Neustar Announces Fourth Premium .NYC Auction For Travel and Tourism Domain Names

dotNYC logoNeustar has announced the fourth auction of premium .nyc domain names aimed at the travel and tourism sector will take place with Sedo handling the auction until 10 May

dotNYC logoNeustar has announced the fourth auction of premium .nyc domain names aimed at the travel and tourism sector will take place with Sedo handling the auction until 10 May.

This will give New Yorkers in the City’s five boroughs a curated selection of twenty-five premium domain names in the .nyc new generic top level domain (new gTLD). These rare and premium domain names are associated with the travel, hospitality and tourism industry, giving New York travel agencies, hotels, airlines, entrepreneurs, startups and businesses access to some of the most in demand digital real estate in the world.

The following premium domain names will be made available at auction:

see.nyc museum.nyc showtickets.nyc
guides.nyc pedicabs.nyc broadwaytickets.nyc
citytours.nyc carrental.nyc shuttle.nyc
bustour.nyc reservation.nyc limos.nyc
boattour.nyc tour.nyc concierge.nyc
shows.nyc visiting.nyc getaways.nyc
boutiquehotel.nyc theaters.nyc flights.nyc
lodging.nyc ticketbroker.nyc
hotelguide.nyc sightsee.nyc

“I can think of no more fitting tribute to kick off the summer travel season than with these travel-related web addresses,” said Nicolai Bezsonoff, General Manager, Registry Solutions, Neustar, who is the registry services partner of the .nyc top level domain. “Reaching those in-market travellers with a unique domain that signals they’ve reached a legitimate travel business based in New York will go a long way to engender the kind of brand trust that will keep customers coming back again, and again.”

The City of New York has long been the epicentre of fashion, technology and culture, welcoming over 60 million visitors who spent $43 billion last year alone. Travel and tourism activity supports over 383,000 jobs and generates nearly $25 billion in wages and salaries for working New Yorkers. Travel benefits the City immensely with six out of every ten visitors spending at least one night in the Big Apple. With the launch of .nyc’s premium domain names, the travel and tourism sector can create hyper-personalised marketing campaigns centred on unique and highly targeted domains.

New Yorkers will gain exclusive bidding access to the premium domains at 13:00 on 3 May until 13:00 EST on 10 May. As the bidding window is open for eight days, bidders should consider their bidding strategy carefully and be prepared to place their opening bids as soon as the auction opens. The auction will take place entirely online through the official auction partner, Sedo. All bidders should familiarise themselves with all the rules, restrictions and auction details. All of the auction details can be found at Auctions.nyc.

“Our visitors and residents have endless opportunities to discover and explore what our city has to offer. We are creating a closer bond between our city’s physical attractions and the city’s digital real estate online. Anyone in the travel and tourism space can now build a closer connection with our residents and visitors with a unique domain name that precisely reflects the link to NYC,” said Fred Dixon, President and CEO, NYC & Company.

In keeping with the City’s desire to ensure equitable access to these sought after domain names, the .nyc auctions have been designed to maximise participation, affordability and transparency. Bidding starts at just US$500 for all domains, a very low point of entry for these high-quality domains. This means small businesses, startup founders, organisations and individuals from every borough can participate equally in the auction process, vying for the chance to secure these high-value domains.

.nyc was launched in October of 2014 with the support of an innovative group of early adopters and enthusiasts, including Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer and tens of thousands of local business owners, such as Sideways.nyc, Digital.nyc, and StartupHub.nyc, among others. Today, .nyc has become one of the largest and most well utilised of all city-affiliated domains.

.NYC Celebrates Second Birthday With Release Of Premium Domains

dotNYC logoThe .nyc new generic Top Level Domain is celebrating its second birthday and to “celebrate” over 4,000 premium domain names are being released to New Yorkers

dotNYC logoThe .nyc new generic Top Level Domain is celebrating its second birthday and to “celebrate” over 4,000 premium domain names are being released to New Yorkers.

Currently there are over 79,000 .nyc domain names registered making it the largest of the city new gTLDs, ahead of .london with almost 65,000 registrations, although .london is available for anyone, anywhere to register. For .nyc, it is only available to businesses and individuals within the five New York City boroughs.

“Whether you’re a small business, or an established brand, there’s no better place to launch and build your venture online, than .nyc,” said Jeff Merritt, the Director of Innovation of the City of New York. “With the release of these new premium domains, New Yorkers across the five boroughs will all have the opportunity to own and develop a piece of the City’s most valuable digital real estate.”

The majority of the premium domain names will be made available directly through registrars including instra and Internet.bs at published prices, but a small subset will be available via auctions and select aftermarket providers.

The release will commence on Monday, 10 October at 15:00 EDT.

The first .nyc premium domain name auction for twenty premium domains is scheduled to take place on 24 to 27 October, and is associated with the theme of “Living in NYC.” The following domain names are included in the auction:
Apartments.nyc     Brokers.nyc     Brownstones.nyc     Condos.nyc
Construction.nyc     CoOps.nyc     Furniture.nyc     Garden.nyc
Homes.nyc     Interiors.nyc     Kitchen.nyc     Lease.nyc
Living.nyc     Lofts.nyc     RealEstate.nyc     Renovation.nyc
Roommates.nyc     Rentals.nyc     Studios.nyc     Sublet.nyc

Four Million Domains Registered In New gTLDs In Under 12 Months

If registration numbers are what you go by, four million domains registered in under 12 months for the 461 gTLDs across 318 registries and 224 registrars taking registrations is pretty good going. But it is still early days and not one domain name in any of the new gTLDs has come up for renewal yet.

If registration numbers are what you go by, four million domains registered in under 12 months for the 461 gTLDs across 318 registries and 224 registrars taking registrations is pretty good going. But it is still early days and not one domain name in any of the new gTLDs has come up for renewal yet.The four millionth registration occurred on 7 January according to statistics published by nTLDstats.com, boosted in recent days by the launch of the .Q@ (website) gTLD which rocketed into second place on the chart for most registrations and now has passed 354,400 domains under management (DUM). However 354,414 of these domains to date are registered through one registrar – Internet Domain Name System Beijing Engineering Research Center LLC (ZDNS) and the remaining four to the registry operator. So it’s not likely the public has been registering these domains.Domain Incite has explained the anomaly as the “registry, Knet, which acquired original applicant Hu Yi last year, operates a keyword-based navigation system in China that predates Chinese-script gTLDs.””The company has simply grandfathered its keyword customers into .Q@, I’m told.”The keyword system allows Latin-script domains too, which explains the large number of western brands that appear in the .Q@ zone.”The second reason for the huge bump is the fact that many of the domains are essentially duplicates.”Meanwhile the .xyz gTLD continues to blow all other gTLDs out of the water when it comes to total registrations with over three-quarters of a million (767,883), however the vast majority of these have been “given” to the unsuspecting registrants of the .com equivalent in a deal with Network Solutions.In third place is .club with 165,973 DUMs who, like Donuts with their 158 gTLDs up and running, claim that none of their domains have been given away. Which puts them in a great place for when domains come up for renewal as if someone has made the effort to pay for a domain, they’re much more likely to want to renew it.The top 11 includes three city gTLDs – .berlin in fourth with 155,466, .nyc (New York City) with 66,838 in eighth and .london in eleventh with 54,002 DUMs. While .berlin appear to have given away or sold cheaply around 90,000 domains, they like other city gTLDs should expect high renewal numbers. And their future seems safe.But it’s not all big registration numbers. Some gTLDs charge a higher premium than others and one such gTLD is .luxury. It may only have 1,294 DUMs, but they have much higher registration fees and are aimed at (naturally) luxury brands. So its future would seem safer than many of those with similar registration numbers.A couple of gTLDs one would have to question their future are .rich and .wed, the latter aimed at short term use for those getting married. Both gTLDs have been around for months and still only have 59* and 125 DUMs respectively. It seems luxury is a better deal than being rich when it comes to domains.Overall it seems that city and regional gTLDs are being very successful, as are those with a good idea and good marketing behind them such as .club and a number of Donuts gTLDs such as .guru, .photography and .email. But for many, it’s when domains come up for renewal, the first of which start happening in the next few months. Stay tuned. * [updated] although with registration prices of around $2,5000 per domain, they do have more of a chance of survival than quite a few others.

Donuts Among Big Winners As Total New gTLD Registrations Pass 3 Million In 9 Months

There are now over three million domain names registered across the 254 new gTLDs that have entered General Availability and another 173 that have been delegated according to figures compiled by nTLDstats.com.

There are now over three million domain names registered across the 254 new gTLDs that have entered General Availability and another 173 that have been delegated according to figures compiled by nTLDstats.com.The three million mark was passed on 24 October and the figure stood at 3,071,575 at the end of 30 October.The new gTLD with the most registrations continues to be .xyz with 684,256 registrations, or 22.51 percent of all the domains. But this figure is boosted by a controversial promotion run by Network Solutions where over half (376,901 or 55.08%) of all its domains are registered. One in five (142,905 – 20.88%) are registered through the Chinese registrar Xin Net Technology Corporation.Second on the list continues to be .berlin with 152,355 registrations, which despite a promotion that went awry that saw almost 90,000 domains either given away or registered cheaply in three days, continues to do well.For both gTLDs it will be interesting to see what their renewal rates are when domains come due for re-registration.Coming in third is the .club gTLD that boasts all its domains registered are paid for. Meaning if paid for domains were only included it could easily be the largest of all the new gTLDs.Coming in fourth and seventh are .realtor and .ovh with 79,571 and 53,674 registrations respectively and that appear to have given away all, or almost all, their domains.Rounding out the top ten are two more city gTLDs – .london and .nyc that come in at eighth and ninth respectively with 48,203 and 47,497 registrations respectively. And .guru and .photography, two Donuts gTLDs, come in at sixth and tenth with 74,941 and 47,296 registrations respectively.Donuts now have well over one million registrations across all 151 of their gTLDs that have been delegated, 140 in General Availability. The latest count is 1,029,049 according to nTLDstats.com. “All fully paid,” Dan Schindler, co-founder and Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, for Donuts told the Goldstein Report.Donuts are particularly happy with all their gTLDs to date, but they’re even more chuffed with the success of .guru and .photography.”.guru was an enormous surprise to us,” said Schindler. “We were really surprised and we’ve tried to analyse why.””It’s fun and everyone can claim to be a .guru,” Schindler thinks is the reason behind the success. “Photography has also been a very pleasant surprise. In a world of two and three letter TLDs, it is a surprise longer names do so well.” Another to surprise Donuts Schindler said was .technology, currently coming in at 26th place with 21,200 registrations. Others Schindler expects to do well for them are .company, .email and .today.It’s not just total registration numbers for gTLDs. Renewal rates will be something to look out for a year or two down the track. But Schindler thinks Donuts will have high renewal rates for four reasons:

  1. where names paid for, the early renewal rates are high for those early adopters
  2. people cherish something they paid for
  3. they got in early and got the pick of the bunch
  4. these names don’t have enormous type in traffic so not bought by speculators, bought for longer term investments.

.NYC Gets GA Off To A Flyer But Modest Starts For .LAWYER/.ATTORNEY

The .nyc gTLD for New York City got off to a flyer on its first day (8 October) of General Availability with registrations ending the day on 26,504, a total of 19,903 for the day according to nTLDstats.com.

The .nyc gTLD for New York City got off to a flyer on its first day (8 October) of General Availability with registrations ending the day on 26,504, a total of 19,903 for the day according to nTLDstats.com.But the .attorney and .lawyer gTLDs got off to more modest starts, which was to be expected given that prices for domain registrations range from around $30 to several thousand.Also commencing GA on the same day, .attorney ended its first day of GA with 2,118 registrations after starting with 410 after Sunrise and Landrush. The .lawyer gTLD got off to a better start, ending the day with 3,195 after starting with 470 following its Sunrise and Landrush.The start has pleased the Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio. Following several months where individuals, businesses and non-profit organisations could request .nyc domains during the Sunrise and Landrush periods, more than 10,000 New Yorkers — representing thousands of small businesses, organisations, and dozens of business improvement districts and cultural institutions across the five boroughs — successfully secured their own .nyc domain during this early registration phase.During this same time period, the City launched Neighborhoods.nyc, an open application process for community groups to receive a premium neighborhood domain name like WestVillage.nyc, Flatbush.nyc or ForestHills.nyc.”Whether you’re an artist, a manufacturer, or a tech start-up, with .NYC you can make your mark on the global economy as a New Yorker,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I’m thrilled to see thousands of New Yorkers and small businesses have already signed up for this unique home on the web, and I encourage everyone across the five boroughs to make .nyc their own.””To compete in the global economy, a strong web presence is no longer a luxury — it’s a must,” said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. “The .NYC domain gives individuals and businesses — thinkers and doers of our city — the ability to leverage the power of their location and market their brands to consumers.””When I first introduced a Resolution in support of the .nyc domain name as a City Council Member in 2008, I had high hopes for what the domain could become. Today, after years of hard work and determination from the City, anyone in New York City can establish a unique, local web presence,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “As the early success of the roll-out has shown us, this is a tremendous opportunity for local businesses, organizations, institutions, and entrepreneurs to own a piece of .nyc. I’ve registered my own domain already, and I look forward to spreading the word about the City’s new most-wanted real estate.”

.NYC Ready To Go!

dotNYC logoGeneral Availability for .nyc (New York City) domains commences at 15:00 UTC on 8 October

dotNYC logoGeneral Availability for .nyc (New York City) domains commences at 15:00 UTC on 8 October.

The gTLD is only available to New York City businesses and organisations with a New York City address and individuals with a primary residence in the city. It is not even possible to contract for a virtual office space or other virtual address in the City of New York according to the registry’s Nexus policy. One needs a physical street address in New York City.

According to nTLDstats.com, there are over 6,000 domains registered during .nyc’s Sunrise and Landrush periods. This compares favourably to .london that launched its GA with 7,703 domains registered, yet there were no eligibility restrictions for .london. Around six weeks later there are 44,800 .london domains registered.

Mayor de Blasio Announces the Launch of First .NYC Websites

dotNYC logo[news release] Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that the first .nyc websites have gone live. The owners of these domain names, officially called “.nyc Founders,” represent a diverse group of New Yorkers—including First Lady Chirlane McCray—and organizations from across the five boroughs who applied to be among the first to get a .nyc domain

dotNYC logo[news release] Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that the first .nyc websites have gone live. The owners of these domain names, officially called “.nyc Founders,” represent a diverse group of New Yorkers—including First Lady Chirlane McCray—and organizations from across the five boroughs who applied to be among the first to get a .nyc domain.

The .nyc domain is part of the creation of a new class of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) that will greatly expand the web’s domain name system. With the historic launch of .nyc, the City of New York has become one of the first cities in the world with a top-level domain, creating a unique opportunity for local businesses, organizations and residents to brand themselves online and to showcase their affiliation with New York City. The .nyc domain will launch to the public on October 8, giving all New Yorkers the chance to claim their own piece of the City’s high-demand digital real estate. Learn more: on.nyc.gov/UX6DEp

“It’s exciting to see New York City’s official domain coming to life with the launch of our first .nyc Founder websites,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Our .nyc Founders include an eclectic mix of small businesses, well-known brands, non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, artists, agencies and individuals embodying the spirit and opportunity of New York City—including our First Lady Chirlane McCray—who are using their .nyc web addresses to share their stories, develop their businesses, engage with their communities, and support their fellow New Yorkers. Today, we move one step closer toward placing our city on the digital map and allowing more New Yorkers to own a small piece of cyberspace.”

The .nyc Founders were given the opportunity to publish their websites early in an effort to showcase .nyc domains to the public, and will be featured in many of the City’s pre-launch marketing and awareness building initiatives.

“It’s moving day for #FLONYC! Today, my blog leaves ‘dot com’ behind and moves on to the newest and coolest destination on the web – “dot nyc.” And I’m thrilled to be a part of its historic launch,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray, one of the Founders and Chair of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “The address may have changed, but the content and purpose of my home on the web remains the same: to help tell the stories too often untold in our city, by documenting and sharing my work as First Lady of New York City.”

The First Lady will be relocating her personal blog to flo.nyc, where she chronicles her work as First Lady in an effort to shine the light on the people and stories of New York City. Read more: flo.nyc

“I’m so proud to have sponsored the City Council resolution that helped create the .nyc domain. It’s a new beginning on the web for small businesses and organizations to brand themselves as uniquely and specifically made in NYC,” Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer said. “The sheer range of those participating in .nyc Founders shows the vast potential for what .nyc can become,” said Manhattan Borough President, Gale A. Brewer.

“I’m thrilled that .nyc has taken this next step and has established Founders,” said Council Member James Vacca, Chair of the Committee on Technology. “It’s great to see. nyc being utilized by a variety of businesses, including iconic brands, small businesses and up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and I look forward to this domain helping companies across New York City reach more people and grow stronger.”

“The first .NYC sites are going live, and the best city in the world is about to get better with its own dot NYC domain,” said Council Member Ben Kallos a website developer. “This opportunity to support our city’s small businesses and grow jobs with dot NYC is thanks to Thomas Lowenhaupt who has made his singular vision into a reality through years of unwaivering advocacy, the understanding and support of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer during her years in the Council, and the leadership on technology of Mayor Bill de Blasio. I hope that local businesses will continue to participate and learn more about how to get their own .NYC domain names.”

“The Shubert Organization is proud to be a founding member of the .nyc initiative. Every year, over 12 million people from around the world come to the heart of NYC to see a Broadway show. Our new website, shubert.nyc, will extend the digital outreach of Broadway and New York City,” said Philip J. Smith, Chairman, and Robert E. Wankel, President, of The Shubert Organization, Broadway’s largest theatre owner and operator.

“We are thrilled to be one of the first agencies in the City to get our .nyc domain, and to use it as part of our branding efforts,” said Daniel Doebrich, co-founder of MISTER, a NYC-based digital design and new technology agency. “MISTER is inspired by New York City’s unique combination of innovative fashion, and the constant stream of new tech solutions through its thriving startup scene. The .nyc domain helps us to better communicate this aspect, and supports our goal to become the digital house for a new generation of fashion brands. It creates a strong identity, which we have already witnessed after the first few weeks with our new emails. Clients are reaching out repeatedly to ask how we landed the .nyc domain. They love it and want to get their own.”

“.NYC gives the world’s greatest city its own digital identity—.nyc addresses the lack of available domain options, while solidifying NYC as a preeminent place to start a technology business today,” said Michael Lazerow, a serial entrepreneur and investor at Lazerow Ventures. “I am proud to call NYC my home and Laz.nyc my new digital home, dedicated to helping entrepreneurs build great companies in this great city.”

“It is so important for a nonprofit tech startup like us to represent New York City and our local community to both spread awareness and to increase community engagement,” said Jukay Hsu, Founder, Coalition for Queens (C4Q). “We’re thrilled to claim our own .nyc address at C4Q.nyc, as it will help us to empower local residents and support the growth of NYC’s tech ecosystem.”

“As a media brand with a largely New York audience, rebranding to GayCityNews.nyc will help us to better serve the residents, workers and visitors of our communities with the most relevant news, information and opinions that affect their lives,” said Jennifer Goodstein, Publisher, NYC Community Media LLC. “We’re excited to be one of the earliest adopters of the .nyc domain, and are looking forward to switching all of our brands to .nyc in the near future.”

“I am so excited to launch my new website, Bridget.nyc! I’ll be posting news and updates about my upcoming album release, tour dates, amongst other passions. I’m ready to share everything with the world,” said Bridget Kelly, singer and songwriter. “I was born and raised in this city, and being a New Yorker is an important part of my story. I can’t wait to take everyone on my journey on the new site—I hope my fans will follow along the way.”

While additional websites will be launching in the weeks ahead, the first wave of .nyc websites includes:

  • 125th Street Business Improvement District (125thstreet.nyc)
  • Armory Foundation (armory.nyc)
  • Bell Environmental Services (wheresroscoe.nyc)
  • Bike New York (bikenewyork.nyc)
  • Birdland Jazz Club (birdland.nyc)
  • Blue Sky Communications (bluesky.nyc)
  • Brooklyn Music Festical (brooklynmusicfestival.nyc)
  • Coalition for Queens (c4q.nyc)
  • Dance / NYC (dancenyc.nyc)
  • Droga5 (droga5.nyc)
  • First Lady Chirlane McCray (flo.nyc)
  • Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership (flatirondistrict.nyc)
  • Gardega Studios (murals.nyc)
  • Gay City News (gaycitynews.nyc)
  • General Assembly (generalassembly.nyc)
  • Gothamist (gothamist.nyc)
  • Icon Parking Systems (wepark.nyc)
  • Il Forno Bakery (ilfornobakery.nyc)
  • Ink Creative Agency (ink.nyc)
  • Journalist Tim McDonald (stories.nyc)
  • Lazerow Ventures (laz.nyc)
  • Lincoln Square Business Improvement District (winterseve.nyc)
  • Livestream (livestream.nyc)
  • Liz Christy Garden (lizchristygarden.nyc)
  • Lower East Side Business Improvement District (pickleday.nyc)
  • Manhattan Sideways (sideways.nyc)
  • MESH Architectures (mesh.nyc)
  • Mister (mister.nyc)
  • Musical Theatre Factory (mtf.nyc)
  • Musician Bridget Kelly (bridget.nyc)
  • New York City Beekeepers Association  (bees.nyc)
  • New York Rugby (newyorkrugby.nyc)
  • NY Tech Meetup (future.nyc)
  • Pace University (pace.nyc)
  • Photographer Casey Neistat  (casey.nyc)
  • Pickle Day (pickleday.nyc)
  • Plenty (plenty.nyc)
  • Row House (row.nyc)
  • Staten Island Makerspace (makerspace.nyc)
  • Studio M+ (studiomplus.nyc)
  • Tech entrenpreneur Alex Godin (alex.nyc)
  • Tech entrenpreneur Hilary Mason (hilary.nyc)
  • The New-York Historical Society (nywomen.nyc)
  • The Shubert Organization, Inc. (shubert.nyc)
  • Times Square Alliance (newyearseve.nyc)
  • Tinsel & Twine (tinsel.nyc)
  • Union Theological Seminary (unionseminary.nyc)

The .nyc web address will be available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis, starting on October 8, 2014. For those interested in registering .nyc domain names early, applications are still being accepted through October 3rd during the pre-launch “Landrush” registration phase. For more information about .nyc, the official web address of New York City, or to register your .nyc domain name, please visit www.OwnIt.nyc.

This news release was sourced from:
www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/434-14/mayor-de-blasio-the-launch-first-nyc-websites

New York Mayor Urges Residents To Show Their Affiliation With A .NYC Domain

The Landrush period for the .nyc gTLD commenced on 4 August with New York City’s mayor Bill de Blasio urging New Yorkers to get their .nyc domains.

The Landrush period for the .nyc gTLD commenced on 4 August with New York City’s mayor Bill de Blasio urging New Yorkers to get their .nyc domains.The Landrush for the Big Apple’s gTLD is available to all businesses, organisations and residents with a physical address in New York City who will have an equal opportunity to reserve a .nyc domain in advance of the official public launch on October 8.The 60-day “landrush” phase offers New Yorkers a chance to reserve the .nyc domain names that are most important to protect or extend their business, brand or identity online. New Yorkers can apply for a .nyc web by visiting OwnIt.nyc.”The new .nyc domain presents a unique opportunity for New Yorkers, our small businesses, and organisations throughout the five boroughs to brand their identity, showcase their affiliation with the City — and to ‘own’ who they are online,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “As we continue to expand Internet access and put New York City on the digital map, this is a chance for more New Yorkers to claim their piece of the City’s high-demand digital real estate.The gTLD also received support from a number of other local politicians, business people and community leaders.”The opening of ‘.nyc’ domain names to the public is another step in New York’s effort to use technology to help connect businesses and community groups with the public,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Small business owners, neighbourhood groups, and private citizens now have the chance to claim a domain name signifying that they are part of this City’s vibrant and growing tech community.””Technology at its best helps make the world more accessible, and today’s public reservation phase for .nyc is a prime example of that,” said Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Anne M. Roest. “We’re pleased to play a role in helping New Yorkers and New York City small businesses own a virtual piece of our city, and look forward to helping build .nyc into a brand as great as the place it is named after.””A strong online presence is critical for success in today’s digital world, and the .nyc domain allows businesses in New York City to leverage New York City’s world-class identity and let buyers from markets around the globe know that they call New York City home,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. “I encourage New York City’s businesses to “own it,” and also to learn more about free services available to help small businesses build an online presence at nyc.gov/nycbusiness.””As the first U.S. city to acquire its own top-level domain, New York has an exciting opportunity to galvanise its reputation as the city of possibility. With .nyc, local organisations, small businesses, and individuals can label themselves as a uniquely New York brand. Neighbourhoods, too, can benefit from .nyc branding to identify unique products and services, and attract tourism. As a City Council member in 2008, I introduced the resolution that supported the .nyc acquisition. Now, as Manhattan Borough President, I’m thrilled to encourage local service providers and vendors of locally made goods to seize this opportunity to create unique .nyc domain names that identify their neighbourhood roots,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer.”I’m excited to see the .nyc web address taking another significant step forward with this landrush phase. This is a great way for New York City small businesses to improve their brands and grow their online identities, and I encourage people to take full advantage of this opportunity,” said Council Member Vacca, Chair of the Committee on Technology.”The best city in the world is about to get better with its own dot NYC domain — and it is only for New Yorkers. Businesses can show that they are local and proud New Yorkers by getting their dot NYC,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “This opportunity to support our City’s small businesses and grow jobs with dot NYC is thanks to Thomas Lowenhaupt, who has made his singular vision into a reality through years of unwavering advocacy; the understanding and support of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer during her years in the Council; and the leadership on technology of Mayor Bill de Blasio. I look forward to working with all of them to make sure that businesses know that if they want to make sure they have a chance to reserve their dot NYC, the landrush over the next 60 days is the best time to do it, before they miss out and dot NYC is first come, first served.”To raise awareness of the landrush phase, the City’s official registry, Neustar, is teaming up with business groups, community partners, and City agencies on a five-borough outreach campaign to celebrate the people, places and ideas that make New York unique; promote the new .nyc domain; and encourage New Yorkers to “own it.” The campaign will kick off with “Moment to Own It” countdown, enlisting New Yorkers to help identify and reveal the City’s top 100 ‘Own It’ moments. The campaign will include digital and social media outreach, signage on bus shelters and newsstands, radio and other targeted advertising, as well as special events to engage small businesses, organisations and residents across the five boroughs.”The launch of the .nyc domain is an important moment in New York City’s history, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it,” said Lisa Hook, President and CEO of Neustar, Inc. “We hope that individuals and organisations from across the City will take advantage of landrush by registering for a piece of their own .nyc digital real estate, and that they will share their unique New York City stories with us during our ‘Moment to Own It’ campaign.””This is a significant milestone for our organisation and our diverse membership,” said Mark Jaffe, President & CEO of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce. “We look forward to being one of the first local business groups to adopt a .nyc web address, and we’ll be encouraging our entire database of 30,000 businesses to enhance their New York City presence by securing their brand on .nyc.”In a further effort to inspire meaningful use and development of the .nyc namespace, the City of New York is also launching Neighborhoods.nyc, an open application process for community groups to receive a premium neighborhood domain name like Harlem.nyc, Astoria.nyc or ParkSlope.nyc. The City has reserved roughly 400 neighborhood names for use by community groups to develop new online hubs for civic engagement, online organising, and information-sharing. The first set of neighborhood names will become available in late 2014 and will be licensed through a competitive application process. In order to be eligible for a .nyc neighborhood name, organisations must be registered as a not-for-profit, public benefit corporation or local development corporation, and be located within the neighborhood for which the .nyc domain name is sought. To learn more, visit Neighborhoods.nyc.”The roll out of .nyc neighborhoods names is yet another economic development tool community based organisations, like BIDs, can utilise to support local economies throughout the five boroughs,” said Tim Laughlin, Executive Director of the Lower East Side Business Improvement District and Chair of the NYC BID Association’s .nyc Working Group. “The opportunity to create dynamic digital destinations in individual neighborhoods will further our ability to help small business owners grow and succeed in an increasingly digital world.”During the landrush phase of .nyc, a domain name will be allocated to an applicant if there is only one applicant for that particular domain name. If two or more people apply for the same .nyc domain name during this period, an online auction will determine who is assigned the name. The .nyc web address will then become available to the general public on a first come, first-served basis, starting on October 8, 2014.For more information about .nyc and the application process, visit OwnIt.nyc.

Sunrise Launch for .NYC

dotNYC logoNew York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday launched the Sunrise period for .nyc, beginning a five month countdown towards the launch of General Availability in October 2014

dotNYC logoNew York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday launched the Sunrise period for .nyc, beginning a five month countdown towards the launch of General Availability in October 2014.

The City of New York is now the first city in the United States with a TLD that the backer anticipate will create new opportunities to support local businesses, organisations and residents, and establishing an unprecedented level of geographic authority to the digital sphere.

“New Yorkers are constantly innovating and putting this great city on the digital map,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The launch of the .nyc domain is one of the most anticipated arrivals for the city and the Internet at large. There is no shortage of New Yorkers ready to claim their exclusive .nyc identities online, and this is their chance to reserve their piece of this city’s valuable digital real estate.”

The TLD will only be available to businesses, organisations and residents of New York City unlike some other city and regional TLDs. The city intends the TLD will generate revenue, help residents take advantage of government services, encourage local businesses to thrive, market and promote tourism, and spread the dynamic image of New York City around the world. Neustar, Inc. is the official registry operator for .nyc. In this role, the company supports all marketing efforts and operates the technical infrastructure of the .nyc domain.

As of 5 May, registered trademark holders will be able to apply for a .nyc web address through one of more than 30 authorised registrars. A portion of the registrar fee will benefit the City of New York. The Sunrise period runs to 20 June, 2014. To qualify to apply for a .nyc web address during the sunrise period, brand owners must have a physical address in New York City and be registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse.

In addition, for a limited time, a select group of New Yorkers will have the chance to make history as one of the very first .nyc domain owners. The .nyc Founders Program offers qualified businesses and individuals the chance to apply to be considered a .nyc “Founder,” meaning they will not only have the opportunity to get the perfect .nyc domain before the general public, but their developed website(s) will be promoted and showcased in many of the .nyc promotional launch efforts. Interested parties can apply to participate in the .nyc Founders Program by submitting an application at the .nyc website, www.nic.nyc, from now through 13 June, 2014. Only a select few will be chosen to be “Founders” and gain the notoriety and attention of being part of this exciting chapter in the evolution of New York City and the Internet.

“The launch of the .nyc web address holds great potential for all New Yorkers, whose work embodies the spirit and opportunity of such a great city,” said Lisa Hook, Neustar’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Taking advantage of the .nyc sunrise registration period and the .nyc Founders Program will give both New York City-based trademark holders and early adopters the ability to plan ahead for what will be an exciting transformation of the web and New York City itself.”

“New York City businesses are creating world-class products in almost every sector imaginable. Access to .nyc domains will allow buyers from markets around the globe to know what businesses call New York City home. This will be an incredible boost to the New York City economy and will help entrepreneurs from neighbourhoods throughout the five boroughs,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner of Small Business Services.

“From the days of ‘The Big Apple’ to the digital age, New York City has long been the best-known brand in the world. That’s why today I am excited to join with the Mayor to begin the roll-out of the .nyc domain. Back in 2008, I introduced and passed a City Council Resolution in support of the .nyc acquisition. We held a hearing on its potential benefits, and it is deeply gratifying to see our efforts come to fruition. I look forward to working together to ensure that New Yorkers and small business owners in particular discover this new opportunity to brand their goods, services, and ideas as uniquely New York,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer.

“The launch of the .nyc web address will put New York City businesses and residents on the map like never before! New York has always been a trail-blazing city, and this is yet another example of our technological ingenuity, as we become the first in the country with our own top-level domain. This will not only boost New York City’s economy and help businesses grow, but it will also improve our city’s global brand. I’m very excited about this sunrise registration and look forward to the full roll-out in the months to come,” said Council Member James Vacca, Chair of the Committee on Technology.

Following the .nyc Sunrise period and Founders Program, the .nyc domain will continue to roll out to the general public in a phased manner. City affiliated names will be allocated between June 25 and July 31, 2014. Next, high-value .nyc domain names will be allocated for a premium price during the Landrush period, between 4 August and 3 October, 2014, and then .nyc domain names will launch to the general public on 8 October, 2014.

.SAARLAND Gets Set To Launch… A Little Differently

dot SAARLAND logoAnother geographical gTLD is set to launch in the coming months with a slightly different Landrush period. Some gTLDs are open to everyone (.berlin) or everyone after preferences are given to businesses and individuals in the Landrush (.london) while others are restricted to businesses and individuals within the city (.nyc)

dot SAARLAND logoAnother geographical gTLD is set to launch in the coming months with a slightly different Landrush period. Some gTLDs are open to everyone (.berlin) or everyone after preferences are given to businesses and individuals in the Landrush (.london) while others are restricted to businesses and individuals within the city (.nyc).

But .saarland, the gTLD for the Saarland region in south west Germany, has done things a little different. First is the typical Sunrise period (17 July to 15 September) that will include Sunrise A for those registered with the Trademark Clearinghouse and Sunrise B for officially registered companies, associations and statutory corporations in Saarland. Starting at the same time, but for a shorter period, will be a Founders Programme (17 July to 16 August) where businesses and individuals with innovative ideas can apply for their preferred domain. More details are to come but the idea is that the registry operator wants registrants to think a little differently on how they use their .saarland domain. The applications for domain names will be judged by an independent panel chosen by the dotSaarland e.V.

Following the Founders Programme is the Landrush (23 September to 22 October) that allows priority registrations for individuals and legal entities that have no brand, but still want an early, preferred access to a particular domain. During the Landrush applications from the Saarland are favoured in order to further promote the regional character of the TLD. The Landrush will be created as an application process and not carried out according to the “first come, first served” principle: In case of multiple, valid applications for the same domain name, there will be a closed auction between the applicants.

Then from 30 October will be the General Availability on 30 October where .saarland domains will become available for registration by all interested parties in accordance with the “first come, first served” principle. Non-binding and free for pre-orders for .SAARLAND domains can already be submitted with several registrars.

All .SAARLAND registration applications in the Sunrise, Landrush and General Availability must be submitted through an .SAARLAND accredited registrar. Applications for registrations in the Founders Program will be submitted directly to the dotSaarland GmbH. For further information about the launch phases of .SAARLAND, please visit: www.nic.saarland/en/domain/launch-phases.