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Dot-LGBT The New Dot-Com For Gay Community

By KYW tech editor Ian Bush

HORSHAM, Pa. (CBS) - The web is seeing an explosion in alternatives to dot-com: now, you can be dot-church, dot-expert or even dot-ninja. But a Montgomery County company is behind one of the newest names with a specific audience in mind.

It's .lgbt...

"It's really for businesses and organizations who want to express commitment to and unity with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people," says Brett Samuels -- brand manager for the generic top-level domain at Afilias in Horsham. "It's open to anyone who can register a .com, .net -- anyone is going to be able to register a .lgbt."

Those who register a .lgbt site must keep its content within what the domain registry calls its "strict acceptable-use policy that prohibits misuse."

Samuels says it'll appeal to people and community centers:

"But also to large corporations who might want to showcase their HR and diversity programs, and consumer brands that really want to connect with an LGBT audience."

Whether the new dot-names are necessary in the Google age is up for debate, but companies are cognizant of cybersquatters in this new way to web.

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