While the change was announced at the Geo Domain Expo, Associated Cities has officially announced that it will now be known as Associated Geos. The change comes as the organization is now permitting state and country .com owners to become members.
From today’s release:
“The 2008 GeoDomain Expo served as the official launching pad of Associated Geos. Formerly known as Associated Cities, this industry-defining membership organization now welcomes the participation and imagination of GeoDomainers who own and operate developed state dot-coms and country dot-coms.
Five years after Associated Cities was drawn up on a cocktail napkin by GeoDomain pioneers Josh Metnick (Chicago.com) and Skip Hoagland (Atlanta.com and others), the membership-driven organization on July 11, 2008 announced its plans to welcome owners of state dot-coms and country dot-coms under the new banner of Associated Geos.
Those interested in joining the organization must own and operate a developed GeoDomain that represents a city, state or country (examples include LosAngeles.com, Chicago.com and Cuba.com respectively). The GeoDomain must also be a dot-com. Associated Geos currently represents more than 110 city dot-coms that attract more than 7 million monthly page views and 60 million monthly impressions. The expanded organization will welcome dot-coms from 50 states and 365 nations.”
Read the rest of the release on the Associated Cities website. I would also recommend that the organization do a redirect of AssociatedGeos.com to the Associated Cities website until they are ready to launch. Just a friendly suggestion 🙂
I thought this was a great idea at the expo but I’m wondering if it would be a bit competitive since in theory each state would have pages for the cities thus making a duplicate…but I think its a good step overall.
Great move by AC, or I guess I should say AG! I think this will broaden the membership of Associated Geos in a positive way. This should provide a great boost for the short and long term goal of attacting more national adverrtsiers. As for potential competition amongst members, I think it will make us all better and will increase the reach for advertisers. A great move by a Assoociated!
Extremely positive move! I think it will be competitve as well yet complimentary being, if all is truely becoming more “Local” then City.com will be solid regardless.
The positive on the additions of State.com & Country.com will have the partner banner including City.com sites(as MC said to me once “It will hit alot more eyeballs”)
Coopetition–at least in this biz/domain category–is logical and sensible.
Congratulations to their leadership and members for a wise and prescient move.
Great stuff for the future of the geo domain industry. Congrats AG.
Glad to see this progress.
Great move. It can now accomodate membership applicants that have country, state, county, town, territory and even island geo domain names.
Elliot,
“I would also recommend that the organization do a redirect of AssociatedGeos.com to the Associated Cities website until they are ready to launch.”
This is not a good idea. If their plan is to switch to the new domain, they should leave it on the parked page or take it offline completely until they are ready to switch.
The reason is, once they are ready to switch, they can 301 all pages of the old domain to the new one and the SE’s will simply update all their listing and leave their rank in tact, realizing that the site has just changed domains.
-Richard
GWN: According to their announcement, membership is limited to cities, states, and countries; so holders of the .coms of counties, territories, etc would not qualify.
It does leave the question, though, of whether other countries’ “US state-like equivalents” could become members.
Perhaps Elliot or one of the other members could clarify.
Yes, others are being considered. I know that Canadian provinces (Calgary.com, etc) can join.