.ORG, The Public Interest Registry (PIR) today released the results of its bi-annual domain name report, "The Dashboard," detailing the monumental growth of the world’s third largest generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD). According to the report, the .ORG domain grew by 10.3 percent in 2010 - a 1.4 percent increase from 2009. As a result, .ORG now boasts over 8.8 million domains under management, thanks in large part to a net gain of 824,559 .ORG registrations in 2010.

Other key findings from the latest "Dashboard" report reveal the following:

• In five years, .ORG's domains under management have more than doubled, increasing from 3.9 million in 2005 to over 8.8 million in 2010.


• .ORG experienced a growth rate of 3.9 percent in the second half of 2010.


• In the second half of 2010, new .ORG registrations (new creates) increased by 14.4 percent while the average rate of renewal was 74.8 percent.


• North America continues to claim the most .ORG registrants with a 64 percent market share, followed by Europe at 24 percent and Asia, Australia and the Pacific at 9 percent.

"Without a doubt, these results illustrate the continued strength of and trust in the .ORG domain," said Brian Cute, CEO of .ORG, The Public Interest Registry. "We are pleased that .ORG plays a significant part in serving many communities worldwide, enabling organizations - both large and small - to promote their cause, exchange ideas, share knowledge, and champion a common purpose online."

In the first half of 2010, PIR announced that it has taken the final step to become the first gTLD to offer full deployment of Domain Name System Security Extensions - otherwise known as DNSSEC. The second half of the calendar year was dedicated to educating and advocating DNSSEC to the IT community as a means to promote widespread adoption. This initiative included the launch of the "Practice Safe DNS" campaign, which included exclusive videos and blogs from some of today's biggest Internet security experts. The efforts proved successful as by the end of 2010, more than 34 registrars began offering this added security protection to their customers by enabling .ORG website owners to sign their respective domain name with DNSSEC.

In addition, PIR continues to be an active participant in the Registration Infrastructure Security Group (RISG), whose main goal is to affect change and adopt best practices to shield registrants from unwanted and fraudulent activities such as phishing.

For more information on "The Dashboard" or to download a copy, go to www.pir.org/news.

.ORG, The Public Interest Registry

.ORG, The Public Interest Registry

As one of the original domains, .ORG has been shaped by the global community as the place to express ideas, knowledge, and causes on the Internet. Whether an individual with an idea to share, a small club organizing and motivating your members, or a large company conducting educational and marketing campaigns - the .ORG domain name communicates trust, credibility, and community interest.

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