DotWikiLogo.png
Status: Active
Manager: GoDaddy Registry
Registry Provider: GoDaddy Registry
Type: Generic
Category: Technology

More information: NTLDStatsLogo.png

.wiki is an active gTLD that was proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program. Top Level Design was the original Registry Operator for the string and was the only applicant; it was acquired by GoDaddy Registry in 2023.[1]

Top Level Design submitted a total of 10 applications; the company is led by Raymond King who is particularly passionate about wikis.[2] The proposed application was delegated to the Root Zone on 19 February 2014.[3]

Application Excerpt

The Following is excerpted from the applicant response to question #18:

"Top Level Design, LLCʹs goal for the .wiki gTLD is to create a designated Internet space for wikis. This TLD will clearly identify wikis from among the millions of other websites populating the Internet, and allow Internet users to easily find wikis relevant to their interests. Wiki websites are a growing phenomenon on the Internet and an innovative, easy-to-use peer-production method of creating and presenting information. They are generally open and editable and often community-driven; furthermore, individual wikis and the wiki platform are in constant flux in much the same way that the Internet as a whole is in flux. Wikis, like the broader Internet, are repositories of information that depend on each individual user to create value; they are meeting points and revolutionary ways to share ideas and knowledge; and they are both set to be expanded through the implementation of ICANN’s New gTLD Program, and a .wiki TLD specifically. We believe a .wiki TLD is an intuitive and necessary addition to the collection of new gTLDs to be added as a result of the New gTLD Program.

The .wiki TLD will be an open TLD, with wholesale pricing higher than currently available gTLDs. The TLD will be targeted at subject matter wikis. We believe that this pricing strategy will help encourage the productive development of the domain space, and encourage those individuals that wish to create malicious content, parked pages, or other irrelevant websites to use cheaper, more generic TLD offerings to host their content.

Top Level Design, LLC has a passion for wikis. Our CEO has worked extensively with the inventor of wiki technology, Ward Cunningham, and in addition to having launched quite a few wikis, is currently managing three other wiki-based ventures: AboutUs Inc., WikiIndex.com and ICANNWiki.com. The latter has established itself as a primary resource for neutral, third-party information on all aspects and members of the ICANN community. Thus, we are productive and active participants of both the ICANN and wiki communities, and it is our goal to merge the revolutionary opportunities of the New gTLD Program with the innovative knowledge-sharing possibilities of wikis. .. .Wiki will have an open registration policy targeted at wiki owners who use wikis as a way to create and disseminate sector specific information. We hope to attract both groups and individuals to develop wikis about their favorite hobby, cause or other passion. We believe that the term “wiki” and what the concept entails are widely understood, and that the average Internet use will understand that the content of a .wiki domain will be largely populated by this innovative presentation of open, editable information."[4]

Contract Signed

On 07 November 2013, Top Level Design received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN for .wiki after passing all the required processes needed to become a Registry Operator for the string.[5]

Delegation and Availability

.wiki was delegated to the Root Zone of the DNS on 19 February, 2014, completing the successful application for the string.[3]

.wiki ran a Sunrise Period from 3 March 2014 to 5 May 2014. A Landrush Period followed from 8 May to 22 May, and the TLD entered General Availability on 27 May.[6]

References