.Me and .Pro Domain Names to Go on Sale

Beginning tomorrow (July 17), GoDaddy will offer .me domains in open registration. The registrar and hosting provider hopes that people will sign up for two reasons: 1. to have their own name as their domain and 2. to have more control over their email address.

“‘I want my name as a domain name’ is something I hear often from Internet users,” said GoDaddy.com CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “DotME not only gives everyone a chance to register their own name, but provides the perfect domain for expressing themselves.”

Next Monday, July 21 at 12pm EST, Encirca will sell .pro domains (pdf) as part of the relaunch of the extension. Only licensed professionals can register .pro domains.

“We enthusiastically support the re-launch of dot-pro,” says Thomas Barrett, President of EnCirca, the leading dot-pro registrar. “These long overdue changes will open the door for businesses representing over 1,100 licensed professions, from every country in the world, to establish their Internet brand identity with the .pro domain name.”

Previously, the .pro domain was only available for four types of professionals in four countries, but now the domain is available to many more professions in hundreds of countries. Examples of eligible licensed professionals include:

* Lawyers
* Accountants
* Engineers
* Architects
* Surveyors
* Doctors
* Dentists
* Chiropractors
* Nurses
* Opticians
* Optometrists
* Podiatrists
* Psychologists
* Therapists
* Social Workers
* Veterinarians
* Plumbers
* Inspectors
* Building Contractors
* Electricians
* Investment Advisors
* Real Estate Brokers
* Insurance Brokers
* Educators
* Patent and Trademark Examiners
* Court Reporters
* Police and Fire Safety Officers
* any other profession where an official credential is required for a business or individual to offer services

Before you make those all important domain purchases, be sure to brief yourself on the impact of domain names on SEO:
How to Choose the Best Domains for Search Engine Visibility
What’s in a (Domain) Name? Take 2
Is The Company Worth As Much As The Domain Name?

Permalink /// Comments (5)

Comments

1. I am one who tried to get a .me. I have made a huge list and the D-day, I have not been able to get one.

   Many domains have been reserved before the launch day:
   http://www.domen.me/cms/site_files/dotME_Reserved_Names.txt
   http://www.domen.me/cms/site_files/dotME_Premium_Names.txt

   But some were reserved and were not on this list.

   Too many people, like me, have prepared a list with the hope to resell the domain to a higher price. Speculation? Probably but if you see the price in the auction:
   https://auctions.domain.me/

   insure.me was for sale for 20$, and a couple of day later, could be sold for 24 000$ !

   Posted by Ludovic on 07/24 at 04:24 AM

2. If Dot.ME catches on with the marketing crowd we’ll see memorable slogans doubling as websites. Watch for insure.me, talented.me, eyeing.me and so many more me’s. Check out http://www.dotmewebsites.com for a list of marketable domains names.

   Posted by Mark Kolb on 08/01 at 07:17 AM

3. The .pro domain sounds like a winner. Our domain registrar http://www.domainpeople.com just confirmed that any business that has a business license qualifies for a .pro domain. The price will drop dramatically on Monday Sept. 8th according to one of their sales people, they are launching a new promo where you can get a .pro domain for $14.95 until the end of this year.

   Posted by Wesley Morgan on 09/06 at 05:29 PM

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