During the initial launch of “.Asia” in 2007 and 2008, DotAsia pioneered an auction process for all domain names receiving more than one valid application. This avoided the chaotic rush for sought after domain names at the opening of the .Asia registry. In the process, over 500,000 applications were received and over 40,000 domain names received more than one application.
During the auctions, DotAsia launched a first-of-its-kind “Hot or Not” contest — www.hotornot.asia — where anyone could play to guess which .Asia domain would fetch the highest auction price and what that price would be.
Prizes amounting to US$15,000 were rewarded to contestants who guessed the highest fetching name and its price. The Hot-or-Not Contest was designed to be a fun event for the industry and an exciting way to raise general awareness about the value of domain names. With the weekly winners coming from around the world, it is exemplary of the global appeal for .Asia domains and our continued commitment to build the value of .Asia not only for those from Asia but also for those targeting services for the Asia market.