For Fresh TLDs, the Last 10% is the Hardest

The home stretch is always a long stretch.

It’s been a while since I’ve moved, but in the late 90s/early 00s I moved from dorm to dorm to a number of apartments. There’s one thing (other than a sore back) that I remember from all of these moves: the last 10% is the hardest.

Just when I thought I was 90% done moving my stuff, I’d find that the last 10% remaining in my apartment was actually a lot more than I thought. Maybe I left some of the difficult stuff for last, but it also seemed that all the modest things really added up to a lot.

I think we’ll experience the same thing with fresh top level domain names. Although it seems we’re close to the finish line, there is still a lot that needs to be worked out. It’s going to take more time than many people think.

Other than the last 10%, there’s one more thing that could seriously derail fresh TLD plans: If .xxx isn’t approved this stretch, I think you can push the timeline for fresh TLDs back at least 6 months.