During the development phase of an social gamming app, we looked into possible domain names outside the oversaturated .com route (think: del.icio.us).

We figured, we’ll go to a domain name host and grab the Italian-based “.it” domain for our site to have the effect of “do.it,” “get.it,” for example, to evoke an action. Also, “It” is one of the most frequently used words in the English language and since .it domains are pretty uncommon, we had a better chance of securing it.

But to operate from the “.it” domain, you must have a presence in Europe. You knew that right?

The Italian Information Center, the Italian authority on online registry, says in order to secure an .it name, the private citizen or business must pick a name between 3 and 63 characters, not start or end with a hyphen… oh and have a presence in the European Union (EU). That’s right, according to the Italian Registry, in order to secure a “.it” domain, you have to operate (at least partially) in the EU.

Oh well. Or rather… pazienza.

For more information, Livetodot.com is an “accredited Registrar for the Italian Registry.” Buona fortuna!