Monash University has become the first ”brand” in the world to secure its own top-level domain on the internet.
The global governing body for domain names, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, has been evaluating new TLDs, which are joining the likes of .com, .net and .au on the internet.
New TLDs that have already been approved to go ”live” on the internet include domains in non-Roman script, such as Arabic and Chinese, and generic domains such as .menu.
Australian company ARI Registry Services is the technology provider for some of the new TLDs. Its chief executive, Adrian Kinderis, said .monash had outpaced the likes of Google, Amazon, Apple and 600 other major brands around the world to have its custom domain suffix added to the internet.
”Monash University were the very first ‘.brand name’ that’s been released in the new top-level domain program,” he said.
Other new Australian TLDs such as .afl, .iinet, .auspost, .melbourne and .sydney are expected to follow.
MrKinderis said the .brand name TLDs would be a marketing tool to support the brand’s digital strategy.
”Largely, what it’s about is creating a source of truth on the internet, saying to the world if you want to find anything about Monash University, for example, it must end in .monash.”
The university will gradually phase .monash into its digital communications but will continue its current online presence of monash.edu
