For average Internet users, though, the real issue might be familiarity. Today, most companies stick with .com, .net or .org. Even the rare exceptions that already exist, such as .biz and .co, cause confusion. (Quick, how many Websites do you know of that use either extension?) Looking at the full list of applied-for names, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities.

In any case, the expansion of , as ICANN plans to bring the first batch online in early 2013, . Ultimately, it will be up to the applicants to use them in useful, memorable ways--not as Internet vanity plates.

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