It's easy to forget that many of today's internet successes began with a few friends, an idea and a passion to make a change, but the reality is that we are surrounded by them. Google started life a student research project in 1996; Twitter's origins lie in a "day-long brainstorming session"; and Gumtree began as a local London classified ads and community site. This list is endless...
The next two years are going to bring about one of the biggest changes the internet has ever seen, and most online businesses and web users don't even know what's on their horizon. With in excess of 1,000 new domain name extensions being launched globally, there is no doubt that this will cause a lot of confusion and increase competition for many British businesses. But a relatively small number of early adopters will be showing us new ways to encourage internet users to contribute, create and consume experiences.
Our world today is a consumer market, constantly looking to own or use the latest technology, always wanting something new and while the domain name world as we know it today has grown at an astonishing rate, in effect it has only got bigger. The domain name world has to continually change and evolve for innovation to continue.
I have my reservations regarding major brands being allowed to own a domain name extension for their "exclusive use" and I have worried that we are about to see the silent privatisation of the internet, making it even harder for many of the small businesses struggling to survive, to compete online. But, the optimistic view I'm now starting to toy with is that the domain name explosion that's almost upon us will create innovations and I'll be watching the market to see what they do.
Ten years from now, I'm confident we will be using the internet in visionary and innovative ways we can't even dream of yet, and that most of these exciting avenues will have been created by a few friends with a passion to make a change.
Kelly Salter is domain product management and registry relations for Namesco Limited
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