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You’ve all heard of “dot com”, “dot net” and maybe even “dot biz”, but LGBT folks now need to be on the lookout for “dot gay” (www.gaytld.com), a new generic top level domain (gTLD) created by Alexander Schubert, and Internet pioneer. The web’s new identifier could act as a new tool to unite the community both politically and economically.

Last year, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), announced a new gTLD program that would expand the number of URL suffixes from its current number of twenty-one to an infinite amount.  Although their action may open up a can of worms in terms of turf wars, the idea behind it is to stimulate innovation, choice and change.

ICANN’s announcement has created both excitement and fear in e-commerce. For example, a major hotel chain like Hyatt Hotels could now own “dot Hyatt” on all of their domains or even “dot hotel”. The potential to create a greater identity on the web could be endless, but also chaotic.  Once ICANN opens the floodgates of new domains, the quagmire of “protecting one’s turf” becomes a high priority.

Back when the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) launched their new site, www.nglcc.org, there was an issue with the owner of www.nglcc.com. The latter was owned by a porn company, which obviously did not bode too well with the heads of the new chamber. After time, the NGLCC was able to own both domains, so that problem was alleviated. Schubert assures us that his domains will not be cheap in order to discourage potential spammers.

Promoting a website that was either a “dot net” or a “dot biz” was always an uphill battle and required a lot of marketing dollars in order to be found on the worldwide web. However, the theme of “identity” has always been a key factor within the LGBT community. The more people who are counted as openly Gay, the more respect we will achieve. Owning a “dot gay” would be an immediate indicator that your company is either gay-owned or gay-friendly.

In this respect, it is worth examining whether or not a “dot gay” gTLD could benefit the gay community by expanding identity, support and brand recognition. The Gay and Lesbian community is notorious for reciprocating support to companies that promote their products and services in LGBT media. Furthermore, the LGBT community is still mired in their quest for equal rights. Hence, a “dot gay” web address for organizations, gay-friendly corporations and small businesses alike, could be a new political tool to galvanize and unite the community.

Quantifying our numbers has always been a challenge. Since Gay and Lesbian individuals are still not counted in the U.S. census, we have relied heavily on Gay market research surveys to be accepted as an important niche market.  Gay marketers like Witeck-Combs Communications Inc. have successfully projected our community’s purchasing power over the years.

However, the notion of harnessing real numbers rather than projections is much more appealing.  Imagine an Internet that possessed over 5 million "dot gay" domains. Politicians and CEO’s would no longer be able to brush aside the need to recognize Gays and Lesbians.
“Dot gay” will be organized in a unique fashion where generic terms like “bar.gay” or “hair.gay” will not be available. However, domains such as “theabbey.gay” or “Supercuts.Gay” will be there for the asking.

At present, Mr. Schubert is in the preliminary stage of development for his new URL suffix, but his endeavor does present itself as an amazing new marketing opportunity, even if the risk is a mess of trademark infringements. Due to this looming dichotomy and the fact that the application amount for the gTLD is $185,000, he is seeking feedback from gay organizations. You can send him your feedback at statement@gaytld.com.

 

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