IDN ccTLD versus gTLD Discussion

[Prodigy]

Lets get a lively discussion with this topic since it will become a pertinent issue very soon with the popularization of IDN names.

I don't think we are looking for a definitive conclusion but rather just for a point of discussion so that both camps understand each other a little better

Is there room for both extensions? Definitely. However, one is going to best the other, particularly in ccTLD heavy markets like Japan and China.

Discussing this issue will:

a. Understand the need for portfolio diversity.
b. Help all of us understand local market positions in terms of extension strength.
c. Provide insights into secondary market prices for IDNs

My portfolio is about a 30/70 towards .com. However i've recently done a bit of thinking myself and understand that the Chinese and Japanese local website marketing of businesses are predominantly that of ccTLD.

I'll kick this one off with a point each on the ccTLDs that I am familiar with:

ccTLDs:
- China: Existing D-Name solution for the .CN extension
- Japan: Roughly 2/3 advertisements in public areas are localized extensions (.jp, .co.jp, .ne.jp, .ac.jp)

There is no room for half-ass comments like "Dot Com is King" on this thread. We all understand that .com has the strongest brand recognition from a global standpoint, but is it really the most relevant to specific language orientated market?

Looking forward to a constructive and informative discussion!

[Giant]

We have discussed this topic before, and my opinion remains the same --- that "half-ass comment" LOL.

But will post some non half-ass comments later.

[jacksonm]

Sometimes it comes down to understanding how ".com" and ".cc" are pronounced in the language in question. Some roll off the tongue easier than others, and these are heavily preferred by radio advertisers.

For example, in Germany "punkt de" rolls easier than "punkt com". In Finland, "piste com" rolls easier than "piste fi", etc. No country that I know of says "dot cc", if they are not english speakers - they say the "." in their own language.

Do you get my point?

--
jacksonm

[burnsinternet]

Jacksonm, he means Country Code, not .cc

I do see a lot more traffic to IDN.se domains, for example, than IDN.com domains. The avg PPC also blows .com away. I also see much better PPC for IDN.jp domains. Not sure why.

Other than that, we won't really know until we get good data over a long period of time.

I believe this has been discussed many times here. Are we just bored or is there some exciting news that I missed? No offense meant, I am just being silly. ;)

[Rubber Duck]

Things are starting to get really tight now on decent terms.

If you have a good term and it is free, nail it down in Dot Com or ccTLD. Also consider dot net. My advice would be to forget the rest unless it is truely exceptional.

[Prodigy]

Things are starting to get really tight now on decent terms.

If you have a good term and it is free, nail it down in Dot Com or ccTLD. Also consider dot net. My advice would be to forget the rest unless it is truely exceptional.

I'm slightly less bullish on .net. My .nets arent getting alot of traffic, particularly in terms where I also have the .jp.

RD, you're a strong .com portfolio, your thoughts on .cn and .jp?

[Rubber Duck]

I think I still prefer dot Com, but the dot CN and Dot JP are likely to prove sound investments. Defending them against UDRP type situation might be more tricky, but I don't think there is going to be any mass abductions. It is a bit like asking which is better Yellow Gold or White Gold. The nuggets are no longer lying around of the ground, although a little digging might still reveal the odd one, but the local market stalls are full of them.

All it needs is for a man in a pith helmet to ride into town and start buying a few up and the natives will soon know what they have got!

[jacksonm]

Jacksonm, he means Country Code, not .cc

So did I. The ".cc" example was just meant to mean ".country code".

[burnsinternet]

Oops. Sorry.

[touchring]

A few points to consider when comparison ctld with gtlds.

1). In the event of idn.idn, .jp and .cn will have an edge over .com and .net. If idn.idn becomes popular, .com and .net will be seriously undermined - but i don't see this happening in the short to medium term though.

2). Existing markets for ascii.jp and .cn exists, so a comparison can be made, i think the latter (.cn) is stronger with names like game.com.cn fetching $35,000. .com.cn and .co.jp are still very strong in both countries.

3). .cn names have known to be confiscated by the registry under circumstances. Check out the story behind software.cn (idn).

4). With a greater mindshare, type-in traffic is generally higher for .com (check the big lists of .com jp ovt w/ext - you'll be hard pressed to find a list for .jp). Can't comment for .cn as there's no cn ovt tool.

5). .com risks blocking in China (extremely low risk of happening though).

In conclusion - it's good to diversify your investments across different languages, gltd and ctlds. :)