Why buy a domain name under multiple top level domains?

Question

I have a client that want a website with a single domain name with many different extensions like:

example.com
example.org
example.net
example.mobi
example.tv
...

Just to be sure the saturate the name and that nobody "hijacks" the name.

The client is a searcher in "numeric content" and has a PhD in that field of expertise.

I think it would be overkill to go that road since the website will only attract a limited amount of people which will be referred mostly through official press documents and business cards with the web URL on it. Since he is a scholar I was looking for some published articles about that matters.

I'm looking for published articles about why it is good or bad to have multiple domains for a single site.

P.S. In the end if he is still convinced that his way is the right way I will do it, but since it comes from a public-funded grant I was looking to save him money (and the general population) so he can use the rest on more useful areas

P.P.S. I am from Québec, the most taxed state in North America, that is why I have those concerns.

Answer 1

Buy the .com, .net, .org and perhaps a country specific tld such as .co.uk if he is UK based. There's really no need for any more.

I don't have any academic research to show you why you don't really need the others, but a good question to ask is when have you ever visited a domain, or typed in a domain into your address bar with a .tv or .mobi address? I've never done it.

If he has spare money, buy them up, they are cheap. It's not worth spending a lot of time debating it for the sake of $50. If money is tighter, then stick to the main 3. .com and .net are the most valuable.

Answer 2

I agree it's overkill. If this domain were to really take off and become popular, so that other people might want to set up their own websites with the same name and one of the extensions (technically called top level domains or TLDs), then that would be a problem. Is that likely though?