One of the major goals of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round is to create awareness among communities that represent a variety of languages, scripts, and geographic and ethnic diversity. The ICANN organization is charged with getting the word out to as many potential gTLD applicants as possible. One way to achieve this is by sharing stories about how different organizations are using gTLDs.
Our current focus is on engaging organizations, especially in regions that are underrepresented in ICANN, that may not know about the next round. Some of these may be interested in applying for a gTLD but may not have the resources to do so. These groups may be eligible to receive assistance through the Applicant Support Program (ASP), which offers a portfolio of financial and nonfinancial aid to eligible entities.
A key part of our strategy is to communicate the many opportunities that gTLDs can provide for various types of communities and organizations; and what better way to do this than to show how existing gTLDs are being used? Working collaboratively with current registry operators, we have developed a series of use cases, each providing a compelling example of how different types of organizations use gTLDs. You can view the use cases here.
The use cases complement the Next Round Champion’s Toolkit, which contains outreach materials that can be employed by ICANN’s outreach and engagement team and community champions as they talk about new gTLDs. The toolkit includes slide presentations, fact sheets (available in the six ICANN languages), and a speaker request form.
If you are a current registry operator and would like to share your gTLD use case on the Next Round website, please contact [email protected].
To learn more about the New gTLD Program: Next Round, visit https://newgtldprogram.icann.org.
