I suspect the new top level domain, .XXX, has not been a major talking point among readers of Direct Mail Secrets since it became available.

But it seems that a number of non-adult entertainment companies are buying the domain, to protect their brand.  Indeed a report recently from PC Magazine said that some universities have “spent thousands of dollars acquiring .XXX domain names related to their own names.” 

One organization, Morality in Media, is asking the American Congress to step in, by requiring purchasers of an .XXX domain to first get the permission of whoever might hold the same name in other established domains.  But action seems unlikely.

As a way to fight all forms of cyber squatting it is now possible to buy websites which end in your firm’s own name.  But it is incredibly expensive.

The general feeling in the UK seems to be that people like web sites and emails that end .co.uk and the like.  However I’ve experimented over the years with sites that end in other domains – and have found that the more unusual ones can create a talking point.

The web site we have for school email address lists (www.emails.gs ) invariably leads to a chat about “where is .gs” – (answer South Georgia).

I did for a while tell people that our site www.theory.bz  actually relates to Belsize Park in London (the only part of London with its own web address) but then I found someone believed me, so had to stop that.

You can stay in touch with our thoughts on direct marketing each day on www.blog.hamilton-house.com  and on Twitter @HHMailings

Tony Attwood
01536 399 000