New Top Level Domains Going up for Sale

New top level domains are almost here. Google has already purchased .google and .youtube (in place of .com). Currently, the first group of domains up for sale are available only to Trademark Holders, which ends on January 24, 2014. The prices are not specifically set yet. If you want to purchase a top level domain, you can currently preregister the domain name at Name.com. On the chance that it's a TLD that isn't currently available, create a watchlist.

Will these new top level domains have an edge over tradition top level domains, such as .com or .net? Not that we are aware of but there is a valid argument that some may find a way to compete with the traditional .com. We've had many debates over location specific TLD's adding another location signal sometime in the near future. However, in 2012, Google's Matt Cutts mentioned,

"Google will attempt to rank new TLDs appropriately, but I don't expect a new TLD to get any kind of initial preference over .com, and I wouldn't bet on that happening in the long-term either. If you want to register an entirely new TLD for other reasons, that's your choice, but you shouldn't register a TLD in the mistaken belief that you'll get some sort of boost in search engine rankings."