The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan, and based on past performance the Afghani people are bracing for the new reality.
People of every nation and culture deserve to live in peace and prosper undisturbed by external forces. In the case of the people of Afghanistan it seems that the game is lost for now.
The Taliban “brand” instills fear and agony in the people that seek equality and the ability to make decisions for themselves. Women in particular, roughly half the population of Afghanistan at about 16 million, are very nervous about the Taliban way of ruling life.
So can one build a brand on a Taliban domain name?
It appears that most Taliban domains are parked or offered for sale; we’re referring to the exact match keyword in various TLDs.
For example, Taliban.com, a domain registered in 2001, was parked until the fall of Kabul but it does not resolve currently. It’s possible that someone is about to acquire it.
Meanwhile, Taliban.net forwards to a book about the book “Chosen Leadership:” Providing purpose direction and motivation to accomplish the mission. This is an example of a positive use of a negative term.
Taliban.org is parked with a zero click lander, which would produce the odd cent or two in PPC traffic. Taliban.info and Taliban.biz are both parked with PPC ads, loosely related to the Taliban or the war in Afghanistan.
Montenegro’s own Taliban.me is available to register, although in the past it was someone’s domain. And Taliban.co is available to buy on DAN.com. The buyer will need the advertised protection, for sure.
Lastly, Taliban.us is a bargain, at $249 dollars at Afternic. But with the US pulling out of a 20 year long war, it’s the least favorable TLD to own. It was acquired by NameFind, the GoDaddy repository of corporate domains, as part of the Elite Domains portfolio.
The bottom line: It’s not impossible to turn something negative into positive, but is it worth the time and effort to do so? Better seek a more humane domain for your edgy brand.
