Everyone is starting to learn about.co domains vs..com domains. The Internet is running out of.com domains, or so they say. The truth is, if you missed out on a good domain name, then you can get that name in.co instead. Most people are afraid of domain squatters. Domain squatters are people who get your domain and then sell it back to you for a high price. People can register your name or business name even if it is not their business. Tech people claim the.co’s will be on a faster system, unlike the other domains which are all on the old system. As the internet is upgraded, the.co domains maybe easier to access. What does this mean for your publicity?
First you need to consider at least getting your own name in a.co domain. Your business website domain also. With the auto-fill process that browsers use, it would make sense that it would often stop at.co and not auto-fill.com causing people to go to the wrong website. Protecting domains is usually not a problem unless you are super famous. If you are interested in publicity, then clearly you plan to have a higher profile than most people, so this is a viable commitment. “We’re seeing individuals registering them for themselves, their blog, their businesses,” said Lori Anne Wardi, director of marketing for.CO Internet S.A.S., the official.co registry, which allows registrars such as Go Daddy to sell its domain names to the public. “We want to be where the next Facebook starts and the next Twitter starts.” Before its July launch, the.co domain was restricted for use by the Colombian government, much like the United States has the “.us” domain, Wardi said.
Eventually you will be able to get your business name, like Ford could get.ford. I think that will go a long way with branding and publicity and be worth the extra cost. Should you be in a panic, no. You should do some future thinking about how your publicity will be handled online. Prevention is always best.
