Emoji domain

An emoji domain is a domain name with emoji in it, for example www.😉.tld.

Function

For an emoji domain to work, it must be converted into so-called "Punycode". Punycode is a character encoding method used for internationalized domain names (IDNs). This representation is used when registering domains containing special characters. The ASCII representation starts with the prefix "xn--" and is followed by the emoji-containing domain name encoded as Punycode, for example "xn--i-7iq".

Each emoji has a unique Punycode representation. For example, "😉" in an IDN is represented as "xn--n28h". There are several generators on the Internet that allow one to convert emoji to Punycode and back.[1][2]

Availability and registration

The availability of emoji domains is limited. As of August 2017, there are eight top-level domains for which registration is possible, all of which are ccTLDs: .cf, .fm, .ga, .gq, .ml, .tk, .to, and .ws.

The registration of an emoji domain can be more difficult than with normal domain names using only ASCII characters, since it is sometimes not possible to enter emoji into the online registration forms of domain name registrars, and instead the Punycode representation must be entered.

History

The first three emoji domains were created on April 19, 2001: ♨️.com (xn--j6h.com), ♨️.net (xn--j6h.net) and ☮️.com (xn--v4h.com).[3] Cabel Sasser of Panic created 💩.la (xn--ls8h.la), "The World's First Emoji Domain", on April 13, 2011.[4] In February 2015, Coca-Cola used a domain name containing a smiley emoji in an advertising campaign aimed at mobile users in Puerto Rico.[5]

As of 2018, there are approximately 25,000 emoji domains registered on the .ws TLD.[6]

On March 29, 2018, .fm began allowing registration of emoji domains.[7]

Problems

Support among domain name registrars for emoji domains is limited.[8]

Another problem is that emojis can look different depending on the operating system, applications, and fonts used.[9] Not all browsers support emoji domains. On Google Chrome and Firefox, emoji display as Punycode in the address bar. In Safari, on the other hand, emoji are visible in the address bar. Emoji domains also display as such in Google and Bing search results.[10]

There are also issues with using emoji domains in social media. While they are well supported on Twitter and LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram impose serious restrictions. Messaging platforms are a mixed bag.[11]

At present, only Punycode encoding is supported in e-mail domains, as in "mail@xn--n28h.tld".

Emoji subdomains

Emoji subdomains are like normal subdomains, except that they begin with emoji. Emoji subdomains are possible with many popular TLDs, including .com. As with any other emoji domain, emoji subdomains have to be converted into Punycode and can then be used as regular subdomains. Thus, domain combinations like 👍.website.tld (xn--yp8h.website.tld) are possible. This allows a wide scope of emoji domains outside of ccTLDs.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Punycode converter". Punycoder. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "Punycode Converter". Charset.org. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  3. ↑ Cyger, Michael. "The Definitive Guide to Emoji Domains". Dnacademy. dnacademy.com. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "The World's First Emoji Domain". Panic Blog. Panic. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  5. ↑ Nudd, Tim (19 February 2015). "Coke Spreads Happiness Online With Emoji Web Addresses". AdWeek. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Paddy (2 February 2018). "Emoji Domains Are the Future (Maybe)". Gizmodo. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Roig, Jon. "Emoji Domains: Now on .fm!". Domain Research Group. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Dewey, Caitlin (23 February 2015). "The surprisingly complex reason you never see emoji URLs". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. ↑ ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee (25 May 2017). "SAC095: SSAC Advisory on the Use of Emoji in Domain Names" (pdf). ICANN. ICANN. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "Emoji domains and SEO". Medium. Domain Research Group. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  11. ↑ Harrison, John. "How to use emoji domains on social". ART + Marketing. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "Names of London". Names of London. Names of London. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
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