The old statement “numbers don’t lie“, is often used to determine the bias of an argument. While this is true in many cases, numbers aren’t the only means of determining the success of something.
In an article about the new TLDs (gTLDs), Adrian Kinderis, CEO of ARI Registry Services, states:
“Early numbers mean nothing. The fact that .guru has 40,000 domain name registrations and .graphics only has 4000 means nothing. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. What is success? New TLD operators should be judged on their whole-of-business operational performance to take account of stakeholder engagement, customer satisfaction, strategy planning and financial modeling.”
Regarding what constitutes success in the launch of gTLDs by their respective registries, Adrian Kinderis notes the following:
- Use: Is the namespace being used in a meaningful way and is there evidence of usage and development with the domain names? Are registrants building businesses and content within the namespace?
- Sustainable revenues: Who is registering domain names and what is the prospect for renewals? Will the TLD retain registrations or do registrants see it as a fad?
- Trust: Will end users come to trust the namespace and the content hosted within it? Are these registrants helping to establish trust in the namespace?
- Purpose: What’s the mission and purpose of the namespace (question 18) and are the registration numbers and content living up to these aspirations?
- Audience: Is the registry operator targeting a clearly defined audience? Is that audience responsive to the product being offered?
And that’s a great approach to determining the success of any venture.
For the full article, click here.
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