History of the TLD

The .social domain is a generic top-level domain created through ICANN’s New gTLD Program. It was delegated into the DNS root zone in 2014. It was launched to provide a namespace clearly associated with social interaction, communities and online networking. The sponsoring organisation is United TLD Holdco Ltd, which also provides registry services.

Main Use and Industry Position

.social is used for websites focused on social media, community organisations, forums, event groups, influencers and any platform where social interaction or community engagement is central. Its branding clearly signals that focus and makes it distinct from traditional extensions like .com or .net.

Comparison to Other TLDs

.social differs from legacy extensions like .com or .org by signifying community or social interaction rather than commercial or organisational identity. It is broader in intent than .club or .community but serves a similar audience who want to emphasise people-centric or social brand themes.

Pros and Cons of the TLD

 Pros

• Strong branding for social and community projects

• Generally open registration with no major restrictions

• Supports modern features like DNSSEC and IDNs

Cons

• Less recognition than .com which may affect recall

• Broad meaning can dilute specific purpose positioning

• Popular names may already be taken as adoption grows
  
  

Registration Criteria

Anyone can register .social domains on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants must adhere to general domain rules such as valid character sets and length between 1-63 characters.

Summary

.social is an established generic top-level domain introduced in 2014 for community and social platforms. It operates without strict restrictions, supports modern DNS features, and is suitable for organisations and individuals who want a domain that reflects social engagement online.