Dot Buzz Announces General Availability Date

FITCHBURG, Wis. - Nov. 11, 2013 - PRLog -- DotStrategy Co. announced today that the planned Sunrise date for the .Buzz Top Level Domain (TLD) is January 15, 2014, with General Availability targeted at April 8, 2014.  This means that domains within the .Buzz TLD are expected to go on sale to the general public on April 8, 2014.

A Top Level Domain (TLD) is the text to the right of the final dot in a domain name.  For example, the .com TLD is the most popular TLD today.  At present, there are just 22 generic TLDs - like .Com and .Biz - to choose from when buying a domain name.  But in 2012, ICANN (http://www.dotanything.co/ICANN.aspx) held an historic application round inviting companies from around the world to apply to create new TLDs.  1,930 applicaitons (http://www.dotanything.co/New-TLDs.aspx) for new TLDs were filed in ICANN's historic 2012 application round.  Applications were filed for generic TLDs, like .Buzz and .Shop, for branded TLDs, like .GAP and .AAA, and for geographic TLDs like .London and .Berlin.

DotStrategy Co. was the sole applicant for the .Buzz TLD (http://www.dotanything.co/tlddetails.aspx?tld=buzz).  The .Buzz TLD passed the Initial Evaluation phase on June 14, 2013.  There were no objections filed against the .Buzz TLD during the Dispute Resolution process, and there were no competitors for the .Buzz TLD.  DotStrategy Co. signed a Registry Agreement with ICANN on October 2, 2013 for the .Buzz TLD.

DotAnything.co asked Bill Doshier, Founder of DotStrategy Co. to share his thoughts on the .Buzz TLD with us..

DotAnything: Can you tell us a little about your history with the .Buzz TLD. What made you decide to pursue the .Buzz TLD? How do you envision .Buzz being used?

DotStrategy Co.: " I'd been following the new TLD process for a couple of years.  The chance to operate a registry - from where I was sitting - seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime. And for only $185,000! In January of 2012, after much prayer, thought and consideration, I resigned from my real job, formed dotStrategy and decided I was going to have one of those registries. Ignorance is bliss. I had no idea what I was getting into.

Early on I wanted to find a youthful, cool and edgy word to apply for. Additionally, it was important to apply for a word that offered a reasonable opportunity to be the only applicant. I had to stay away from the spotlight words with my research and selections. No .WEB or .ONLINE or .APP. I did consider .ROCKS, .PARTY and a few others words. Having a discussion with my son, a sophomore in college at the time, I ask him what words he thought would be attractive to his friends, and we settled on .BUZZ and .FUN, two globally well recognized, short, generics.

.Buzz is ideal for organizations and individuals wanting to create excitement, or BUZZ. Those desiring to notify the world about what’s going on right now. Those involved in blogging, communications, journalism, public relations, event organizers, social networking, entertainment, start-ups, advertising, marketing and development to name a few."

DotAnything: We notice that you have selected Neustar as your Registry Services provider. Can you tell us a little about that?

DotStrategy Co.: "Being an outsider to the industry I talked to a number of registry services professionals early on. They were all very patient and helpful. Ken Hansen at Neustar stayed with me and basically mentored me through the process of understanding registry operations, preparing for ICANN and understanding what the application process would be like. With Ken on the lead, I was convinced that Neustar really wanted to be a part of our efforts to create .Buzz and .Fun. Also, they are an experienced TLD registry operator with a history of quality service and performance.

The decision to work with Neustar was an easy one. "

DotAnything: Have you passed pre-delegation testing yet?

DotStrategy Co.: "We're in the middle of pre-delegation testing now and it should be wrapping up this week. I've been told 'no news is good news' from those supporting .Buzz testing, and I'm not hearing a word."

DotAnything: Do you have a tentative date in mind for Sunrise / General Availability?

DotStrategy Co.: "I'm pleased to announce here that we are finalizing plans for the .Buzz launch while attending the ICANN48 meeting in Buenos Aires. Our registrar partnerships are coming together nicely, and we are looking forward to an exciting 2014. Baring any unexpected delays in the delegation process, the .Buzz sunrise will commence January 15 and will last 60 days. Landrush will begin on March 17, and General availability on April 8. "