Goldstein Report

For ccTLD Registries: 4 Steps To Guaranteed Success: Guest Post

In this guest post, Clifford deSouza of LogicBoxes explains how ccTLD Registries can leverage automation & grow their business.

The introduction of New gTLDs has increased the rate at which individuals and businesses are getting online today and we’re already seeing mainstream adoption of New gTLDs. By going the extra mile to spread awareness about their extensions among the masses, New gTLD Registries are bringing attention to their value propositions and, more importantly, are sharing the idea of ‘getting online’ to audiences.

HOW CAN CCTLDS LEVERAGE THIS?
If you’re a ccTLD Registry, you’ve been steadily growing these past few years and may not have seen a major impact from New gTLDs on your growth numbers. The advent of new gTLDs could in fact help boost online awareness & registrations for your ccTLD. How? Even though you might have minor competition from New gTLDs for market share, there will always be a steady segment of customers and businesses that will want to opt for a local country extension to proudly denote who they are and where they do business.

And with Domain Registrars and their customers spoilt for choice with so many TLD options, it’s imperative for your Registry to take a few important steps today that will serve as the foundation of your Registry’s growth for years to come!

Here are 4 strategic initiatives that will propel your ccTLD to a strong industry player in your local region:

1. Take control of your distribution network: While you have strategic partnerships in place with Domain Registrars, you should definitely consider creating and leveraging your own wholesale network too. A network comprising of distributors & organizations in your region, who have a better and dedicated access to your end customers, will result in a quick & more effective sales process

2. Start a Flagship Storefront: A dedicated ecommerce site for your ccTLD can boost conversions and help you convey your message better. It also enhances the overall buying experience for every customer, allowing them to buy your ccTLD without the added clutter of hundreds of other extensions and irrelevant products. Having your own storefront also lets customers engage with you directly, increasing the opportunity to close sales and garner feedback

3. Automate all Business Processes: Most ccTLD Registries spend a lot of resources on manual day-to-day operations and don’t have the budgets to ramp up marketing & sales activities. By automating daily operational tasks such as order invoicing, domain activation, customer management, etc., you can spend more time and resources focusing on business development and marketing activities

4. Sell additional Web Products: It’s rarely seen that a ccTLD Registry, which sells directly to customers, offers anything else other than a Domain Name. Here’s a huge opportunity to provide your customers with a wholesome web experience by giving them the ability to buy various Value Added Services along with a domain name, viz. Web Hosting, Email Hosting, Website Builder, etc. This helps boost your revenue as a Registry and at the same time, increases customer stickiness too!

IN CONCLUSION
Having worked with various ccTLD Registries over the past few years, we have amassed a deep understanding of the potential and pitfalls facing them today. A few ccTLDs have already realized that they’re in the right place and the right time to exponentially boost growth and expand their namespace. Registries such as .MN, .BZ, .CO, .HN have all adopted the 4-pronged strategy mentioned above and have taken full ownership of their respective namespaces.

Every ccTLD Registry out there, no matter how big or small the size of your local population, can definitely benefit from these strategies to meet their business goals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clifford deSouza is a Sr. Business Development Specialist at . He can be contacted at clifford.de(at)logicboxes.com

ICANN CEO Wants More To Be Involved in IANA Transition In Critical Moment for Internet’s Future

ICANN has been leading discussions for a transition of the US government’s role in the IANA functions. And in a bid to drum up the support of more participants, ICANN CEO and President Fadi Chehadé has written in Technomy that “if you agree with the fundamental principles the proposal is based on, share that. Engage with the multi-stakeholder community and share your thoughts and opinions. It is critical to the success of our effort and the future of the Internet that we have as much participation in the process as possible.”The role of the US government was always envisioned to be temporary and in March 2014 “the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced its intent to transition out of its stewardship of the IANA functions. In its announcement, NTIA cited its belief that ICANN as an organisation has matured and improved its accountability, transparency and its technical competence. NTIA also asserted that the Internet, managed and driven by the global community of diverse stakeholders, is in very good hands.”Chehadé says that “many believe that if the U.S. Government does not step aside, other governments, including some that are uncomfortable with an open and inclusive Internet, will step in to try to capture control of it through intergovernmental organisations. Alternatively, governments could become motivated to break away from the one, unified Internet to form their own national or regional networks, essentially fragmenting the Internet we know today. The result of this could be a patchwork of incompatible networks spread across different nation states, with long-term social, cultural, political, and economic casualties. Why take that chance?”To read the article in full by Fadi Chehadé originally published in Techonomy, go to:
techonomy.com/2015/05/a-critical-moment-for-the-future-of-the-internet/

SpaceX founder files with government to provide Internet service from space

Elon Musk’s space company has asked the federal government for permission to begin testing on an ambitious project to beam Internet service from space, a significant step forward for an initiative that could create another major competitor to Comcast, AT&T and other telecom companies.The plan calls for launching a constellation of 4,000 small and cheap satellites that would beam high-speed Internet signals to all parts of the globe, including its most remote regions. Musk has said the effort “would be like rebuilding the Internet in space.”
www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/spacex-founder-files-with-government-to-provide-internet-service-from-space/2015/06/09/db8d8d02-0eb7-11e5-a0dc-2b6f404ff5cf_story.html

Apple Music and Labels Investigated in 2 US States

While Apple was preparing a splashy introduction for a new service that would stream music over the Internet for a fee, the attorneys general of New York and Connecticut were quietly investigating the Silicon Valley giant’s negotiations with music companies in search of potential antitrust violations.The attorneys general wanted to know whether Apple pressured the music labels — or whether the labels conspired with Apple and one another — to withdraw support for popular “freemium” services offered by companies like Spotify in favor of Apple’s paid music subscriptions.
www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/technology/2-states-look-for-collusion-between-apple-music-and-major-labels.html

Copyright Legislation is Pushing People to Piracy

Speaking at Midem yesterday, Andrus Ansip of the European Commission shared his vision for the Digital Single Market. Noting that geo-blocking is bad for business, Ansip said that opening up content across borders and providing good legal options is the best way to tackle piracy. “Our legislation is pushing people to steal,” he said.Last month the European Commission adopted a new Digital Single Market strategy with the aim of improving consumer access to digital goods and services. Among other things the Commission says it plans to end the “discriminatory practice” of “unjustified” geo-blocking.”I want to see every consumer getting the best deals and every business accessing the widest market – wherever they are in Europe,” Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.
http://torrentfreak.com/eu-copyright-legislation-is-pushing-people-to-piracy-150609/Also see:EU vice-president: Copyright legislation is “pushing people to steal”
Andrus Ansip, the European Commission’s Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, has admitted that EU copyright law is “pushing people to steal,” because they seek out illegal copies of works that are not available to them legally because of the widespread use of geoblocking in Europe.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/06/eu-vice-president-copyright-legislation-is-pushing-people-to-steal/

Targeted, campaign-based marketing using new TLDs

If you have a major new campaign or launch coming up, thereâs a lot riding on getting the right message to your client base. This is particularly important if your sale, launch or special event takes place in a specific location. Whether youâre opening a new Sydney branch of your national retail chain or organising a charity fun run through the streets of Melbourne, you need locals to know they are the target market for your initiative.

Smart online marketing is now an essential component of any promotion, and new Top-Level Domains (TLDs) like .melbourne and .sydney are the latest way to make an effective, targeted connection between your campaign and the people best placed to engage with it.Â Leave your potential clients in no doubt that your new product or store will be right for them by creating an association between the town they live in and the products they need.

Getting the right message to the right people

Once upon a time, advertisers could use a scattergun approach to marketing new products; theyâd aim to get their ad in front of as many people as possible in the hope that at least a few would take the next step and make a purchase.

Nowadays, in a saturated market, advertising can become little more than âwhite noiseâ to consumers. A successful launch or campaign relies on getting the message to the right people as quickly as possible, or it will simply be lost in the din.

There are several popular ways to achieve this in terms of location-based marketing campaigns.

SEO strategies can be effective, like including âMelbourneâ or âSydneyâ in your keyword planning. Businesses can also take advantage of social media sharing or innovative Location Based Services, like Facebook check-ins, to engage local consumers.

The use of innovative new domain names, like www.newstore.sydney, is another way to ensure clients understand your product is available to them in their local area. This is crucial in the case of events or launches, where you want to encourage a physical presence at a particular location, not just (or in addition to) online sales.

You might, for example, have a sales promotion only available in one city, or run a rapid response campaign to a locally significant event or issue.

Itâs essential for your brand to get the message out to local consumers that, no matter what their previous knowledge of your products or services might be, this time itâs all about them!

Unique domains for unique products

If youâre a trusted national product or service, your primary domain name is an integral part of your branding. The new TLDs open up the possibility of differentiating the website for a specific campaign from your main website. This is a great opportunity to reach people who no longer sit up and take notice of your ongoing messages â or who think of you in connection to a city other than theirs.

For example, consider a situation where you are a well-known shoe retailer in Sydney. Your website www.bestshoes.com is nationally recognisable, but may easily be ignored by clients who are not local. When you base your new launch around a unique domain, like www.bestshoes.melbourne, youâre putting yourself right back on the map! Melbourne clients can see that they are your target market, and the combination of your familiar brand with a new location begins to cause a stir.

Excitingly, the release of the new .melbourne and .sydney domains means a lot of great business domains and keywords are back on the market. If www.charityrun.com is already taken, www.charityrun.sydney may still be available.

Attracting and retaining customers is often achieved by creating a sense of community. This is a potent tool when it comes to campaigns that rely on local engagement. When you want local consumers to be as excited about your launch or product as you are, target them with online promotions that speak specifically to them. The new TLDs are an exciting way to reach out specifically to your Melbourne or Sydney client base.

This article from the .SYDNEY website was sourced with permission from ARI Registry Services from:
iconic.sydney/media-release/targeted-campaign-based-marketing-using-new-tlds/

The Third Africa DNS Forum to Take Place in Nairobi, Kenya

This is the third Africa DNS forum following on the successful forums in Durban, South Africa (2013), and Abuja, Nigeria (2014)

This is the third Africa DNS forum following on the successful forums in Durban, South Africa (2013), and Abuja, Nigeria (2014).

The forum is organized in partnership with ICANN, The Internet Society (ISOC) and the Africa Top Level Domain Organization (AFTLD) and will be hosted this year by the Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC), from 6-8 July 2015, under the theme:

When: 6-8 July 2015

Where: Sarova Panafric Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya

“The Future of Africa’s Domain Name Industry:
Opportunities and Challenges”

Purpose: The Africa DNS Forum brings together ccTLD registries, registrars, and stakeholders from Africa and around the world to share, learn, interact and discuss ways of how the African Domain Name Space can be improved, by sharingÂ experiencesÂ and best practices in the domain name industry at a global level, and of the emerging business opportunities. The Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology of Kenya (MICT) have endorsed this year’s event.

Who should attend: Registries, registrars, registrants, ccTLDs, new gTLD applicants, service providers, brand owners, and legal firms

More information

More details are available from the event site: dnsforum.or.ke/index.php/home

For more information, please email: info@dnsforum.or.ke

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-06-08-en

New gTLD Registrations Surge Past 6 Million With More Winners and a Few Losers

New gTLD registrations are still surging upwards with the six millionth registration occurring on 7 June according to nTLDstats.com. Currently there are over 6.033 million domains registered.

New gTLD registrations are still surging upwards with the six millionth registration occurring on 7 June according to nTLDstats.com. Currently there are over 6.033 million domains registered.The six million registrations are across 650 gTLDs, although 281 of these have less than 100 registrations with the bulk of these still in their Sunrise periods or are brand gTLDs. And 104 have more than 10,000 registrations.So there have been quite a few winners. And a few losers. Among the winners is .xyz, the market leader in the total registration count with well over 960,000 registrations. And even though it is estimated several hundred thousand of these were given away for free, it would still be far and away the largest gTLD when it comes to paid registrations.Second on the list of total gTLD registrations is .网址 (.website) however almost all of these registrations are to one registrar and it’s difficult to know how what they’re being used for. Third is .science that has gained close to 300,000 registrations in under four months with one registrar accounting for 85 percent of all registrations.Fourth is one of the big success stories – .club. The gTLD boasts that their 247,000 domains, along with all of the Donuts domains across their gTLDs, are fully paid for. Fifth is .party and it, like .science, has the same registrar making up 90 percent of its 187,000 registrations.The Chinese .wang is sixth with 173,600 registrations and appears to be doing well while .berlin is seventh but this includes a number of free domains. From a peak of over 157,000 registrations it is now down to 153,200 registrations three months into the first of the renewals. But next week over 60,000 domains that were either given away or sold cheaply come up for renewal and undoubtedly it will take a hit. But even if none of these are renewed, an unlikely worst case scenario, it would still be the eleventh largest of the new gTLDs.Rounding out the top ten are .top (129,300 registrations), .link (120,100) and .realtor (102,500). The latter’s numbers though are one of the more unlikely to be sustained. The registry operator has given away domains to real estate agents across North America, but with highly restrictive conditions, it’s unlikely that many will put up money when it comes time for a paid renewal.The .nyc gTLD is also performing well in eleventh place with 79,400 registrations, while .click (69,800) and one of the earliest gTLDs and a Donuts gTLD .guru (69,000) are also doing well.Indeed, while there are some that one could argue should have or could have done better, or even much better, the only other gTLD whose numbers one could question is .ovh among the top 103 with registrations above 10,000. The .ovh gTLD has close to 63,300 registrations but 90 are reserved and the rest through one registrar. And none appear to have been paid for.The most successful backend registry is Donuts with 1.365 million registrations across 186 gTLDs while CentralNic has 1.106 million registrations across 22 gTLDs followed by Neustar with 933,400 registrations across 48 gtLDs then ZDNS (588,100/14), Uniregistry (445,800/21), Rightside (281,500/36), Afilias (212,500/64), TLD-BOX (207,400/7) and Minds + Machines (199,645/24).Some of the losers would appear to be .whoswho, never likely to have big numbers of registrations, but seven months into General Availability has 61 registrations. And while there are others with lower numbers, .rich hasn’t proved very rich with 406 registrations so far and .HIV has struggled with the registry operator now offering the gTLD for sale hoping their unique model for raising funds for charity has some appeal to a larger registry that bring some economies of scale to the project. And in the battle of Democrat v Republicans, the Democrats are winning with 1,356 registrations to 805. But it couldn’t be said either has set the political establishment alight!

Malcolm Gladwell is right: Facebook, social media and the real story of political change

In what is now a well-worn story, Wael Ghonim, a thirty-year-old Google executive, used Facebook to help organize the protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. Today, it’s hard to speak of the Arab Spring without calling to mind the phrase “Facebook revolution.” In early 2011, Facebook had roughly 600 million users. Almost 10 percent of the world population was on it. Speculations about its initial public offering swirled, and The Social Network, a movie telling one version of its origins, was in theaters. With this buzz ringing in their ears, journalists and bloggers were agog over Facebook’s role in Egypt.A day before the January 25 protests, Time asked, “Is Egypt about to have a Facebook Revolution?” It cited the 85,000 people who had pledged on Facebook that they would march. Days after the first protest in Tahrir Square, Roger Cohen wrote in the New York Times, “The Facebook-armed youth of Tunisia and Egypt rise to demonstrate the liberating power of social media.” One Egyptian newspaper reported that a man named his firstborn daughter Facebook.
www.salon.com/2015/06/06/malcolm_gladwell_is_right_facebook_social_media_and_the_real_story_of_political_change/

Bitcoin isn’t the future of money – it’s either a Ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme

Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether Bitcoin is more like Ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether Bitcoin is more like Ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme.Whatever it is, though, it isn’t a currency. It’s a tech stock. Each Bitcoin is really a share in a system that seems to make it cheaper to transfer things online — money, stocks, bonds, even the deed to your house — by cutting out the middleman. Well, kind of. Bitcoin doesn’t remove the middleman so much as replace him with middlemen who don’t make you pay much, but make society as a whole do so instead. Is this progress?
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/08/bitcoin-isnt-the-future-of-money-its-either-a-ponzi-scheme-or-a-pyramid-scheme/