As an observer of domain name news and as a domain investor/developer, I check the number of total domain registrations over time to identify rates of adoption. One might predict that domain registrations would have decreased over the course of the economic recession during the last 2 years. But this is not the case. They increased.

Below is a comparison of domain registration numbers from February 2009 through January 2011 (just short of a two year period). While every domain space shows significant growth, pay particular attention to the rate of increase for .US and .info, which have emerged as reliable mainstays in the internet world:

• .US (1,385,171 to 1,817,893 -> a 31% increase)
• .biz (2,008,779 to 2,195,953 -> a 9.3% increase)
• .com (79,243,372 to 92,420,283 -> a 16.6% increase)
• .info (5,081,111 to 7,751,574 -> a 53% increase)
• .org (7,392,611 to 9,273,770 -> a 25.4% increase)
• .net (12,077,702 to 13,706,637 -> a 13.5% increase)

It appears that the American economy has picked up considerably based on stock market investment activity. However, the landscape is unclear, and the United States remains in the middle of a financial resuscitation of itself.

Despite lingering questions on America’s long term financial stability, the internet has continued to vigorously evolve during the recession. Domain names remain viable & valuable as the gateways to internet commerce. And companies now more readily explore how domain names can boost marketing, internet presence, and extend the company’s brand.

Domain Registration domain name, domain registration, domain statistics

Like every other industry, the domain name market has its own unique words and phrases that carry a commonly understood meaning among its patrons.

Some of the domain terms derive from other well known business sectors like finance and real estate. Recently addressed here was the frequent overuse of the term premium domains. Below are some other domain catch phrases with a short definition (or description) of what they mean.

• domain name portfolio (a collection of domain names being held or utilized as a financial investment, or active business)
• domain name collection (generally carries the same connotation as domain name portfolio)
• domain investor (anyone who acquires domain names for investment purposes)
• domainer (similar to domain investor but broader to also include domain enthusiasts)
• premium domain (a rare, top quality domain name that commands higher prices due to its superior characteristics)
• generic domain name (typically a one to three word category defining web address like travel, dogs, sports cars, rock music)
• geo domain or geodomain (a pure city, state, country, or location web address such as Detroit, California, Canada, Niagra Falls)
• geo-targeted domains (refer to the combination of a geographical location paired with a generic word such as Boston+Hotels)
• domain parking (pointing a domain name to a search results landing page that contains revenue generating clickable ads)
• domain monetization (general phrase to describe any means by which a domain name is used to generate income)
• domain marketplace (an online brokerage or warehouse of domain names for sale or for lease)
• domain auction (a live in-person event or online auction interface in which participants bid against each other to buy domain names for sale)
• domain name broker (similar to a real estate broker in that the individual sells or buys domains on behalf of a client, and/or facilitates domain name transactions)
• luxury domains (similar in definition to premium domains and suggestive of high quality and high value web addresses)

Domain Name, Internet Domains domain keywords, domain name, generic domains, geo domain