The end of the URL as we know it
When I first heard of Centraal's "RealNames" Web site naming scheme, I was
skeptical. Asking companies to register their names and products through an
additional service, plus the fact that Web users didn't have easy access to
this registry, added up, in my mind, to a seriously flawed business model.
Yet the RealNames service was, and is, needed. The current technology-based
Web addressing system is outdated. Centraal's naming scheme is based on a
more real-world "appropriate use" policy and includes a conflict resolution
process. Interestingly, dot-com registrar Network Solutions owns 10 percent
of Centraal. And Centraal has recently locked up important partnerships,
including a deal with Microsoft's MSN that will quietly make RealNames the
default search engine for words typed into the Internet Explorer address
bar.
The barriers to entry in Centraal's business are high, but the Microsoft
deal (which will likely beget a corresponding AOL/Netcenter deal) is one of
a kind. And Internet name registration is a global business that almost
demands a central authority. There is a business here -- a big one.
- Rafe Needleman
Editor, Redherring.com
--
Rob Raisch CTO - RivalWorks, Inc. <http://www.rivalworks.com>
Who do you want to play today?
