The Habit of Shared Work Space: A Conversation With Christa Taylor, CMO of MMX
I was recently speaking with a freelancer friend and discussing the boom we're seeing in shared office space in and around our Vancouver, Canada office region. This is often a hot topic in any city I visit and decided to dive a little deeper on the subject.
It turns out that not only are freelancers taking advantage of the flexible schedules and collaboration opportunities, but some larger companies, such as Microsoft, allow their employees to work from co-working spaces. With approximately 33% of working Americans being self-employed (Reonomy), with many folks working remote these days, there's no doubt that co-working spaces are just hitting the tip of the iceberg in how they will be adopted worldwide. While great for human connection and office resources, many great collaborations and marketing opportunities also often show themselves.
I began to think how the domain industry can, or is, participating in this space and it got me considering how nTLDs can encourage the efforts of freelancers and co-working spaces. .WORK seemed like an obvious choice to support freelancers and co-working spaces so I thought I would reach out to Christa Taylor, the Chief Marketing Officer of MMX Registry and learn about what they're seeing in the market.
Like many MMX TLDs, .WORK has a clear meaning that fits within a specific vertical. Based on its range of usage, what are some areas you're seeing it most active these days?
.WORK is popular within the shared work spaces (or Co-Working) and freelancing but it is also popular with employment service businesses, corporate Human Resources departments, a wide range of project-oriented creatives to display past projects and highlight their portfolios and blockchain applications.
*It seems like a natural fit for co-working space, are you seeing uptake here and do you have any examples you can share? *
There are a lot of great .work names within the shared work spaces including:
- Huddle.work (India)
- Swivel.work (United States)
- innov8.work (India)
- campfire.work (Hong Kong)
- commonground.work (Malaysia)
- thecircle.work (India)
- mixer.work (Israel)
- nash.work (China)
Can you tell us a little bit about what .WORK has been doing to support the working community and related industries?
We are big proponents of supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs in launching their ideas – from government agencies to working with city bureaus. Highlighting organizations using .work domains names through our websites and social media is another way to drive customers to user sites so be sure to let us know if you have a new .work website we can highlight. In 2018, over $185m in investor funding was received from start-ups around the globe using .work domain name (see below).
What are some unique ways an individual can use .WORK to benefit their brand or business?
.Work can benefit individuals by providing separate websites for departments within their organization such as Human Resources or to highlight parts of their portfolio or their entire organization. There are lots of creative ways to integrate .work to benefit both organization’s and their website visitors.
What advice would you give to those that are still hesitant about using a nTLD such as .WORK?
There is no reason to be hesitant on nTLDs, in fact there are a lot of movers and shakers embracing new gTLDs like .work, Amazon uses amazon.work, designers like arrt.work and teachers with course.work and even multiplayer network for Grand Theft Auto V on gtanet.work.
What are some of your favourite live .WORK websites?
A few of my personal favorites:
- Proof.work: Using the blockchain to protect health records and data exchange with medical researchers. How do you see .WORK progressing in the next 10 years?
- Hyr.work: On-demand employment platform for employers to find skilled workers and for individuals to be able to find temporary employment.
- Zinc.work: Automated referencing for potential candidates with optimal work styles and employee values.
How do you see nTLDs progressing in the next 10 years?
Increases in volume and usage as people and organizations better understand and experience the tangible benefits of using new gTLDs like .work.
Are there any collaborations or exciting changes we should expect with MMX or .WORK specifically this year?
Definitely. Co-working and incubator spaces are not restricted to just the .work TLD. The German North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Ministry of Economics launched a site for Entrepreneurs - basically for young people who want to start their own company. The site focuses on supporting those folks with information, guidance and finance.
We are currently working on going a step further to support new businesses and hope to have a new product launched in the near future. Follow-us on Twitter (@mmxdomains) for upcoming information.
How do you think those within the domain industry can continue to promote and grow nTLDs?
Support the individuals and organizations using nTLD domain names. If there are two competing businesses and one using a new nTLD, my support (aka money) will go to the website with the new domain name.
What are some myths you've heard about nTLDs and how can you debunk them for us?
My favorite myth is that there are lots of options left in .com and nTLD’s just cause confusion. Short, relevant and memorable names benefit users in arriving at their desired website. This is even more relevant today with people using small, error prone, keyboards on mobile devices to access the Internet.
Even the most amazing website will fail to realize its full value if users fail to arrive. New nTLDs provide users with new options to maximize their customer’s journey.
Interested in registering your very own .WORK domain? Head over to HEXONET, and get started today.