The new .xxx domain

Sorry, but there are just some things we won't show here.


Well now there is yet another new kind of TLD (top level domain), this one, the new .XXX TLD, is dedicated to the porn industry. Actually, the domain is fairly old — it was suggested a number of years ago, but was only recently approved by ICANN, so that we are only now seeing people move to this new domain.

Would You Want It Though?

I imagine that by the time you read this, porn.xxx, slut,xxx, babes.xxx and all the other really juicy domains will have been taken. The question is however, would you, if you happen to operate in the adult entertainment business, even want to own a domain under the .xxx TLD?
The thing is, porn has two kinds of people looking at it — those who specifically searched for it and those who happened to stumble across it and who were just so enthralled that they decided to stay, even though they didn’t really intend to look.

Might Be Good for Searchers

For those who are specifically look for porn, the new .xxx TLD could be a great deal for owners of such sites — you can target to your audience and probably purchase some better domains than if you were to go with a traditional .com. I’m sure for example that by now someone has registered gay.xxx to target that audience with material they are looking for.

Bad for The Casual User

The thing is, I don’t think the .xxx TLD is going to become widely popular for less desirable domains. First of all, using such a domain will eliminate the chance for adult entertainment operators to get stumble upon business (famously for example, those who were looking for the hotmail service would find a very different piece of online real estate if they accidentally typed in hotmale.com).
Plus, I’m sure that some operators of adult sites have also benefited from having relatively innocuous sounding names for their sites for those who wanted to be more discreet. I think White-House.com for example used to be such a site and those who were caught looking always had a great out by saying that they were really looking for the president’s home.

The .Biz Example

Another reason I think it’s going to be a flop is the example of the .biz TLD. That domain was created in order to take some of the pressure off of the popular .com domain. Do you know of a site that actually uses .biz though? Neither do I.
So bottom line, I don’t think the .xxx domain is going to have much impact, except to ensure that those who do use it will see their sites better blocked by the smut filters which are designed to keep children away from material they shouldn’t look at.