Does having a custom .cat domain mean you’re a boomer?

I think the normal thing to do when you start reading something with the word boomer in the title is for the author to introduce themselves so as to know the liberty they took to use that word. I’m Pau, a member of the .cat Foundation IT team, and I’m 22 years old. As part of Gen Z, I think I have every right to use the word boomer, even if I hardly ever actually use it. Ok, yes, I admit it, I have developed more sensitivity to .cat than most of my friends because I work with it in my job, but I also think that many don’t understand all that .cat can do for us.

That said, the question I will try to answer is quite simple to ask, but much more complicated to answer: “Is having a domain for boomers or can it also be interesting for us?” The answer is very clear to me, and I will try to explain why below.

I think I can speak in the plural if I say that nowadays what interests us young people is to have unique, customised things that represent us as we are. (We won’t go into NFTs, because that’s a whole other thing, but you get the point, right?)

We use Instagram or TikTok to see the content that we like, that is unique and that we know perfectly well who creates it, whether to see a guy imitating public figures, a girl who sings great or also to see the reels by Albert Roig!

We are consumers and also creators of unique content, we like to do things that are different, original and above all very much our own.

“Very well, Pau, you’ve noticed it too, and what does this have to do with domains?”
Chances are you’re asking yourself this question; the answer is simple. A domain has everything I’ve discussed above! It’s customisable, you can do whatever you want with it. It’s unique, nobody will have the same domain as you. It represents you, you choose your domain with what you want, such as: yournameandsurname.cat. Can there be anything that represents you more than that?

“But why do I want a domain? I don’t look at websites anymore!”
OK, yes, we don’t look at websites as much as we used to, because we can find almost everything on social media in a faster and more convenient way. Forums, blogs or websites for playing games (the latter did hurt, right?) have become increasingly obsolete.

Hey! Don’t get me wrong, websites entail a serious aspect in areas such as commerce, organisations or at a professional level. Of course, not everyone has a business, body or is a professional who is interested in having a website!

For instance, right now I don’t need a website at all, I wouldn’t know what to include in it! Fortunately, a domain is useful for more than just having a website. You can also have an email address, for example.

“What for?”
It goes without saying: for everything! For the university, to buy online, for when your football team asks for your email address to sign up for the local league … In all these cases, you can use your unique and customised email address!

“And what does a .cat email address offer me?”
Well, first of all, you can forget about your Gmail or Hotmail mailbox, where you probably had to put strange numbers and characters because the name you wanted was already taken (I had to use my high school name!). If you have a custom domain, you can take the name you want for your mailbox! Everyone is actually trying to stand out on the Internet, and we’re still unable to appreciate something as easy as avoiding Gmail and having a .cat.

It also provides you with a touch of personality and comfort as well! In my case, it has happened to me a couple of times when giving my email address and people go: “Wow, is that the same as your name? Dead easy!”

Finally, if you’re interested, it can also provide you with a further touch of professionalism, as it will always be more convenient to send a CV from the address jordi@serra.cat than from an address like jordiix_s82@gmail.com. (Spoiler: Sending a CV from your email address with a .cat domain doesn’t guarantee anything, but it will make you look better.)

In short: a .cat provides you with personality, identity and makes you stand out from the usual Gmail … What do you think? Do you still think now that having a .cat domain is for boomers?

By the way! While you’re at it, you can follow us on social networks, right? I know you have an account, and our community manager will be thrilled!

Pau Martín
Computer technician
.cat Foundation