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Is social media the answer to the dot-brand problem?

Kevin Murphy, July 29, 2013, 18:49:39 (UTC), Domain Registries

With many dot-brand gTLD applicants still unsure about how they will use their new namespaces, the maker of the Kred reputation service is proposing social media as the answer.
Speaking to DI today, Kred CEO Andrew Grill said that one dot-brand applicant — a bank — has already committed to use parent company PeopleBrowsr’s new Social OS platform for its gTLD.
Social OS is being marketed as a way for companies to quickly launch their own social media networks along the lines of Facebook or LinkedIn.
Dot-brands would be able to own the customer relationship and get access to much more data about their users than they get with the limited “Like”-oriented Facebook platform, Grill said.
End users would be able to use these vertical networks using their existing social media log-in credentials, he said.
The company plans to use the platform in its own gTLD, .ceo, which it has applied for uncontested.
Grill said he talked to about 100 people at the recent ICANN meeting in Durban and expects to come away with five to 10 additional customers for the Social OS platform.
While the value proposition for new gTLD owners seems fairly reasonable, in general I’m quite skeptical about the internet’s need for more social media sites.
Any such service operated by a dot-brand would have to have a fairly compelling value proposition for end users.
Grill said that a car maker, for example, could use its own gTLD social media network to keep in touch with its customers — giving them a second-level domain when they buy one of its vehicles.
A bank, meanwhile, could offer services such as customer-to-customer transaction apps for users who have second-level domains in its gTLD. If registrations were limited to existing banking customers, a greater level of security would be baked in from the start, he said.

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Comments (2)

  1. Rubens Kuhl says:
    July 29, 2013 at 8:00 pm

    I only see banks letting their own clients (like merchants) using . gTLD if they are not using it, preferring .bank, .secure or some other limited registration TLD for their operations.

    Reply
  2. Christa Taylor says:
    July 30, 2013 at 11:30 pm

    Having brands use their TLD to create a community offers a unique way to engage with customers. Think of .BMW and the potential communities.
    – BMW owners – you get your own domain and e-mail when you get the keys, and access to the BMW owner’s network with exclusive deals and offers only available to BMW owners.
    – Potential BMW owners could see what others are saying about the car – perhaps ask existing owners questions.
    – People who could never afford a BMW but are fans, could join a BMW fans network and keep in touch, learn about the technology, etc.
    Now is the time for brands to develop unique ways of adding REAL value to their customers. The possibilities are exciting!

    Reply

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