Google makes a funny, gets .lol domain

The Internet giant said Friday it has applied with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for new top-level domains (TLDs), including .lol.

 

"(W)e decided to submit applications for new TLDs, which generally fall into four categories (including) domains we think have interesting and creative potential, such as .lol," Vint Cerf, Google's chief Internet evangelist, said in a blog post.

 

Cerf said Google also submitted applications for TLDs in three other categories aside from .lol. These include:

 

 

 

Cerf said almost half of the world’s population will be online by 2016, yet nearly 50 percent of the websites now being visited are found in the .com TLD.

 

The .com TLD was among the first TLDs created in 1984, Cerf noted.

 

"Despite the great opportunities the web has enabled for people around the world, there is still a lingering question about the diversity of the domain space (given that the number of generic TLDs has only increased by 14 in the last 28 years)," he added.

 

In 2008, ICANN announced a program to expand the number of generic TLDs (think .com, .org, .edu), developed through its bottom-up, multi-stakeholder process.

 

Meanwhile, Cerf said Google will take measures to make the introduction of new generic TLDs a good experience for web users and site owners. These include:

 

 

"By opening up more choices for Internet domain names, we hope people will find options for more diverse—and perhaps shorter—signposts in cyberspace," Cerf said. — TJD, GMA News