Taking .xxx Seriously For A Moment

ICANN announced the creation of the long-expected .xxx domain. Putting aside the inevitable wave of jokes and giggling, there is reason for your business to take this seriously. It may be important for your company to register the .xxx version of your domain name in order to protect your brand and online identity from becoming associated with a porn site. Especially if your company name, product, industry segment, or important keywords are... a potentially good source of puns.

Which much of the construction industry is.

I have supported creating this domain since it was first proposed in 2005. To quote the BBC.com article:

Stuart Lawley, chairman of ICM, welcomed the decision and said it was "great news for those that wish to consume, or avoid, adult content".

It's the "avoid" part I find valuable. One of the original stumbling stones to both broader adoption and business use of the web was the perception that porn was inescapable. True or not, this concern has reappeared in discussions about social media and mobile computing, both of which are becoming vital business tools. This new TLD addresses that concern, and will let businesses and their customers feel more secure in the online environment.