Names on a chain and the problem of the second click

Human-readable names on a blockchain solve an obvious problem. A long string of characters becomes something you can say out loud, remember and type.

The harder problem comes after the name. It is the second click: where the name actually takes you, and whether you can trust it.

A name is a pointer

A name is a pointer. It can lead to a wallet, a website, a profile or a piece of content, and each of those can change over time. The name stays the same while the thing behind it moves.

“A good name gets you to the door. Trust is about what is behind it.”

Where interfaces come in

This is where interfaces matter. Showing what a name resolves to, when it last changed, and who controls it turns a leap of faith into something closer to a decision.

Making the second click safe

Names on a chain are a real improvement. They will be even better when the second click is treated with the same care as the first.