.Museum: a survey of museums registered in the only cultural top-level domain

Abstract

This article presents findings from a sample survey of museums that own a .museum top-level domain in the USA. The .museum domain was created in 2001, and the majority of museums who registered one in the beginning still own the address, though do not use it actively. Findings from the survey suggest that .org is the primary web domain that respondents prefer because it signals to potential donors their nonprofit status. Investment in web domains that have name recognition and established presence in local communities are also a draw for respondents, and an interrelated series of factors have deterred US museums from adopting a .museum domain, including difficult barriers of entry, no economic advantage, and lack of knowledge about the domain.

Keywords:

• .museum
• domain names
• public policy
• museum websites

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Carlos A. Manjarrez and Jes A. Koepfler for invaluable comments and edits on the manuscript, and Drs. John Carlo Bertot, Paul T. Jaeger, and Kari Kraus for supporting the development and completion of this work.