.ORG Community Websites Now 7 Million Strong

.ORG, The Public Interest Registry, the registry behind the global .ORG domain name, announced last week that more than 7 million domain names are now registered as .ORG, making it the third largest generic domain (after .com and .net). Since management of the registry was assumed by Public Interest Registry in 2003, .ORG registrations have increased more than 250%.

“This is a significant milestone for .ORG, as it has consistently grown 20% percent year over year since its management by Public Interest Registry,” says Alexa Raad, CEO. “.ORG continues to be the domain of choice for individuals and organizations who seek to brand their efforts under a globally trusted and respected address.”

The growth in .ORG registrations has been driven by internet and societal trends such as social networking, issue awareness, online collaboration and advocacy, all of which have accelerated since 2003. Some notable examples include:

• the increasing number of for-profit organizations who choose .ORG addresses to emphasize their service missions and as Craigslist puts it, their “non-corporate culture”
• the launch of community sites
• increasing number of wikis for collaborative content
• the growth in online political organizing
• empowered bloggers who start their own websites to further their passions or causes
• the growth of the “green” movement.

The individuals and organizations that are precipitating these trends have found a strong sense of community within the .ORG domain. This has fueled the phenomenal growth of not only .ORG domains, but also the quality content and the sense of trust associated with the “.ORG” brand.