Attention NYC Lawyers: .nyc Domains Are Here; Waiting on .esq
New York, New York. A city so nice they named it twice. A "concrete jungle where dreams are made of." The largest city in a state with the most lawyers per capita in the country.
Now, anyone can be fakepracticearealawyer.com. But if you want to really show that New York City pride, yesterday's big domain name announcement should really excite you: .nyc domain names are available, and they are reserved for folks with NYC addresses only. How much cooler is fakepracticearea.nyc than a generic .com? How much more appealing is that to proud New Yorkers?
.nyc is Here!
Last year, NYC announced that city-specific domain names would soon be a reality. After city officials and trademark owners called dibs on their names, the general availability period is finally here -- at least for those who can show proof that they live in one of the five boroughs (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, The Bronx, and Queens), reports Engadget.
How do you claim your city-specific domain name? It's as simple as going to the city's signup page and picking one of the many domain registrars they've teamed up with.
A few notes, since I instantly tried to sign up despite not living anywhere near NYC: You need a valid NYC street address (home or business, no P.O. boxes), and GoDaddy warns that not only are you barred from buying and transferring a .nyc domain to a non-New Yorker, but if you break some unspecified federal, city, or state laws, you may lose the name.
Why You Want One
Hell, if you're a New Yorker, I'm not sure why you'd need convincing on this point, but just in case, here are a few reasons to pursue a .nyc domain:
- You'll never be confused with a New York State-er;
- You'll never be confused with a New Jerseyan;
- Everyone will know that your business is located in the greatest city in the world.
In all seriousness though, we have to imagine that this is great for attracting potential clients in NYC, plus you'll no longer have to settle for a long, complicated .com name since all the good ones were taken years ago.
Related Resources:
- Google Domains Review, Plus How to Get New Top-Level Domains (FindLaw's Technologist)
- TLDs: Google Enters Domain Game With .esq; .io (FindLaw's Technologist)
- 2014: The Year of TLD .Rebranding for Your Firm? (FindLaw's Technologist)