Are you renewing your コムs?

[Ryu]

I am dropping most of them. If anyone wants to have them, pm me. You could have them for like $35 a name. They include names like prefecture.コム but not largest ones.

[squirrel]

Are you keeping the .coms ? Pm me if you'd like.

Cheers
JS

[Ryu]

You mean you are dropping .coms also? I dropped a lot of coms last year but this year I am keeping most of them.

[Drewbert]

Jesus. If anything signals .コム failure, this is it.

I think the #1 cause of the problem is the browser manufacturers all defaulting to opening a google search page and hijacking the URL bar with search as well, and pocketing their 40 pieces of sliver from Google.

If ICANN and Verisign hadn't completely bungled the new IDN launch process, they may have managed to get some traction before the browser hijack.

It's probably too late to go back now. The Internet has been permanently dumbed down. The default settings for Safari in OSX don't show the full URL in the URL bar anymore, just the hostname, and there's no status bar telling you what you've about to click on by hovering over a link.

I think the only way out of this mess would be for Verisign (or the domain registrars as a whole) to organise production of a browser that brings domains back as the focal point instead of search. Good luck with that pipedream, I say.

[idn]

You mean you are dropping .coms also? I dropped a lot of coms last year but this year I am keeping most of them.


I actually didn't think you registered any コム. Handful?

[Ryu]

I didn't get any premium ones but registered about a dozen non-premium. It turned out that was still too many.

[Wot]

Registered just 2 and that is how many will be dropped, but then I am doing this across the board, at least drastic cutting back.

[Kent99]

Dropping about 18, keeping three, which I paid premiums for.

[Rubber Duck]

Registered 200.
Renewed most of those I paid premium for a second year, so no decision to make.
Have earmarked 60 for drop this year, and there will be more.

[Kent99]

I think it is safe to say .コム's will have a poor renewal rate.

[Drewbert]

Yes. What is that going to mean for Verisign's other launches?

[Ryu]

I am starting to think if I should drop every single one of my コムs. It's hard to imagine how they could turn profit in the future no matter how good keywords they have.

[sbe18]

Ryu,

Have any major brands used .コム urls in billboards or TV ads for campaigns at all ?
Not for corporate sites, but for products or PR etc ?
thanks.
s/

[Ryu]

Not that I know of. As a matter of fact, I don't remember seeing .コム ever whilst I was browsing the web.

And the first hit I get when I google xn--tckwe is a yahoo Q&A thread where a question asks:

"I get a spam email of which body content just says ○○○○@exn3yhkzwd.xn--tckwe. I guess I shouldn't click it, should I?"

The answer given is:

"That's a lazy spam. If you click the URL, your email address will be stolen."