'.museum' is a
generic top-level domain (gTLD) used exclusively by
museums, museum associations, and individual members of the museum profession, as these groups are defined by the
International Council of Museums (ICOM). In joint action with the
J. Paul Getty Trust, ICOM established the
Museum Domain Management Association (MuseDoma), headed by
Cary Karp, for the purpose of submitting an application to
ICANN for the creation of the new gTLD, and to operate it if the application was approved. The .museum domain was entered into the root of
Domain Name System on 20 October
2001, and was the first sponsored top-level domain to be instituted through ICANN's action.
The idea behind this domain is that it will be beneficial for Internet users to have a segment of the TLD namespace reserved for the use of museums; a namespace whose conventions are defined by the museum community. The .museum TLD will grant users a quick and intuitive way to verify the authenticity of a museum site. Conversely, since it is a type of formal third-party certification, museums using this namespace obtain a way to assure visitors of the site's validity.
In addition to the eligibility requirements specified in the .museum charter, a number of naming conventions apply to the labeling of subdomains. Extensive support is also being introduced for
internationalized domain names, as described at
about.museum.
Registration are processed via accredited registrars.
External links
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The .museum Sponsorship Agreement
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Detailed information about .museum
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.museum policies
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Index of names in .museum
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MuseDoma website
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List of .museum accredited registrars