ccTLD

Tomorrow is a   big day for the .CO Registry, as they will be publicly launching in the afternoon at 2pm EST. People will begin finding out if the .CO domain names they ordered were secured by their domain registrars, and others will learn more information about auctions and domain availability.

I received an email from the .CO Registry with some impressive news and updates I thought I would share.

• Nearly 40,000 .CO domain names have been sold in the pre-launch phase
• 70% of the worlds top 500 brands have secured .CO domains
• The first public domain auction sold for $81,000 USD (www.e.CO)
• The Registry will be announcing its second public sale this week for six figures.   This may be the domain name Mike Berkens mentioned yesterday.

I know a number of people who are buying .CO domain names, and I personally back ordered around 10 or 12 of them. I am not making a huge investment right now (aside from the development cost of the Founders Program name I was awarded), but I think this extension is going to strong results.

As I’ve said here in the past relating to .CO and other extensions, I’d rather invest heavily when I see the money rolling in and a solid aftermarket formed, even if it means less upside. There’s less risk when names begin selling for high values on the aftermarket.

Surprisingly to me, nobody correctly guessed the Founders Program domain name I was awarded; however, I am not going to reveal the domain name yet until it’s in my possession. Hopefully that will be soon and development will start ASAP.

I’m sure you’ve read about .CO domain names by now, but if you would like to take action but haven’t yet, this should serve as a reminder that the general availability date is Tuesday, July 20, 2010. If you are interested in buying a domain name that will be sought after by many, you should ensure that your order is placed ASAP.

According to NameJet, where preorders close at 8pm on July 19:

“General Availability, which means the normal registration period for .CO where no trademarks are required, will open at precisely 11:00 am PDT, July 20, 2010. It’s important to get your names in early before the pre-order queue closes.

.CO is the new domain extension that offers people and companies more choice in branding their online presence with a truly global, recognizable, and credible domain name. It’s the online space where people can fulfill their dreams and the world’s next great enterprises will have a home.”

The .CO Registry has already awarded their domain names as part of the Founders Program, and my proposal was approved, so I was awarded a .CO domain name. More on that later on, but for now, if you want to pre-order .CO domain names, the time to do so is now.