8

Flippening

Every day I wake up and think to myself, “gm, how can we grow .xyz?”

In 2014, we set out to unify every generation and bring an affordable, truly generic, open namespace to the Internet. .XYZ was created to challenge the status quo, and embolden creativity to thrive once again in naming.

Looking back and looking forward, .xyz has become the go-to domain extension for the next generation of Internet users across the universe. The adoption rate among new internet users worldwide and in emerging markets like crypto and NFT-based projects is incredible. The flippening has just begun. The flippening will continue, and .xyz will become the go-to domain ending across all markets in the future.

We are in the first inning of this flippening process. Our volumes continue to climb, adoption is still brand new, and new members find out about .xyz on a daily basis and choose to join the revolution. Whether it’s because they want to be edgy, unique or cool, or they are inspired by companies like Square (which rebranded to Block, moved over to Block.xyz, and also moved its Square Crypto to Spiral.xyz) – It’s Happening. The winner here is the community that has been building for a while. This is our chance to change the status quo and define naming for centuries to come.

In 50 years, the latest crop of Internet users will come online and say, “WTF is a .com?”

web3

The web3 ecosystem is just beginning. Decentralized apps that run on blockchain technology. dApps that run w/out the monetization of personal data. DAOs are being formed every day to change the status quo and provide autonomy in a decentralized manner. A lot of web3 projects and developers have chosen to build dApps on the Ethereum network because of its foresight in decentralization. In 2017, we worked with the Ethereum Foundation and Ethereum Name Service to enable ETH wallet pairing with .xyz domains. We did so because we have always supported the next generation, and I considered the developing ecosystem of web3 to be the next generation of the internet.

.XYZ is here to meet the consumer need for naming options with the consumer need for decentralization that blockchain-based technology and web3 is solving. The blockchain community really resonated with .xyz, which helped produce some of the most technologically advanced .xyz community members that we have today. Startups like Vega.xyz and Argent.xyz secured millions in funding to offer blockchain-based technology to their customers. As expected, our blockchain community has grown exponentially in the past few years, including many prominent NFT-based projects like DJ Steve Aoki’s a0k1verse.xyz and Kevin Rose’s NFT-themed podcast Proof.xyz. The growth extended to businesses designed to help brands and celebrities enter the world of web3, like Fox Entertainment’s BCL.xyz and Paramount Global’s Paramount.xyz.

So, we wanted to give back to the blockchain community, and worked on another project with the Ethereum Name Service. We developed eth.xyz, a service aimed to help ENS users share what they want with the world. It’s basically a bridge between Web2 and web3, easing those first steps into the future of the web. Here’s how it works: if you have a .eth name, you have a profile for it in the ENS manager. That profile can be a hub for all the important public information you want to be connected with your .eth name, like all of your NFTs, your wallet addresses, and more. With our eth.xyz service, all .eth name holders can display their ENS profiles in all web browsers by simply adding “.xyz” to the end of their “domain.eth” (ex: nick.eth.xyz). Automatically granted. No setup required. It’s pretty awesome! TechCrunch wrote specifically about how .xyz has become the default URL ending for many web3 companies.

Bella Hadid’s CY-B3LLA project being announced to her 51+ Million followers, and other organic influencers choosing to brand their next generation projects on a .xyz, are continuing to inspire the future to transpire on .xyz. We are here to accelerate this movement and inspire you to be bold and be part of this history.

WWs and the blockchain community

web3 companies and blockchain-based adopters have truly pushed .xyz to the front of the new technology landscape. So many futuristic entities chose .xyz in the early days, like the autonomous robot delivery service Starship.xyz or MIT’s Tough tech incubator Engine.xyz.

We feature cool end users weekly, and it just so happens that many of them recently have been blockchain-focused .xyz adopters. We chronicle them in our #WebsiteWednesday series, which you really should check out. Here are a few (and some of my personal favorites of the past year):

• Venture capitalist Kevin Rose’s NFT-themed podcast (Proof.xyz), and his several NFT projects (Moonbirds.xyz, Collective.Proof.xyz)
• Facebook Live creator Randi Zuckerberg’s web3 platform designed to embrace and empower all creators (TheHug.xyz)
• Social networking platform (Prysm.xyz) that connects amateur and experienced crypto investors to create a more transparent information network
• Acclaimed 3D digital artist and Nike, GLAAD, and Charli XCX collaborator Serwah Attafuah (Serwah.xyz)
• Record-breaking crypto VC firm (Paradigm.xyz) focused on web3 projects and emerging technology-focused platforms
• Sotheby’s-backed Web3 studio (Mojito.xyz) designs and operates NFT marketplaces for businesses and organizations
• Communication platform (NftyChat.xyz) that connects ENS users for a unique chat experience
• Paramount Global’s maiden voyage through the metaverse (StarTrek.xyz)

If you have a cool project you think is worthy of being highlighted send an email to our team hello [at] gen.xyz

1337

It started with 1 top level domain .xyz and we have since become the stewards of 33 top level domains. 1 + 7 = 8 That’s the best justification I have to make this section 1337.

In March, we introduced 10 more domain endings into the XYZ family: .Game, .Guitars, .Audio, .Christmas, .Diet, .Flowers, .Hosting, .Pics, .Mom, and .LOL. Along with .Homes, .Autos, .Motorcycles, .Boats, .Yachts, .Beauty, .Hair, .Skin, .Makeup, .Tickets, and .Quest, our new additions make 21 TLDs that XYZ has acquired / launched in a two-year period, bringing our Registry’s total offerings to 33.

Looking back, most people bet against me succeeding w/ .xyz, especially in the early days. The success has been so fruitful that we have been able to expand our portfolio and broaden our offerings to communities around the world. Over time we will expand our marketing teams and spread the word on these offerings and help cultivate a similar community across each namespace, like we did w/ .xyz. Our focus though still remains on .xyz. It will always be our primary offering.

Feels unreal that we have such an incredible portfolio of domain endings. While it’s hard to pick favorites, I am particularly excited to grow .lol, .game and .homes. I am excited to bring my passion & expertise to these strings.

The importance of an online presence

The past couple of years have demonstrated the utmost importance of launching ideas online in order to prosper during times of global crisis. This highlights the importance of the availability and universal application of a domain like .xyz. It gives everyone a chance to generate income and launch a business online with a domain name that is affordable, memorable, and flexible. Independent professionals and small businesses are now starting their businesses online, and can get up and running quickly with a memorable .xyz domain – and so many versatile options to choose from. Worldwide sales through ecommerce websites and online marketplaces increased overall in 2020, and spiked significantly due to Covid-19. Retail consumer goods ecommerce is forecast to have over a 1% annual growth rate, achieving a nearly 22% share of total global retail sales by 2024. As I’ve stated before, the boundless relevance of .xyz means that when your business pivots, your domain name can remain relevant.

Blog posts, Quarterly Reports, and now Domains Reports, too!

New members of the .xyz community can take advantage of the many educational Quarterly Reports that our team and our registrar partners share throughout the year. These cover everything from how to modernize your online presence to an overview of the fundamentals, including the importance of choosing a standout domain name. This past year, we also introduced the XYZ Registry Domains Report, which is where we share highlights from the previous month, including the highest aftermarket sales of the month. This data can be extremely encouraging and just the motivation you need to help you select your domain names and launch your small businesses, personal portfolios, and unique ideas. You can rely on .xyz to be the platform that supports innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs in any global climate.

Sidebar: If you would like to see us publish anything that’s not live now, or do things differently, drop us a note.

The data speaks for itself

As I think about our family of 33 TLDs, I’m proud to reflect on eight years of commitment and success for .xyz. Measuring success through data allows the data to speak for itself. There are over 4 million .xyz domains registered worldwide, approximately one million more than we had just two short years ago. Still, no other new TLD has more websites ranked in Alexa’s recently retired top 1,000,000 list than .xyz. We really are helping internet users everywhere stand out online, and we are now witnessing the flippening. .XYZ is one of the Top 10 TLDs in the world, and a top 4 Generic w/ my CNOX prediction coming true (.com, .net, .org, .xyz) and the #1 new gTLD. Over time you will watch us continue to climb the ranks of usage, and I believe that the order will be CX until the namespaces shift into XCON. It’s 2022 – write it down – and let’s come back to this in 30 years.

.XYZ’s commitment to a diverse community

While I love seeing the innovations coming from the blockchain community, I remain proud that .xyz’s diverse community consists of everyone from small independent startups and emerging talents, to some of the largest companies in the world. Our truly global reach is thanks in large part to our awesome registrar partners. I know how much our diverse end users contribute to the overall spread of the .xyz brand and mission. Our team considers .xyz adopters to be part of a community of forward-thinkers who are ushering in the flippening. For this reason, we feature our community of users as much as we can. We continue to feature .xyz adopters in everything our team makes, from blog posts and social media, to XYZ Quarterly Reports.

At XYZ we maintain an open and welcoming atmosphere to all groups of people – from our company core values to the end users of our products. We celebrate our differences and we root for those in underprivileged situations challenging the status quo. Our team here at XYZ recognizes the importance of bringing visibility to groups of people that are underrepresented in technology. We make it a part of our strategy to mindfully seek out and highlight users from groups beyond the predominant recipients of visibility. Here are a few I’d love for you to meet and share:

• Sole2Soul.xyz – family run nonprofit organization helping underserved youth
• Amindi.xyz – genre-bending music artist of Jamaican heritage from Los Angeles
• Unedited.xyz – Clothing brand created by Elio Rojas and Inés Sheero in Miami, FL
• Fingerspelling.xyz – ASL learning tool
• Pronouny.xyz – Pronoun sharing platform educating the world beyond gender-specific pronouns
• TheBlackArts.xyz – NFT project celebrating and supporting Black creativity
• IridescentWave.xyz – Web3 music blog “strongly featuring women &/or qpoc”
• Erindale.xyz – Artist who uses their skills to teach procedural workflows in Blender
• Za-Ningen.xyz – Tokyo-based alternative rock band
• SuperstarX.xyz – multimedia art collective destigmatizing being different
• Rocca.xyz – celebrating the artistry of LGBTQ+ and West African communities
• ForceofNature.xyz – youth-led nonprofit organization for climate action

Hackathons

The XYZ team has done even more to spread the mission of .xyz this year. Being that .xyz is a global domain built to empower the next generation of internet users, you’ll find the XYZ team making an impact on the world stage. XYZ supported 121 hackathons globally this year, and supplied young coders with a platform to launch their imaginative ideas and new projects. Through partnerships with organizations like Generation Girl, XYZ is empowering internet users to find their voice and make their dreams a reality.

The Anniversary Sale

Our focus remains on getting .xyz domain names in the hands of the innovators, dreamers and doers. In an effort to remain affordable and competitive, .xyz is increasing to $2. But for the next 8 days, in celebration of our anniversary, .xyz domains will be available for less than $1 (hopefully $0.88) at most retailers around the globe. The potential for creatives and forward- thinkers everywhere to bring their awesome ideas online is thriving.

Anti-Abuse

We continue to have a no tolerance policy for abuse in our zones, and shared our insights with Spamhaus on a series of blog posts. Our internally generated Anti-Abuse Technology has kept the XYZ namespace safe. .XYZ keeps a consistently lower badness score than many older domain extensions, according to Spamhaus. We continue to work with industry-leading partners to strictly enforce the XYZ Anti-Abuse Policy.

WAGMI

As the XYZ portfolio has greatly expanded, we look forward to helping people find what they are looking for on all of our domains. As internet growth continues to accelerate, .xyz will dedicate renewed effort into our portfolio of domain extensions. We will increase our partnership initiatives and develop relationships with organizations whose missions align with our own. We will continue to sponsor more Hackathons and provide opportunities to the next generation.

2022 is shaping up to be our strongest year yet. We have laid down our foundation as we witness the flippening before our very eyes, the number of .xyz websites across all markets will continue to grow and you will help propel the community to new heights.

Thank you to all the believers, supporters and haters alike. Together we will continue to challenge the status quo and inspire the future of naming to exist on .xyz.

Boom baby!

D