Web design and development is full of shiny baubles and neat gizmos.  There are all sorts of things that are just fascinating.  We know because we love looking for and integrating new technology.  BUT....what you really should be asking yourself every time you think of doing something new is "How will this improve my organisation; Is it worth the customer's time?; and What is the value that it offers the user?"

Online users have a short attention span and little patience for things that do not directly serve them.  You shouldn't waste the user's time talking about yourself.  Make things simple and efficient, and above all else ask yourself, "If I were a customer would I enjoy doing this? Would I tolerate it? Would it make me angry? or Would it entice me to take action?"

Websites are about your customers, not about your business!  They want information, service, and efficiency. Every step in the information, service, or buying process that you put in front of them will reduce your positive outcomes and maximise your negative ones. Every field that you put into a form for people to fill out will make people suspicious and angry.  Keep it simple!  Customers want websites that are self explanatory, useful, and easy to use.

Its about improving your business.  The best way to do that online is to make your website useful and usable for your customers.  That all starts with a plan:

•     Learn how your customers think with web research.
•     Analyse your true competitive position in your marketplace, and differentiate yourself by offering the best value.
•     Focus on the user perspective, and never make them do something you wouldn't enjoy doing yourself.
•     Don't try to emulate your offline business with an online brochure - think Internet efficiency!

The world is anxiously awaiting the settlement process of the gold rush for new gTLD domain extensions.  With 1,800 valid applications and ICANN raising around $360 million (interesting for a non-profit regulator) the application rush is over and the approval process and auction competitions has begun.  In the rush there were about 1200 Brand/Trademark applications (.google), 650 generic niche applications (.shop), 200 International Domain Names [IDNs], and 50 or so Geographic domain names (.Africa).  Some of these applications weren't valid as the fees weren't paid (around 214), and around 500 of the niche applications were from around 20 applicants (portfolio applicants).

For 228 domain extensions there was more than one applicant.  The top 11 of these with applications numbers are: .APP (13), .INC (11), .HOME (11), .ART (10), .LLC (9), .BLOG (9), .BOOK (9), .SHOP (9), .MOVIE (8), .MUSIC (8) .DESIGN (8).  35 had 5 or more applicants, and 115 had at least 3.

Of the application 1819 of them were for domains using the alpha numeric alphabet - with 1,308 of those being unique terms.

Traditionally gTLD domain extensions are three characters.  In the new application batch 242 of alpha numeric use three characters, 989 use four to ten characters, and an astounding 75 use between eleven and eighteen characters.

One thing is for certain.  The number of new domain extensions is extrodinary.  It will open the market to a lot of opportunity and equally as much money to be burned.  The real question is about where the smart money and dumb money will be spent in this gold rush.