PALM BEACH – According to Forbes, 70.5% of consumers don’t trust newer alternative Internet domain names over legacy names. These figures, used in their recent article titled, “Strategies for Getting The Most Out Of Your New Domain Name” were cited from a survey of 1,000 people across the UK who represented a range of ages. Those surveyed were asked, “Do you trust companies with .co.uk and .com domains more than those with other newer domains like .eu, .biz, .net, .fashion, .london, .digital etc?”
What is not mentioned in the Forces article dated May 22, 2019, is that these survey figures are from a study conducted in 2016, just four short years after ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, began accepting ‘applications’ for new gTLDs.
It would seem more recent research should be cited when supported by “In fact” from a publication such as Forbes which published this particular story through its Forbes’s “Communications Council”, described as an invitation-only, fee-based organization for senior-level communications and public relations executives. Sounds sort of like a glorified press release created to cite its author.
If this survey were to be conducted more recently, three more years into new gTLD availability, do you believe these numbers would look different? And what’s with this Forbes Communications Council?
About The Author: John Colascione is Chief Executive of Internet Marketing Services Inc. He specializes in Website Monetization, authored a ‘how to’ book called ‘‘Mastering Your Website’, and is a key player in several Internet related businesses through his search engine strategy brand Searchen Networks®
When it comes to tech related topics, a survey conducted in 2016 is not a good source to cite in 2019. We would need a newer survey in this case.
Agreed. Especially in tech.
On the surface, three years old seems reasonable, but not in this environment, especially when it comes to a tending technology topic such as ngtlds, its the equivalent of citing decades old research to make a point.
There will always be an excuse as the why the survey is no good simply because of the results found.
Blind Freddie knows these names are not trustworthy, the results simply confirm the obvious.
Or maybe there will always be folks who insist that dated surveys still confirm everything.
It is not like new gTLDs or other obscure extensions have really gained much traction in the last 3 years. I would not expect the results in 2019 to be that different than in 2016.
Brad
I see your point, but Google is backing them and promoting them now, and there has been three more years for what is probably a small percentage of consumers to have seen or heard of them. Probably fairly little difference, but should account for something. Here is another 100,000 people who have heard of them, and this is a just tiny, tiny example of what has transpired over the last three years. I think it would fair to say that there is absolutely no doubt more people have heard and seen them by now, then back when this survey was taken. That video had 112,660 views when I pointed it out.
Google isn’t backing or promoting these any more than what happened with .mobi.
I suspect .mobi would be better know than any of them, doesn’t make for a trusted or used extension just because 1% has heard of it..
I agree with Brad about not much difference and could even be a larger percentage now for a multitude of reasons.
John, I think that if the poll were conducted today, the number of people who don’t trust gtld’s would be even higher. They.suck. The G’s were a failed experiment and the solid results are now in. Don’t shed a tear for those who use them and then… waa-waa… lose money.
.Stupid is as .stupid does.
They say, sometimes bad PR is better than no PR at all. Most domainers feel they were a ‘failed experiment’, however, consumers don’t know much outside of what they see and hear about, and for the most part, they do not read domainer opinion. They do read these types of Forbes articles though.
The “pet rock” was pretty stupid and served little purpose, but advertising executive Gary Dahl sold 1.5 million of them at $4 each.
clutching.at.straws
.com is like coke or pepsi, they r prominent in all of society and have been marketing for years so its ingrained in our heads, but that doesnt stop others from joining in the game hence alternative ngltd will be a norm soon enough and people will accept some and others not in time.
I think, with so many new extensions in the market now; that most people not in the business of domaining don’t have a clue as to what any of them mean. Whenever I go on my travels, I always ask people not in the business what are the domain extensions that they are aware of: The answer is always .COM plus the extension of the country they are from .FR – CO.UK – .DE etc.
So, I’ve been carrying out my own survey for many years and more or less concurs with the Forbes survey.