The concept of a universal directory does not exist on the Internet. There are thousands of directories of all kinds and online Yellow Pages in many countries. All of these websites are different, accessed differently and operated differently: for example, Yellow Pages in France are different from their equivalent in Spain and Italy. There is no standard directory operated behind the same name worldwide.

The Universal Directory

The Yellow Pages can be trademarked, but they remain a directory of data which require being maintained. Sometimes, such directories are difficult to access involving too many clicks to find information, they can be full of ads or slow to load. Also, shops and other businesses can be required to pay to be listed.

A universal directory operated using a new domain name extension, and a different business model can change this.

Cities are the entry point

There are a lot of cities worldwide, and when searching for a hotel or a dentist, a search engine won’t necessarily show all available options: it will show some of them but not the complete list of them. Also, it will show different information than the one requested: articles about the subject and… other things. When searching for a dentist in my neighborhood, a search engine will bring results, but I want more than this: I want all results and results only, I don’t need articles about dentists. Using a dedicated directory for each city name worldwide using a https://cityname.TLD is something that has never been done in the history of the Internet: a game changer for digital cities.

The .TEL legacy TLD and Dmoz

The .TEL domain name extension was a serious innovation in the world of domain names: the only one actually. It didn’t just offer a domain name but access to a platform where one could fill-in empty fields with information. It required no coding but a login and a password: no website to develop. The .TEL cost a lot to create and lost traction. The new gTLD flood did not help. With an agreement signed in 2006, its domain name registration numbers approached the 350,000 registrations. They’re close to 100,000 today and the registry agreement was recently changed to allow users to do what they want with their “.tel” domain name: the exact same as what all other domain name extensions offer. The .TEL initial model was abandoned (note that it is still possible to use its platform).

Dmoz has nothing to do with domain names but was a massive directory maintained by volunteers and operated using one single domain name (dmoz.org). This huge directory lost traction: data became inaccurate, volunteers just dropped the job and actually… the only way to generate cash was based on donations. Good luck with that. Dmoz closed in 2017.

The universal directory is a combination of these two models, but using a new gTLD and with a completely different business model.

An alternative to Google?

There is no alternative to Google. Google is a search engine which does its job well. The universal directory is a platform focusing on cities, offering advantages to its residents and the people operating each directory. Google does not do that: welcome to digital cities.

The universal directory also allows giving a role to cities interested in operating their directory platform. A city wants to offer its residents and businesses free services: it is what the universal directory does. For cities not interested in participating, external moderators, media agencies, and SEO experts are granted that role and will generate an extra income from managing a city: each city domain name… is unique and belongs to the network of directories operated behind a single domain name extension. No farm linking here, it is precisely what the project wants to avoid.

The .YELLOWPAGES new gTLD

You might have noticed the .YELLOWPAGES new gTLD application from the first round of the ICANN new gTLD program. It was withdrawn, and I asked about the reason for this. I received an answer to talk to someone else, but I was also informed that the company behind the application had been acquired by another one. I took this as an answer, but I would be interested in learning if this application was submitted for a defensive reason or if there was a real project behind it. For me, this is where the concept of a universal directory starts: Yellow Pages standardized for each country.

Found out more about our innovative business model behind “Project John Wolley”.