Owning is almost always better than renting. That applies to your online audience, too.
A strong social media presence is crucial for both businesses and online personas these days. But when platform algorithms suddenly shift, creators risk losing access to their hard-earned audiences, a scenario that has played out repeatedly in recent years on social networking sites like YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. The recent turmoil at Elon Musk's X, in which the company seized handles such as @x and @music, is just the latest example of how one person's decisions can short-circuit access to your following in an instant.
As a result, a new type of online networking known as decentralized social is becoming increasingly mainstream. Platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky are examples of decentralized social; they run on open-source software and are hosted on independent servers, rather than one centralized server owned and controlled by a single tech company.
In a social media environment that is becoming increasingly fractured, one way to centralize your brand presence is to get your hands on a ".social" username. A .social username lets you create one consistent brand experience that will look and feel the same, no matter what platform your audience is on. Additionally, since a .social web address isn't as common as a dot-com domain suffix, it's also more likely that the exact username you want will be available, a rare window of opportunity for brands.
Here's how it works.
How a .social web address can futureproof your brand
With .social, you'll be able to maintain one consistent presence across centralized and decentralized social media platforms. Additionally, since you'll have more ownership over the distribution of your content, the promise of .social and owning your online presence is that your content will also be easier to monetize.
"It's almost as if decentralized social makes you the center of attention," said Gary J. Nix, founder and chief strategist at the brandarchist, a marketing strategy agency. Nix, who has a background in the music industry, sees parallels between the shift to decentralized social and the move from traditional record labels to indie productions. For example, musicians who previously could only reach their fans through labels can now use streaming services and/or Web3 technologies to establish a more direct relationship with their audience.
"It's kind of the same thing on social platforms. They have become the distribution system – they're potentially hindering your ability to make money," Nix said. Decentralized social lets you cut out the middleman that is corporate social media, own your social presence and get closer to your audience.
But decentralized social is not the only case for a .social username. Another reason to secure your preferred web address is for your business. A business can use its .social username to future-proof branding as new platforms come and go, and can better control its online presence in the event that they decide to migrate from one platform to another.
Decentralized social isn't the future – it's already here
When it comes down to it, .social is all about control, allowing anyone to future-proof their personal or professional brands with one consistent username. No more rushing to lock down handles or building an audience on a platform that later becomes obsolete.
As social media continues to fracture and decentralize, it'll become increasingly important for brands to funnel users toward a single owned online presence. A .social username ensures you have brand recognition, clarityand more control.
Similar to dot-com domains, once a name has been taken it's gone for good, so the time to secure your .social is now. Learn more about your .social options here.