The LA Names Corporation: another first for Los Angeles: .la.

Los Angeles is a city with much to be proud of. A pioneer in technology, cinema, music, architecture, business, and contemporary culture, LA is seen globally as a beacon city, leading the way to a brighter future.

The LA Names Corporation is proud to announce another first for Los Angeles--.la--the unique internet address for Los Angeles. Offering exactly the same functionality as a .com or .net address, a .la web address tells the world not just who you are, but where you are. As an ICANN approved address, .la is now available to all 10 million individuals and 500,000 organisations and businesses in Los Angeles.

Already over 10,000 names have been registered, many by leading businesses such as The CocaCola Company protecting brand names such as fanta.la and sprite.la, 20th Century Fox covering channels and programs such as foxnews.la and thexfiles.la. Microsoft Corporation has taken xbox.la, msnexplorer.la, and hotmail.la. Hundreds more corporate and brand names are being snapped up each week by a wide array of commercial organizations such as Walmart, Cisco Systems, Yahoo, Hewlett Packard, Bayer Corp., and many others.

We asked LA Names President, Gavin Aldred, why this rush to register now?

"Well, the reasons are manifold. First is the sheer scale and importance of Los Angeles as a market. To put it into perspective if LA were a country it would rank as the 20th largest in the world by GDP, about the same as Holland, which has a population 60% larger in a landmass 28 times bigger! The second is that the use of the internet for information gathering and product purchasing is growing at over 70% per annum. Corporations want to protect their brands in a sophisticated market like LA where internet usage is already amongst the highest in the world, and don't want to let their valuable names fall into the wrong hands. Sometimes they simply register the names for defensive purposes, though often they will use an address like .la to redirect traffic to their main site. For local businesses in LA the attraction of a .la web address is clear--to develop websites to drive traffic to their location or services, and beat the competition."

Research in the US has shown that businesses in the same commercial sectors who adopt multi-channel forms of promotion and distribution, especially internet, are up to 65% more profitable than those that use traditional channels only. And with on-line usage for information search and shopping growing at over 70% per annum it is almost suicidal not to embrace the possibilities a web presence can give.

One of the easiest ways to get started is to buy your unique .la web address at the official www.la website, and simply set up a holding page giving your basic business details such as range of services, location, and contact details.

"Your name is live within 5 minutes of registering, and the registration process itself can be completed in less time than it would take most people to eat a Hershey bar!" says Aldred. "For only $50 a year, less than $1 per week, a .la web address has to be the best investment decision any business in LA will make this year."

But how does this all work? LA Names have teamed up with Los Angeles-based web hosting company Dreamhost, headquartered in Huntington Park, who manage the front-end www.la web site and handle all customer transactions, including 24/7 service support. The back-end registry and technical services are provided by industry giant Afilias, who provide similar services for the .info and .org domain addresses.

"We took a long time selecting our key partners, to ensure the highest possible standards of customer service and support. We work closely with them to keep developing the best products for LA businesses and citizens. For example we have separated out a range of Premium Names, particularly valuable generic names that will confer very significant business advantages on the owner as they can drive general enquirers to their specific business. For example if I am ACME Plumbing and buy plumber.la anyone searching for a plumber in LA is likely to find me first, especially via the free directory listing given to all .la web address purchasers at www.la "

So who is registering other than businesses?

"Well a whole range of people. There are a lot of individuals working freelance in LA, as models, or actors, or in service roles such as chiropractors or masseurs. They buy their .la name and develop websites or just use their name as an email address, another free service when you register at www.la "

"Of course a lot of celebrities have also registered, madonna.la was quick to go, and Playboy have registered every possible version of Hugh Hefner. A lot of individuals in LA are businesses in their own right, and feel the same need to protect their names. Again, less than $1 a week buys a lot of peace of mind."

So just how big can LA Names get?

"Research would suggest that if penetration rates follow other popular geographically-related models such as .de in Germany or .uk in Britain we could hit 500,000 unique registrations with .la in Los Angeles, but .la is unique. There is no other city (yet) with its own address. My guess is the figures could turn out higher, and my personal goal is 1 million."

One last word of advice: "Register now and make sure you get the name you want before someone else does."

For more information on LA Names or the .la internet address, visit www.la or call 310-866-6466.