.BIBLE Domain Names Discussion #2: Why This Matters
In collaboration with ChurchMag, this blog series opens up discussions about the new top-level domain for .BIBLE. Blog posts will be posted back-and-forth between the ChurchMag and the .BIBLE Blog, to make for a lively discussion that will help all of us better understand the impact, implications, challenges, and opportunities with the launching of .BIBLE domain names and many other generic top-level domains (gTLDs) on the Internet.
ChurchMag started this blog series with .BIBLE Domain Names Discussion: Part 1, posting 5 questions that I’ve responded to here:
@ChurchMag: What do you think about all these new gTLDs?
@djchuang: I certainly have a lot of thoughts about the new gTLD but since we are writing for the web in this blog series, let me be concise (and readers can add a comment to signal me for more elaboration.) I think all these new domain extensions will make it easier for more people to use the Internet. I think well-chosen domain names using a new gTLD will be much shorter, more meaningful, memorable, and easier to share.
Also, the Internet will be much friendlier for non-English-speaking people as they will begin using domain names in their own languages like Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, and many more! Granted it will take some time to get comfortable with these changes, but that’s how technology works: it’s always changing, and we have to be agile, nimble and just roll with it.
@ChurchMag: Exactly how many new gTLDs will there be?
@djchuang: There are about 1500 new gTLDs in process of being approved by the Internet´s governance body, ICANN (International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). These 1500 gTLDs will be introduced over the next 2-3 years and span a wide range of communities, usages, geographies, languages, businesses, and organizations. We will see commonly used words such as .Mail, .App, .Fun, .News, as well as company names like .Google, .Apple, .GAP and even well-known cities such as .Miami, .NYC, .Berlin, .London. The Internet will welcome a flood of names that help websites be more clearly identified by their content and their affiliation. We are about to see the “verticalization” of the Internet, sorta like a library indexing system.
@ChurchMag: Who is behind the .BIBLE registry?
@djchuang: The American Bible Society is the organization that will operate the .BIBLE TLD Registry, upon finalizing a contract with International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). For nearly two centuries, American Bible Society has led Bible distribution and innovation. The .BIBLE Registry would be a continuation of that tradition to bring the life-changing message of the Bible relevantly in the digital world. The mission of .BIBLE is to encourage innovation, partnerships and Bible engagement on a global basis and .BIBLE will become the trusted online source for all things Bible.
@ChurchMag: Why should churches care?
@djchuang: Churches around the world believe the Bible is central to its Christian faith and practices. For churches intent on fulfilling their mission in a digital world, having a .BIBLE domain name would be a prominent way of demonstrating its value for the Bible and the Holy Scriptures.
The .BIBLE domain name would emphasize a church’s online ministry to actively engage people with the Bible, to deepen their faith in God’s Word, to reach more people with the life-changing message of the Bible, and to be associated with the trusted digital space of .BIBLE. We have already seen significant interest in 1000s of .BIBLE domain names through the .BIBLE pre-registration process (an expression of interest in a .BIBLE domain name; free and no obligation).
@ChurchMag: Should my church register all these gTLDs?
@djchuang: Speaking from my personal perspective, my short answer would be no. It’s nearly impossible to imagine that any person or organization could have a use for ALL of the new gTLDs. Many are very specific and address a highly niche audience; for example, .Horse, .Tickets, or .Insurance would only apply to a targeted group.
However, there are are wide variety of domain extensions that can be interchanged with your existing website such as .Today, .Buzz, or .Global which would be useful in different situations. Other names such as your local city name, or a very generic word like .Mail or .Blog might be of interest.
The key is to have a look through the list and evaluate which domain extensions make sense for your purpose online. Most are affordable and open for anyone to register. You choose a domain name like you choose your words in an important sentence - whatever clearly communicates to the audience you are addressing.
What questions do you have about the new opportunities that will come with .BIBLE domain names? Which of the above answers would you like more details about?
Links to all the posts in this blog series:
- .BIBLE Domain Names Discussion: Part 1 @ churchmag
- .BIBLE Domain Names Discussion #2: Why This Matters @ bibletld.org/blog