If Google has its way we will soon see .Lol, .Google, .Docs and .Youtube domain names available for use. The internet search giant has submitted approximately 50 domain name extension requests to the Internet Corporation for the Assignment of Web Names and Numbers(ICANN), the agency that overseas domain name use and extensions for internet websites located around the world.
The cost per application is not cheap at $185,000 each which means Google has already spent nearly $10 million just for the possibility of receiving use of the new domains.
ICANN is planning to make a huge expansion of top-level Internet domains from its current 28 offerings. Currently the organization has received more than 1,900 applications for various domains.
In a blog post Google’s chief Internet evangelist Vint Cert says the company is “just beginning to explore this potential source of innovation on the web,” and “by opening up more choices for Internet domain names, we hope people will find options for more diverse—and perhaps shorter—signposts in cyberspace.”
It is not clear exactly why Google wants to control all of the top-level domain names they have chosen, although Cert says the .lol name is one that Google believes holds “interesting and creative potential” for the future. Other choices such as .Docs and .YouTube make sense for the company as they continue to expand the Google Docs and YouTube brands with new content features.
In the meantime, would you be willing to purchase a .LOL domain name or perhaps take advantage of the .Doc option for future projects?
