Quick question….Would you rather have a 3D associated 2 word dot com or 3D.co?

Morning Folks!!


A fork in the road and a decision to make.


Sometimes a simple question or equation can dig deeper than you might think. But let’s say you decided to build out a 3d two word domain or 3d.co. Which would you stake your $$$ on? Let’s say 3dville.com or 3d.co?


Should be interesting.


Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

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74 thoughts on “Quick question….Would you rather have a 3D associated 2 word dot com or 3D.co?

  1. em

    Hi Rick,
    Interesting question. Practically-speaking, I would take 3D.co. So short, so clean. However, 3Dville.com or the like can probably generate more money because, at the moment, it is more recognizable.

    Reply
  2. Shaun Pilfold

    For me, it’s simple. If I was launching a 3D website to serve Colombia, I’d be all over 3d.co or even maybe 3-d.co. If I was trying to target the US/World market I would either find the best .com I could afford, or go with a”made-up” brandable .com name.

    Reply
  3. cm

    3D.co
    It’s short, quick to type in.
    You can advertise it on the top of a bottle cap.
    Plus you will have .co helping you advertise it
    on a billboad in Times Square.

    Reply
  4. David

    In fact, .co is already 3D, I mean by that out of the reality, in full virtuality.
    To make. Co more powerful, you only need one letter.If you put one letter like A,O,I,E before .co, you are automatically in 4D.
    This is totally new.

    Reply
  5. UtterDomain

    Shaun is wise beyond his years :)
    3d.co is, IMO, too generic, as the brand of”.co” doesn’t connote any specific service or industry. Now, 3d.tv would be a name that I would love to own as long as it had a reasonable renewal :)

    Reply
  6. Leonard Britt

    Actually I don’t like either name for branding purposes. IMO 3D.tv sounds much better than either 3Dville.com or 3D.co. However, the only opinion that matters is that of the buyer. If Superbowl commercials influence public perception of .CO as a suitable alternative to the millions of .COM domains”held hostage” by domainers, we may see a surge in .CO registrations. But the best .CO domains have also been regged by domainers as well. Thus, the public would still have to settle for .CO domains which aren’t necessarily premium keywords.

    Reply
  7. rob sequin

    Agree, 3D.tv is the best of the choices.
    The general public with NEVER understand .co.
    Not even a super bowl commercial will change that.
    How is .co doing in the UK where they use .co.uk?
    They MIGHT like it better since they are already used to .co but .co over a .com? Not for me.
    Invest your money in a .com. Don’t speculate on .co.
    What will your customers remember 3Dville.com or 3d.co?
    They will say 3D.what?
    you: 3D.co
    they: You mean 3D.co.uk?
    you: No, just 3D.co
    …and you are off to a bad experience. Do you want your customer to have questions and uncertainty about your brand name and business?

    Reply
  8. cm

    Rob said,”The general public with NEVER understand .co.”
    NEVER?
    But the gerneal public understands co.
    co. has been used in business a lot longer than com
    will people make the trasition to .co on the internet?
    …with advertising….it’s possible
    You might should worry about the 1,000,000 being hit

    Reply
  9. nr

    depends on the .com. I would rather own 3D.co than 3Dville.com or 3DShampoo.com but I would much rather own 3DGames.com or 3DMovies.com than 3D.co

    Reply
  10. cue

    As much as I would like to think there is another opportunity to jump in similar to 1996, .co has a lot of headwinds. .net, .org, .us, .mx and oh yeah .co (colombia) or does it mean .company.
    I actually bought into Godaddy’s .co marketing push, thinking it was really for .company. Now that I know the truth, I think .co will be just like .cm – another reason why .com will remain King.
    Why did godaddy.com have a sale of $11.99 yesterday only for .co? Think about it. It is simple, to ramp up the number of registered .co’s so they can flash the total number registered .co’s on their SuperBowl Commercial.
    IMO, .co can only work for a company name, all other registrations will be worthless.
    3d.co may work, Time will tell.

    Reply
  11. em

    I’m not sure what Rob is talking about. co has been around for hundreds of years as an abbreviation. It’s already in the public psyche. Remembering a dot in front of the co doesn’t sound like tough work to me.

    Reply
  12. cm

    “How do you do a radio ad with .co”
    and people have been saying co longer than com
    pepsico pepsi dot co
    it is possible the extreme focus on .com may have temporarily blinded people

    Reply
  13. cm

    On a side note:
    I use a bank that changed from a .com to a .org (where they no longer used the .com )
    I mistyped .com instead of .org about 5 times. (after their switch)
    ….and then I learned….
    now I don’t type .com

    Reply
  14. David

    Just remove you 3D glasses and you will discover the true.
    I am going to tell you the secret. It’s very simple.
    If you want know what you can do with a .co, just go to godaddy dot co. Yes, nice promotion, a beautiful redirection. People, don’t let this opportunity to buy one redirection in your life.

    Reply
  15. Joe

    I don’t like made-up words, to me a domain has to have a meaning immediately recognizable by everyone. So, I’ll say 3D.co all the way. It’s practically the shortest domain you could ever find on the topic (3D.tv is 4 chars long too but 3D.co looks more brandable to me). We don’t have to forget what domain names were created for: being the higher level of long and difficult-to-remember IP addresses, so the shorter the better, always.

    Reply
  16. yaron

    agreed.
    bad example Rick.
    I’ll take 3Dmovies.com, 3DGames.com, 3D.tv, 3D.net, before I’ll spend money on 3D.co

    Reply
  17. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick
    When the mega companies change their powerfull .COM BRAND to .co and redirect all traffic to the .co is the day that will answer all this silly hoopla. Think it will ever happen?
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  18. cm

    Jeff,
    you may be negecting the small companies today that need a domain that will grow into mega companies tomorrow.

    Reply
  19. chris

    I would take 3d.co anyday – the possiblity is endless as opposed to limiting yourself to something specific – say 3dvideogame

    Reply
  20. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,
    Although I am a huge fan of Domainers, I am also pragmatic in my choice of the .COM BRAND. Those who need to just DO IT and get a site up Do IT ! Just have as your marketing plan allowances for trading up to the .COM BRAND eventually. Remember USPS.gov ? or was it USPS.org ? well I dont know lets go to USPS.com and find out!
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  21. dot gs

    It is hard enough to get people to understand dot net. They HEAR DOT COM when you say dot net. And anyone who thinks dot co will take off is fooling themselves. I give o.co 90 days and then it will quietly be rebranded as overstock.com formerly o.co.
    Ad execs can lie. Committees can lie. Vice Presidents can lie.
    Number’s won’t.

    Reply
  22. James

    @ Rob Sequin – ‘How is .co doing in the UK where they use .co.uk?’
    Quick answer? It isn’t doing anything.
    I have yet to see any company using a .co domain over here.
    I don’t see .co being any different from other new extensions. .com is so well entrenched that nothing will knock it from top spot. All any new extensions do is confirm .com as global leader; just now there is one more also-ran.

    Reply
  23. cm

    If .net and .org can coexist with .com
    it is possible others can coexist also.
    Some of the others will have more built in use/value than others.
    Pick and choose wisely…if you”have” to

    Reply
  24. Computerssoftwares

    Keyword Global Monthly Searches
    3d 55600000
    3 d –
    3 d ville –
    3d ville 8100
    3dville 590
    I will not buy without any research. From above, I will take the one with highest traffic. That is 3d.co over 3Dville.com.

    Reply
  25. AlanR

    It all depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to brand a domain, then 3Dville.com has more potential to take off but if you want to flip a domain for a quick buck to others in the dotco circle, then 3d.co will be the way to go. It took years for the dotcom brand to take hold and since it is such a dominant force now, it would take many years for dotco to make any ground if it were to suddenly take off after the superbowl so as an investment, there are much better investments out there short term.
    How many years can someone wait for their dotco website to get popular before they go broke because the competing dotcom bled them dry? But I don’t think dotco will ever be a contender as a dotcom alternative so as for extensions go, it will fail to to be much of anything other than a local cctld for Columbia. Remember Rick, human nature always takes the simpler route. Since there is no need to change the mindset from dotcom to dotco, why would anyone bother? We are all creatures of habit and we follow what others are doing. That’s why dotcom is getting to be the most popular extension around the world. Not too many years ago, people around the world never heard of dotcom and most were content with using their on extension but not anymore. It seems that because of Hollywood, whatever America is doing, everyone else wants to follow.
    Also, it takes more time to think not to type the”m” than it would be to type it and I see the future where eventually all browsers will use dotcom as the default extension where you don’t even need to type it in anymore and now keyboards are coming out with dotcom buttons. There are so many hoping that dotco takes off that it has blinded them to reality. They all tell themselves all the pros why it will succeed but won’t listen to the cons of why it might not. It happens every time a new extension hits the market and without exception, the results are always the same. Don’t let your emotions take charge of hoping for something to happen when deep down, your common sense tells you otherwise. So remember, resistance to the dotcom is futile! ;?)

    Reply
  26. cm

    I must warn you…
    the more you type .co in these responses the
    more likly you will begin to enjoy typing .co
    So far I havn’t seen anyone mistype .com
    where they were meaning .co

    Reply
  27. DontBuy.CO

    @cm
    Don’t be deceived.
    I made my .COM to .CO corrections before hitting the”post” as most people do when typing up something for these comments lol

    Reply
  28. cm

    If you have typed .com when you were meaning .co
    Try to keep up with the number of times you do it
    before .co catches on. That would be an interesting
    average to know.

    Reply
  29. t

    3d.co I’d say. btw I’ve owned COBusinesses.com for the past few years, but then let it expire, And I got it back :) CO Businesses Directory and Services For the newbees I’m thinkin ..

    Reply
  30. DontBuy.CO

    @cm
    That’s the problem.
    There has to be a conscious effort to not type”M” on the .CO (crap I did it again! No, I’m not making this up)
    The reason is, we have a”thought stream” and it is an effortless thing to just simply type or write out what your thoughts are. You’re immersed in your thoughts. It all comes to a screeching halt when suddenly you’re thoughts are interrupted with having to make an effort to not hit”M” on the .CO (I had slow down typing on that one!)
    Shit, what was I talking about again? oh yea. damn that .CO for interrupting my thoughts! :)

    Reply
  31. t

    I’d go with 3d.co for sure over 3dville.com. It doesn’t matter if .co takes off or not its brandable and highly marketable on its own,…etc. It would be 3d.com and 3d.co at the top , followed by tens of other highly generic 3d keyword .coms, and lastly thousands of other 3d keyword domains and long tails competing for the space. I’d rather be at the top. I did not bring existing brands in the equation, just talking about domains on their own merit.

    Reply
  32. DotCoSucksArse

    The .co extension is a JOKE. Stop making fools of yourselves. It is a fraudulent extension that servies no legitimate purpose.

    Reply
  33. UFO

    3dville.com v 3d.co (I typed 3d.com initially!)
    In a pure intrinsic look it depends on how they index relative to search queries that would pull them up.
    Id far rather have 3d (major search item keyword attached) than 3d.co if I didn’t have much to spend. And if I had a lot I’d go with the best keywords .com that I could buy, not a good idea to over capitalise a non mainstream extension.
    3dville.com is a pigeon domain though.

    Reply
  34. t

    Lets not forget ppc,display ads, I think 3d.co would have a higher ctr than a 3d+keyword, just my guess.

    Reply
  35. Landon White

    Truth: >>> .Co (before you were lied too)
    Meant .COlumbia
    Truth: >>> .Com (like in Business)
    Means: Commercial
    Dictionary Definition .Co MEANS …
    Definition of cock·a·ma·my
    : Ridiculous,
    1. Who dreamed up this cockamamie idea?
    2. of all the cockamamy excuses I ever heard
    — Leo Rosten>
    »
    Variants of COCKAMAMY
    cock·a·ma·my or cock·a·ma·mie \ˌkä-kə-ˈmā-mē\

    Reply
  36. Anunt

    3d.co OR 3dville.com
    Domainers will pick 3d.co
    The correct answer is 3dville.com
    Let me explain this to you little kids…
    Read this over and over and over and over again and again and again until you understand this:
    “When you see John Jones thru John Jones eyes, you will sell John Jones what John Jones buys”
    Rick has been preaching this for years and years…and still you idiot domainers have not learned a damn thing!
    You guys need to stop thinking about what you like and start thinking about what the general public and your average Joe will like and remember… 3dville.com or 3d.co
    Average Joe will like and will most likely remember 3dville.com
    Therefore the correct answer is: 3dville.com

    Reply
  37. David L.G

    In my view, a new extension needs to bring something new to be successful.
    It can be related to some technology, social, geo. It needs a precise objective. The meaning of the extension have to be natural. That the most important aspect.

    Reply
  38. 3dDomainNames

    Special Thank You to all the posters who never said ONE BAD THING about the possibility of a brandable 3d Domain Name :)
    You all proved that things DO change – and in doing so, you may have also just answered Rick’s initial question.
    Now talk about this:
    “When you see John Jones thru John Jones eyes, you will sell John Jones what John Jones buys”
    now…
    … replace the ‘John Jones’ with ‘Rick Schwartz’
    already dubbed the Domain King… imagine the legacy of Pioneering the extension that took over the all mighty dot com…
    now…
    …tell me what Rick Schwartz sees
    Best of luck :)

    Reply
  39. Pattaya Blog

    why not a 3d keyword vs 3d.co ( that would make the choice much easier ) to be honest we can’t give good answers until we know what the site will be about.

    Reply
  40. Martin

    Let’s see it this way: If you get 3D.co and develop the site you will give a lot of traffic for free to 3D.com, and even worst…when you will want to get the brand”3D” with the .com it will be very expensive! Then, the best option for me is to buy a two words .com.
    Anyways, I couldn’t invest on 3D, I don’t think it will really take- off…or maybe in 10 years from now..
    “Why 3D doesn’t work and never will. Walter Murch on the human eye-mind connection: http://bit.ly/evNgv0

    Reply
  41. Pandering

    I noticed the comments were a little ‘off’ lately and wondered what you would do to get them churning…

    Reply
  42. Chadi

    3D.co without any doubt – as part of a long term strat…
    3DArt.com vs. 3D.co might make me ponder a little bit more before making a choice.
    3DVille as a keyword signals nothing to me. In terms of brandability, 3DVille could be OK. However, there are hundred of similar ones that could be contrived on the spur of the moment i.e. 3Dstation, 3Dlust, 3Dbusstop, 3Dzoo, 3DFarm etc…
    However, I get what you mean Rick. 3D.co is too good to resist. There is a visual symmetry to it also 2 letter before the dot and 2 letters after. 3D.com cannot claim the same visual symmetry.
    I don’t see the logic of the M without thinking of the money invested in advertising com as an extension. As for CO, I see more logic to be built upon as a long term investment. Commerce as word is not as popular globally as company, corporation etc…
    However, I emphasize, its a long term strat to own .CO
    Its not something to flip now… I don’t like selling any .CO now. DOn’t see it as a wise move. I’d rather develop instead, and sell lets say .nets .orgs, because between .com and .co battle of the future, those TLDs will loose some allure.
    Just some thoughts triggered by your question!

    Reply
  43. Bill Roy

    In this example 3D.co would have my money on it. A properly site would start being referred to on other websites and in print, whereby even allowing for the ‘assumed’ popularity of 3Dville.com this would have problems with mistypes, misspellings (especially forgetting the ‘e’ on ‘ville’) and of course all the typo mini-sites that would jump up (e.g. 3Dviiles, 3Dvilles, 3Dvills, etc.).
    Just my 2 pennyworth.

    Reply
  44. Computerssoftwares

    Hi Rick,
    Enough so called replies were given here. Now is the time to
    BREAK your expertise explanations pls. if none is a potential pick. Any way, it was interesting & brain storming!!
    B.regards,

    Reply
  45. Slate

    1 Co.
    the abbreviation of
    company:
    James Smith & Co.
    2 and co
    British English spoken the other members of a particular group of people:
    I can’t say I’m looking forward to seeing Angela and co again.
    3 PG the written abbreviation of
    county:
    Co. Durham
    WORD FOCUS: company WORD FOCUS: company
    similar words: firm, business
    a big company: corporation, multinational, conglomerate
    an Internet company: dot-com
    a company that is owned by a larger company: subsidiary, affiliate
    abbreviations used in company names: Ltd (Limited)
    Co. (Company)
    Corp. (Corporation)
    PLC (Public Limited Company) British English, Pty. (Proprietary) used in Australia and South Africacompany
    Just the way CO is thought of and used.
    Cheers and thanks for allowing me to add my 2 cents to the conversation.
    OR
    Technical Definitions: What is CO? CO Definition.
    CO Definition:
    Central Office. A building housing a large amount of network gear and equipment for telecommunications companies. For example, there is a CO for your area of town containing the network equipment for you to receive dial tone and for companies to receive Internet access and other services. If you want to receive Internet through DSL, the distance from the CO determines the transfer rate on your line.
    OR
    pref.
    1. Together; joint; jointly; mutually: coeducation.
    2.
    1. Partner or associate in an activity: coauthor; cofounder.
    2. Subordinate or assistant: copilot.
    3. To the same extent or degree: coextensive.
    4. Complement of an angle: cotangent.

    Reply
  46. .

    I definitively like your question. What about nano.co ? Extension is short, the domain is short and it means short, sounds good ?
    Sorry I short my name at the maximum, just a . I think it looks good. I like to be on the trend, Dav.

    Reply
  47. Wolves

    I would not buy 3dville.com or 3d.co, I would spend money on good 3D names like – 3DGAMES.COM , 3DMOVIES.COM, 3DCONSOLE.COM , 3DADVERTISING.COM , 3DCHANNEL.COM, 3DLAPTOP.COM & 3DSMARTPHONE.COM

    Reply
  48. Dav

    You need to be a little masochist to invest in such extension like .co
    If you both invest in 3D and .co, you definitively can ruin your life.

    Reply
  49. Landon White

    LOL
    No one here got it?
    i think Rick was GOOFING
    ….
    Recently some UDRP bozo’s
    said they are going after anyone that uses VILLE
    in the Domain name … yeah right
    ….
    I think we … Ville tell them where to stick it!

    Reply
  50. clone

    What is strange is that many people have bought some .co, more that 600000 registrations. And now it looks like people have shame to own some .co. Bizarre !

    Reply
  51. clone

    My words are to harsh, apologizes. Well for sure, with some great keyword it works. Diamond.co sounds good.

    Reply
  52. domain guy

    i sense a change in attitude, knowledge and improvement in anunts commets for the better. your commets add to the board discussion and do not detract from the board discussion.keep up the good work!

    Reply
  53. t

    Godaddy’s gonna be Like” .CO is da shit , you need it because blah , blah , blah, To get it come to godaddy dot COM ! lol

    Reply
  54. Joey Starkey

    Hey Rick,
    Suprised of your choice of domain, I posted a comment after you the other day about the owner of Farmville and Cityville, trying to take all of the ville domains. Of course with all the Geo domains such as Louisville, Hopkinsville and on and on they might want to hire a few more lawyers.

    Reply
  55. Alan Wells

    I don’t expect .co to take over .com, but I don’t doubt that it’s possible either. The internet is still an infant. I think Web 2.0 was a little premature (and overhyped). We’re barely into beta (probably still alpha) much less version 1 or 2.
    You may have typed .com for the past 10 or 15 years, but there are millions of kids clicking around the internet this week for the first time who don’t give a s**t what you call it. Their browsers no longer send you to the .com when you type the keyword into the address bar, they get most of their search on via social links and those crappy keyboards on their mobile devices favor brevity over literacy.
    So, yeah, I’d take the chance on 3d.co. But I’d take that chance for the long haul, not quick money.
    As a bonus, the .co version makes an easy 3d glasses type logo – [3D].[CO]

    Reply
  56. Etrading

    I agree with Alan. A new generation is coming. They maybe go straight to .co just because this is promoted. People used to have of lot critics about CD and DVD and used to say it will never work, as people want here the natural sound. This the same story about the future of the books. They will be some change one day. It is not totally impossible that .co may become a pillar of the future extensions. Who knows?

    Reply
  57. cm

    Overstock rebranded to O.co
    not O.tv , O.me, O.net , O.org, O.xxx
    I could argue they now do not”need” O.com (but of course they would like it)
    If they had rebranded to O.tv, O.me, O.net …
    The argument could be made that they still”need” O.com
    If there exists an extension that can be used intsead of a .com
    That would reduce your need to have that .com
    Seems like a good thing to have…

    Reply
  58. zero

    When I see first O.co I see Zero.co , maybe it’s because I don’t have 3D glasses. But when I think a little bit more I see a double zero.

    Reply

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