

Securing the .app gTLD for the mobile app software development community - rjstelling
https://dotappapp.com/

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masnick
I use ".me" for my personal domain/email and I still get strange looks about
this TLD from anyone outside the tech community. E.g. I give my email address
to a clerk at a clothing store and I have to convince him that .me is a valid
domain ending.

This makes me think it will take a while before it makes sense for companies
to embrace the new anything-TLDs as their main web presence. The last thing
you want to do is confuse potential customers who are trying to go to your
website.

Perhaps .app customers are savvy enough for this not to be a problem, though I
don't see why any company would want to take this risk unless there were
really no acceptable .com's.

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icebraining
Yeah, I would've bought a .name if I was confident that people wouldn't be
confused.

On the other hand, I don't quite see the purpose of a new TLD for websites,
it's pretty clear that nobody types URLs anymore. Sure, it's a new namespace,
so you can choose the name you want, but on the other hand, colliding with a
.com can cause confusion in searches, so I wouldn't risk it.

~~~
masnick
Your URL has to at least contain your company name. If it doesn't, your
customers would be confused by your email addresses and what popped up in the
address bar when they use Google to find your website.

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wccrawford
I have to wonder if this wouldn't be better if investors had some expectation
of what they can expect from their money other than handing the .app domain to
this ... organization.

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joejohnson
Can anyone explain why ICANN is charging $185K? Where did they get this number
from and why is it so high?

Something about paying so much for something that I feel should cost next to
nothing to produce seems like a scam. I really can't wait for the day when the
DNS is open and distrubuted so one central body (or Verisign) can't have a
monopoly on a public good.

~~~
capnrefsmmat
When you buy the TLD, you're not just reserving it for your own use -- you're
signing up to operate a registry which will allow anyone else to purchase
domains under your TLD. ICANN wants verification that you have sufficient
funds to run a registry, for one thing.

They're also a non-profit organization, and they seek the fees to support all
the copyright arbitration and legal wrangling that will eventually ensue over
the new TLDs.

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jawns
I betcha this project would have more legitimacy if it were hosted on
Kickstarter, which previously raised tons of money for Diaspora.

What this really highlights to me is that the web needs a well-made
transaction service that is geared toward contingent pledges -- essentially,
you pledge money contingent on, say, some minimum total raised, and if the
goal isn't hit, you get your money back.

Currently, the major credit card companies' policies make this type of service
difficult; there is a relatively short permitted window of time between
payment authorization and payment processing.

But if there were an escrow-type service that could collect conditional
pledges; hold on to the money in an interest-bearing account; and process
payments/refunds, depending on whether the condition is fulfilled ... it would
open up a world of possibilities for fundraisers by giving potential
donors/investors confidence that their money will only go to viable projects.

~~~
rjstelling
Kickstarter refused to host it because the target was so high.

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tomp
why not use it for general apps, i.e. simple application packages installable
on any number of platforms? I see no reason why mobile apps should be
privileged in any way, and really, aren't we witnessing a general movement
towards making the same apps available on many platforms?

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vlad99
The project as it is will fail big time. 1.Nobody will top up some $500k to an
anonymous. 2.There's not much details for any legal matter, are we making some
kind of an association or what? 3.In the end this .app domain might make
profits, if so, will we see any?

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teadrinker
It's possible enough idiots will fall for it to make a nice payday.

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samuelkadolph
Sounds like someone didn't read the guidelines for this. Raising the $185k is
peanuts compared to what else you need. Over the 6+ months you have to prove
to ICANN that you have the technical and financial ability to run a registrar
which will be able to handle the number of customers you expect.

No group of donators will be able to do this without the support of a major
company.

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edwardy20
The thing about TLDs is that everyone thinks this one will be the next big
thing...then when it comes out people just shrug and continue to use .com.
Remember .name? .mobi? .biz? .info? .xxx? .tel?

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npollock
There needs to be some disclosure regarding the team behind the initiative.
Who am I trusting with my money? Put a list of team members on the site, links
to their linkedin/twitter etc.

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mbrit
This is an excellent comment - we'll fix this next week.

We have been caught on the hop somewhat by how popular this has been.

I'm the point man on this - Matthew Baxter-Reynolds, <http://about.me/mbrit>,
@mbrit and mabr@dotappapp.com.

~~~
mbrit
We have also formed a company in the UK to handle the operations - .app Ltd,
registered in England number 07869623.

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ignifero
Why pay more money to the ICANN? obscure names+google+app marketplaces for the
win.

