XXX, China and OAPs (Not Porn)

Historical Change in the Internet will be felt by UK OAPs

With last week seeing official approval granted by ICANN to the creation of new .xxx domain, one could be forgiven for thinking that they have a penchant for inappropriate content. But not only have they with this move made it easier to block inappropriate content, they have also been hard at work making further massive changes to the world wide web by introducing several new languages with new International Domain Names, which are due to go live as part of a Fast Track Process, on November 16^th

While the Chinese government has kicked Google out of China, they are about to benefit from their own domain names at last. Of the billion or so that speak traditional Chinese, mandarin and Cantonese in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan they will soon be able to surf in their own languages via their new domains and their particular countries registration corporation:

• .?? and .?? – CNNIC – the China Internet Network Information Center

http://www.cnnic.cn

• .?? – HKIRC – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited

http://www.hkirc.hk

• .?? and .??- TWNIC – Taiwan Network Information Center

http://www.twnic.tw

As ICANN proudly blogged yesterday, this is the first time top-level domains have been allowed to have variations. The launch will be a good indicator of how TDL variations can be managed and will pave the way for yet more new IDNs in the future. Syria, Singapore and Russia are in the pipeline.

Here is a nice video to see how happy ICANN are about their achievement:

What does all this have to with UK OAPs? Well UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM) released some internet usage stats which the BBC has shared with us. For starters there has been an increase in internet users in the past 12 months of from 36.9 million last year, to 38.8 million now. Not that surprising really, but what is interesting is the fact that the large proportion of new internet users are in the over-50 bracket! They now account for 31% of the UK net audience and of the 1.9 million new users, 46% are over 50. This is largely down to the fact the internet is less intimidating, easier to use and now caters for a previously under estimated user demographic.

The internet is evolving before our very eyes, sucking in all ages, all nationalities and from all corners of the world. This is an exciting feeling for SEO. Search is the number one route for all internet users to their content. You can be assured that the first place a 65 year old Chinese widow from London will go to look for a new TV for her nieces wedding in Hong Kong will be a search engine in the only language she has spoken her whole life. New challenges are ahead in our ever expanding environment.

As the ICANN chap says in the video above, IDNs are the biggest change to the underlying structure of the internet since its creation.

How excited are you?

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• Search The Human Body With Google Body Browser - December 21, 2010
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• Google Issues Security Email For Website Optimiser - December 7, 2010
• Google Launches AdWords Global Market Finder - December 7, 2010
• New Android Phone Promises A Pure Experience - December 7, 2010
• Google AdWords Wants Your Products! - December 3, 2010
• Know How Mobile Internet Affects Your Website? Google Analytics does… - December 2, 2010

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