.US remains one of the premier web spaces for United States focused websites. While obviously appropriate for American companies & businesses, .US is often identified by foreign internet users as a default web address for the U.S. due to the popularity of two letter country codes in other parts of the world such as .cn for China or .ca for Canada.

A key selling feature of .US is its instant familiarity to American internet users, its uniquely American identity, and the ability to utilize a high-quality .US domain name as opposed to settling for an awkwardly long .com domain name alternative (see graphic above).

The dotUS logo change is good timing going into 2011, and would appear to follow the recent logic that dictated the .BIZ logo redesign and associated tagline “Better Name. Better Results.”

Noteworthy is the nicely designed, polished website at My.biz (partly pictured above) which showcases the .BIZ domain extension. The site provides a great video on dotBIZ (see below) and a .biz name generator for coming up with domain name variations.

My.biz reiterates a few timeless pointers when considering a domain name selection including:

• Shorter is better
• Be sure you can say the name without having to spell it out for people
• Avoid trademarks

On a related .biz note, Overstock is celebrating this week the one year anniversary of their launch of O.BIZ, their e-commerce website for businesses which sells a variety of supplies from categories like catering, janitorial, office furniture, kitchen, and medical equipment.

Presently, there are 2,134,202 .biz domain names registered around the world (source: DomainTools)

Located on the Neustar website is a brief characterization of the .BIZ address …

.BIZ enables your business to present itself as a serious player in the global marketplace, and helps you do what you do best – get down to business.

Well said. Check out the .BIZ (Business) web address. As they say, “Better Name. Better Results.”

(video source: My.biz)

As an investor and developer of the .US web space, PremiumDomains.US have assembled a portfolio of high-quality domains in America’s official web address. Below are a few nice .US domain names covering a range of industries and interests.

As a side note, for those who do not know, Neustar provide a zip code service whereby a user can type any zip code ending in .US such as www.90210.us. This service works across the entire United States and typically produces a page of local information associated with the zip code area that was searched.

.BIZ

There is even a new catchy tagline “Better Name. Better Results.” which is a great marketing decision.

In a related story, found here, Neustar have announced recent security enhancements to the .BIZ domain space. PremiumDomains.biz wrote last year about a McAfee study on web address security which found .BIZ among the safest of all domain name extensions even outperforming dotcom.

Lastly, it was announced recently that the credit services goliath, Experian, had acquired California company Mighty Net in a $207.5 million dollar deal. This is particularly significant for Experian as the deal included several premium domain name assets, specifically CreditScore.com and CreditReport.com.

Related domain names available for purchase from the Menius Enterprises portfolio include: CreditScore.biz

“Biz” has long been a common abbreviation for business in the finance and investment realms, and particularly in the broader world of business in general. Biz has become a well-recognized part of the English vernacular. It is seen daily in newspapers & magazines, on television, throughout the internet, and used repeatedly by professionals when referring to almost any kind of industry.

My own research of the .biz web address reveals that it has been adopted by many companies around the globe from small local stores to major international corporations. For business purposes and business branding, .BIZ is a major player. The .biz extension is managed by the Neustar Registry and marketed by them as …

The Internet’s Home For Business

Below is brief informational video by NTC Hosting on the .BIZ web address …
 

Neustar appear to be growing their services and raising their own profile. Their domain name registry services have been a leading product for years although Neustar are now offering web performance and risk management services too.

Forbes’ survey of the fastest growing tech firms in America placed Neustar in the Top 25 in 2009. To make the list, companies had to meet certain revenue and sales gains milestones. Neustar trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol: NSR.

My favorite .US premium domain names are United States cities. Geo domains are such good fits for the extension and provide lots of website development angles. Two cities I worked on last year were Charlotte .US and Detroit.US, both leading cities in their respective states and also with good national recognition ranking in America’s top 20 cities for population.

A number of large corporations are operating parallel websites on both the .com and the .biz web address while some companies are solely establishing their primary website on the .biz domain. This makes sense in that dotBIZ is recognized globally for “Business”. Dotcom has the largest footprint, but is not necessarily representative of “business” on a world wide basis.

Below are examples of both international corporations operating with a .biz presence, and also a few privately held companies doing the same.

	WaveSecurities.biz – Merrill Lynch’s online financial management & investment platform.
	RBSGroup.biz – The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Huge international bank with over 40 million customers worldwide.
	Cisco.biz – Cisco Systems Inc. is a well known international computer networking giant.
	EarthLink.biz – Well known internet access company offering business solutions.
	F-16.biz – Yes, the F16 fighter jet, other F-series aircraft and a range of other hi-tech defense products.
	CorporateSuites.biz – East coast based private company who specialize in corporate office suites.
	CitizensManagementInc.biz – One of the largest service companies in the midwest. Part of the Hanover Insurance Group.
	Pepsico.biz – The Pepsi Bottling Group, the manufacturer of Pepsi-Cola beverages worldwide.
	uk-ipo.biz – The official government body responsible for intellectual property rights in the (UK) United Kingdom.
	Start.biz – The National Business Register which keep data on 10 million businesses, trademarks, and brands in the (UK) United Kingdom.
	Billboard.biz – The Music industry web portal for world famous Billboard magazine.
	BaylorCollegeofMedicine.biz – One of the leading medical schools in the United States.
	DSI.biz – A leading provider of management & consulting services offering business valuation & acquisition, forensic accounting, and corporate restructuring.
	TheNCAA.biz – The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association).
	DollarCar.biz – Dollar Rent A Car Inc. was founded in 1965, has over 640 worldwide locations, is in 53 countries, and has maintained a fleet of over 185,000 vehicles in the USA & Canada.

The press release explains …

“The release of two-character .BIZ domains represents an unprecedented opportunity for businesses and online media to acquire a short memorable domain …”

A number of one character .biz domains were auctioned off via Sedo in recent weeks with e.biz topping in at $66,001. Neustar believe that many companies would be better served with a “2 character” dot biz domain than their current lengthy company name. This position appears to be well supported as evidenced by .BIZ having surpassed 2 million global registrations in the middle of last year.

Since that record breaking announcement in 2008, the Neustar Registry have become more active in promoting the .biz (Business) web address. The 2-character auction, in association with Pool.com, will very likely raise public and corporation interest in the internet’s official business web address.

See LosAngelesJobs.biz to sample a .biz domain developed with DevHub.

Overstock

Initial offerings through the new site will be in the categories of: Office supplies, Restaurant supplies, Hotel supplies, and Medical supplies. There is also a deep section devoted to Office Furniture with many products offered across the most popular categories (computer workstations, office desks & chairs, file cabinets & book cases).

The O.biz domain name is incredibly quick & easy to type in. The “O” aligns perfectly with Overstock’s brand name, and should provide website users with a convenient, easy-to-remember destination when shopping online for business-oriented supplies.

Stats & Info: Patrick Byrne is the CEO of Overstock.com which was begun in 1999 with first year revenue only $1,835,000. In just nine years, Overstock’s sales have grown to $834,366,743 (2008 revenue).

The company is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah and employees 997 people. Overstock currently offer more than 2 million products online. The National Retail Foundation has ranked Overstock #2 in customer service nationwide providing the company a notable distinction among its peers.

The .BIZ web address was launched in 2002 and currently has over two million domain name registrations worldwide. Created specifically as the internet’s ”business” web address, the extension is now being adopted by professionals, small companies, and large corporations. The .BIZ address is managed by the Neustar Registry.

One thing is for certain, there are many wealthy residents, investors and Miami-area businesses that probably don’t even know Miami.us is on the auction block. The Miami Herald operate the corresponding .com site so one might assume they would have an interest in the outcome. Might some new online media network jump at the chance to give Miami’s millions another choice for online travel, news, entertainment, business, and social networking? We’ll see!

Speaking of Miami.us business uses, one could easily see the local real estate community gobble up this domain and launch one outstanding Miami real estate portal. Being a .US geo domain owner myself, I know the value of the .US namespace to foreign visitors who often assume that anything.us is the official web address here in the United States.

Hats off to Mr. Bruce Murray, listed as the official registrant of Miami.us in the Neustar whois registry. These are interesting times for premium domain enthusiasts. Can someone please get this auction on the 6:00 o’clock evening news? Deep pockets deserve to know.

Quick Update: Mr. Murray reports a pending Sedo sale for his CapeCod.info. He is also the owner of Anaheim.us, a great city & home of every child’s vacation dream … Disneyland.

Geo domains seem to be gathering steam these days. Dubai.info was recently sold via Great Domains for $35,000.

Final Update: Miami.us was purchased for $15,000. The new registrant is Site Method Media, LLC based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An incredible acquisition for them.

When .US availability was announced, scores of internet users and companies positioned themselves to acquire America’s top .US web address. The .US domain space garnered instant appeal. Savvy registrants considered the importance of American patriotism, the need for a .com alternative, and the fact that the U.S. economy was the # 1 business engine of all time. And so our story begins …

In the vast universe of domain name real estate, one occasionally comes across a very rare internet property. A brilliant star above the landscape which draws attention … and sparks imagination.

For me, it is a domain name registered to a man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His name is Robert DeMartinis. Robert is the sole investor, registrant, and owner of …

One must restrain the hyperbole, and awe, that is often associated with discussing such a premium-quality internet property. The mind races with possibilities. I was actually introduced to the domain industry in 1999 while in bed one night listening to the 11:00 pm news. The TV news anchor announced with enthusiasm that the domain name, Business.com, had been sold for 7.5 million dollars. My mind froze for a second … and then the light bulb turned on. Years later, we now clearly understand the inherent value contained in a premium generic domain.

Business.com went on to be sold again in 2007 as a developed internet business. The purchase price was $345,000,000. It was acquired by telephone directory publisher, R.H. Donnelley, who outbid News Corp., Dow Jones & Company, The New York Times Company, and InterActiveCorp. No small corporate monikers there.

It’s relatively safe to say that Business.com is now permanently out of reach, and will be “occupied” for some time to come. Which leads us back to Mr. Robert DeMartinis and his jewel, Business.us. Make no mistake, Robert is an astute domain investor having acquired his gem through a series of strategic moves that required foresight, impeccable timing, and an odd dash of irony (an amusing story for another day). In case you’re curious, Robert holds other synergistic properties that compliment his portfolio quite well …

• Products.us
• Services.us
• Delaware.biz
• Housing.biz
• … among others.

Mr. DeMartinis, like many of us, is employed in another profession. Family, responsibilities, and the other callings of life often interfere with time needed to explore the next step for one’s portfolio. Sometimes, the next step is just a phone call away. Or, materializes as a unique and unexpected veer in the road ahead … a turn that is not yet seen, but which may arrive suddenly and with refreshing clarity. This mystery, and journey, are half the fun.

Possessing prime internet real estate is a uniquely rare opportunity. One in which impulsivity and haphazard decisions have no place. Mr. DeMartinis knows this, and he is in no hurry. I have no doubt that someday, as time allows, Mr. DeMartinis will fully ponder the paths available to him. For now, keeping one’s options open is a good play.

Until the eventual course of Business.us is one day revealed, I invite you to share your thoughts and speculations …

1. What enterprise, what exotic venture, might come to be launched via Business.us?

2. Is there an existing corporate entity who could elevate their US presence with Business.us?

3. Assuming a large corporate interest within the next 5 years, do you see this domain being acquired by a U.S. company, or a foreign investor? (assuming the foreign entity meets U.S. nexus requirements)

4. Which unique products, services, or business concepts could shape the future identity of Business.us?