A top-level domain (TLD) is the last segment of a domain name, or the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol. TLDs are generally identified in three main categories – Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLD), Generic Top Level Domains (gTLD), and infrastructure top-level domain.
“.report” is a Generic top-level domain (gTLD) within the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet, managed by Donuts Inc. registry. The “.report” TLD is designed specifically for individuals, businesses, and organizations that cater to the distribution, creation, analysis, and sharing of reports. It offers a domain that’s specific to reporting, making it easier for Internet users to find reporting services, or for businesses to categorize the reporting section of their websites (“Postel, 1994, RFC 1591”).
Donuts Inc., the registry authorized to operate the “.report” domain, facilitates multiple applications from interested registrants. As with standard gTLDs, the “.report” TLD can be registered for up to a 10-year period and renewed thereafter.
The .report TLD can be beneficial in many ways, for instance, news organizations, research institutions, analytics companies, etc. News organizations could use it to specify a section of their website that is dedicated solely to in-depth reporting on various issues. Similarly, a research institution or an academic could use the .report TLD to share their research reports with the global online community. Analytics companies can use it to share their analysis reports to their customers through a distinct platform. For example, “business.report” could be a domain geared towards weekly updates and news about the business world.
Websites using the .report TLD are widespread, with more and more sectors finding it useful for augmenting their digital presence. Be it business reporting, academic report publishing, financial analysis, or market research—all of these fields find the .report domain beneficial in one way or another.
Sources for .report domain confirmation can be found at ICANN’s (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) list of delegated strings (ICANN, 2013). The use of the .report domain can be verified from the WHOIS protocol that is used to query the databases that store the registered users of an Internet resource such as a domain name (WHOIS, 1982, RFC 812).
In conclusion, the .report top-level domain serves a considerable market that deals with reporting, be it in news, research, or business. It functions as a more specific and intuitive domain name option, adding value to an organization’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy, providing more significant branding for reporting services, and improving online navigation for users.
Sources:
1. RFC 1591 – Domain Name System Structure and Delegation, Postel, J., March 1994.
2. ICANN’s list of delegated strings – https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/tlds-0d-2012-02-25-en
3. RFC 812 – NICNAME/WHOIS, Harrenstien, K., Stahl, M., Feinler, E., March 1982.
