Spotting a gay-friendly business on the Internet might get a lot easier next year if two GLBT groups have their way. Domain names with the ending “.gay” could start appearing as early as 2010.Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that authorizes which domain names may be used for the Internet, has agreed to expand the ending words for websites from the 21 current options to limitless possibilities. Currently, domain names may the two, three, or four letter words, including the most common “.com,” “.net,” and “.org,” as well as newer options “.info,” “.mobi” and “.tv”.The DotGayAlliance in New York and dotGay in San Francisco have already launched campaigns to purchase the rights to the “.gay” domain.Whichever group ends up winning the right to own this entity will have a $185,000 price tag for the name itself plus about $500,000 a year to operate it. However, both groups have stated that 50 percent of their profits from the sale of Internet websites with the gay ending will go to GLBT charities.Should the idea be approved, anybody who wants to have a “.gay” at the end of their domain will pay to do so. Therefore, GLBT charities could benefit greatly: for instance, if web sites in the multi-million dollar gay porn industry switched to the “.gay” domain, the move cold generate millions of dollars in charitable donations.
Spotting a gay-friendly business on the Internet might get a lot easier next year if two GLBT groups have their way. Domain names with the ending “.gay” could start appearing as early as 2010.
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that authorizes which domain names may be used for the Internet, has agreed to expand the ending words for websites from the 21 current options to limitless possibilities. Currently, domain names may the two, three, or four letter words, including the most common “.com,” “.net,” and “.org,” as well as newer options “.info,” “.mobi” and “.tv”.
The DotGayAlliance in New York and dotGay in San Francisco have already launched campaigns to purchase the rights to the “.gay” domain.
Whichever group ends up winning the right to own this entity will have a $185,000 price tag for the name itself plus about $500,000 a year to operate it. However, both groups have stated that 50 percent of their profits from the sale of Internet websites with the gay ending will go to GLBT charities.
Should the idea be approved, anybody who wants to have a “.gay” at the end of their domain will pay to do so. Therefore, GLBT charities could benefit greatly: for instance, if web sites in the multi-million dollar gay porn industry switched to the “.gay” domain, the move cold generate millions of dollars in charitable donations.
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