The Web as Mesh of Owned Knowledge

Mathrock.com | Mathrock Defined

The guy who owns mathrock.com uses the space largely to define the term "mathrock". It strikes me that the web will evolve to systematically and collectively define terminology until examples like this are ubiquitous.

This of course will first apply to new terms like "mathrock" and especially to those that easy to define and represent large areas of interest.

As people get better at choosing domain names, the ability to find authoritative information on a topic improves. Witness how Wikipedia found its niche as a reliable starting point for preliminary research on any topic. Finding a quick definition through Google is often easy, just by typing in the terms. If the subject is well-enough known, and frequently searched (by people looking for basic info, definition etc.) the Wikipedia entry is often high on the list. Above that might be a popular blog post or article about the topic, or news items.

For more esoteric terms, individuals have "taken ownership" of related domains, and use the space to define the terms in their own way. If these sites are popular, they will tend to remain. In cases where "squatters" have taken ownership of domains unrelated to their business--supposedly to profit from the name-- domains often switch hands to the individual or group that represents the name in the minds of the public (to the extent the public's view can be determined). It could be said that whoever defines the term/space better is the one who should own the domain.