A recent AdAge article examines what could become an enormous problem for an Internet Marketing Company or any brand with a presence online. Currently, there are twenty-one common domain names with .com being the most widely used. Others include .org, .net, .edu for educational facilities and .gov for government sites.
The article cites a proposal from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to expand the number of domains to a nearly limitless amount by allowing brands to purchase and rent .anything for its domain name. Bridgestone can be .tires, Dell can purchase .computers and so on. To add the fun, if two brands want the same domain, they need to compete to outbid each other for the right to that domain.
This could easily become a drain of resources for online marketers. Simply policing the web for infringements on your domain naming rights or extortion from cybersquatters can easily run up costs. In addition, more power is given to search engines and more emphasis on SEO when consumers cannot remember if Burger King is .burgers or .fries.
All in all:
The world of the web is fast paced and ever changing. If your not up to speed on online marketing now, you’ll be even further behind six months from now.