Al Gore wants to create a new top level .ECO domain

[Simon]

Al Gore wants to create a new top level .ECO domain: http://www.dotecotld.com

What do you think? Is a new .eco domain extension a good idea or will it fail? Would you get a .eco domain?

Press release below:

Dot Eco LLC Partners with Al Gore and The Alliance for Climate Protection to Secure the .eco Top Level Domain

The Alliance for Climate Protection to Promote .eco and will Receive Charitable Contributions from the Operation of the TLD

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, Mar. 4 -- Dot Eco LLC (www.dotecotld.com), the applicant for the new .eco top level domain, today announced it has entered into an integrated partnership with former Vice President Al Gore and his philanthropy, the Alliance for Climate Protection (www.climateprotect.org), to secure and promote the .eco top level domain.

.eco will be established for individuals to express their support for environmental causes, for companies to promote their environmental initiatives, and for environmental organizations to maintain their websites in a namespace that is more relevant to their core missions. By charter, a majority of the profits of the .eco initiative will be distributed to support environmental causes.

“We fully support Dot Eco LLC in its efforts to secure the .eco top level domain through the ICANN application process and look forward to working with Dot Eco LLC to promote .eco. This is a truly exciting opportunity for the environmental movement and for the internet as a whole,” said Al Gore.

Added Cathy Zoi, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection: “The .eco initiative, as proposed by Dot Eco LLC, is a unique approach for fundraising for nonprofit environmental organizations such as ours. We are thrilled to be working with Dot Eco LLC to generate funds for our organization and to promote awareness of climate change.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to be working with Al Gore and Cathy Zoi on the .eco initiative,” said Fred Krueger, CEO of Dot Eco LLC. “We are confident that we will generate substantial funds for the Alliance for Climate Protection to promote their efforts to increase awareness of climate change.”

“We believe that this initiative represents an example of the type of compelling top level domains made possible by ICANN’s new gTLD application process,” added Krueger.

The advisory board of Dot Eco LLC includes Davis Guggenheim (director of An Inconvenient Truth), Roger Moore (renowned actor and Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF), Richard Muller (Author of Physics for Future Presidents and contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and Jim Dufour of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Dot Eco LLC was founded in 2008 by Fred Krueger and Clark Landry to secure, operate and promote the .eco top level domain in order to promote environmental initiatives and awareness. Dot Eco LLC will be applying for the .eco top level domain through the ICANN gTLD application process in late 2009.

[mountainhiker]

What do you think? Is a new .eco domain extension a good idea or will it fail? Would you get a .eco domain?

I think it depends on how you define "fail". You will see quite a few in the rabid side of the eco movement get one just because it would be the "politically correct" thing to have. But will businesses go for it in a big way and why? Will it cost more than a normal domain? Keep in mind these are not normal times from a financial standpoint and people are now being forced to look at the cost of "going green" in a time when that may mean pushing up the cost of energy with no clear payback.

[brettbh]

ICANN are planning to increase the number of gTLDs from the current 16 to between 200 and 800. Basically, anybody with $185,000 in their pocket will be able to register their own gTLD. So, walmart.com could become shop.walmart and, if Simon has enough $s, enviro-space.com could become forum.enviro-space.

It's an extraordinarily bad idea.

[Simon]

I don't think the cost is any problem. The biggest problem would be for the visitors to remember all the new strange domain extensions. I mean some people find it hard to even remember the dash in Enviro-Space.com.. And I still have it hard to remember that many sites these days use a .EU extension... :blink:

[brettbh]

I don't think the cost is any problem. The biggest problem would be for the visitors to remember all the new strange domain extensions. I mean some people find it hard to even remember the dash in Enviro-Space.com.. And I still have it hard to remember that many sites these days use a .EU extension...

The cost is actually a good thing as it should act as an obstacle to scammers. The downside is, as you pointed out, the confusion that it will cause - and that will actually help scammers!

[Layla]

I agree that people may find it difficult to remember the different extensions...

.eco might be a nice idea - trouble is, if many companies would use it for greenwashing?

(especially if it were more expensive than .com or others)

for example, the companies trying to look 'green' would buy the .eco & try to present themselves as 'green'-?!!

would there be special criteria who can get a .eco domain name?

(if only really green people/organizations or businesses could get it, & it would cost the same as .com, it might be okay..?)

who would determine who can get it though?

[brettbh]

would there be special criteria who can get a .eco domain name?

$$$$s probably!

[Simon]

$$s probably!

I am not so sure about the special criterias that may, or may not, come along with a .eco domain name. But I doubt it will cost loads of money to register the domain. After all, the majority of the income generated from the domain sales will be donated to environmental causes:

".eco will be established for individuals to express their support for environmental causes, for companies to promote their environmental initiatives, and for environmental organizations to maintain their websites in a namespace that is more relevant to their core missions. By charter, a majority of the profits of the .eco initiative will be distributed to support environmental causes."

Sure, the .eco domain, if it becomes a reality, will probably cost a bit more than todays domains. But not more than "average" people will be able to afford it. That's what I hope anyways! :cute:

[Michelle Goes Green]

A great idea for use with "green" sites, just like using .edu, .gov, etc. Why not? I would definitely use it with my "green" site.

[Simon]

A great idea for use with "green" sites, just like using .edu, .gov, etc. Why not? I would definitely use it with my "green" site.

If the .eco domains doesn't cost any extreme amounts of cash I will probably buy green-blog.eco and enviro-space.eco. I won't replace the old URLs with these. I will just keep them redirecting to the .org and .com addresses, just like I've done with the green-blog.net URL.

[brettbh]

I am not so sure about the special criterias that may, or may not, come along with a .eco domain name. But I doubt it will cost loads of money to register the domain. After all, the majority of the income generated from the domain sales will be donated to environmental causes:

".eco will be established for individuals to express their support for environmental causes, for companies to promote their environmental initiatives, and for environmental organizations to maintain their websites in a namespace that is more relevant to their core missions. By charter, a majority of the profits of the .eco initiative will be distributed to support environmental causes."

Whoops! I misread! So, Dot Eco LLC will be shelling out for the gTLD and then donating a portion (not all!) of the profits it receives from licensing ECO domains. Still not worthwhile or in the least bit green, IMO!