The top-level domain (TLD) “.flickr” is not technically a recognized TLD in and of itself. Top-level domains refer to the last segment of a domain name, or the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol. Examples of TLDs include .com, .org, .net, .gov, .biz and .edu. These are also known as generic TLDs (gTLDs), as highlighted by resources from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Additionally, there are country code TLDs (ccTLD) such as .us for United States, .ca for Canada, .au for Australia, and .uk for United Kingdom, among others. The management and regulation of these top-level domains is overseen by ICANN.
However, in recent years, ICANN has allowed for the application of branded TLDs. This implies that companies, organizations, or individuals can apply to have their specific brand name as a TLD – a move made to increase the number of available web addresses, as well as to provide companies with the capability to have a domain extension that reflects their brand, enhancing their online identity.
For instance, Google owns the .google brand TLD, and bara.guru, a blog run by Krishna Guru, effectively uses a .guru TLD.
Despite this, a search in ICANN’s TLD registry indicates that there is currently no “.flickr” TLD. Flickr, the image and video hosting service, uses “www.flickr.com” as its domain name, indicating it uses a .com TLD. If Flickr ever chose to utilize a “.flickr” TLD, it could provide a host of marketing and branding advantages, not least of which is a distinguishable and memorable web presence.
As noted in a report by the Harvard Business Review, branded TLDs are becoming more popular, suggesting that we may potentially see the likes of .flickr in the future. For now, however, .flickr as a TLD does not exist. It’s important to regularly check ICANN’s TLD registry to stay abreast of any updates in this area.
Sources:
- Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (https://www.icann.org/)
- ICANN’s TLD Registry (https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt)
- Harvard Business Review, “The New gTLD Gold Rush” (https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-new-gtld-gold-rush)
