The first major City TLD project, .BERLIN has now been in the works for several years. We discuss the advantages of a City TLD with DotBerlin CEO Dirk Krischenowski.
Dirk Krischenowski, CEO of dotBERLIN
Where does the idea for a .BERLIN TLD come from?
The idea of "city TLDs" is a general one that I cannot claim for my own. I see my role as more that of a catalyst to make .BERLIN happen. Getting a project like .BERLIN off the ground often depends on being in the right place at the right time and having the right circumstances. My personal involvement dates back to 1999 when the idea for a first round of new TLDs was being considered within ICANN. Others like Paul Garrin in NYC where thinking the same. There were two .NYC applications in the 2000 round and Tom Lowenhaupt filed a resolution for .NYC at the local Queens council in 2001. Then, from 2001 to 2005, when we showed up at ICANN Luxembourg, nothing much happened. Seeing .CAT, .ASIA, or .EU got me thinking of .BERLIN once again.
What stage is the .BERLIN project at?
We're currently in a late stage of negotiations with the Berlin Senate and hope to see an official communication within the next couple of weeks on .BERLIN. This is a very important part of the project and needs special attention. Apart from that, we are ready to file an application when it becomes possible.
What promotion has there been around .BERLIN?
The City of Berlin used www.sei.berlin(in English: www.be.berlin) in its official advertising for the “BE BERLIN” campaign in TV and print media. Yes it was a mistake by the city’s PR agency, but it showed how .BERLIN is already in people's heads. It was only after we noticed the mistake that they changed the campaign's domain to www.sei.berlin.de.
Which public and private sponsors are helping you to promote .BERLIN?
We're getting help from the Berlin Tourist Marketing Agency, Chambers and Guilds, Yellow pages, Internet Providers and Hotels. You can see a complete list at this link. There’s also a strong word of mouth effect, especially in the creative industry sector. Market research we conducted in early 2007 showed a 13% awareness of .BERLIN among Internet users (around 4,000 people of all ages, education and sex were interviewed). Today, I expect that number would be much higher.
Do you think a City TLD project can really be a fully private initiative?
Why not? Many ccTLDs and gTLDs are operated by private enterprises, and very successfully so, as domains like .COM, .DE or .UK have shown. Of course, every privately operated ccTLD has close contacts to the local government and this will also be the case with future City TLDs. As far as I know, all the private City TLD initiatives that exist already are in close contact with their respective city governments and authorities. This is important because the cities themselves will be among the biggest users and promoters for names like MAIRIE.PARIS, TAXOFFICE.LONDON, COURTS.BERLIN…
How do you think City TLDs are different from gTLDs?
The most important in my mind is that compared to gTLDs or even ccTLDs, City TLDs create true local identities and allow people to use the full name of the place where they live.
What are the advantages of City TLDs?
They give their city a sustainable competitive advantage and an ideal advertising tool. They strengthen, support and complement the city's brand and its portal if it has one. They will give better and more refined search engine results for the city, its businesses and its individuals. This is crucial as search becomes more localised. And finally, City TLDs will create a large value chain for their city by generating millions of dollars in revenue.
What specific advantages does .BERLIN give Berliners and Berlin lovers worldwide?
The most important point here is getting a local identity on the Internet. Over 130,000 second-level domains already contain the term “berlin”. That's a very strong argument for a .BERLIN top-level domain. Internet users will benefit from easier to access local content, from government services to local products. Examples such as www.hotel.berlin www.hotel.berlin, www.taxi.berlin, www.senate.berlin speak for themselves!
What do you think of ICANN's first Draft Applicant Guidebook?
A lot of good quality work has gone into it. It's much better than what we had in 2004. It is a good example of what 3 years of bottom-up multi-stakeholder discussions can produce. But we have doubts that the proposed timeline can be stuck to. We also think the application and annual fees are way too high. We made a public comment highlighting this during ICANN's comment period.
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