The .berlin new gTLD has retained its position as the most successful Digital City Brand in 2021 according to the fifth edition of DOTZON’s Digital City Brands study.
Tag: Brussels
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DNS Belgium Asks Belgians If They’ve Ever Registered A Domain Name. 5% Say Yes.
The internet is increasingly playing a part in the lives of Belgians with growing numbers enjoying the freedom it gives them, go online for entertainment and feel the internet is an essential part of their daily lives. But only 1 in 20 Belgians have ever registered a domain name.
This is all part of research conducted by InSites Consulting on behalf of DNS Belgium, the .be ccTLD registry, at the end of 2018. The research found trust is important for Belgian internet users, and .be domain names score high on that front.
When asked what were the most important factors when it comes to trusting a domain name, Belgians responded:
- Language of the domain name
- Extension of the domain name
- The brand of the domain name
- Length of the domain name.
When it came to trusting a website, an encrypted connection (https) was considered the most important, a .be domain name second and a company logo third.
When asked if theyâve ever registered at least one domain name, 5% of Belgians said they had while 95% said not. 60% understood the concept of domain names while one third (35%) said theyâd consider registering a domain name in the future, the remainder said they wouldnât.
For the top level domains Belgians register domain names in, 77% said their own country code top level domain .be, 30% said .com, 16% said .net and 13% said .eu. Following was their neighbour .nl (Netherlands – 8%), .org (7%), .fr (France – 4%), .brussels (2%), .london (1%) and others accounted for 9%.
When it comes to the reasons for registering a domain name, 43% of Belgians said for a website, 40% for website and email and 6% just email.
It also appears Belgians are registering domain names sooner in the process of developing a business or idea with 42% saying they registered a domain name âdirectly at the time of the ideaâ compared to 23% in 2017, 11% âwhen the business is launchedâ (11% in 2017) and 23% after the start (30% in 2017).
Awareness was highest with .be and .com, with both scoring awareness among over 90% of Belgians (94% and 92% respectively) while .vlaanderen and .brussels scored 27% and 19% respectively.
Belgians said they valued the freedom and entertainment the internet offered them with 70% saying they loved the freedom the internet gives them (up from 59% in 2017), 68% said they go online at home for entertainment (57% in 2017) and 67% said they âfeel the internet is an essential part of their daily livesâ (47% in 2017).
Belgians say they surf safely online with almost two thirds (64%) saying they ânever surf to untrustworthy sitesâ while half (50%) âare concerned with safe internet useâ and a quarter (25%) âare aware of the latest online security toolsâ.
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Landrush: Generic .VLAANDEREN And .BRUSSELS Domains Now Available
Are football.vlaanderen and shopping.brussels still available? Starting today, everyone has the opportunity to grab their favourite .vlaanderen or .brussels domain name. And if there is more than one applicant for any particular domain name, that name will then go up for auction.Beginning today, 16 December, and running through until 15 January 2015, it doesnât matter what type of applicant you are, what nationality you have or which domain name you want to register. Because right now, anyone can apply to register any .vlaanderen or .brussels domain name they want. All of the names that are still available and not reserved can be applied for via your registrar. Which includes generic names such as football.vlaanderen, or whatever. Youâll find more inspiring ideas for generic names if you go to www.trotsop.vlaanderen
Read all about the Landrush phase here.
A typical feature of a Landrush phase is that we donât allocate the domain names immediately on a first come, first served basis. Instead, we collect all of the applications and keep them until the end of the phase. This means that until 15 January 2015, everyone has the same opportunity to apply for a specific domain name. Then, after the phase closes, we take a look at how many applicants there are for each specific domain name. If there is just one applicant, we automatically allocate the domain name to that one person. But if there are several applicants for the same domain name, we proceed to an auction, with the domain name being allocated to the highest bidder.
This DNS Belgium news release was sourced from:
www.dnsbelgium.be/en/news/landrush-generic-vlaanderen-and-brussels-domain-names-now-available -
.vlaanderen and .brussels now open to private individuals
[news release] Starting today, 13 November, and running until 15 December 2014 (10:00 CET), anyone with a valid Belgian eID card and Belgian identity will be able to apply for a .vlaanderen or .brussels domain name based on their official name.To request your own personal .vlaanderen or .brussels domain name, all you need to do is log on to the eID wizard developed by DNS Belgium, using your eID. You will then be taken through the whole reservation process.
Which domain names can you apply for?
In this phase of the launch for the .vlaanderen of .brussels domain extensions, there are five possible domain names you can register, based on your official name. So, if your name is Jan Vandam, for example, you can apply for any of the following domain names:
â¢Â   vandam.vlaanderen
â¢Â   vandamjan.vlaanderen
â¢Â   janvandam.vlaanderen
â¢Â   vandamj.vlaanderen
â¢Â   jvandam.vlaanderenAnd, of course, you can also apply for the .brussels variants in the same way.
How do you apply?
As you go through the process with the eID wizard, you will see a list with the possible domain names that you can register. Simply click on the one(s) you want to reserve. You will then receive a confirmation e-mail containing a reservation code for each domain name you have reserved. You should pass on this code within 7 days to your registrar (i.e. the accredited seller of domain names) in order to effectively register the domain name(s) you want.
Click here for a list of registrars where you can register a personal .vlaanderen or .brussels domain name.Unique to Belgium
DNS Belgium is launching the .vlaanderen and .brussels domain names in five phases. After the phase for trademark owners and the phase for government institutions, companies and organisations, this latest phase represents a unique opportunity for private individuals.
In other countries where new domain extensions are being launched, this phase for private individuals does not exist. But DNS Belgium thought it important to add this phase to the process, giving every Belgian the opportunity to apply for their own personal domain name prior to the phase when anyone can register any .vlaanderen or .brussels domain name that is still available.
More information about this eID phase.This news release was sourced from:
www.dnsbelgium.be/en/news/vlaanderen-and-brussels-now-open-private-individuals -
DNS.be Gains .BRUSSELS And .VLAANDEREN
The Brussels government has joined with the Flemish government and awarded DNS.be the rights to apply for and manage the .BRUSSELS and .VLAANDEREN top level domains.DNS.be will now put together the applications for both TLDs and submit them to ICANN, as well as manage the technical and commercial side for ten years, assuming it is approved.
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What the ICANN Brussels Meeting Means for New gTLDs: Minds + Machines
The recent ICANN meeting held in Brussels was judged a success by Minds + Machines’ Antony Van Couvering, whose company is likely to be behind applications for several new generic Top Level Domains when ICANN eventually begins taking applications.
Van Couvering writes that the recent meeting “may become known as the meeting where the dust finally began to settle. Long-standing issues were settled, compromises were reached, no-one complained too much about the latest version of the Applicant Guidebook, and the Board stood by its project plan dates, even scheduling a Board retreat to solve remaining issues. Finally, there were no surprise “gotcha!” delays that gTLD applicants have been used to seeing at ICANN meeting. With one possible exception…”
He writes of the proposed September board retreat, .XXX decision, decisions on intellectual property and the Vertical Integration Policy Development Process as all good news.
The only sticking point from Van Couvering’s point of view was MOPO (aka MAPA or Morality and Public Order). This was quite a strange discussion with the Government Advisory Committee saying ICANN’s approach to declaring which new proposed gTLDs were acceptable “was not acceptable and must be changed.”
Van Couvering concludes that “the final shape of the applicant guidebook is becoming clear. With the possible exception of the MOPO issue, solutions to the remaining problems are visible in outline and in many cases in great detail. There are several efforts underway, including the Board retreat and various hurry-up working groups, to get the new gTLD program to the finish line. There’s always a chance that the timing will slip, but I would say not by much — we’re sticking to our timeline: most indications are that ICANN’s next meeting, in early December 2010 in Cartagena, Colombia, will finally produce a starting date for new gTLDs.”
To read this posting by Antony Van Couvering on the Minds + Machines blog in full, see:
www.mindsandmachines.com/2010/07/what-the-icann-brussels-meeting-means-for-new-gtlds/ -
.XXX Closer, Chinese IDNs Approved Amid Cybersecurity Concerns and gTLD Delays at Brussels ICANN Meeting
In a week where domain name security, the possibility of blocking certain domain name character strings due to their use in cybercrime and no set date for the taking of applications for new Generic Top Level Domains, there was some good news at the 38th ICANN meeting held in Brussels this week that concluded Friday. ICANN’s board voted to enter negotiations with a view to approving the controversial .XXX Top Level Domain while Chinese internationalised domain names approved for China, Taiwan and Hong Kong in the usual board meeting that concludes each meeting.The .XXX resolution has been previously been rejected by the ICANN board, but after an independent review that was critical of ICANN’s processes, the ICANN board has been reconsidering its stance. And on Friday the board passed a resolution that called for the expedited reconsideration for ICM Registry to run .XXX as a sponsored Top Level Domain. The vote was unanimous with the exception of two abstentions.However it appears the decision did not make the board happy, with Kieren McCarthy noting the board approved .XXX “almost unanimously (two abstentions) but rather grumpily, however, with several members saying they were ‘uncomfortable’ with the decision and appearing the blame the ‘process’ for forcing them to make a decision. The approving resolutions also stuck in several approval steps, which more members grumpily pointed to.”The resolution also called for the ICANN board to check ICM Registry is suitably qualified to operate such a registry and for “ICANN staff to proceed into draft contract negotiations with ICM, taking into account the GAC advice received to date”. The Board has approved a detailed set of next steps for the application, including expedited due diligence, negotiations on a draft registry agreement, and consultation with ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee.”The board reached a carefully considered decision, paying close attention to the findings of the Independent Review Panel, and to the extensive public comment on our proposed action,” said ICANN Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush.”Today’s decision is a validation of ICANN’s transparency and accountability,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer.The .XXX TLD is viewed as a potential community site for the adult entertainment industry. The application has been controversial for several reasons with governments, adult and Christian groups all voicing criticism.Chairman Stuart Lawley said of the decision: “It’s been a long time coming, but I’m excited about the fact that .xxx will soon become a reality. This is great news.”ICM Registry said in a statement that their expectations are “that this step will proceed smoothly and will not impede the roll-out of .XXX and we expect to go live with .XXX domains at the start of 2011, if not sooner. We have 110,000 pre-reservations and expect that number to increase now that ICANN has formally approved our application.”The approval of Chinese internationalised domain names (IDNs) for China, Taiwan and Hong Kong was a welcome addition to those already approved and is likely to see more Chinese-language internet users online, and easier access for those already online.”This approval is a significant change for Chinese language users worldwide,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN. “One fifth of the world speaks Chinese and that means we just increased the potential online accessibility for roughly a billion people.”The new IDN country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and the associated organizations approved by the Board are:
- CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center)
- HKIRC (Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited)
- TWNIC (Taiwan Network Information Center).
Meanwhile the new generic Top Level Domain process continues to move forward at a glacial rate, continually thwarted by trademark holder groups who seem never to be happy. While ICANN have not given dates as to when they expect to take applications for new gTLDs such as .BERLIN and .CANON, it is expected there will be a board retreat around September to finalise the application process.And there were also controversial and disappointing concerns expressed by the Governmental Advisory Committee about censoring domain names that could or are used in cybercrime.The next ICANN meeting will take place in Cartagena, Colombia, 5-10 December 2010.For Kieren McCarthy’s excellent coverage of the ICANN meeting, see:
kierenmccarthy.com.