It's been more than a year since .CO launched and my how time flies. Most domain investors have been waiting for this as this is the time that'll probably judge the value most people would put into the domain extension.
Honestly, I've been thinking about the value of the .CO as well and through the year of observation, I can say that only a handful will ever be as valued especially now that there are even a lot more extensions popping like mushrooms.
Current .CO characteristics that are valued are specifically pointing to one-word generic and most likely product-related domains and LLL.CO domains. The one-word and generic feature is a bit tricky as there are many words out there in our vocabulary but only a couple bunch that actually have value based on factors like market and search.
I've even owned the domain Testicle dotCO but I don't really plan on holding it. Why? I don't know. It sounds funny not to mention that the only ones interested in it might be ones concerned with testicular cancer. No advertisers on that keyword as well. Plus it reads really awkward as the Testicle Company or something. This kind of domain? Meh.
"Oh hey please come know more about us, visit us via Testicle dotco"
I have a couple of 3L.co domains though and I plan to invest in those more. LLL combos are nice considering the letters could pretty much stand for anything given that those are very common or premium letters. I was lucky enough to nitpick a couple more back when the availability of these were still rampant across the boards. A month later, all of them were taken.
Anyway, it's a costly expense and I plan to reinvest more in the .com. I honestly think the .com value would rise even more - it's the solid extension that everybody is familiar with considering the pop ups of others that are only considered new and unheard of for most as compared to the over-two-decade year old .com.
I hope you guys are making good decisions! Don't get me wrong. THERE IS value in .co, and many are neglecting those being currently dropped, but that market probably won't be as big as the .com. You just need to find the right end-user who can greatly benefit and see the potential of the domain in your hands.
It's a two-way street.
How about you? Did you invest then drop after a year? Or are you looking at this on a 5-year scale?