Google have launched a new site today that encourages people to register the .HOW top level domain. They aren’t selling domains directly, but make it super simple to check if a domain is available and buy it if it is. The goal here is to encourage people to create sites around training, education and generally teaching people stuff. There’s some great examples of people already using .how websites like the following:
-
Licensed and aspiring skydivers get the most out the sport by developing their skills at skydiving.how
- wikiHow wants to help everyone on the planet learn to do anything. They’re sharing their resources more efficiently using wiki.how
-
Beginners and advanced practitioners connect with one another and get training in kendo, iaido, and Historical European martial arts using swordclass.how
Google CIO Ben Fried told Entrepreneur,
“We believe .how can become an intuitive way for creators and consumers to share, identify and discover some of the best learning content on the web,” Google’s announcement reads. “Now you can buy a simple, memorable and meaningful .how domain name of your own, sending a clear message that your content is there to teach people something great.”
Personally I have some ideas for http://technology.how and surprisingly found that it was available. A few clicks later, I now own the domain. If someone has bigger plans for such an important domain, I’d be happy to entertain offers for the domain.
Google already provides a platform for users to create and share educational material, that’s called YouTube. but encouraging individuals and businesses to register websites is smart. Content can be structured and sequenced in steps to guide users through learning content, compared to a simple playlist of videos.
Building on .HOW is easy, (too easy) just find the name you want, and Google connect you with partners, such as name.com or domainsatcost.ca. If you don’t already have hosting and email, they make it easy to add those options, and as with every domain provider, offer website building tools for newbies.
More info at http://get.how/ via http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242562
