The top-level domain (TLD) .ORG is one of the original TLDs introduced in 1985 and has since remained one of the most popular TLDs in use to date. It was initially intended for organizations, hence the abbreviation .ORG, but its use has since expanded to include other groups and individuals.
Created by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the goal with .ORG was to cater to non-profit organizations. According to ICANN’s own literature, while .COM was meant for commercial entities and .NET for network-related organizations, .ORG was originally designed for organizations that didn’t fit the description of the two (ICANN, 2004).
Despite its original intent, there’s essentially no check or restriction on who can register a .ORG website, leading to wide applicability beyond just non-profit organizations (Reese, 2001). Various schools, open-source projects, communities, and even for-profit entities use the .ORG domain.
A significant feature of .ORG is its association with trust and credibility. Reportedly, the 2015 Domain Name Preference Study indicated that internet users associate .ORG with non-profits, NGOs, causes, and trust (Petry, 2016). It is seen more positively and as more trustworthy than .NET, .INFO, .BIZ, and others.
Examples of wide-ranging use of .ORG reflect its trust and credibility. Wikipedia.org, an online open-source encyclopedia, and Wordpress.org, a platform for developing websites, both utilize the .ORG domain. Drupal.org, another open-source project, chooses to use .ORG as well. Non-profit entities like UNICEF (unicef.org) and philanthropic networks like Rotary (rotary.org) also use .ORG. These examples demonstrate the versatility and widespread trust in the .ORG domain.
In 2002, the organization in charge of operating the registry for the .ORG domain was shifted from VeriSign to Public Interest Registry (PIR). This decision was made to decrease VeriSign’s monopoly power over TLDs and the internet, as PIR was a non-profit organization itself (ICANN, 2002).
In terms of source credibility, ICANN is a primary and reliable source as they are the entity that introduced TLDs, including .ORG. Other reliable sources include publications from recognized internet influencers such as Petry (2016), who has written extensively on domains and online marketing.
In conclusion, the .ORG domain has evolved since its introduction in 1985 to be seen as trustworthy, used by a wide array of organizations and projects. Whether it’s used by respected non-profits or widely used open-source projects, .ORG remains a popular and trusted TLD today.
Sources:
Reese, D. (2001). Domain names 101. Computerworld. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/
ICANN. (2004). Preliminary Report for Special Meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors. Retrieved from https://www.icann.org/
Petry, R. (2016). Why the .Org domain is the only domain that matters for nonprofits. Business 2 Community. Retrieved from http://www.business2community.com/
ICANN. (2002). ICANN selects new .org operator. ICANN. Retrieved from https://www.icann.org/
