Get ready for the end of the "dot com" era. No, I'm not predicting the demise of the Internet. To the contrary, eGovernment is alive and growing rapidly. But our names may change - specifically the domain names.
According to USA Today, get ready for a "scramble for desirable addresses, called top-level domains...." Popular domain names may even be auctioned off.
As mentioned in the article, this issue has many security implications, such as the filtering of URLs that may eventually be created and any ethical issues that may surround this topic.
ICANN's press announcement describes the historic decision made in late June in Paris and answers some typical questions. The final implementation plan is expected out in early 2009. Contact information is also provided to get more details.
Need help picking website names for home or work? Websites have popped up to help us choose the best names. Although this advice applies to the entire URL, it is also an interesting starting point for the domain name discussion. Advice includes making site names: meaningful, uniquely identifying, memorable, manually reproducible and special.
So should governments stick with the ".gov" domains or the older "state.xyz.us" format or join in the new domain name revolution? I expect this debate will start to heat up over the coming months. On one side, a trusted ".gov" domain can help ensure the site is official. On the other side, more specific domain names for various topics that may more accurately address citizen needs and offer public/private alternatives that help e-Government in new ways.
This issue is not entirely new. In Michigan, we have www.Michigan.gov for most e-Government interaction, but www.Michigan.org for travel. Hundreds of other examples like this exists all over the country, along with specific redirects from various names to the official government domains.
My gut reaction: we will gradually get government domain names joining other categories over the next decade, but adoption will be slow. Plenty of questions abound, but get ready for more change in this brave new web.
What are your thoughts?
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I wonder if you're overlooking an obvious blend of the new, more targeted domain name style and the old. Why not register a domain name that is more intuitive and then have it redirect to a trusted .gov domain?
My employer recently did a more narrow version of this. They had a .net address, but wanted the .com address. So when the .com address became available, they bought it and now the older domain (the one I remember most readily) points to the newer one seemlessly.