In December 2022, we featured a #BlockchainThursday post about BlueskyWeb.xyz, an initiative aimed at building a decentralized form of social media. The Bluesky initiative was commissioned in 2019 by technology billionaire and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey while he was still the CEO of Twitter. On October 18, 2022, BlueskyWeb.xyz introduced its decentralized social media protocol, named The AT Protocol. They also opened a waitlist for the Bluesky Social app1, designed to serve as a browser with which to access the AT Protocol network. The wait is over, and more and more waitlisted users are receiving access codes and joining the new Bluesky Social platform. A key feature of the platform is the ability to set your own custom domain as your handle.
A custom domain with extensions like .xyz, .LOL, (even .Boats or .Yachts!) can be a fun or irreverent choice for your Bluesky handle. These unique domain extensions add a touch of creativity and personalization to your online presence. If you want to use a .xyz or .LOL or any XYZ Registry domain as your Bluesky handle, here’s how:
A custom domain is typically associated with representing a website on the internet. However, domains have multiple uses beyond websites. They are also employed for various purposes such as email addresses, online services, and now, even social media handles! Using a domain name as a handle in social media allows you to personalize your online presence with a memorable and unique domain extension like .xyz or .LOL. Instead of relying on traditional usernames, you can leverage the familiarity and versatility of domain names to stand out in the social media landscape.
Using a domain name as your handle in social media also unlocks valuable benefits. One significant benefit is the opportunity to promote your website seamlessly. By aligning your social media handle with your website’s domain, you create a cohesive brand identity. Every time you engage with others on social media, you are reinforcing your website’s presence, driving traffic, and expanding your online reach. Additionally, using a custom domain as your handle establishes a clear link between your social media profile and your website, proving that both are owned and managed by the same individual or organization. This verification adds authenticity and helps build trust, which can generate credibility among your audience and distinguish you from impersonators. BlueskyWeb.xyz has provided valuable information on using custom domains as handles.
To acquire a custom .xyz or .LOL domain, you can purchase one from any ICANN-accredited domain registrar or reseller. When choosing a custom .xyz or .LOL domain, you have the flexibility to explore a wide range of options. You don’t always need to aim for complete uniqueness. In fact, part of the fun is finding the perfect domain that resonates with your personality or brand. Feel free to search for the domain you want, whether it’s a clever phrase, a memorable word, or a playful combination. The availability of domain names with .xyz and .LOL extensions offers exciting opportunities to create a distinct online presence.
After registering your custom ..xyz or .LOL domain, you can set it as your Bluesky Social handle by following these steps:
On the “Change my handle” screen, select “I have my own domain.” The subsequent screen will provide you with the necessary information to add to your domain registrar.
Go to your domain registrar, such as Namecheap or Google Domains, and access the DNS management section for your domain. Add a TXT (text) record using the provided information. The record should have the following details:
Once you have added the TXT record, allow a few minutes for the changes to propagate across the internet. Afterward, click “Verify DNS Record” in Bluesky. Check your Bluesky profile to see if your custom .xyz or .LOL domain is now your handle. Please note that DNS propagation may take some time.
BlueskyWeb.xyz has been a great resource for learning about the use of custom domains as handles for Bluesky Social. By following these steps, you can proudly represent yourself on Bluesky with a unique .xyz or .LOL domain as your handle. Enjoy the personalized touch and make your online presence stand out!
1. https://bsky.app
In this XYZ Quarterly we’ll cover eight examples of how to expand your skill set and share about your growth online. We’ll also provide a recap of XYZ’s Q4 2021 activity.
Expanding your skill sets and sharing your growth online shines a spotlight on yourself and helps you to stay ahead of the curve. As many industries continue to evolve, it is more important than ever to continue growing your skills to keep up and continue excelling. A strong and growing skill set can be especially impressive to employers. Growing your skills can demonstrate your dedication and your interest in advancing your career. Your new skills can diversify your job options and help you develop new techniques to keep up with the fast-changing industries. It is valuable to include your new skills on your website to make them count in today’s digital world. Using your website to market yourself and your new skills can help earn new customers, clients, or employers and help generate new connections or revenue streams.
It can be challenging to figure out what new skills to explore and where to begin your journey in growth and development. That’s why we’re sharing how to continue innovating and staying current by expanding your skill sets and making your growth known, as part of this year’s XYZ Quarterly theme of Staying Ahead of the Curve with .XYZ. We’re offering you eight helpful ideas that you can use to expand your skill sets, paired with eight websites that demonstrate these ideas.
Read on for Part 1: “Expand your skill set and share about your growth online”
Or jump down to Part 2: “XYZ’s Q4 2021 Recap.”
One method of expanding your skill set is to mint your creative works into NFTs. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are one-of-a-kind digital collectibles that can become a valuable and sought-after investment. By learning how to transform your artwork into NFTs you can develop proficiency in the purchase of cryptocurrency and how to use minting platforms. You can gain an understanding of gas fees and how to list your NFTs for sale on marketplace platforms. NFT collections make an eye-catching and progressive addition to personal websites, and you can learn how to attractively organize and display your NFT collection on yours. Minting your work into NFTs and sharing them on your website can lead to a more diverse audience base and added attention to your website.
Serwah.xyz is an example of an artist who enhanced her cryptocurrency skill set and learned how to transform her digital 3D art into NFTs. In 2013, after predominantly creating with oil paints, Serwah began working in digital 3D art. She found NFTs to be her preferred way for her digital art to be consumed and sold in its organic form, and began adding her creations to her website. In May 2021, Sotheby’s featured her piece Creation of My Metaverse (Between this World and the Next) in their NFT collection. A few months later in October, Paris Hilton listed a few NFTs on Sotheby’s NFT marketplace, including work from Serwah Attafuah.1 She was even featured in an article in The Fashion Law, which references Serwah as one of the first Australian artists to sell an NFT (a piece titled “Voidwalker”). Serwah’s decision to expand her skill set to digital 3D NFTs helped her become a pioneer in the NFT space and achieve notoriety for her art.
Expanding your artistic portfolio by transforming your creative artwork into NFTs can greatly extend your customer-base and attract more attention to your work and your website.
Another method of expanding your skill set is to broaden your range and venture in a new direction by developing and hosting a podcast. You may find that you’re well equipped to speak easily and confidently, and able to harness your expertise or unwavering curiosity about a particular topic to create an entertaining and insightful podcast. By learning how to make a podcast you can acquire new skills in recording, producing, and editing. The podcasting process can help you become skilled at planning a programming calendar and booking guests. You can learn interviewing best practices and strengthen your conversational and public speaking skills. Once your podcast is ready to share with the world, you can learn how to post the episodes on your website and on podcast platforms. Your audience may learn quite a bit from you and your programming, which may lead you to become a subject matter expert or put you on course for exciting new projects.
Proof.xyz is a successful example of how podcasting can make you a subject matter expert, grow your audience, and lead to new projects. Silicon Valley-based Kevin Rose is a partner at True Ventures, a venture capital firm that has invested $2 billion in early stage technology startups, including Peloton, FitBit, and Ring. With a growing interest in the NFT space, Kevin created the NFT-themed podcast Proof.xyz in March 2021. There are over 30 episodes of the podcast featuring interviews with NFT artists, like Sarah Zucker, and platform developers, like Tyler Ward of Universe.xyz. Kevin’s interviews demonstrate his understanding of what the average newcomer may be wondering, and he manages to simplify the discussion for easy digestibility for all audiences. He uses his new podcast to share his passion and growing knowledge, and provides a platform that offers valuable visibility to artists and developers of this new space. Proof.xyz helped grow Kevin’s audience, and led to the development of the new Proof Collective. This unique membership program entitles Proof Collective NFT holders to benefits such as a private Discord for the Proof Collective community, early access to Proof.xyz content and live interviews, in-person local meetups, and more. Kevin’s decision to create a podcast based on his passion for NFTs increased his visibility, helped him make a name for himself in the NFT community, and led to the creation of the Proof Collective.
Sharing your knowledge on a podcast and promoting your podcast on your website can lead you to become a top-of-mind industry expert and help you discover new projects.
With the continued growth of e-commerce, now is a good time to consider monetizing your creative talents to a global marketplace. Demonstrate growth and improve your brand’s success by offering a marketplace feature to your website. Doing so can help you learn how to compose product pages and product descriptions. You can learn about inventory management and choosing and setting up Point of Sale (PoS) software. There is also much to learn about packaging, shipping, and handling. Developing this knowledge and growing your website by adding an e-commerce platform can generate a new revenue stream and increased attention to your website.
MightyType.xyz is an example of a website that demonstrated growth by adding an e-commerce platform feature to increase revenue. Skilled creative Tanner Vargas created MightyType.xyz while studying at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He uses his website to share articles he’s written on architecture as well as pieces on creative mediums like music, movies, and short stories. He’s since expanded his website to include his photography work as well as a dedicated page for e-commerce. Tanner’s online store carries photography prints, stretched canvas artwork, stickers, T-shirts and more, all featuring Tanner’s original artwork and photography. Tanner created a profitable layer to his existing website and generated a new audience of online shoppers.
Expanding your brand and adding an e-commerce feature to your website can demonstrate growth and attract profitable attention to your website.
If you have valuable knowledge to share, enhance your skill set by writing an educational and inspirational book. Among many benefits, writing a book can unlock new ideas for research and development, lead to future book deals, and earn worldwide attention. You could even go digital and consider writing and self-publishing an eBook. Adding a dedicated section of your website to promote your book or eBook can demonstrate your growth and generate new audiences. Writing a book encourages development of new skills like writing for a mass audience, finding a publisher, negotiating a book deal, or earning passive income from an eBook. It can also help develop your time management skills as you learn to make all of your deadlines. Writing and promoting an educational and inspirational book or eBook can demonstrate growth, generate innovation, and increase attention to your website.
JJDelgado.xyz is an example of a knowledgeable leader who expanded his skill set by writing a book and adding a dedicated page about it on his website. Juan José Delgado is a professional in business growth and development and holds a PhD in Digital Economy and Online Human Behavior. He is a successful digital strategist and has over 12 years of business experience at well-known brands across Europe and Latin America, including Amazon Marketing Services South Europe, where he’s known to have led the biggest international sales day in the platform’s history. JJ expanded his skill set by becoming an author, and now has three books on marketing strategy, including the recent title, Smash It. The dedicated page he added to JJDelgado.xyz increases exposure of his book to his website visitors. And for those that first become familiar with his book and opt to search for more information about it online, the dedicated page increases the overall exposure of his website. JJ also uses this page to offer a complimentary digital marketing download in exchange for an email address, which can help him bolster his mailing list. Reviewers of Smash It say it is a “must read,” “rich in practical examples,” and that it is “a great book to unleash the potential of digital in your company.”2 JJ uses his knowledge and valuable professional experiences to write influential books that add value to his website and his brand.
Compiling your wisdom and valuable personal experiences in book form and displaying it on your website shows the world that you have valuable expertise to share.
Another way to expand your skill set is to share your valuable expertise by teaching online courses. Offering classes on your website can continue attracting students who will benefit from your instruction. Teaching an online course can help you develop skills in being an educator, creating a lesson plan, and organizing the coursework. You would also learn how to produce and record the classes, and then how to add them to your website. You can add new classes regularly and build your brand as an educator.
Realtime.xyz is an example of how to enhance your skill set and your website by offering online courses. Yue Jia is a VFX Director for Shanghai-based game developer and global publisher, XD Inc. Realtime.xyz is where he shares his experiences as a real-time VFX artist, including his previous position as a designer for Epic Games, where he worked on popular games such as Fortnite and Paragon. Yue added a new layer to his website when he began offering online courses for aspiring VFX creators looking to develop skills. The Course page of Realtime.xyz provides detailed information about Yue’s course content options. Interested students can create a login and purchase their classes of interest. One of the courses he teaches is on Niagara, one of Unreal Engine’s advanced VFX development tools. Epic Games developed the Unreal Engine platform in 1998 and uses it to build their own games, including Fortnite, Gears of War, and Unreal Tournament. The platform has since been used in a variety of 3D game genres, and has also become adopted by the film and television industry. Since Unreal is now available to all aspiring developers, and learning how to use it requires particular skills, Yue’s distinctive experience gives him the tools to teach others. As more and more students enroll in Yue’s classes, he can cement himself as a knowledgeable leader in his field and continue sharing his expertise with others.
Showcasing your talent and making instructional classes available on your website demonstrates your proficiency and adds a valuable new layer to your brand.
You may also consider expanding your skill set by exploring philanthropic organizations and helping to further the causes that are important to you. Promoting your passions and dedication can lead to greater attention to your work and lead to more career growth and opportunity. Becoming involved in philanthropy can develop important organizational skills, such as how to develop and plan fundraising campaigns. You can also learn about outreach and recruitment. Finding success in the philanthropy space can lead to new career opportunities and increased attention to your website.
BrianTan.xyz is an example of a user who expanded his skill set by exploring philanthropy. Brian is an accomplished designer who uses BrianTan.xyz to share his experiences ranging from the co-creation and launch of the Hangtime app (a platform that helps students compare schedules with friends) to joining a startup called HeronChat to work part-time as their lead UI/UX Designer. He expanded his skill set by exploring his interest in an organization called Effective Altruism (EA), which is devoted to helping overcome the obstacles that many people face when trying to figure out the most impactful way to do good. EA uses evidence and reasoning to determine how to help others as much as possible. Brian expanded his skill set to co-create his own chapter of the global EA movement. He wanted to bring together the local community of Filipinos interested in EA, and now he works full time in this role. Brian’s dedication to the exploration of philanthropy led him to create a new layer to his personal portfolio website, as well as a new full-time career.
Exploring philanthropy, getting involved with causes that are important to you, and highlighting it on your website illustrates your growing list of skills and your passions.
Exploring your passions and interests to create an entertaining and insightful blog is a great way to expand your skill set. You may find that you can develop your hobby into an added revenue stream or even a successful career. Creating a blog can help you develop skills in content writing, research, engagement, and more. Channeling your passion into a new outlet can lead to greater attention to your brand.
SaltandPepper.xyz is an example of a website belonging to a marketing professional who decided to explore her personal interests. Sarah Wohlner works in the field of food-related marketing. She expanded her interest in food and recipe writing to create SaltandPepper.xyz, a recipe-themed blog. She further expanded her skills beyond recipe-writing to bring her recipes to social media platforms, where her content earned her incredibly large followings. Sarah’s dedication to her passion for food and recipe writing helped her develop a significant social media following. Sarah’s biggest audience is on Tik Tok, where she has over 680K followers and over 12M likes. Her popular content has also made her appealing to culinary brands and helped her gain partnerships. Sarah found great success as a content creator by exploring her interests, and was able to build a brand identity centered around her passion for food and recipe development.
Writing about your passions can uncover exciting new opportunities and open you up to new audiences.
Another method of expanding your skill set is to harness your passions and offer educational, motivational, and inspirational speaking engagements. By doing so, you can become a beacon for so many and attract new audiences to your website. Exploring public speaking can develop skills in cadence, speech writing, crafting inspiring messages, and even life coaching. Motivating and inspiring others can lead to powerful word of mouth attention to you and your website.
MarquesColston.xyz is an example of someone who found great success by adding “motivational speaker” to his list of talents. Marques Colston is a former National Football League (NFL) player and Super Bowl Champion who pivoted to a career in business development. He began his business development career by serving as President and General Manager of professional indoor football team the Harrisburg Stampede and purchased a share in Arena Football League team the Philadelphia Soul. Marques shares his wealth of experience from his various business development roles through his own consulting service, MC Consulting. He uses MarquesColston.xyz as the official website to book him for management training, performance coaching, and corporate development consulting. To expand his skill set further, Marques began offering bespoke training and speaking engagements focused on corporate development. The attention Marques receives from his speaking engagements generates more attention for his website.
Harnessing your passions to inspire others with public speaking engagements can spread word-of-mouth awareness and attract new audiences to your website.
Staying ahead of the curve means being on top of your game, growing, and striving to add value to your brand. It is beneficial to your online presence to share your continued growth on your website. Go ahead and give your audience added reasons to be impressed.
Enhancing your skill set with knowledge on new technology such as NFTs and other trending topics can lead you to become a top-of-mind industry expert. Expanding your brand with the addition of e-commerce offers a profitable reason for return visits to your website. Sharing your expertise in a comprehensive book or online classes can encourage others to learn from your proficiency. Expanding your talents and offerings can attract more customers and direct more attention to your website.
Following the example of these users by enhancing your skill set and sharing your experiences online can help demonstrate growth and add a valuable new layer to your website.
The final quarter of 2021 was nothing short of exciting. We packed the past few months with incredible ways of helping the new generation of internet users get online. From the introduction of our informative Domains Reports and attention from the blockchain community, to the launch of our eth.xyz service, and the support of 37 hackathons and their inspiring student participants, we’re extremely proud of our finish to the year. Here’s what we’ve accomplished this past quarter.
Blockchain pioneers have been choosing .xyz domains for their innovative and exciting new projects. In December, financial services-focused Square, Inc. officially rebranded to Block.xyz to acknowledge their growth beyond their Square product, and signal their intention to continue expanding their roster of products and services. One of those services is their Bitcoin-focused Square Crypto project, now known as Spiral.xyz, aimed at making Bitcoin the planet’s preferred currency.
Technology venture capitalist Kevin Rose was recently a guest of entrepreneur Tim Ferriss on his podcast The Random Show, where he discussed the crypto community’s attraction to the .xyz domain.
Blockchain companies show strong aftermarket interest in .xyz domains. Some of the biggest sales of the quarter include:
We’ve recognized strong growth in the number of blockchain-based live sites being launched this quarter. These include NFT marketplaces and minting platforms, like X.xyz and Mojito.xyz, and Ethereum’s Login.xyz, a new form of authentication that helps users to control their digital identity with their Ethereum account and ENS profile.
Read more about why so many Web3 startups are using .xyz domains in this article from technology and startup-focused online publication Techcrunch.
On December 20, 2021, we launched eth.xyz, a service we began developing to help ENS users share what they want to the world. The XYZ Registry is committed to supporting the next generation of internet users, including Web3 trailblazers and beyond. In 2018, we helped pioneer the original Ethereum Name Service (ENS) and DNS integration, helping you to use your .xyz domain for your Ethereum wallet address. With over 3 million registrations worldwide, .xyz is quickly becoming a top choice for those that value freedom and versatility online.
With eth.xyz, all .eth name holders can display their ENS profiles in all web browsers. This shortlink can work for .eth holders in a few suggested ways: a lookup where you can more easily find the profile and wallet information connected to an .eth name, a way to share your addresses, or an easy way to showcase your NFT collection.
To use the eth.xyz shortlink , just add “.xyz” to the end of any .eth name in any web browser and the corresponding ENS profile will display. The profile content is automatically populated from publicly available information provided through ENS, and is ultimately controlled by the relevant ENS user.
Eth.xyz and our longstanding partnership with Ethereum greatly contributes to our mission of supporting the next generation of internet users.
In this quarter we introduced the XYZ Registry Domains Report. We’ll occasionally share exciting highlights from the previous month, including which XYZ domains took the lead and the highest aftermarket sales of the month. You can also learn about inspiring business and new ideas launching on XYZ premium domains, as well as trends – such as the blockchain industry’s special interest in .xyz.
Looking ahead and planning for a big splash in an upcoming new year is an ideal time to invest in a strong online presence for your growing business or brand. A strong online presence can help you reach new audiences all over the world, communicate your offerings, and create a memorable user experience. Enter the XYZ Black Friday Cyber Monday sales.
Our Black Friday Cyber Monday sales created a great opportunity to score an amazing domain to develop your online presence. Our partners offered .xyz for as low as $0.99/1st year, .Monster and .Quest for as low as $1.99/1st year, plus exciting deals on other great domains in the XYZ family. For the first time ever, we offered extraordinary savings on Beauty, .Hair, .Skin, .Makeup, .Homes, .Autos, .Motorcycles, .Boats, and .Yachts domains for as low as $7/1st year! Also up for grabs was .College, .Baby, and .Rent domains for as low as $9.99/1st year!
There were great keyword-rich domains registered, such as Acne.Skin and ASAP.Autos. Some of the domain names registered already have websites up, including:
If you missed the sale, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for updates and news so the next one won’t pass you by.
The Double Eleven Shopping Festival, also known as 11/11, refers to China’s annual online promotion day on November 11. It originated from the online promotion held by Taobao Mall (Tmall) on November 11, 2009. At that time, the number of participating merchants and promotion efforts were limited, but the turnover far exceeded the expected result, so November 11 became a fixed date annually for the e-commerce industry to hold large-scale promotional activities.
During this year’s Double Eleven sale, our partners offered special pricing for .xyz, .College, .Baby, .Rent, and .Monster for as low as $0.99! These sales helped people across the globe pursue their resolutions of making a grand entrance into 2022 with an attractive new website. We saw many unique domain registrations such as LinkVerse.xyz, MetaSwap.xyz, and HiBlockchain.xyz. Don’t miss the opportunity to register your perfect .xyz domain today.
Creatives, innovators, and those seeking to sink their teeth into a unique domain for their website got a special treat this Halloween! Our registar partners handed out scary good deals on .Monster domains, with sales of up to 80% off retail price: .Monster ($1.99/1st yr) and .xyz ($.99/1st yr) domains.
Wickedly good domains were registered, including MetaTrader.Monster, Hologram.Monster, and CoffeeWorld.Monster. The sale was the perfect opportunity for ghosts and goblins everywhere to score deals on domain names they can use to create websites that’ll give ’em pumpkin to talk about.
Every Wednesday we proudly feature a #WebsiteWednesday spotlight on an exciting and creative member of the .xyz community. Web3 and metaverse developers have a wonderful appreciation for .xyz domains, so we featured some awesome blockchain-focused websites this quarter.
Many businesses and organizations are building their online homes on .xyz domains. We had the privilege of featuring a few.
We also featured some attractive, well-organized blogs and portfolio websites.
Additional spotlights included a roundup of inspired websites from Readymag users around the world and our Small Business Gift Guide, aimed to help you find incredible small businesses in the .xyz community that carry gifts for nearly everyone on your list.
XYZ helped support attendees at 37 hackathons in the final quarter of 2021!
Participants received .xyz domains to help them launch their ideas and projects online. The hackathons each celebrated technology with workshops and mentors that helped participants learn and develop their skills. While many hackathons were held virtually, others were located throughout the United States, Canada, and India.
HyperHacks, Geekhaven, HackeRam, EconHacks Bangalore, Aerospace Society, The Quizzing Club, Developer Student Clubs, Hack This Fall, Hack The World 2021, HackNITR 3.0, Hack4World-Baku, StemWarriorHacks, InfiniHacks, Garuda Hacks, HackED Society, IEEE VIT Vellore, Vellore Developers Community, Techsahead, Community Classroom, Midnight Hacks
MakeUC, WebJam NYC, HackDown 2021
HacktheValley, Bethune Computer Science Club
NASA’s Space Apps Challenge, IEEE SRM SB Chennai, Incognito 2021, Mamta Modern Sr. Sec. School, API Hacks, SHISTECH, HC Educates 2.0, RevaHack, ADG VIT, MiniHacks MUJ, Unveil, GirlScript India Summit
We are always enthusiastic about helping participants share their ideas and solutions with a global audience on their own .xyz domains. If you are interested in signing up your own hackathon with XYZ to help the next generation of internet users build the future of tech, contact us today!
XYZ is so excited for all of the possibilities ahead in the new year. We have every intention to continue helping the next generation of internet users create a strong online presence. Stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter, and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
1https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabelcontreras/2021/10/21/sothebys-makes-first-crypto-investment-backing-nft-startup-using-ethereum-blockchain/?sh=60cf1a123d82
2 https://www.amazon.com/Smash-Dominate-Digital-Make-Business-ebook/product-reviews/B099MWZJYL/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
In this XYZ Quarterly we’ll cover four types of online platforms to extend the reach of your website online. We’ll also provide a recap of XYZ’s Q3 2021 activity.
Increasing your visibility and extending your online presence is important to your success and helps you to stay ahead of the curve. Extending your network and exposing yourself to larger audiences can lead to inspiration and important growth. You can develop your skills, maintain a pulse on the happenings in your industry, gain access to valuable resources, and gain exposure to your website from new prospective mentors, partners, and clients.
Connecting with your peers and other prominent members of your industry is one of the best ways to accomplish this critical development. There are many types of online platforms that can help you effectively create unique and mutually beneficial connections. That’s the reason we’re sharing how to continue innovating and staying current by increasing your visibility through online communities and digital platforms, as part of this year’s XYZ Quarterly theme of Staying Ahead of the Curve with .XYZ. We’ll offer you four helpful platform ideas that you can use to increase your online visibility, as well as four .xyz websites that can help you implement these tips.
Read on for Part 1: “Four ways to organically grow your website’s visibility using online platforms.”
Or jump down to Part 2: “XYZ’s Q3 2021 Recap.”
Email discussion lists, also known as Listservs, are a powerful method for sharing knowledge. A Listserv community can help you gain visibility for your website and make valuable connections among a network of people with shared interests. A Listserv is a method of communicating with a group of people through email. You can send one email message to the main email address, and the managing software then sends the email to all of the group’s subscribers. Listservs are typically centered around a shared interest, such as a profession or industry. There are lists where only the list owner can send a message, and there are also discussion groups, where any subscriber can post a message. The managing software handles subscriptions, email bounces, and delivery of email messages to very large groups of people. Listservs can be intimate and remote communities that help foster professional relationships and generate traffic to your personal website. They can be a jumping off point for collaborative projects and earning new clients. Your new professional relationships can help build your reputation in your field.
StudyHall.xyz is an example of a Listserv community that can help you implement this tip.
The Study Hall Listserv is an independent media outlet and online support network for media professionals. It is an online community for freelance writers with a goal to promote community and collaboration in the media industry. Members can network and share experiences through the platform’s Listservs and Slack groups. StudyHall.xyz also sends a member digest with commentary on current news and resources for aspiring journalists. Members can easily connect with the rest of the community and interact with all of the features of the website.
StudyHall.xyz members can also find links to each other’s websites, social media accounts, email addresses, and Slack channels where their community has a presence. The platform has an email Listserv of over 4,500 members who receive weekly newsletters and access to informative Slack chats and editor databases.
By joining a Listserv community designed to promote collaboration, you can gain visibility, valuable connections, and a network of shared interests that can help develop your success.
Marketplace platforms such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy can help facilitate the display and distribution of your work through a central directory. These platforms can also help your website gain valuable exposure to fellow creatives and supporters. You can reach out to various marketplace platforms to review their guidelines and membership details, including potential membership fees. Once you join the platform, you can develop your own creator page on the platform, where you can display your work with as much relevant background information and product details as you can provide, including a link to your personal website.
Joining an online marketplace helps you to showcase your work to a global audience of users who can purchase and support your work, while the website facilitates the purchasing or sharing of your work. Marketplace platforms provide a virtual storefront to display your designs, and your participation can earn widespread, global visibility
FutureFonts.xyz is an example of a marketplace platform where you can share and showcase your work. FutureFonts.xyz is a font foundry where font designers can share designs and draw inspiration from fellow creatives. Users can download fonts for affordable prices, and some even welcome users to simply contribute what they can. Each contributor has their own profile page where they can display a personal website, photo, and location, such as France-based Pauline Fourest and her design studio Spaghetype. Users can leave comments on each font’s page, like the comments left on font design “Mayonnaise“.
Joining a marketplace platform can help your website gain valuable exposure to fellow creatives and supporters.
Competition-based platforms can help you demonstrate your skills for a wide network of potential clients and collaborators and attract attention to your personal website. Competitions can require good communication, foster collaboration, and promote teamwork. They tend to encourage growth and skill development. While competing, we are assessing the other competitors and evaluating our own skill level. Competition-based platforms facilitate competitions that may be open to the community of users. They can be hosted or sponsored by a client, who will then select the winner based on their specifications. Participants compete to win, which can lead to further opportunities with the host of the competition, or perhaps from other users who have been exposed to your incredible skill.
Uni.xyz is an example of a website that can help you pursue competitions to demonstrate and develop your skills. The platform is a community created for designers, by designers, that provides opportunities for its members to showcase their skills, find clients, and collaborate on design challenges. The competitions provide designers a chance to propose their work to potential clients and mentors. They also give designers the ability to collaborate with other professionals to share ideas and solve challenges as a team. It is a mutually beneficial relationship, as clients benefit by getting a first-hand look at highly talented individuals and teams ready to take on new work. Users can set up a profile page where they can link to social profiles on other platforms as well as upload content ranging from videos, blogs, podcasts, articles, illustrations, and images. There are separate sections for projects, where other users can leave comments, facilitating conversation between fellow members. Uni.xyz posts the winner, runner-up, and “editor’s choice” of each competition on the platform, creating great exposure to the community of users.
Joining a competition-based platform helps you to demonstrate your skill set for potential clients and collaborators, gain visibility to your website, and be part of a community of inspiring design professionals who can further develop your skills.
Teaching about your knowledge to others can help develop your authority. Applying to teach on a digital education platform opens you and your personal website up to a global audience and provides the opportunity to learn from others in the same community. You can use these educational platforms to record and share live classes, upload presentation videos, and provide accompanying learning materials to interested students who enroll in your class. You can also publicize your website for additional background information. You will also gain the opportunity to learn from, and network with, other authorities in your field.
Ingenio.xyz is an example of a Spanish language educational platform to help you implement this tip. The platform is an online training platform for students and professionals in the field of architecture. Ingenio.xyz selects teachers with years of experience that have achieved a working knowledge of their field. Each educator has their own profile pages they can use to provide their personal website, contact information, and background information. Civil Engineer teacher Jorge Chamorro, who shares a link to his articles on topics like wastewater treatment, as well as information about his extensive background in the water sector. Educators in the Ingenio.xyz community are rewarded points based on their activity. Jorge has earned 5,491 points, which helps him stand out in the platform’s ranking of professionals.
Sharing your knowledge on an educational platform helps you to build a reputation as an expert in your field, increase visibility to your website, and provides the opportunity to learn from others in the same community.
Staying ahead of the curve means improving your visibility, promoting your services, and opening yourself to receive inspiration and growth. Joining an online platform can help you to share your knowledge with an appreciative audience who may further share your expertise and increase the online presence of your website. If you can find your niche in a community of like-minded professionals who share common goals, you can help extend each other’s visibility through collaboration and support.
Taking advantage of platforms like the ones developed by these end-users can help increase your visibility, foster your professional development, help you find a community of mentors, partners, and clients, and grow traffic to your website.
We are in the homestretch of 2021, excitedly entering the final quarter. For XYZ, Q3 was filled with incredible ways to help the new generation of internet users to get online. From launching yet another new domain ending, to helping people design their online presence, to the release of over 900 previously unavailable .xyz premium domains – and the support of 60 hackathons and their inspiring student participants, it’s been a busy quarter. Here’s what we’ve accomplished this past quarter.
As virtual events are still going strong and live events begin to return, XYZ proudly announced .Tickets – the domain name that helps you fill your guest list. Make your event a smashing success or give your innovative idea the standing ovation it deserves with a memorable .Tickets domain. With a .Tickets domain, you can promote live music performances, sporting events, corporate conferences, or even innovative ticketing technology on a URL that is easy to remember, share, and also spread by word of mouth. There are endless possibilities to attract a crowd to your website with a fancy .Tickets domain. Take a look at some of the early adopters below:
Ticketing technology
Memorable links to ticketing pages
On September 1, XYZ released over 900 previously reserved .xyz domains to premium tiers, and decreased the price on some .xyz premium domains. The release included many highly brandable and keyword-rich domain names ideal for any business or individual looking to build their online presence.
The release included 2-letter domains, 3-letter domains, 3-number domains, and many more high value domains. Check out the complete list and when you see some options that you’re interested in, visit your registrar of choice to secure your domains before someone else beats you to it.
Every Wednesday we proudly feature a #WebsiteWednesday spotlight on a creative and innovative member of the .xyz community. Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology developers are loving .xyz domains – and we are loving them right back – so we featured a variety of blockchain-focused end-users this quarter.
We also featured some very attractive and well-organized portfolio websites.
Additional spotlights included Miami-based clothing brand Unedited.xyz and our feature on multimedia collective SuperStarX.xyz, aimed at destigmatizing and celebrating our differences.
Readymag is a website builder focusing on landing pages, editorials, portfolios, and general websites. Through our new, continuing partnership, we’ve been able to begin supporting multiple Readymag customers as they develop their online presence with .xyz domains. We’re proud to see exciting websites like the personal website of music composer, DJ, and tutor IsabellaBassi.xyz, a business website for Ukraine-based creative agency Antiprotiv.xyz, and the portfolio of UX designer JuneWang.xyz.
For the past four years, XYZ has proudly been a domain industry cycling jersey sponsor for Elliot Silver of DomainInvesting.com and his riding partner John Berryhill on their annual 80-mile charity bike ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge. XYZ was once again the lead jersey sponsor for the 2021 event, and we were proud to donate to such a great cause. As shared on Elliot’s blog, the Pan-Mass Challenge has raised $767 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Through our ongoing partnership with Generation Girl, we proudly supported their 2021 Summer Club program, and provided .xyz domains for the young students enrolled to develop their newfound interests and share their innovative ideas with the world. During this year’s Summer Club, the participants were trained in Computer Science 101, UI/UX Design, Game Design, Data Science, and more.
In partnership with Ethereum that began in 2018, we helped pioneer the joint solution to provide a memorable wallet address to replace the long Ethereum hash. For example, Ethereum users can use OurXYZwallet.xyz to reference their wallet instead of 0xf7004095d2d81fe3b5937241c106aace6d6e8e4a. This makes it much easier to send and receive digital tokens like cryptocurrency and NFTs. Our successful partnership and the hard work of ENS has led to the August announcement that ENS/DNS has expanded to hundreds of additional domains.
XYZ helped support attendees at 60 hackathons in the third quarter of 2021!
Participants received .xyz domains to help them launch their ideas and projects online.
The hackathons each celebrated technology with workshops and mentors that helped participants learn and develop their skills. While many hackathons were held virtually, others were located throughout the United States, Canada, and India.
Virtual
HackTheCrisis, PitchTeen, Helyx Hacks 3, Covitech Challenge, Hack the Gap, Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors, Hacking 4 Community, Eventlore, Terris Challenge, SummerSchool 2021, BRILLORE, Daedarus’ Hack, Kurius, Propelling Womeneers, CASE-O-HEIST, Hack-O-Uplift, JIIT OSA Chapter, Ability Hacks, Youthopeian, IoT Forum VIIT, HyperHacks, Geekhaven, HackeRam, EconHacks Bangalore, Developer Student Clubs, Hack This Fall, Hack The World 2021, HackNITR 3.0, Hack4World-Baku, StemWarriorHacks, InspireED, BotHacks, Hacking 4 Community
United States
HackTable, Sequoia Science Olympiad, CoastalHacks, MakeUC, WebJam NYC, Midnight Hacks, TuffyHacks, ExploreTech
Canada
XdHacks Mini Vancouver, HacktheValley, NPO Sponsorship Request
India
Hack For Inclusion, Cryptocracy, Creative Computing Society, CodeGrind, imAgine.py Club, Hack Wizard, CodeTech, HackJNU 2.0, IEEE SRM SB, the void, Mamta Modern Sr. Sec. School, API Hacks
XYZ is delighted to help participants share their ideas and solutions with a global audience via their new .xyz domains. If you are interested in signing up your own hackathon with XYZ to help the next generation of internet users build the future of tech, contact us today!
2021 still has more excitement to bring, and XYZ has more plans for the rest of the year to help the next generation of internet users create a strong online presence. Stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter, and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
In this XYZ Quarterly we’ll cover five technological features to consider for your online presence to inspire, delight, and excite your customers. We’ll also provide a recap of XYZ’s Q2 2021 activity.
Today’s online shoppers engage with countless brands every day. Utilizing technology and adding special features to your online presence can help make your brand cut through the clutter and create a lasting impression in the minds of your audience. Enhancements to your online presence can make your brand’s personality shine through, help you communicate your offerings, and create a memorably enjoyable user experience. Delight your audience and they may even choose to spread the word about your brand or business with friends and family.
In today’s digital landscape, using the latest technology is one of the best ways to stay ahead of your customers’ needs. That’s the reason we’re sharing how to stay ahead of the curve by enhancing your online presence with technological features, as part of this year’s XYZ Quarterly theme of Staying Ahead of the Curve with .XYZ. We’ll offer you five helpful technological ideas that you can use to create a lasting impression on potential customers, as well as five .xyz websites that serve as prime examples of these tips.
Read on for Part 1: “Five uses of new technology to make your online presence more memorable and modern.”
Or jump down to Part 2: “XYZ’s Q2 2021 Recap.”
Brands and businesses in various industries are finding innovative ways to utilize blockchain technology, including creating digital assets for fans and customers interested in growing a collection of NFT badges. Blockchain platforms like Ethereum create a verifiable public database that can be used for tracking event attendance. You can create an event or product launch that provides attendees with a collectible NFT badge that tracks participation and provides an opportunity for your customers to start, or add to, their collection. This NFT badge can serve as a unique and branded digital promotional product that your customer can have forever. Promotional products can also generate increased brand awareness and recognition of your business. A custom NFT can spark curiosity and drive new customers to your website to learn more.
POAP.xyz is an example of a platform that can help your organization provide unique collectible NFTs to delight your customers. The platform is a decentralized application, also known as a dApp, which helps clients create NFT badges to be collected for attending activities and events. POAP.xyz claims that a collection of their custom NFTs is the best way to keep a visual diary of your life events. You can use POAP.xyz to create a memorable and technologically advanced experience for your customers by allowing them to earn a POAP badge at your next event. Collectors can store their branded badges online to be viewed and admired, potentially introducing viewers to the branded organizations. We found a POAP collector who has obtained over 500 badges by participating in virtual events such as Pride parades, reggae dance parties, art releases, and even the launch of xDollar, a new cross-chain cryptocurrency lending platform. POAP.xyz uses blockchain technology and NFTs to help enhance their client’s event and generate more brand awareness.
Using blockchain technology to create collectible NFT badges for your events can provide your customers with a truly unique and modern memorable experience.
As our desire for new and exciting entertainment options continues to grow, the podcast format is still becoming increasingly popular. A podcast is an episodic audio program that listeners can stream or download to their computer or preferred device for easy listening. This type of audio content can allow your customers to listen to interviews from your founder, the story behind your latest launch, or discussions about your events while they’re at the gym or driving to and from the office. Starting a podcast for your business can reach your customers in a new, more intimate way. As traditional marketing channels are carefully curated, podcasts can be incredibly casual and spiked with real personality. Customers can opt in to listen to your podcast regularly, which can educate your customers about your products and services and keep your brand and your website at top of mind.
SpiritGuideSociety.xyz is an example of a brand that created a podcast to extend their educational and entertainment value to a larger audience, and forge a more intimate connection with their followers. The Spirit Guide Society is a community developed by the Seven Grand bar group of Los Angeles, CA. For nearly a decade, popular global spirit brands have been visiting the bar group (Seven Grand, Caña Rum Bar, Las Perlas) to teach whiskey, rum, tequila, and mezcal enthusiasts about the drinks that they love. In 2018, SpiritGuideSociety.xyz began sharing that knowledge in podcast form. Episode topics include discussions with representatives of leading liquor brands, mixology lessons from their own roster of bartenders, and recordings of the group’s live tasting events. Since its debut, their podcast’s Instagram following has grown to nearly 11,000 followers! Comments from followers range from positive reviews of their events, questions about their featured spirits, and shared excitement about upcoming episodes. SpiritGuideSociety.xyz’s podcast listeners can learn more about their favorite spirits directly from brand representatives and gain increased awareness of the Seven Grand, Caña Rum Bar, and Las Perlas bars in Los Angeles.
By extending your educational offerings to a larger audience with the creation of a podcast, your customers can learn more about your brand’s backstory and gain a stronger understanding about your products and services.
The engaging addition of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology can fascinate your audience and take their user experience to an interactive new level. AR is the use of text, graphics, audio, and other virtual enhancements integrated with real-world objects, like the appearance of a new table in your dining room when looking through your phone’s camera. VR, on the other hand, is the technology that uses software to produce images and sounds to create a virtual landscape. AR can place virtual items in your customer’s actual surroundings, and VR can place your customer in virtual surroundings. AR and VR can be especially helpful for businesses and brands that conduct a fair amount of online sales. With AR and VR additions like interactive dressing rooms, virtual color renderings, online customer support, and 3D details of your product, your customers can better understand how a product is going to look and feel in their space. Providing this increased understanding of your product to your customers can inspire them to make a purchase with confidence.
Lune.xyz is a Poland-based digital marketing agency that helps their clients apply this technique to their websites. They specialize in the use of interactive, cutting-edge AR and VR technology to connect consumers with products. Their clients can delight their website visitors with interactive applications and games, pyramid holographic visualizations, interactive mappings, and more AR and VR tools to build consumer trust and promote their ideas. When a brand’s customer is shopping online for a chair and AR technology can show them how it will look in their living room simply by aiming their phone’s camera, it can increase customer confidence in the purchase and leave minimal room for disappointment. When a virtual tour of a brand’s showroom is available through VR technology, a customer can be inclined to see more of what you have to offer from the comfort of their own living room. AR and VR technology like this create a highly interactive and engaging experience for customers that can leave a lasting impression and generate a lot of discussion. In fact, global consumers listed AR/VR as the top technology they’re seeking to assist, amplify, and augment their daily lives, according to a Nielson IQ Global Survey
Utilizing interactive AR and VR technology on your website can enhance a visitor’s experience, extend their stay on your site, and increase your chances of earning a loyal customer.
Customers today are paying more attention to the environment and sustainability. Your company or organization may already be making sustainable efforts in your business model, but you can take those efforts a step further with a low carbon website. With electricity powering data centers, computers and smartphones, energy consumption and emissions from the internet are rather sizable. Approximately 1.6 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions are produced in the manufacturing and running of digital technologies. Developing a low carbon website can reduce your website’s carbon footprint. A low carbon website is one that uses limited energy-consuming resources, including typefaces, logos, and high-resolution images. Your efforts may leave a lasting positive impression with your environmentally conscious customers.
MADC.xyz is an example of a sustainability-minded business that furthered their efforts with the development of a low-carbon website, hosted by a green hosting company. Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho (MADC) & Partners is an international architecture firm established in Madrid, Spain who assert they operate under a succinct philosophy: “Design without sustainability is no longer design.” To extend their sustainability efforts, they designed their website using energy-reducing efforts with the intent of low environmental impact. They chose a green hosting company that uses renewable energy to power the data centers it uses. To limit their use of energy-consuming resources, MADC.xyz’s website is absent of custom typefaces. Visitors of MADC.xyz will instead see the default typefaces of their browser, a sans serif and a serif font. MADC.xyz also limits the usage of high-resolution color imagery on their website. Their website features black and white imagery, with an interactive option that lets visitors temporarily view full-color versions. MADC.xyz is demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and have positioned themselves to leave a lasting impression on visitors of their website.
Aligning your online presence with your brand’s sustainability efforts through a low carbon website can intrigue, impress, and inspire your customers, as well as better serve our planet.
Social media marketing can help increase brand awareness, brand loyalty, and increased traffic to your website. Customers also enjoy the engagement aspects of social media, and can respond favorably to personalized responses to their comments and messages. Embracing the latest social media platforms that most resonate with your target audience can excite your viewers and demonstrate your adaptability as a brand. One new platform is TikTok, a video-sharing social networking service. Another example, Clubhouse, is an audio-only social media app where users can communicate in chat rooms that can accommodate thousands of people. Sharing content that is entertaining, educational, and engaging on the newest social media platforms can help spread your brand’s message and route your audience back to your website.
ForceofNature.xyz is an example of an organization that has embraced the latest social media platform aligned with the interests of their target audience. This youth-led non-profit organization is dedicated to helping fellow young people realize their change-making potential in the face of climate change. Initially sharing their informative climate change posts on Instagram and Twitter, ForceofNature.xyz has created a TikTok account to stay on top of the latest popular social media platform enjoyed by their target audience. In the months they’ve been active they’ve even used the platform to launch efforts to recruit a climate-minded content creator. They have shared clips of speeches from their founder, Clover Hogan, focusing on topics such as intersectionality when promoting environmentalism as well as clips of discussions they’ve had with featured guests, such as environmental lawyer Farhana Yamin. Joining this new, widely-adapted social media platform to share an inside look at their organization can inspire viewers and drive them to ForceofNature.xyz to learn more.
Using the latest technology in social media can help you reach and engage with your target audience.
Businesses that stay ahead of the curve recognize the importance of providing a stellar experience to their customers. It is helpful for your brand affinity to have an online presence that gives your customers something to be impressed with or excited about. Enhancing your website or app with creative and entertaining technological features, whether big or small, can encourage them to stay on your website, become a loyal customer, and even become a brand advocate. Adding a feature to inspire, delight, and excite your customers can help to ensure that they will stay. Take advantage of the latest technology to increase your website’s offerings and reach, including blockchain technology, podcasts, AR/VR technology, low-carbon websites, and the newest social media platforms.
Following the example of these users and making use of these technological features on your website or app can help to create a unique and memorable experience for your customers which can extend the success of your brand.
Believe it or not, we are already halfway through 2021. For XYZ, Q2 was filled with many awesome ways to help the new generation of internet users to get online. From our 7th anniversary celebration, to five more exciting domains to help anyone design their online presence, and the support of 19 hackathons and their inspiring student participants, it’s been a terrific quarter. Here’s what we accomplished during this groundbreaking year.
In June we celebrated the 7th anniversary of .xyz’s launch! XYZ proudly honored and celebrated our .xyz community of innovators, creators, and makers achieving their dreams with .xyz domains. We’re especially proud of the many .xyz community members creating breakthrough technologies, influential works of art and entertainment, and inspiring projects aimed at making a positive impact on the world.
We shared our thanks to our global network of registrar partners and their customers across the globe. Thanks to their support, worldwide adoption has made .xyz a top choice with 3 million domains and counting.
In our continued effort to help the next generation of internet users make their mark online, on June 14, 2021 we relaunched .Homes, .Autos, .Motorcycles, .Boats, and .Yachts – five powerful domain names perfect for anyone looking to design a standout place online. To make these more affordable and accessible than ever before, we significantly dropped .Homes, .Autos, .Motorcycles, .Boats, and .Yachts registration prices by up to 80%. The cost to register these domains is now only $19.99/year MSRP for all standard domains. We also delivered premier access to tens of thousands of domain names available to the public for the very first time. Businesses, brands, professionals, and industry enthusiasts now have more options to register top-notch domains they can use to build standout websites with.
With the versatile .Homes domain you can promote property listings, communicate with potential clients, and make it incredibly easy for home buyers, sellers, and owners to find and remember your website. Reach a worldwide audience with .Autos, the domain name that transcends languages across Latin America and Europe. Lead your website’s branding with the memorable .Motorcycles domain name. Propel your brand forward with .Boats and .Yachts – two powerful domains that will make a splash online.
Take a look at some of the early registrations of these relaunched domains:
XYZ helped support attendees at 19 hackathons in the second quarter of 2021!
Participants received .xyz domains to help them launch their ideas and projects online.
The hackathons each celebrated technology with workshops and mentors that helped participants learn and develop their skills. While some of the hackathons were held virtually, like Covitech Challenge, Helyx Hacks III, PitchTeen 2.0, and Summer School ’21, the others were located throughout the United States, Canada, and India. The hackathons in the United States included health{hacks}, HighTech Hacks, Hydrangea Hacks , BioHack, Citrus Hack, and Women/Hacks 3.0. The hackathons in Canada included Northern Dehacks, MasseyHacks VII, and Expand Youth Society. The hackathons in India included Hack The Crisis, Code Warriors, COMPESA Hackathon 2021, Questival, Robust Routine, and HackBMU 4.0. XYZ is incredibly grateful to help participants share their ideas and solutions with a global audience via their new .xyz domains.
2021 has much more excitement to bring, and XYZ has continued plans for the rest of the year ahead. Stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter, and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
In this XYZ Quarterly we’ll cover six helpful tips that you can use to develop a customer-inspired brand and recap XYZ’s Q1 2021 activity.
Evolving your brand to fit the needs of your audience is vital to its longevity. The world is ever-changing, and often unpredictable. From economic stumbling blocks and new health regulations, to environmental dangers, social upheaval, and demographic challenges, the needs of your customer are changing. A customer-focused brand is one that always identifies growing trends and serves their audience in the best and most current way. Being flexible and nimble when necessary can help your brand to achieve true staying power.
In today’s digital world, a thoughtful and purposeful online presence is one of the best ways to stay ahead of the curve. A website with a memorable domain enables you to promote your brand and your evolution of services. It can reach new audiences all over the world and you can showcase your brands exactly how you want to.
That’s the reason this year’s XYZ Quarterly theme is Staying Ahead of the Curve with .XYZ. Each quarter we will provide you with tips on how to develop and redirect your brand to stay two steps ahead. To begin, this quarter we’ll be showing you how to stay ahead of the curve by being customer-focused. We’ll offer you six helpful tips that you can use to develop a customer-inspired brand, as well as six .xyz websites that serve as prime examples of these tips.
Read on for Part 1: ““Six key ways to stay ahead of the curve by building a customer-focused brand”
Or jump down to Part 2: “XYZ’s Q1 2021 Recap.”
It may be necessary for your brand to pivot in order to better serve your audience. Making a pivot can help you to improve your results and make the best use of your efforts. Pivots can be made in many different ways, small and large. Consider narrowing your efforts to offer one fully enhanced service that is above and beyond the best in the field. Redirect your marketing to cater to a new audience or demographic that could benefit from your services. Consider surveying your audiences to discover gaps between your offerings and their expectations. You can make your efforts widely known with updates to your website.
HelloWorldRobotics.xyz is an example of a brand that pivoted to serve the market better. With a fleet of skillfully developed autonomous delivery robots fully designed, they recognized a greater need for their technology at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. They realized they could provide a way to help reduce imprudent physical contact. The company launched Project Care, a focused effort to provide contactless delivery of essentials and sanitizing services using the technology they had just developed. Their delivery robots can be dispatched to hospitals, quarantine zones, shopping malls, and gated communities; practically everywhere a person in need could be. HelloWorldRobotics.xyz made use of their existing technology to better serve the needs of their customers.
Adjusting your lens to see the greater needs your products or services could address can help them gain traction and put you ahead of your competition.
In today’s digital world, a strong website user experience can give your brand a competitive edge in attracting and retaining your audience. Designing a website that effectively communicates the value you bring to your audience will help you to generate brand advocacy and customer retention. Becoming hyper-focused on the needs of your customers is one of the keys to creating the most engaging user experience possible. Utilize varying types of media to communicate how your brand serves them, including images, videos, and gifs. Create opportunities to be interactive with your website visitors by sharing their user submissions and hosting topical quizzes or trivia. Be creative and consider surprising your audience with something new or unexpected.
Find inspiration from Foodism.xyz, one of the first-ever social media platforms centered on food. Their mission is to gather all food enthusiasts under a single digital roof, and they do so by creatively engaging them in all things food related. What began as an online presence for their print magazine evolved into a full-fledged platform with a pretty remarkable user experience. Foodism.xyz gives members reasons to log in at least once a day, including the promise of a user-submitted recipe of the day. Not only are viewers excited for a new recipe, but they’re eager to see if perhaps their submission was chosen. Members can also read user-submitted blog posts, mixed in with posts directly from the Foodism staff, covering everything from “desserts of India” to “why it’s time to change up your cooking oil.” Foodism.xyz has created an online atmosphere where viewers can spend considerable time. They make regular use of user participation to collaborate with and build their growing community of brand advocates, strengthening their position as a leading food-based social media platform.
Utilizing engagement and creativity to understand the interests of your customers can help you design an appealing user experience on your website and set you on a course of long-lasting favorability.
Taking the time to identify areas within your company that could be more effective or efficient can help you to develop solutions to improve what you have to offer. This can help you to keep up with the needs of your audience and ensure the longevity of your brand. Larger companies may not need to make a full pivot to keep up with their audience’s needs; they just need innovative solutions to fulfill new requirements. See if you can find ways to improve your customer experience. Streamlining warehouse functions can decrease the time it takes to send out shipments. Adding a chat service to your website can cut down on customer service phone call hold times for your customers. Optimizing the images on your website can decrease its load time and help your customers save a minute or two when online shopping. Improving your operations with your customer in mind can help you continue to serve the growing needs of your customer.
Byld.xyz specializes in providing solutions for this kind of strategic internal optimization. Their website states that “61% of CEOs expect a startup competitor to disrupt their industry at any moment” so they help big companies create innovation internally to keep up with the growing needs of their customers. Byld.xyz determines a solution through three main growth phases: Insights, Labs, and Startups. The Insights phase focuses on identifying trends and detecting opportunities. Based on learnings from the Insights phase, possible solutions and minimum viable products (MVPs) are created during the Labs phase. Finally, these MVPs are put to the test during the Startup phase. Once an MVP is considered ready to become a startup solution, Byld.xyz assigns internal teams to take care of essential functions like marketing and sales, operations, product, and IT.
You can take inspiration from Byld.xyz’s startup process to help improve your own operations. New internal processes can help your brand stay relevant and in demand.
Technology has freed brands and professionals from many location constraints. Email, instant messaging, video conferencing, and messaging platforms make it possible to connect with and serve customers all over the world. Associates are working remotely, enabling them to move freely about the world and still get the job done. While businesses are utilizing digital solutions and operating remotely, they can also rethink how they conduct business. You and your customers can become fully acquainted digitally, with no need to have them travel any distance to meet with you. This helps you to expand your customer base and own your niche. A well-designed website has become an essential way to inform your audience of how your brand operates, your mission, and examples of past projects.
Take note of Wave.xyz, a creative agency that offers complete promotional and branding services to their clients. Their website clearly communicates that they handle everything from the development of a complete strategy, material creation, and campaign management. Wave.xyz sets themselves apart from other creative agencies by choosing to be “nomadic.” Their employees go to their client and work from the front line. Visitors to the About Our Collective tab will find a quote from Jason Syptak, Wave.xyz‘s founder, which identifies the forward thought used in their operations. “We set up shop, work and deliver at the point of impact, or Impact Point as we call it.” Their goal is to immerse their team in the environment and create the most meaningful final product. They don’t have a headquarters because Wave.xyz was born with the idea of traveling to their clients, demonstrating a unique dedication to their audience. Wave.xyz uses their website to inform potential clients about their methods to illuminate the fact that geographic location does not limit their ability to do business.
Eliminating limitations and boundaries created by distance is easier than ever. Being flexible and showing willingness to serve a global audience can position you as an industry leader.
Analyzing your niche’s marketplace may lead you to create a completely new product or service. World events, newly developed technologies, and changing attitudes are all opportunities to create brand-new services, projects, or communities. An evolving marketplace continually provides new opportunities to work towards improvements, and increase efficiency and convenience. Many brands find a problem or pain point and solve it in a new way. Being innovative can assist your continued relevance and position you ahead of the curve.
Learn from KetoChow.xyz, who addressed an obstacle in the trending ketogenic diet lifestyle. KetoChow.xyz recognized the growing desire for a healthy and convenient meal-replacement option to serve the ketogenic community. There are ample protein shakes and meal-replacement shakes on the market, but KetoChow.xyz wasn’t seeing any that met the trifecta of requirements to make them perfectly ketogenic: high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrates. Founder Chris Bair has been following the ketogenic diet since 2014. As a customer himself, it was easy to center the customer in his strategy. He took something that worked for him in his journey and developed it to make it available for the mass market. KetoChow.xyz created a shake mix of their own. Customers can add water and heavy whipping cream or avocado oil to create a convenient ketogenic meal replacement. KetoChow.xyz created an innovative solution for the ketogenic community, positioning themselves at the forefront of ketogenic meal-replacements.
Creating a brand new product or service that fills a gap in the marketplace can create incredible value for your audience and establish you as a forward-thinking brand.
Expanding your services can help you to provide more value to your audience. You can develop a second leg of your main service to combine two services in one offering that hasn’t been done before. Increasing your services can increase the size of your brand and demonstrate your awareness of the growing needs of your customers. Once you have developed your unique combination, you can add new pages to your website and/or launch a sister site to work in conjunction with each other. Many companies have fully reinvented themselves to take advantage of digital opportunities — online stores and applications can put all of your existing services at a customer’s fingertips, at any time of the day.
Offering multiple products or services that customers need can help you to create a unique solution that positions you at the forefront of your industry.
Brands that stay ahead of the curve stay focused on their customers. Keep an eye on growing trends and the changing needs of your audience. Strive to offer them the best experience possible by adapting to new situations and perspectives when necessary. That could mean layering and increasing your services, developing smaller innovative solutions to improve what you currently provide, or making a drastic change that better utilizes your resources. Every improvement can be promoted with a website that is as adaptable and flexible as your business.
Following the examples of the six .xyz websites above can help to keep the customer at the center of every decision and help to ensure the longevity of your brand.
2021 is well under way. For XYZ, Q1 was filled with innovation, accomplishment, and anticipation. Here’s how we made a big entrance into the new year.
In our continued effort to help the next generation of internet users make their mark online, we changed the face of the beauty industry online forever. We proudly introduced the first-ever domain names made for the beauty industry: .Beauty, .Hair, .Skin, and .Makeup! These exciting domains allow beauty brands, professionals, and influencers to acquire affordable, memorable URLs that match their brand name, first and last name, social handle, or creative idea. We also introduced .Quest, the domain made for gurus, experts, and authorities in any field. .Quest is the perfect domain for internet users to show their website is the destination their audience is seeking. These new domains are affordable, unrestricted, and available to anyone looking for a head-turning brand presence.
Flawless beauty brands are getting online with .Beauty, .Hair, .Skin, and .Makeup domain names. Many smart brands and visionaries have already taken advantage of these exciting domain opportunities and exceeded our expectations. A .Beauty, .Hair, .Skin, or .Makeup domain can enable beauty brands, professionals, and fans to launch affordable, memorable URLs that match their brand name, first and last name, social handle, or creative idea. Some noteworthy early adopters have already realized the value of these extensions. To name just a few, we’ve noted registrations such as www.MaxFactor.beauty, www.Barbers.hair, www.Freckles.skin, and www.Glossier.makeup!
We also launched .Quest, the domain intended for gurus, experts, and authorities in any field. .Quest is the perfect domain for internet users to mark their website as the destination their audience is seeking. Some of today’s gurus are already on board, including Twitch co-founder Justin Kan who launched www.Justin.quest as the dedicated home for his podcast The Quest. New apparel brand www.GoldenAge.quest is paying homage to famous expeditions with their Explorer Series t-shirts. Each t-shirt design charts a different well-known voyage from history.
At the onset of March, eight of our domains joined .xyz in achieving MIIT accreditation in China. We’re thrilled to say that any owner of a .Rent, .College, .Monster, .Baby, .Security, .Protection, .Storage, or .Theatre domain in China can publish their site live to a global audience. Meanwhile, .xyz continues to enjoy its position as one of the most popular domains in China, having maintained MIIT accreditation since 2016. With adopters ranging from startups, individuals, and organizations, we’ve seen so many launch creative websites on their .xyz domains. Be sure to check out our blog to learn first hand from .xyz adopters and discover their inspiring websites for yourself.
We’ve been busy preparing for the relaunch of our latest domain acquisitions. We’re excited to continue to serve the real estate and transportation industries with .Homes, .Autos, .Motorcycles, .Boats, and .Yachts domain names. They make it easy for brokers, dealers, and service-providers to create memorable domains that match what their audiences are searching for. Starting in June, we plan to make these unrestricted domains even more affordable. Stay tuned for more information!
XYZ supported five student-focused hackathons in the first quarter of 2021. Participants at Hack BI 2021, UPES-CSI, UofT Hacks, SacHacks, Makeathon 3077 received .xyz domains to help them launch their ideas and projects online. Located throughout the United States, Canada, and India, the hackathons all celebrated technology with workshops and mentors that helped participants learn and grow. XYZ is proud to help participants share their ideas and solutions with a global audience via their new .xyz domains.
We also supported entrepreneurs and small businesses by partnering with business education platform StartUpStarter in March. Free .xyz domains were provided as part of their No Code Week, a 9-day event where leading companies in the no code space taught participants how to build apps, a website, and even entire businesses.
2021 promises way more excitement, and XYZ has continued plans for the year ahead. Stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter, and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
In this XYZ Quarterly we’ll cover five important features to add to your app’s promotional website and recap XYZ’s Q4 2020 activity.
Read on for Part 1: “How to build the ultimate website for promoting your app or project”
Or jump down to Part 2: “XYZ’s Q4 2020 Recap.”
Making a strong promotional website for your app or project is critical to its success. Showcasing your app on your website, a platform that you control, can help you reach potential users worldwide. A website enables you to promote and present your app independently, giving you creative reign over your marketing and your audiences. Launch your website on a short and memorable domain, and it becomes easy to share through social media, email, and word of mouth.
We’ll show you five essential features to consider in order to get the most out of your app’s promotional website. In this edition of the XYZ Quarterly, we’ll explore five app websites that offer stellar examples of these features that you can use to market your own app or project.
A key step to marketing your app is to succinctly tell users exactly what it does. This important information should be quick to read and front and center on your website. Make it easy to understand the purpose of your app by using short sentences designed with high visibility. This strategy helps visitors decide immediately what they want to do next. By providing simple information from the start, you can lead website visitors down the path to the next steps you want them to take. To see how this tip works in practice, look to UseMy.xyz.
UseMy.xyz is an app where users can lend everyday items to others or find and borrow an item they need. Their homepage features a two-sentence elevator pitch of the benefits to users, along with a quick description of what the app does. UseMy.xyz includes a prominent button with a call to action (CTA) to download the app, located immediately under this description. Their strategy is to tell users what their app does via the elevator pitch, then make it easy to get to the app with a simple click. In less than 30 seconds, UseMy.xyz gives future users what they need to know to get started.
Try this strategy on your homepage to quickly relay information that new users need about your app, and encourage app downloads.
Crafting a promotional website for your app can help generate downloads and add new users. It’s essential that you make download links clear and highlight them so that they are one of the most important elements on the page. A call to action (or CTA) is an element of your website that tells your audience what to do. Websites most often will utilize a highly visible button with action text, that makes it easy for the user to see and click right off the bat. An example of a solid CTA layout can be found on POAP.xyz’s website.
POAP.xyz is an app that uses decentralized technology to create a system where users can collect badges to confirm their participation in activities at events. POAP.xyz’s homepage is colorful and simple, and right in the center of the screen they feature a small group of calls to action. POAP.xyz uses the brands of Apple App Store and Google Play in their CTA buttons to show users where the app is available. A third button calls out “Questions?” which leads users directly into messaging with their team.
Try placing prominent marketplace-specific buttons on your website to immediately signal where potential users can get your app and help increase download conversions.
Your elevator pitch and images of compatible devices help viewers create a solid understanding of your app. To showcase the full range of benefits of your app, you can present a magnified version of each feature on your website. Use short, easy-to-read sentences that explain important individual features and their benefits. Share close-up images of these features next to the descriptions so users will know how to use your app as soon as they open it. A great example of this strategy is Mee6.xyz‘s website.
Mee6.xyz is a bot made to integrate into the messaging platform Discord, and gives users more control over their community. Mee6.xyz allows users to add custom commands and roles for members, or gain ranking based on activity related to the community. These services can be difficult to picture, so Mee6.xyz features screenshots of each one as they would look in use on a Discord server. These visuals help explain, showing potential users how the features work, and also make it easy to visualize the benefits.
Help users grasp the benefits and get them thinking about the ways your app can solve their problems by illustrating your app’s features.
There are an overwhelming amount of apps available today. Generating trust in your app is important if you want folks to try it out. One of the strongest ways to earn that trust is by showing your app has “social proof” of its legitimacy and benefits. While app platforms already provide reviews, you can use your website to highlight the best reviews from your users, and also feature testimonials posted on other mediums. These could be social media posts, quotes, or even videos of users talking about why they like your app. GitHistory.xyz can help provide some inspiration for trying this tip.
GitHistory.xyz is a browser application that enhances a key feature of Github, a popular platform amongst the developer community for code collaboration and version control. GitHistory.xyz’s website proves the app’s popularity and legitimacy by listing testimonials from well-known members of their target audience in a section on their website titled “What people are saying…” This adds social proof and shows the app is popular with makers and developers, which are GitHistory.xyz’s ideal user base.
Try this tip on your website to increase trust with new users and help increase downloads of your app from your target audience.
New users often want to see your app in action before they try it themselves. Seeing how it works helps them feel more comfortable by trying before buying (or downloading.) Get inspiration for your website by seeing an example of how this is done, and also preview a useful tool that will help you do it yourself on Overframe.xyz.
Overframe.xyz is a recording service that helps users make demo videos of their app in use. Overframe.xyz knows the value of adding app demo videos to your website, because their app is a tool that creates demo videos! On their own website homepage, they feature a gif of the Overframe.xyz tool in use, showing the user interface of the app. They include a secondary call to action right next to their “Get it now” button, and an option to watch a demo. Clicking on the “Watch demo” button pops up a video that shows how a user can use their app to record their own app demo. This video helps potential users get a quick idea of the quality and ease of use of Overframe.xyz’s tool.
Try giving your audience a look at your app in action so they can know what to expect from the user experience. They’ll be able to see the benefits your app offers firsthand, and go into using it with more trust.
When it comes to making the ultimate website to promote your app, focus on making information easy to find and process. Give your visitors a quick pitch of your app, use clear download CTAs, and give social proof that others like your app to help turn website visitors into app users. Visualize the features and benefits of your app, offer videos or demos, and share the devices it works on to start users off on the right foot. Provide potential use cases to help your site visitors get a clear picture of how they will use your app, as well.
Following the example of the five .xyz websites above can help you make your app’s promotional website as effective as possible for generating users.
2020 has finally drawn to a close. For XYZ, Q4 was filled with just as much activity, innovation, and excitement as always. Here’s how the XYZ team, our partners, and allied organizations helped make the most of the end of 2020.
On December 1, XYZ introduced the first-ever domain names made for the beauty industry: .Beauty, .Hair, .Skin, and .Makeup. The naming opportunities of these new domain endings give brands, professionals, influencers, and communities of the multi-billion dollar beauty industry an exciting new way to build a flawless, industry-specific online presence.
.Beauty, .Hair, .Skin, and .Makeup allow beauty brands, professionals, and influencers to get affordable, memorable URLs that match their brand name, first and last name, social handle, or creative idea. The domains will carry an expected MSRP of $15-$20 and are going through an early access period for trademark holders called the Sunrise period now until February 5, 2021. An unrestricted early access period will be held for anyone willing to pay an extra fee to get their domains before everyone else from February 10 until March 2. On March 2, 2021, the domains will become available to beauty pros, brands, influencers, fans, and everyone else worldwide.
December 1st also saw the arrival of .Quest, the domain made for gurus, experts, and authorities in any field. .Quest is the perfect domain for internet users to prove their website as the destination their audience is seeking.
.Quest follows the same launch phases as .Beauty, .Hair, .Skin and .Makeup, with a Trademark Holder Landrush period taking place now until February 5th. The domain will embark on its journey to serve online authorities everywhere on March 2, 2021.
The virtual hackathon scene is continuing to flourish, and XYZ helped support attendees at seven hackathon events in both India and the U.S. in Q4 of 2020.
Thanks to XYZ’s ongoing relationships with Script India Foundation and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in India, XYZ supported five events in the region in Q4. Participants at IEEE Elysium, Let’s Hack, Hack the Bond, and Hack with CodeWarriors received .xyz domains to help them get their ideas and projects online. The hackathons focused on coming up with solutions to big problems like climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. XYZ is proud to help participants share their ideas and solutions with a global audience via their new .xyz domains.
XYZ was also a returning sponsor of US-based events Cutie Hack and Hack RPI in Q4. Participants were happy to see XYZ return and welcomed another year of access to .xyz domains for their projects, portfolios, and ideas. They also appreciated XYZ’s guidance on how to set up their perfect .xyz website.
Higher education institutions have had a challenging year. To help them adapt to online learning, many XYZ partners shared how .College domains provide a platform for these schools to keep students and teachers connected. In addition to offering a sale on .College domains, GoDaddy, Dynadot, Rebel, and Porkbun each shared blog posts on how .College domains can take higher education organizations to the top of their class online.
Porkbun, Pananames, Rebel, and Domain Cost Club also shared a short video helping educators visualize the benefits .College could have for their institution. We’re proud to have our partners’ support in spreading the word about .College during this critical time for learning institutions online.
Creatives, out-of-the-box thinkers, and those seeking a unique domain for their website got a spooky surprise this Halloween thanks to cdmon and Pananames. Both partners served up spooky good deals on .Monster domains, with sales of up to 92% off standard price.
As Halloween is fast approaching hurry up to get your .monster domain name with a huge 92% discount https://t.co/6sKWdyysD7 #monster #Halloween2020 pic.twitter.com/wi775a9XzZ
— PanaNames (@PanaNames) October 26, 2020
Celebra un #Halloween de miedo con la #promoción más monstruosaaaaa 😈
🎉 Consigue ahora el #dominio .monster por solo 0,95€ 👻
👉 https://t.co/4mm3i5ogeE pic.twitter.com/DTxe8dEJxU— cdmon (@cdmon) October 29, 2020
The sale was the perfect opportunity for ghouls and ghosts everywhere to grab deals on domain names that are sure to help their websites make a beastly impression.
The XYZ Anti-Abuse Team is at the forefront of safeguarding the namespaces of all XYZ extensions. In Q4 2020, they welcomed five new partners to join in their efforts to keep these zones safe and reputable. Thanks to the Anti-Abuse Team and our partnerships in the cybersecurity industry, .xyz concluded Q4 with a lower average badness score than other legacy TLDs during the quarter, according to Spamhaus.1
Adopters of XYZ’s family of domains can count on the XYZ Anti-Abuse Team and its partners to aggressively halt abusive use of any XYZ domains in accordance with XYZ’s Anti-Abuse policy. To report abuse of a .xyz domain, submit evidence at gen.xyz/abuse.
Online shopping was the go-to gift buying method this holiday season. XYZ helped online shoppers get the world’s favorite new domain, .xyz, for as low as $0.50 on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. XYZ’s partners Alibaba, Tencent, WestCN and Xinnet rang in the start of 2021 with holiday sales on .xyz domains. Their customers can start the new year with a memorable .xyz name and set themselves up for a productive year all for customer-friendly prices under $1.
2021 is finally here, and XYZ has big plans for the upcoming year ahead. Stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter, following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Sources:
1. https://www.spamhaus.org/statistics/tlds/
In this XYZ Quarterly we’ll cover the six essential features your business website needs to succeed and recap XYZ’s Q3 2020 activity.
Read on for Part 1: “Discover 6 fundamental features your business website needs to succeed”
Or jump down to Part 2: “XYZ’s Q3 2020 Recap.”
More people are going online today than ever before. In fact, current usage statistics say 62% of the world’s population is now online.1 Your website is one of the best ways to tap into this growing market, create new customers for your business, and promote your product or service. If done well, your website can lend credibility and professionalism to your company, be fully customized to meet your business’s needs, and help you reach potential customers all over the world. But what features does your website need to unlock its full potential and drive more customers to your business? In this edition of the XYZ Quarterly, we will show you six successful businesses websites that are prime examples of the key features that make an impactful company website.
Visibility is crucial for your business’ website. Make your website easy for your target audience to find by choosing a short, memorable domain name that clearly conveys your brand or business goals. Keyword domain names can also offer a great opportunity to rank in relevant searches for your product, along with even broader branding opportunities. An example of this idea is all-in-one property management platform Property.xyz.
Property.xyz is a free-to-use property listing platform designed by property investors, for property investors. Their goal is to offer services for each step in the property buying process. The company’s long term aim is to become the world’s leading property management platform. That’s why they chose the Property.xyz domain name, which exactly matches the keyword search term for their industry. They also wisely branded with a global domain extension – .xyz. Using the .xyz extension shows they are a worldwide platform built as a solution for all aspects of the property industry.
“We’re creating a property platform that works for everyone,” says Property.xyz co-founder Robert Jones. “All buyers. All sellers. All agents and suppliers. Covers all geographic areas. All property types. All property categories from residential to commercial. All steps of the property process. All available data in one place. A centralized platform. ‘Building the world’s most intelligent property platform.’ We felt (the name) Property.xyz achieves this perfectly.”
Visibility is essential for your business’ website to attract customers. Increasing your website’s visibility online starts with your domain name, and choosing a short, memorable URL helps increase your chances of getting your website to reach your target audience.
Your site needs to be easy for customers to navigate and read through in order to maximize their experience. Good user experience on your website helps generate more leads and sales. If your site is confusing or difficult to navigate on first visit, you could see a large number of potential customers quickly exit your page. When users “bounce” from your page like this, you lose potential conversions. To build the best possible experience for your visitors, consider things like your top-level navigation. What pages do you want to incentivize visitors to click? How well does your site guide visitors toward the actions you want visitors to take? A site that answers these questions well is Amaz.xyz.
Amaz.xyz is an employee benefits platform that helps businesses who use their service offer unique perks and experiences for employees. Amaz.xyz creates an easy and enjoyable experience for users starting right from the homepage. The company clearly explains what the service does “above the fold” – meaning users don’t need to scroll or click anything to learn this information. They introduce their service with a short, elevator-style pitch and feature a picture of the service in use. Overall this adds up to a quick and effective introduction of their service to new site visitors. Amaz.xyz clearly labels the navigation links atop their page to provide tailored experiences for both employers and businesses. When users scroll down the site’s main page, they’re given more information about how Amaz.xyz’s service works and its benefits.
Designing your website with the user’s goals in mind helps optimize their experience, which will keep them on your page longer and create a more positive association with your brand. Many of the most successful products and services are created with the user in mind first, and this same principle holds true when it comes to your website.
Generating trust in the quality of your business is a key part of promoting your product or service online. Show new customers they can depend on you in order to win them over. This is especially true for brand new products and services, or businesses working in emerging industries. One time-honored but effective way to create this trust through your website is by featuring testimonials from customers who have had a positive experience with your business. In addition, you may also showcase awards or notable media coverage you have received. This shows potential customers that others trust your company’s product or service and that it meets their quality standards. A great example to follow when adding this element to your website is Argent.xyz.
Argent.xyz is a cryptocurrency wallet service that aims to simplify the overall crypto trading experience by adding custom naming and other helpful services for users’ wallets.
The company’s product is an example of emerging tech that is not yet familiar to mainstream customers. So, in order to generate trust and transparency with new users, they’ve dedicated a section of their homepage to a wall of tweets praising the Argent.xyz service. Beneath this “wall of love,” Argent.xyz also lists the industry leaders who have backed their service, which includes venture capital firms like Hummingbird and Index Ventures. This further shows Argent.xyz’s legitimacy and success in their industry to potential customers and partners.
Adding testimonials, notable press, and awards you’ve received helps establish trust and show legitimacy with your website visitors from the first time they arrive on your page. This trust is crucial if you are asking them to try your business for the first time. It also gives you a more professional image online by showing that your product or service has others’ support behind it.
There are many ways businesses aim to stay in touch with their customers, from sending newsletters to posting regularly on social media. These methods help businesses remain on customers’ minds and drive them back to their website to generate sales and product usage. It’s crucial that you give your customers a way to stay in touch with you so that you can communicate with them once they leave your website. One of the simplest and most effective ways to do this is by adding a feature that asks for customer contact information in exchange for a valuable resource. An example of this strategy that you can follow for your business’ website is that of TheLushLife.xyz founder Sarah Tracey.
Sarah Tracey is a certified sommelier who has shared wine advice for MarthaStewart.com and served as wine director at a Michelin-starred restaurant. On her website, TheLushLife.xyz, she offers her expert wine advice for everything from pairings to gift ideas and even style guides. Her website includes a dedicated section for website visitors to sign up for her wine advice newsletter. Sending valuable information via this newsletter is one of the main ways Sarah stays in touch with potential customers and brings them back to her website.
Sarah also trades fun for contact information from her website visitors through features like the “What kind of wine should you ‘actually’ be drinking” quiz at the top of her page. As visitors fill out the quiz, it concludes by asking for an email before it can be completed.
Collecting customer information through fun and engaging methods creates a perfect avenue to bring them back to your site. When you provide value to customers through newsletters and similar outreach methods, you establish a stronger relationship with customers and keep them engaged with your business.
When you set out to build your website, the first goal in mind should be to prioritize what action you want website visitors to take on your page. It could be to sign up for your service, buy your products, or contact you to work with you, among many other things. Whatever your end goal for your visitors might be, it’s vital that you guide them to completing that action through your website design. The most visible and effective way to close the deal with website visitors is by using clear calls to action. Calls to action tell website visitors what to do in order to get something (i.e. add to cart or sign up for service). The best calls to action will catch website visitors’ eyes and inspire them to complete something that further engages them with your business. Without clear calls to action, your website visitors will not be sure of what action to take while on your website. Without clear direction, potential customers may leave without purchasing your product or service. To see a website that has calls to action done right, look to TheHop.xyz.
Created by 114-year-old Spanish brewery and beverage company Hijos de Rivera, TheHop.xyz gives startups the opportunity to develop new tools and technologies. The company program integrates the tools created by participants in their program into the promotion methods for it’s popular Estrella Galicia premium beer. To bring startups on board, TheHop.xyz’s website features clear calls to action starting right from the homepage.
TheHop.xyz strategically placed calls to action beneath their main elevator pitch and every program description section. These call to action buttons direct visitors to get to know their program, see projects created by program participants, and submit projects to be a part of the program. They also direct website visitors to engage more with the company’s mission and brand, which is TheHop.xyz’s main goal.
Using clear call to action buttons on your website guides visitors toward the sections of your website you want them to engage with. They also help you capitalize on every website visit by funneling users toward taking the actions you want them to, like buying a product or learning more about your services.
Smartphones have been the main way we access the internet since 2016, when usage surpassed desktop computers.2 As smartphones become more powerful and affordable, the number of mobile internet users only continues to rise. Your website needs to be designed to appeal to mobile users first, because they will likely make up the majority of your website’s visitors. Having a mobile version of your website that loads slowly, doesn’t look good, or is difficult to navigate could result in visitors leaving your page. This means lost sales and less visibility for your brand. Fortunately, you can build your website to be optimized for mobile no matter whether you are designing your website yourself or using a website builder.
An example of a very well designed mobile website is Comuzi.xyz. The London-based design studio creates forward-thinking, “radically creative” product designs.
Their mobile website is designed to be easy to navigate and view as a mobile user. The three-button layout at the top of the page leads visitors to relevant information about their studio, blog, and work. Comuzi.xyz also employs large text and short sentences in their site design to describe each project. These design choices work to keep the page’s main focus on the eye-catching images they use for each project page link and simplify overall visuals presented to mobile users.
Comuzi.xyz’s mobile website design allows visitors to easily scroll through the website to learn more about their work. A mobile-first design helps to communicate their message clearly and draw in potential collaborators and clients. Using this kind of simple and strategic mobile design on your website can help you to make a positive impression on your potential customers.
An effective company website is a crucial part of your business’ success. Making it easy to find and navigate your website will help you attract and retain potential customers. Authentically sharing your story, customer testimonials, and notable coverage of your business helps to create a stronger connection with website visitors. Utilizing clear calls to action helps you convert them into customers or users.
Whether you’re building a brand new website for your latest business or tweaking your existing website, these elements will build the backbone of your successful business website.
As the summer winds to a close, the XYZ Team looks back on everything that happened in another busy quarter for our team and our partners. Despite this summer being a bit different than usual, together we worked as hard as always to serve the .xyz community and spread the word about .xyz.
Summer is always a great time to listen to music as you soak up the sun. This quarter, the XYZ team celebrated the inspiring creativity of the musical artists in the .xyz community by creating a playlist of their impressive work: .XYZ Radio. The playlist features artists from the .xyz community who share their next-generation work through their .xyz websites.
The artists featured in the playlist cover a range of genres, from R&B sensations Aminidi (Amindi.xyz) and Quami.xyz (Quami.xyz), to pop vocalists C TORRES (CTorres.xyz) and Grant Carey (GrantCarey.xyz), and even features electronic vibes from Lance Free (LanceFree.xyz) and Electric Cafe (ElectricCafe.xyz.) The mix is streaming now on Spotify, jump in and discover your next favorite song from these creative artists and .xyz adopters.
Many events have gone digital, and so have XYZ’s efforts to support coders around the world. In Q3 of 2020, XYZ sponsored five hackathon events in two different countries that brought participants together to create projects which address current global issues related to health, education, and emerging technology.
First was XYZ’s return as an official sponsor of Hack the 6ix in Toronto, Canada, where we helped participants showcase their projects and create portfolio websites for their work. Then, XYZ showed support for the blossoming .xyz community in India by supporting four hackathon events in the country.
XYZ’s sponsorship helped coders in India work on projects at Hack in India, Garuda Hacks, Hack Gujarat, and Delhi Hacks. Some participants at the events were making their first ever websites, and we’re proud to have helped them do so with memorable .xyz domains.
.XYZ is the domain on which many great artists and designers have chosen to build a home for their work online. This quarter we were proud to give back to the global art community by supporting next generation artists in Vietnam at the TEDxTrangThiSt Art Hackathon.
The hackathon’s central theme asked participants to use modern coding techniques to create artistic solutions for traditional art problems. XYZ provided domain names for the participants to showcase their artfully coded projects and gave them a platform to share their solutions with a global audience.
One key component of XYZ’s commitment to the next generation of internet users is our focus on setting them up for success in the future so they can share their ideas with the world. This quarter, XYZ provided .xyz domain names to students participating in coding camp programs UX Academy, HackBright Academy, JavaScript Mastery Design Lab, and Girl Genius STEAM Conference. Through these collaborations, participants in the program were given their own .xyz websites along with guides on how to build their first professional portfolio online. The portfolios will help the students put their best professional foot forward online and help them rise above the pack as they step into their careers.
For the past three years, XYZ has proudly been the official jersey sponsor for our friend Elliot Silver of DomainInvesting.com and his riding partner John Berryhill on their annual 80-mile charity bike ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge. XYZ was the lead jersey sponsor for the 2020 event as well, creating a jersey design which pays tribute to those whose lives have been affected by cancer. We were proud to support Elliot and help him reach $10,000 raised for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
One more training ride to go before @PanMass weekend. 35 miles today and 30~ miles tomorrow. Thanks to our jersey sponsors for supporting @DanaFarber: https://t.co/l4BjMxoJAE Also, thanks to my domain industry colleagues for their support: https://t.co/w9x33blVbh pic.twitter.com/TCIDnQSCci
— Elliot Silver (@DInvesting) July 25, 2020
Our Indonesian partner Domainesia held an exciting super sale in Q3, offering customers a great discount on a .xyz domain and hosting bundle. The sale generated a great deal of interest, as Domainesia spread the word to a huge audience through a fun video showing customers they can do almost anything with their own .xyz domain!
In China, our longtime partner Alibaba Cloud had an incredible number of .xyz registrations in Q3, eclipsing over 100,000 new .xyz domains created. These .xyz names were registered as part of Alibaba Cloud’s ongoing developer campaign, which bundles a .xyz domain with a free website builder and hosting. The bundle was a huge hit with developers in China, and our team is happy to welcome them to the .xyz community.
Google’s registrar platform is now offering the world’s favorite new domain. Customers of Google Domains will now see .xyz among the list of available extensions, and we’re excited to welcome Google to our ever-growing family of retail partners. Our mission is to offer .xyz customers choice and freedom when choosing a domain name, and adding Google Domains as a retailer marks another step XYZ has taken toward fulfilling that promise.
XYZ, our partners, and the .xyz community still have plenty of exciting plans in store before 2020 draws to a close. Stay up to date on all things XYZ by subscribing to our newsletter, following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Sources:
1. https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
2. https://bgr.com/2016/11/02/internet-usage-desktop-vs-mobile/
Making impactful connections online is crucial right now. That’s the reason our sixth anniversary celebration featured .xyz domains for less than $1. We aim to help entrepreneurs, innovators, and creatives everywhere achieve their dreams with a strong and memorable online presence.
Our support for the next generation of internet users doesn’t stop there. Through our new RGP Restore Fee Waiver Program, we’re waiving Redemption Grace Period (RGP) Restore Fees through the end of the year. In addition, our sponsorship this quarter of Hack in India and CitrusHack allowed us to continue our ongoing mission of supporting the innovation and creativity of young developers.
In keeping with the theme of our sixth anniversary, this quarter’s installment of our guide to Creating Your Ultimate .XYZ Website will provide tips on how to design a personal website that will get you noticed.
A professional website is one of the best ways to demonstrate your skills and experience online. Job-seekers, entrepreneurs, and established industry professionals can all benefit from having a personal website that stands out to potential clients, employers, or collaborators. When you start designing your personal website, you’ll need to give it some planning and thought to make it as impressive as possible. Use these six tips when building your online resumé or portfolio to create your ultimate personal website.
No one knows you better than you, which means no one is better equipped to market yourself to potential collaborators or employers than you. Marketing yourself is like selling a product or service, it starts with an elevator pitch. You may focus on pitching your impressive portfolio of past work, or highlight prestigious jobs and internships you have had. Whatever you think your strongest asset is, your elevator pitch should focus on that element so it shines through on your website.
Advait.xyz is a good example of this tip, as Advait Ubhayakar built his website around his impressive qualifications. Advait has both an MBA in Communication Management and an MFA in Creative Writing. He shares this impressive educational background front and center on the homepage, putting it as the main focus of his portfolio for potential employers. As a business consultant, he has worked with a number of global corporations and growing start-ups. This experience is another powerful selling tool for potential new employers, which is why Advait features each company’s logo to highlight how impressive his resume is through brand association.
Advait.xyz functions as a sales pitch for Advait’s services and has a proven track record.
“Within a month of going live, it got me an interview for my first full-time copy-writing job for an ad agency in the U.S.,” says Advait, “And in the three years since then, it continues to bring me exciting new opportunities to work on creative writing projects from around the world.”
You can follow this same principle with your professional website. Create a 30-second pitch about yourself and pay attention to what you mention at the start. No matter what level of experience you have, you can still make your best qualities and skills the focus of your portfolio. Those traits should be the core of your professional website’s overall pitch to visitors, as it highlights what you can offer to a potential employer or partner.
Once you have hooked your audience with your homepage, you will want to explain your abilities in further detail. A great way to do this is by creating additional pages for the projects and achievements that you have worked on. This may include professional experience, education and academic achievements, awards and accomplishments, training and certifications, or other projects relevant to your desired job. Structure the layout of your website so that it’s easy to navigate through your work.
Award-winning writer and journalist Melissa Hung shares her portfolio on her personal website, MelissaHung.xyz. Melissa’s outstanding work and admirable experience are organized neatly on three main pages. You can view the stories she’s written for publications like Vogue and Catapult under Essays. Head to Journalism to read her San Francisco Chronicle and NBC News features. Under Editing you will find information about the many books she helped develop and line edit, as well as the magazine where she held the highest-ranking editorial title of Editor-in-Chief. On her About page, she lists notable press she’s received as well as prestigious accomplishments like being awarded a White House National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.
All of the pages Melissa has on her website are purposefully laid out to be simple and contain little extra content that would take the focus from her writing. This puts the focus on the pages that do feature her work and avoids creating distractions for visitors to get lost in.
Whatever aspect of your work you choose as the centerpiece of your website, remember to create a site navigation that guides visitors toward it. This makes your chosen skill the main focus of your site, and uses that skill to illustrate your full abilities and the true quality of your portfolio.
Time is precious for your potential clients and employers, so it’s important to communicate your core beliefs and mission as effectively as possible. If you can, make use of recognizable companies and people you may have worked with. You may also want to consider sharing some data and metrics that prove the success of your past projects. This type of language will get their attention and increase your chances of sticking in their minds.
Esteemed business professional and author Juan José Delgado shares his personal website on JJDelgado.xyz. On the homepage, JJ welcomes website visitors with an eye-catching description of himself: The leader behind the biggest sales day in Amazon history. With a PhD in Digital Economy and Online Human Behavior, and over 12 years of business experience at well-known brands across Europe and Latin America, JJ could have described himself in many impressive ways. To make the most immediate impact on visitors, he chose to lead with a powerful statement that references ecommerce behemoth Amazon.
Further description of JJ on JJDelgado.xyz mentions his status as one of LinkedIn’s Top 15 Influencers of 2018 and Top 50 Worldwide Human Behavior Experts to Follow in 2017. This reference to yet another recognized brand and inclusion in these rankings further prove his notoriety in his field.
Employers and potential collaborators are coming to your website to learn more about you and what you offer. When you convey that information clearly and concisely on your website, you increase the chances those visitors will identify with your personal message and want to work with you.
Countless social media and other online platforms prioritize video and pictures over all other content. This is an indicator that images and video are more engaging. Using eye-catching imagery on your website is a quick and effective way to draw visitors into your page and get them interested in you. This could mean using a rotating slideshow of past projects, sharing business logos when listing the companies you’ve worked for, and sharing a professional photo of yourself with your description.
Video game character designer Soa Lee has crafted many beautiful characters for the popular game company Naughty Dog Games, including characters in the newly released and highly anticipated The Last of Us Part II. Her personal website, SoaLee.xyz, prominently features these amazing designs. Soa uses both video and images to showcase her work as if it were a digital photobook.
Soa’s strategy of including vivid imagery of her work is effective. She explains “My career and fame as a 3D artist have been growing with my personal website. Now, my website has become the most important way I spread awareness about myself.”
When you can, try to show your skills and past work through well-placed pictures and video. This will grab visitors’ attention and keep them on your page. It’s also a clever way to draw visitors’ eyes to specific blocks of text on your site you want them to read.
Creating your website with your target audience in mind helps you focus your design choices to better appeal to that specific group. It helps you attract collaborators or employers who best match your interests and skills. Whether you’re a musician looking to find collaborators in a certain genre, a writer pursuing stories in a specific field, or a trained professional looking for a job in a certain industry, your website should appeal directly to others in that same niche.
One great example of this in action is JovelRoystan.xyz, personal website of an ASOS fashion executive. Jovel created his personal site to share his thoughts on fashion, music, and lifestyle to “all the ambitious twenty-somethings who desire more than 9-to-5s and Netflix.”
He makes frequent use of aesthetic photos showing his personal style and the places he’s visited to appeal to young professionals who dream of a similar lifestyle. He utilizes his blog to offer his thoughts on music, fashion, his industry, and current events that are relevant to his audience. All of this creates a unique style on the website and puts forth an image that will appeal to others who think and hustle like him.
Work backwards from who you want to visit your site, then build it to appeal directly to that group. This helps you maximize your reach to your specific audience and increase your influence in your target market, like Jovel did.
Think for a moment of the many different skills you have. When your website reflects your full range of abilities, you give a more complete picture of what you can do to potential collaborators, employers, and clients. You might have lived in a unique place, possess a special skill, or come from a specific background that adds depth to your experience. Displaying that part of yourself on your professional website lets employers and collaborators understand you better and helps them visualize how you can fit into the culture of their company.
Multitalented professional Karen Wang has many capabilities, from writing to UX design to teaching yoga and mindfulness. On her portfolio website, KarenJWang.xyz, she showcases each of her skills to paint a full picture of herself to visitors. Karen does this through her website design by using three tabs at the top of the site corresponding to the three main skill areas of her life: Work, Art, and Wellness.
With KarenJWang.xyz, Karen hopes to inspire others to pursue their hobbies and interests outside of their career. She explains “Creating a website that showcases my eclectic interests has always been a priority of mine. Besides being an aspiring UX designer, my free time consists of cooking vegan meals, teaching vinyasa yoga, dancing, blogging for music festivals, and lots of time for being silly.”
Your personal website can be about more than just your professional accomplishments. Include the skills and passions you have outside your professional life to make your personal website have a more human feel. This can show potential employers you can be both a work and culture fit for their business.
In summary, if you want a great portfolio website that will stick in the minds of your website visitors, then make your design choices carefully so you highlight your work in the most efficient way. Show the full scope of what you can do and inspire your website visitors with your exceptional words and creations. Use your website design to accentuate the best parts of your portfolio and present what you do clearly and concisely. Remember to paint a complete picture of yourself so that site visitors see the “professional” you and feel like they’ve met the “personal” you as well.
These tips will help you make a website that is memorable and presents you in the best light to the potential employers or collaborators you want to reach. Your personal website is a way for you to express yourself in all your creativity, complexity, and fullness to potential collaborators and employers. Put your best foot forward using an inspired design like these .xyz adopters.
2020 has already presented our team with a few opportunities to help individuals launch their side projects online. In January we announced the addition of five new TLDs coming to our portfolio later this year. These new extensions will provide platforms for beauty industry professionals and knowledgeable experts to brand their projects using domain names that match their passion. In February, our .Cars, .Car, and .Auto team attended the NADA Expo with our partner Rackspace and shared how .Cars domains can help automotive businesses launch new projects with better-branded URLs. We also sponsored six hackathon events in three different countries, providing .xyz domain names for participants and giving them a platform to present their projects to potential users around the world.
We know that a website is key to sharing your project with a global audience, which is why this year’s XYZ Quarterly theme is Creating Your Ultimate .XYZ Website. Each quarter we will provide you with tips on how to build a .xyz website that serves as the perfect platform for your specific idea. To kick things off, this quarter we’ll be showing you how to turn your hobby, side hustle, or passion project into your ultimate .xyz website.
Personal hobbies and passion projects are among the biggest sources of excitement, joy, and fulfillment in life. They introduce us to people who become lifelong friends, guide us into communities that become foundations in our lives, push us to grow personally by stepping outside our comfort zone, and whisk us away to the most amazing places.
A project, hobby, or side business that you care about deserves its own home online via a dedicated website. In this article, we’ll help you get started with advice on how to build the ultimate .xyz website and share examples of .xyz users who have created inspiring websites around their passions.
Sharing your expertise on an industry or hobby that you care about is a great way to pass your experience on to others. It can help members of your community get a strong start on their journey, and create a greater sense of personal satisfaction from your work. Whether you’re an expert in navigating 18th-century literature, making homemade kombucha, or planting a balcony garden, there’s most certainly an audience that can benefit from your tips and experience. When you use your website to share what you know, it gives you the freedom to publish many types of content while documenting the information, findings, and discoveries you’ve amassed throughout your years of experience. You can start a blog and share your writings through social media and newsletters, or embed video content dispensing your advice.
Liucid.xyz is an example of this kind of information hub. Red Dot Design Award winner Annie Liu created blog on her site with posts about her experience mapping a career in design, tutorials on illustration tools, and new design techniques for her readers to use in their work. She connects updates from her social media feeds on Liucid.xyz as well, making the site a one-stop hub for readers to find her tips and insights.
While Liucid.xyz has grown into Annie’s multifaceted educational tool for the design community, your information hub site could take any form you like. However you choose to build it, your .xyz site is equipped to grow along with your knowledge and the community you share it with.
Building a website dedicated to your creative endeavors gives you a platform to share your point of view with the world. Your website is a perfect place to share the things you make in your free time; whether that’s telling your short stories, showcasing watercolor pictures you’ve painted, or displaying your carefully curated collection of comics. Since your website can look like, feel like, and say anything you want, you also have the freedom to mold it in your image while displaying your unique style and personality.
Create pages dedicated to each of the things you can’t live without, and tell stories about your personal experiences. Generate a following by documenting your daily habits as they relate to your passions, and you could soon find yourself gathering influence in that community.
Katie Novack is a blogger and self-proclaimed lover of exploration who documents her creative journey on her website TheWonderList.xyz. Katie uses her personal website to share her experiences and recommendations on travel destinations, health and beauty, and food and drinks. The name TheWonderList.xyz itself comes from Katie’s wonderment about the world. As she explains, “I created The Wonder List because I have a strong passion for learning about the world and I am always ‘Wondering’ where my journey will take me next! I love sharing everything from fashion tips to my global diary and all in between. I chose a .xyz domain because I think it’s part of a new movement of entrepreneurs and companies who want to go in a different direction than the norm. It’s part of the reason why The Wonder List is so unique. A new outlook on the world through the lens of XYZ.”
The lists, reviews, stories, and experiences Katie shares on TheWonderList.xyz give her readers the same knowledge she’s gained. By sharing her journey to find the wonders in life, Katie has developed an engaged following on her site.
Turning your own creative pursuit into a website is a great way to get your work noticed and appreciated.
If you are someone who tends to work on many small projects, give them the proper recognition they deserve by putting them on your website. Your website is the perfect place to aggregate all your creative pursuits and showcase them in one place. By creating pages for each project and sharing your inspiration behind them, you can also become an inspiration to countless others like yourself. Keep in mind that the more you share your projects and work, the greater the chance someone will see it and potentially pay you for that work.
Video game journalist Andy Kelly uses his website UltraBrilliant.xyz as a home for his humorous, interesting, and sometimes bizarre internet creations. Andy’s creative output on UltraBrilliant.xyz includes his award-winning short film series, Other Places and an interactive science fiction story he wrote, and also showcases multiple popular Twitter accounts he’s created like @DarkStockPhotos and the Louis Theroux bot.
As a creative, Andy always has some kind of project going on outside his daily job. He uses his .xyz site to promote these projects to a larger audience, and in turn, gives his creations the recognition they deserve.
Using your site as an extra-powerful online journal to chronicle life events can help you get more fulfillment from the experience. If you are embarking on a personal transformation, you can share progress updates and track your journey. If you are taking a physical trip, you can provide updates along the way and impart the lessons you learn through your site. If you’re learning a new language or skill, document your progress so that others can look at your experience when they start down the same path.
The Colebrook family uses their .xyz site BigBlueDot.xyz in precisely this way. They visited 21 countries over an 18-month journey and shared photos and updates on their site. Followers of the Colebrook’s travels could track them via the site, and even witnessed the three Colebrook children’s first experience in making their own web pages. Now that the trip has ended, the site serves as a detailed digital scrapbook for the family and their supporters to revisit, so they can always keep the memories of that experience close to them.
Creating BigBlueDot.xyz helped the Colebrook family document their trip and provided an educational experience for their children. Sharing you or your family’s journey online can help increase your enjoyment of it while serving as an inspiration guide for others.
Competitions can unite avid fans of a particular industry or practice in a way that advances the entire medium forward. On your own website, you can create open competitions whose entries could introduce you to new ways of thinking and improving your current methods. Competitions encourage the sharing of information while also motivating entrants to think outside the box to have their submission stand out from the crowd. Whether you need a logo for your business, a new way to improve your product, or simply want to see what kind of interesting inventions could lie in our future, using a competition website gives you a direct way to solicit those ideas from many different sources.
Architecture competition website Uni.xyz presents design-related problems to designers and architects around the world. These problems range from globally impactful challenges like re-developing prisons for maximized rehabilitation, to dreaming up the most exciting interactive performance venue. The nature of the competitions invites creativity by asking entrants to wrap their heads around massive challenges.
Hosting online competitions can generate inspiration and new ideas in your community. A competition website can be a valuable tool for pushing a medium forward.
If you find that your homemade products or personal skills are in high demand with your friends and family , you may be able to grow that into a personal business via your website. Many small businesses today are born this way. Creating a website for your brand not only increases awareness, but gives you a platform to promote your products and services that you fully control. You might try setting up a company store to list your offerings and give a detailed description of what makes your business different from the competition.
Utah dad Chris Blair found his niche when he lost nearly 60 pounds by following a ketogenic (or “keto”) diet. During his diet, he created a custom protein shake mix that contained the necessary nutrients to power him through his day and later shared his recipe online to much acclaim. Recognizing the potential of his creation, Chris got to work building a presence for his brand online at KetoChow.xyz. He grew the business through his site’s online store, and began expanding his product offerings by adding new drink mix flavors. The side hustle became so successful for Chris that he’s turned it into his full-time gig and the family business.
Your side business could get a massive boost from having its own well-built website, just like KetoChow.xyz did for Chris. Either way, listing your goods and services online makes it available to a worldwide audience.
If you have an idea you are passionate about pursuing, whether it be a personal journey, a side business, a new app, or founding an entire community, one of the most powerful ways to reach your goal is making a website for it. Your website gives you the freedom to fully express yourself beyond the limits of social media, provides you with a creative outlet, and serves as a home on which to build your network.
If you’d like to stay updated on XYZ’s outreach efforts and receive the new quarterly right to your inbox, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and subscribe to our newsletter for updates and news.
The importance of a logo in a company’s brand identity is well known. It’s that one symbol that carries specific information about your business that you wish to portray. It encompasses your brand persona, sector, service and often, intent or vision.
So, how do you create that logo or brand symbol that fulfills every criteria that you aim for?
There are 3 main things to consider before launching into the vital process of logo creation:
A marketing background is helpful. If you’ve explored aspects of brand or product positioning analysis of target audience, this would be valuable knowledge to have. It also matters how familiar you are with the brand and what it stands for.
If you are outsourcing your logo design to an external agency or team, your budget plays a major role in the product that you receive. Logo creation costs can vary greatly and largely depend on the number of iterations that are produced and the experience level of the designer and/or team. The output is directly related to how much you wish to spend and of course, the expertise of the designing company.
If you’re in a hurry, and likely busy with setting up other branding activities, it’s wiser to outsource your logo design. Usually once a design professional or team has your detailed creative brief, they will submit a few options within a week to ten days. Then it’s just a matter of viewing, tweaking and finalizing.
So, you have the time, inclination and ability to make your own logo.
There are a vast number of logo creation tools available online such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and Canva. Each tool has its own features and some are more complicated to use than others. Some are so simple that you may simply select, drag and drop design elements rather than creating them from scratch.
But before you begin creating your own logo using a design tool:
Though creating a logo is the cheapest option, it could involve learning new tools and taking some extra time to master certain design skills.
Once you’ve decided to hire a professional creative agency to make your logo, follow these steps to identify the right one:
The third option to create your logo by utilizing crowd-sourced design platforms. These platforms often host a community of thousands to hundreds of thousands of designers from around the world. You, the logo contest holder, would provide a design brief to the community of designers, who would then compete amongst each other to provide you with hundreds of logo options.
All you need to do is post your brief, select the options that you like, and then make any final changes. You will pay a relatively low fee when compared to a design agency or freelance designers. Two popular crowdsourcing logo design platforms include 99Designs and Design Contest.
Apart from delivering high-quality work at cost-effective prices, this technique will get you quicker results. The other advantage is the time you save in explaining your creative brief to various agencies. You will be required to post a simple, straightforward brief on the websites just once, and you will begin to get logo options almost immediately.
With the internet playing an increasing role in our lives, concepts such as crowd-sourcing design platforms are gaining popularity for the convenience that they offer. Time is limited and emerging technology may allow you to get a stellar logo in an efficient and affordable manner. So, if you have a new logo design requirement or you are thinking about refreshing an old one, a crowdsourcing platform may be able to provide your desired result.
Show off your new logo or list your design portfolio on your own website with a .xyz domain for just $1 by using promo code LOGOXYZ at checkout.
