WordPress may have only been around for 20 years, but they have access to domains that will possibly outlive the company. They’re now selling website domains with 100 year long registrations.
WordPress are an online company allowing people to host their own websites. Typically used by those who create and publish blog content due to the large selection of add ons and widgets. Through WordPress, you can purchase website domains which will give you a unique URL. Meaning, your company can stand alone, rather than visibly running through a host.
The best part about these domains is, they last for 100 years. Your blog or website will live longer than you. This new plan means that families can keep a business for generations to come without having to worry about updating their domain ownership. Who knows, perhaps the internet won’t be around in 101 years, and instead we’ll have something new.
Domain ownership support
Along with the domain ownership, those who purchase this deal will have automatic backup to multiple servers. No data will be lost if anything goes wrong. They’ll also have backups to the Internet Archive, and advanced ownership and hosting tools. Their website will be completely theirs to alter. However, it will run through WordPress overall.
Having these backups in place offers peace of mind, especially if you’re holding onto a website for 100 years. These users will have round the clock support too, so if anything should go wrong, it will be fixed before it has chance to affect the company. The problem is, just like everything, it comes at a cost. This cost is extremely steep, at a one time payment of $38,000.
WordPress haven’t spoken about how they plan to keep on top of things, or how they’ll stay ahead of the ever-changing internet game. If things change dramatically within the backend, how will they react quickly? What if WordPress itself depletes? Will the domains still belong to the individuals? Where will the technical support come from?
What happens to a domain if a company ceases to exist?
It’s a lot of money to invest without being 100% sure of all outcomes. What happens to the domain if the company shuts down? Can it be transferred? Perhaps WordPress will release this information and be able to squash any concerns, but until then, people will be sceptical. No one can predict how the internet will look in 100 years.
WordPress have suggested giving the gift of a personalised domain to a newborn. It sounds great, but it’s a large amount of money to hand over. Also, how can you be certain they keep their birth name for life, or, that they’ll even want their own website named after them? It could be a lot of wasted money having a domain sat around until they decide how to use it.
