This Week's Featured New TLD is .Guru

MADISON, Wis. - Jan. 2, 2014 - PRLog -- A Top Level Domain (TLD) is the text to the right of the final dot in a domain name.  For example, the .com TLD is the most popular TLD today.  At present, there are just 22 generic TLDs - like .Com and .Biz - to choose from when buying a domain name.  However, in 2012, ICANN held an historic application round inviting companies from around the world to apply to create new TLDs.  1,930 applicaitons for new TLDs were filed in ICANN's historic 2012 application round.  Applications were filed for generic TLDs, like .Buzz and .Shop, for branded TLDs, like .GAP and .AAA, and for geographic TLDs like .London and .Berlin.

Donuts, Inc. - through its subsidiary companies - applied for more TLDs than any other organization. Donuts, Inc. applied for 307 TLDs including .Shop, .Web, .Email and .Guru.

The .Guru TLD is a general purpose TLD that can be used for business or recreational purposes.  Donuts, Inc., through its subsidiary company Pioneer Cypress, LLC, was the sole applicant for the .Guru TLD.  The .Guru TLD quickly passed ICANN's evaluation process, and the .Guru Registry Agreement was signed with ICANN on August 27, 2013. The .Guru TLD is currently in the sunrise phase, and domains within the .Guru TLD are expected to go on sale to the public on January 29, 2014.

We recently had a chance to catch up with Mason Cole, VP Communications & Industry Relations for Donuts, Inc. to discuss the .Guru TLD.

DotAnything: How do you envision domains within the .guru TLD being used?

Donuts, Inc.: "The direct answer is we don't envision much about its use -- the customers will do the envisioning themselves. We liked the TLD, but Donuts' job is simply to adhere to our plan of opening up new and relevant Internet namespace for anyone to use lawfully. That has been our plan since the beginning, and it certainly hasn't changed. .GURU can be used in all kinds of ways -- while the word suggests knowledge and teaching, it is used commercially and in other contexts."

DotAnything: What made you decide to apply for the .guru TLD?

Donuts, Inc.: We started with a list of approximately 3,000 candidate names and eventually narrowed the list to the 307 for which we applied. That narrowing was based on extensive analysis we conducted on each potential name, which helped inform us about what would make sense for the marketplace and what kinds of names customers would be looking for. .GURU made it through that process -- plus, it's a name we liked and believe will be attractive to registrants of all kinds.

DotAnything: Will Donuts have a founders program for .guru?

Donuts, Inc.: "No. Following the sunrise process for trademark holders, names will be open for general availability. Some are subject to premium pricing, based on the inherent value of the name's potential usage."

Pre-register for your .guru domain today at http://www.DotAnything.co.