A startup changed its domain from .com to .top

Some companies trade in longer .coms for shorter second level domains in other extensions.

I love watching the Chinese domain market because it is full of surprises. Recently, I read a news story that a Chinese startup changed its domain from .com to .top. That challenges the conventional wisdom of .com being the ultimate upgrade.

Will Chinese IDN domains become widely used?

So far, Chinese IDN top level domains have struggled.

 

Just a few days ago the Internet Society of China announced the formation of a working group to promote the use of Chinese domains. Is it the trigger we need to see Chinese IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) flourish?
As the organization is supported by the Ministry of Information Industry, this also suggests a strong desire from the Chinese government to see the widespread use of Chinese domains. The working group aims to resolve technical issues so that Chinese domains can work nicely with browsers, email systems, search engines, and other aspects of the internet. It will also promote innovation and application of Chinese domains to enable their popular use.

How are new gTLDs doing in China?

Kassey Lee examines the market for new domains in China.

More than 1,000 new gTLDs (generic top-level domains) were released five years ago. How are they doing in China? Let’s look at the best-selling ones as they relate to China.

A bit of personal preference. I don’t like to call them “new gTLDs” because they are actually no longer new and the term “gTLD” is not easy to understand. So, I just call them niche extensions because many of them have specific uses — such as .club, .app, and .news.