We conducted a brand survey at the end of 2008, reaching out to 10,000 Internet users across Europe and North America. We wanted to get a reading on two primary points—what types of organizations does a .ORG domain represent, and what characteristics are associated with a .ORG domain name.

Types of Organizations

We were very interested in what people thought were the types of organizations or online communities that a .ORG domain name represented. While we are widely known as being the home of non-profit organizations, we do know there is a much broader use of the .ORG domain.

The top 5 organizations listed as most represented by .ORG were:

1. Non-Profits,
2. Volunteer Groups,
3. Associations,
4. Arts & Cultural Groups, and
5. Educational Groups.

Sports Teams, Political Parties, and Medical Organizations followed closely behind the top 5.

Characteristics Associated with .ORG

Just as important to us was to get a reading on the characteristics that people associate with a .ORG-named website. Seeing a .ORG domain name, people immediately think of:

1. Informative,
2. Well-Intentioned,
3. Trustworthy,
4. Valuable Information,
5. Reliable.

These were all very close in voting with Secure and International following very closely.

Choosing a .ORG domain name puts you in great company and immediately identifies your web property as having valued content!

While there weren’t too many surprises in the results, this should be viewed as an excellent opportunity for brand managers of organizations to build on the established, highly regarded brand value of .ORG.