Tag Archives: dotscot

Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry, New gTLDs

.SCOT Sees 4,000 Registrations In First Hour

.scot imageThe .scot gTLD went on General Release yesterday (23 September) at 14:00 and 4,000 domains were registered within an hour, 1,500 in 60 seconds.

Director of the DotScot Registrar Gavin McCutcheon said while the recent referendum debate has helped, .scot transcends politics and the proof of that is in the thousands who have signed up.

“There’s been huge interest in .scot since July when we went public,” said McCutcheon. “We’ve seen strong interest from many sectors but it’s particularly pleasing to see the international digital giants like Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram get on board.”

“But it’s not just about the businesses – international and local – it’s about individuals and I’m hearing lots of individuals are getting involved which ties in with the whole ethos of the web being for everyone.”

“That’s not to say the Indyref didn’t help. People on both sides are now wanting to express their Scottish identity more and I think it’s going to be really exciting to see what is registered tomorrow and then what websites go live quickly.

Finance Secretary John Swinney said: “With .scot domains now generally available, people at home and abroad have a new opportunity to express their Scottish identity or affinity online.

“I also look forward to www.gov.scot being adopted in the coming months as the primary web address for the Scottish Government.”

Domain Name Registry, ICANN and Governance, New gTLDs

Scottish Independence Referendum Throws Up ccTLD Conundrum

The referendum the Scottish people will vote on 18 September to determine whether the country gains independence from the United Kingdom has a lot of far-reaching implications for the country, one of which that is little discussed is top level domains.The .scot new gTLD is currently being introduced, but this will not serve as a country code for the newly independent country if its people vote “yes” to independence.For country codes, Scots like the English, Welsh and Northern Irish have .uk as their country code. But it is likely the Scottish will eventually want to establish their own country code. But which one?”If Scotland decide to leave, it could start the wheels in motion to have its own two digit ccTLD,” Stuart Fuller, director of commercial operations at NetNames, told Bloomberg. “Still, 22 out of the possible 26 combinations for a .S something are already in use and only .SF, .SP, .SQ or .SW are left — .SC is already assigned to the Seychelles.””The timing of the launch of the new [.scot] domain, with general availability due to start just a few days after the referendum result, is no coincidence,” says Fuller.Some companies have already moved in on .SCOT names, while others may start the process of establishing Scotland’s own ccTLD. Gavin McCutcheon, director of the Dot Scot Registry, said, also speaking to Bloomberg “.SCOT,” launches its General Availability on 23 September.The country codes are defined by the Swiss-based International Organisation for Standardisation, who develops and publishes international standards. Under ISO 3166, the purpose of these country codes is, the ISO says, to define internationally recognised codes of letters and/or numbers that we can use when we refer to countries and subdivisions. ISO 3166 codes are not only used for domain names, they are also used by all national postal organisations throughout the world for exchanging international mail in containers that are identified with the relevant country code.Scotland, if it votes yes for independence, will need to have its own codes once it is recognised by the appropriate United Nations bodies, and if so, they will make 250 countries, territories, or areas of geographical interest are assigned official codes in ISO 3166-1.

New gTLDs

.SCOT Pioneer Domains Go Live As Independence Referendum Pushes Scottish Identity

.scot imageThe .scot Pioneer Programme goes live today with the 50 or so registrants picked to be part of the programme seeing their domain names, and websites, up and running.

Among those who have signed up and are part of the Pioneer Programme for the new gTLD are the Scottish government, the main yes and no campaign groups for the upcoming referendum on Scottish independence, Yes Scotland and Better Together, as well as WWF Scotland, NHS Scotland and Scouts Scotland. International pioneers include the Louisiana Scots and the Clan Wallace.

The launch of .scot has come at a perfect time with Scottish identity a big issue due to the upcoming referendum and the Commonwealth Games being held in Glasgow next week. The gTLD is being pushed as for use of the Scottish community around the world whose online activities:

  • contribute to Scottish social, cultural, business or academic life
  • utilise the spoken and visual languages of Scotland
  • explore Scottish heritage
  • have made Scotland their home.

The launch has the support of Scottish politicians including Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who said:
“It is entirely right that Scotland should have its own distinctive and recognisable internet domain – in particular, one that will resonate internationally, helping to promote Scottish business and culture throughout the world.”

“I am confident that the .scot domain name will prove to be a real asset to the people of Scotland and to the worldwide family of Scots. I am looking forward to the Scottish Government being able to make use of this new domain, and to having gov.scot up and running before the end of the year, as well as our pioneer domains including welcome.scot, which go live today.”

Speaking of the launch of the Pioneer Programme, Dot Scot Registry director Gavin McCutcheon described it as a “fantastic day for Scotland online”.

“Owning a .scot domain will allow people and organisations a new unique way to express their identity online.”

“It’s a community domain intended for everybody who lives and works in Scotland – and for the 50 million people around the globe who are part of Scotland’s diaspora.

“After such a long campaign to secure the new .scot domain, we’re delighted that we can launch when the eyes of the world are on Scotland, with the Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow next week.”

The Scottish branch of WWF is also in on the act with WWF Scotland director Lang Banks saying:

“From world-leading climate change targets to innovative approaches to securing more fish and healthier seas, Scotland is a pioneer in creating solutions to some of the most important environmental challenges facing the planet. However, as well as being able to learn from others globally, we’d like these examples to help provide inspiration to others facing similar challenges.

“By using WWF.scot we hope to create a space to better share these and other great ideas so that everywhere people and nature can thrive.”

For the next 60 days only launch pioneers’ domains will be online, but from 23 September General Availability will commence for anyone who wants to be part of the Scottish community around the world.

ICANN and Governance, New gTLDs

.SCOT Likely For GA This Summer, With A Little Help From James Bond

James Bond Sean Connery imageIf high profile support counts in getting your new gTLD approved, you can’t beat James Bond’s support of .scot.

Former James Bond Sir Sean Connery is one of a number of high profile Scots supporting the campaign to get .scot up and running, which also has the support of First Minister Alex Salmond and the Scottish government. Another high profile supporter is Scottish businessman Sir Tom Farmer.

And it may well be possible that general availability for .scot will come about this northern summer. Previously it had not expected until 2015.

On Sunday (26 January) the Dot Scot Registry (DSR) announced it and ICANN have formally agreed terms that allows DSR to operate the new dotSCOT domain. And just in time as the debate as to whether Scotland should become independent and secede from the United Kingdom.

“.scot image2014 is an exciting year for Scotland, and I’m delighted that this distinct online identity for the nation, and all who take an interest in Scotland, will become available this summer,” said First Minister Alex Salmond.

“The .scot domain is long overdue in this digital age, and the worldwide family of Scots who have been waiting patiently since it was first proposed, will soon be able to have this marvellously expressive domain as their online identity of choice.”

The new TLD will be used to promote Scotland and its culture to the world.

“Scotland and Scottishness conveys a whole range of positive connotations, which could not really be portrayed on the web before, but with a .scot domain there will be a new option anyone involved in Scottish business, arts and culture and others to identify themselves more clearly as Scottish to the online world,” said Gavin McCutcheon, director of Dot Scot Registry.

“We aim to make .scot domains as affordable as possible and our not-for-profit structure means we will be able to do so.

“We hope that .scot will become the first choice for the worldwide family of Scots, allowing them to demonstrate for the first time their affinity to Scotland and for Scottish societies and organisations wherever they are in the world to make .scot their home on the internet.”

Another point made by Domain Incite is that if the Scots vote to become independent, they will then become entitled to a ccTLD, but this will not happen until at least a year after .scot is up and running.

Cybersecurity

Scottish Govt Seeks Fresh Support For .SCOT

The Scottish government has sought fresh support for the proposed .SCOT generic Top Level Domain from the UK government, which, as the BBC News report says “has responsibility for internet governance.”The Scottish government believes there will be benefits for the Scottish community by having the .SCOT gTLD that was proposed by the not-for-profit Dot Scot Registry, which was set up two years ago to push for the establishment of .SCOT.”DotScot will be a wonderful asset for establishing a distinctive online identity for many organisations and people who have been described as the worldwide family of Scots and want to demonstrate that identity online,” said Alex Neil, cabinet secretary for infrastructure and capital investment, who also noted the Scottish government had been supporting DSR’s work.To read the BBC News report in full, see:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-15046986