At least, I thought so….
As described in How to open blank documents/instances of many common programs from your browser, google is rolling out the .new TLD exclusively for shortcuts that “[t]ake the user directly into the action generation or content creation flow”. E.g.,
- doc.new for a new google doc
- sheet.new for a new google calc sheet
- word.new for a blank M$ Doc file
- excel.new for a new Excel sheet
- ppt.new for a new powerpoint presentation
Many, many other shortcuts too.
The nice thing about this — besides noticeably reducing the time to open blank documents in Word or Sheets — is that because this is a DNS hack, it works in all browsers–it’s not just a Chrome thing.
Google is opening the .new TLD to all comers, subject to mild restrictions:
All .new domain names are required to comply with the .new Registration Policy, which features a usage-based restriction to ensure that all domains are being used for new actions. That means that all .new domains registrations must:
- Be used for action generation or online content creation;
- Take the user directly into the action generation or content creation flow;
- Resolve to the action within 100 days of registration;* and
- Allow Google Registry to verify compliance at no cost.
While anyone can register, domains that don’t comply with this usage policy may be suspended or deleted by Google Registry without refund. So be sure you review the full .new Registration Policy before you register your .new domain to ensure that it meets our policy requirements.
