

Ask HN: How do people respond to your .io domain name? - lrm

For those of you with .io domain names, how do people in the "real world" (i.e., people who aren't very tech-savvy) respond to them? Have you gotten any positive or negative feedback? Any misunderstandings or confusion?
======
fbuilesv
This is just one data point: I was planning to use a .io domain for an online
fashion store. I talked to several customers and asked how they felt about a
domain ending in .io. ~30% of them thought it looked weird or plain "fishy".

If you're trying to sell something directly to people (especially physical
good or stuff where you don't get a trial) I'd try to stay away from them.
They seem handy for URL shorteners and techie stuff.

------
nickbarnwell
I use it for hosting my resume, a personal link shortener, and shortcut to my
GitHub page. I've handed it out to recruiters and other people in tech, and
more broadly, to some clients who are less than tech-savvy. Generally it's
been well-received, but it helps that it's wicked short and much easier to
recall than my old domain.

------
whoputitthere
I originally thought you actually needed to be situated in the Indian Ocean in
order to get a .io domain. It might lead to some confusion (although I assume
the tech savvy generally look at the TLD).

~~~
sharth
It appears that you must be a resident to have a domain like foo.com.io, but
there are no restrictions on foo.io.

That is no extra restrictions. They do have this in their terms (most notably,
for any purpose against the laws of any nation):

No .IO domain may be used, directly or indirectly, for any purpose that is
sexual or pornographic or that is against the statutory laws of any Nation. In
the event of NIC.IO being advised by any party that a specific site breaches
this condition then NIC.IO reserves the right to immediately deactivate the
offending registration. The applicant may seek the reinstatement of any
suspended domain name by seeking a determination by an Arbitrator appointed by
the World Intellectual Property organisation.

