.
Primarily an online business, FreshDirect simply forgot to renew its domain name, resulting in a lapse in service. Although regularly scheduled deliveries continued, and customers could place orders via phone, the outage certainly cost the business significant revenue during the holiday season.
While Network Solutions would not comment on FreshDirect specifically, a spokesperson did explain that the company has several methods, including reminder emails and automatic renewal options, in place to prevent service lapses.
FreshDirect’s site is back up and running smoothly once again, and it has renewed its domain name through 2024, but this outage shows how crucial it is to stay on top of domain name contracts. For companies like FreshDirect that rely primarily on web orders to drive revenue, outages like this one can result in both lost revenue and traffic and negative press. FreshDirect has certainly learned its lesson, but this should be a reminder to other brand owners to keep tabs on domain portfolios to avoid similar issues.