I've often heard industry insiders say that the strong growth in worldwide domain registrations was heavily linked to Google's own stellar performance. As the leading provider of online advertising through its various pay-per-click (PPP) schemes like Adwords and Adsense, Google has been creating value for domain names registrants worldwide, especially domainers.

Domainers –to me the term has no derogatory overtones, it just describes the perfectly legitimate business of dealing in domain names on a professional basis – have been profiting from the success of PPP systems because as they drive traffic to their names, paid adverts mean they can monetize that traffic. Following that logic, the higher a name's traffic-generating potential, the more it's worth.

So as the PPP market leader, Google has been instrumental in putting many domainers in Ferraris and luxury waterfront properties.

But… "On the day Google starts coughing, you'll see domainers getting sick." Is this oft-bandied "expert" prediction true? We may be about to find out…

Just days after my little blast at ICANN for being too slow about deciding things and not communicating well enough about those things that do get decided, ICANN has come up with a great new idea called a "briefing note".

The first is available right now on the ICANN website and gives an extremely useful overview of the major topics that were discussed at the New Delhi meeting. The usual ICANN jargon is deciphered and for each topic, a "next steps" item describes exactly that: what can be expected to happen next.

For example, for the introduction of new gTLDs which was the topic I based my previous rant on, we are told that "ICANN expects to start accepting bids for specific names at the end of 2008 at the earliest."

Clear, concise, and to the point. All I can say is well done ICANN, I stand corrected!

.BERLIN, .PARIS, and a number of other new gTLDs that have been talked about in recent months... we don't when or if they'll ever be launched. Does ICANN?

From the outside looking in, ICANN's processes can sometimes look painfully slow. Even those well versed in the complexities of international organisations probably get a little dispirited with ICANN's apparent lack of speed at times.

Looking over the minutes of the New Delhi board meeting, that slowness is painfully apparent. Take new gTLDs as an example. Under an item entitled "new gTLDs – nest steps", the board resolved to direct: "staff to continue its implementation work on New gTLDs (…) discuss some issues raised by the staff and Board regarding implementation (…) and provide information to the Board in a timely manner to enable the Board to discuss the recommendations and implementation issues and quickly determine a course of action for the introduction new gTLDs."

Hum, excuse me but where's the real news here? When do we get a tentative date for a new round of gTLDs? Or even just an idea of what type of gTLDs ICANN might consider in this, what would be the third round of new Internet domain creation since ICANN came into being in 1998.

Actually, seasoned ICANN-followers will tell you that some of the answers are already there, lurking under the surface of some rather difficult-to-follow reports and previous board resolutions. ICANN even has a new gTLD page up on its website to provide a summary of what is known so far.

The official ICANN line is that "the board is expected to consider the policy recommendation (for the introduction of new gTLDs) in early 2008". Well, it's early 2008 now and as the Delhi board minutes show, the board's still trying to get the necessary information to build up to that exciting moment when it will finally decide something.

DotAsia CEO Edmon Chung makes a show of .ASIA for the benefit of the Indian press during DotAsia's "Bollywood" event and press launch held on the Monday of the ICANN New Delhi meeting week.

The ICANN meeting held in the Indian Capital city of New Delhi has been an eye-opener for me as far as .ASIA is concerned. Seen from Europe, .ASIA has mainly been a protection exercise for western companies that are active in Asia. Especially during the domain's Sunrise phase which, by definition, is only open to prior rights holders and therefore is heavily biased towards commercial entities such as companies.

But the conversations I've had in India have made me re-evaluate that assumption. Registrars and domain professionals here are already sensing strong demand for .ASIA, and not just from companies. Individuals are interested in the domain as well and more surprisingly, they actually know it's coming!

This is surprising to me because in Europe, I don't think the general public generally knows about an imminent new domain launch until it's already happened. I suppose I really shouldn't be that surprised that there are a large number of domain-savvy people in India. The country is an IT powerhouse after all. But it certainly makes me wish our own media would take a leaf out of India's book and concentrate on new Internet developments a lot more.