The top-level domain (TLD) “.bible” is designed specifically for entities and individuals who wish to market or assign context to their content with specific reference to the Christian Bible. A TLD is the last segment of a domain name – the letters immediately following the final dot of a URL. For instance, in the domain name www.example.com, “.com” is the TLD.
The .bible TLD is sponsored by the American Bible Society and was delegated to the Root Zone of the Domain Name System (DNS) on the 25th of March, 2015, as part of the New generic top-level domain (gTLD) Program of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The sponsoring organization’s aim is to promote Bible engagement and translation, and to inspire innovative Bible engagement applications that ‘glorify God and respect the Bible community’.
In the case of the .bible TLD, it is an effective way for organizations, churches, businesses or individuals, who resonate with the values and beliefs taught in the Bible, to market and brand their website and email addresses. For example, websites like www.bibletranslation.bible (operated by United Bible Societies), www.daily.bible (providing daily reflections), and www.free.bible (offering free Bible resources), use this TLD. This aligns them immediately and clearly with the Christian faith and the Christian community, aiding visitors to their site to instantly understand a key aspect of the website’s content and mission.
However, the use of .bible is also regulated by specific policies such as Respectful Use Policy and the Safeguard Policy to ensure the TLD’s integrity and utility. These policies prohibit usage that is deemed disrespectful towards the Bible Community and the principles enshrined in the Bible, or content that incites violence, discrimination, and other harmful actions.
Therefore, the .bible TLD is a niche gTLD that is beneficial for organizations and individuals part of or catering to the Christian faith and community, reinforcing their biblical message and commitment while maintaining the integrity and respect towards the Bible and Christianity.
Sources used for the response:
1. Wikipedia for TLD and .bible specific information (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.bible, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level\_domain)
2. ICANN Wiki for .bible gTLD delegation details (https://icannwiki.org/.bible)
3. American Bible Society for specific information on .bible TLD’s usage and policies (https://get.bible/policies)
4. Examples of the .bible websites (https://www.bibletranslation.bible/, https://daily.bible/, https://www.free.bible/).
