The new standard is here:

  • .com
  • .net
  • .xyz

Last year I predicted that internet users – when given the choice – would select .xyz over .net and .org.

When internet users think about registering a domain name – for a project, service, blog, a business – internet users should think about .com, .net, .xyz.

For me, that will be the definition of success for .xyz.

For the second week in a row, .xyz registrations have outranked .org and .net at a major registrar, Hover.

It seems I aimed too low in my ambitions of .com, .net, .xyz, as it has now become .com, .xyz, .org!

.com, .net, and .org have been synonymous with the internet, however, the expansion of the internet, increase in savvy users, as well as a withering supply of desirable domain names are outpacing these classic extensions. The internet was once .com, .net, and .org, and as we are witnessing, the conversation is already shifting to include .xyz in the mix.

As we continue to grow .xyz, my mission remains the same: to bring competition and choice to the domain namespace.

Why would an end user settle for a long .com, .net, or .org when they can have a short, descriptive .xyz?

When given the choice, registrants around the world select .xyz.

.xyz usage has also entered the realm of higher education. Academic institutions, which traditionally utilize .edu, .ac.uk, or their regional education-oriented extensions, are seeing the shift towards .xyz. For example, Plymouth University in the UK recently launched a new research center, the International Centre for Statistical Education (ICSE).

As the tenth largest university in the UK, Plymouth University selected a .xyz domain name to establish and promote ICSE. ICSE and its website www.icse.xyz strive for “the improvement of statistical education, training and understanding at all ages”.

I leave you with a challenge:

Ask your friends and family what they think .com means. Chances are, they won’t know.

Then tell them about .xyz – that it’s the ending of the alphabet and the natural ending to a domain name. .xyz is what they make it.

Finally, give them the choice between VisitTampaBay.com, TampaBayAttractions.com, TampaGov.net, and TampaBay.xyz. Which one do you think they will choose?

Challenge them to forget .xyz. And in a couple days, you won’t be asking them if they bought a .xyz domain, but rather, how many?

Daniel Negari
CEO.XYZ