WordPress, a stalwart in the digital landscape for over two decades, has revealed an innovative plan designed to safeguard online legacies for generations to come — selling domains with a 100-year registration length.
The newly announced “100-Year Plan” offers customers the opportunity to secure their digital presence for a century, setting a new benchmark for longevity in the online world and enhancing the way individuals, families, and companies perceive their digital assets.
Geared towards families seeking to preserve their cherished memories, founders documenting their company’s journey, and individuals anticipating the unpredictable changes in technology, the plan is a unique offering in online hosting and protection.
At the core of the 100-Year Plan is the future-proofing of the digital landscape. WordPress aims to provide the following offering:
1. Century-Long Domain Registration: While traditional domain registrations span a decade, this groundbreaking plan extends the registration period to an astonishing century. Recognizing the value of domains as vital digital assets, WordPress’s initiative aims to secure these virtual spaces for generations to come.
2. Comprehensive Backup and Preservation: In their role as guardians of digital legacies, WordPress will maintain multiple backups across geographically distributed data centers. Notably, public sites will automatically be submitted to the Internet Archive, ensuring that the content endures even through the shifts of time.
3. Advanced Ownership Protocols: Facilitating life’s transitions becomes seamless with WordPress’s enhanced ownership assistance. Whether gifting a website to a newborn or facilitating ownership transfers, the platform pledges support every step of the way.
4. Top-Tier Managed Hosting: This plan offers the epitome of managed WordPress hosting, including unrivaled speed, unmetered bandwidth, and impenetrable security, all bundled into one comprehensive package.
5. Premier Support, 24/7: The 100-Year Plan includes dedicated, personalized support from the moment of interest form submission, ensuring that customers are comprehensively cared for throughout their digital journey.
Considering the Cost
While the promise of safeguarding digital assets for a century is enticing, this remarkable feat comes at a price. The 100-Year Plan requires a substantial one-time payment of $38,000, reflecting the groundbreaking nature of the offering.
As the digital landscape constantly evolves, questions arise about how WordPress intends to adapt and keep domains and backups relevant over the course of a century. Moreover, uncertainty surrounds the fate of domains should the company decide to discontinue the program. While the longevity of tech companies like IBM, AT&T, and Siemens shows adapting offerings, the ever-changing nature of the internet and computing introduces an element of intrigue about the journey ahead.
Matt Mullenweg, CEO of WordPress, envisions this plan as a gateway to inspiring long-term thinking in individuals and companies alike. As an organization that has recently embraced novel products and features, such as AI writing assistants and paid newsletters, WordPress’s 100-Year Plan showcases its continued commitment to innovation and adaptation.
