[ryan29]

> When I see a billboard or print ad with e.g. `example.travel`, I read that as a social media handle and not a website address like `example.com` would convey.

This is where I think the new gTLDs registries could do better. Using your domain as a handle on Bluesky is a perfect example of something they could push for to grow the industry, but they seem to think the status quo with a sprinkle of price discrimination is the winning formula.

Most of the new gTLDs work great as domain verified social media handles, but no one is going to use them for that if all the good keywords are classified as premium with $100+ annual renewal fees. However, if you make them too cheap and they get popularized, domain investors will register everything good and try to flip them.

I think first year premium pricing strikes a good balance that doesn't limit novel, non revenue generating use cases too much. Charging $100-200 for the first year causes a very large increase in the amount of capital domain flippers need to invest to acquire a large portfolio of good names.

If Bluesky catches on I think we could hit a point where non-technical people are suddenly shocked when the see someone "using their social media handle for a website." Getting back to having people understand there's more than just Facebook and Twitter would be a step in the right direction IMO, so it would be nice to see Bluesky continue to gain popularity.