.cymru .wales: 19,000 domain names for Wales

DotCYMRU DotWALES ShapeoftheWelshWeb[news release] One year on from launching the first Welsh domain names, over 19,000 people have joined .cymru and .wales

DotCYMRU DotWALES ShapeoftheWelshWeb[news release] One year on from launching the first Welsh domain names, over 19,000 people have joined .cymru and .wales.

Today, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates AM will welcome the great progress the .cymru and .wales domain names have made on their 1st anniversary. With over 19,000 registrations so far, .cymru and .wales now rank among the Top 10 European geographic Top Level Domains (geo TLDs) which include .paris, .london and .berlin.*

At an event to mark a year since the .cymru and .wales domain names were launched, the Deputy Minister will hear about the experiences of those that have switched to .cymru and .wales. The Federation of Small Businesses, Football Association Wales and Welsh Government are among the thousands across Wales embracing the new domains.

For the first time in the history of the internet, the domains have provided an opportunity to choose an online home that represents the Welsh people, identity and language. Research highlights that 1 in 30 domain names include a Welsh surname, with Jones being by far the most popular surname used in a web address, followed by Evans and Williams and with many of these choosing a .cymru or .wales for their personal email addresses. Wales’ tourism offering is also making the most of the new domain names, with eco, holiday and hire ranking amongst the most popular words for new .wales and .cymru addresses.**

Welcoming the progress made and noting the importance of .cymru and .wales to Wales’ tourism offering, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism said, “As we move into an ever-increasing online world, .cymru and .wales are ensuring that Wales stands out digitally. The news that we are keeping up with our neighbours and are now in the European Top 10 is excellent for such a small country, as is the news that keywords such as holiday and hire are the most popular .wales addresses. Both .cymru and .wales provide us with a distinct Welsh presence on the internet, taking Wales to the world and we need to ensure that the domains continue on that path.”

Russell Haworth, CEO, Nominet, the company responsible for running .cymru and .wales, said, “The welcome for .cymru and .wales has been fantastic. It’s great to see that businesses, individuals and organisations across Wales have signed up to celebrate their identity with Welsh customers and the Welsh language.”

This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.uk/cymru-wales-19000-domain-names-for-wales/

Premium .CYMRU/.WALES Domains Available End of March

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoFollowing the launch of the new .cymru and .wales domains last week, all remaining Premium Names will be available from Tuesday 31st March at 12.00 noon on a first come, first-served basis.

This means that over 3,000 ‘premium’ domain names, which include a number of generic terms, such as thevalleys.wales and weekendbreak.wales will be offered to all.

These will be available to all .cymru/.wales registrars at the standard, wholesale price.

For more information, please click here

This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/premium-names-cymru-and-wales-available-end-march

 

.CYMRU and .WALES gTLDs Off To Flying Start With 5,000 Registrations In 24 Hours

CYMRU WALES gTLD logo[news release] New Welsh domain names – .cymru and .wales – have just passed the five thousand mark, selling over a thousand new domains in the first hour yesterday. The new gTLDS went on sale to everyone at noon on St David’s Day

CYMRU WALES gTLD logo[news release] New Welsh domain names – .cymru and .wales – have just passed the five thousand mark, selling over a thousand new domains in the first hour yesterday. The new gTLDS went on sale to everyone at noon on St David’s Day.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of adults in Wales identify themselves as mainly or partly Welsh, as opposed to simply British, and almost all of this group (97%) express pride in their heritage.* Up until now, there were no dedicated Welsh domain names to choose from and it’s not just about websites, having a domain name means you can have a personalised email address that reflects your online identity.

In a unique approach developed especially for .cymru and .wales by Nominet, both are bilingual and allow the registration of names with the diacritic marks used in the Welsh language. So if you’re proud about being Welsh, or the Welsh connection is important to your business, now you can celebrate that by giving your website a name that ends in .cymru or .wales.

Russell Haworth, CEO, Nominet commented: “It’s been fantastic to be part of bringing .cymru and .wales to life. These new domains are all part of offering more choices after the dot to anyone who wants to make the web more Welsh.”

All .cymru and .wales domains are now available on a first come, first served basis. For more information, please visit http://ourhomeonline.wales/

This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/new-cymru-and-wales-domain-names-get-flying-start

Welsh Top Level Domains Open To All On St. David’s Day

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoAs of today (1 March), St. David’s Day, anyone can register a .wales and .cymru domain name on a first come, first served basis

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoAs of today (1 March), St. David’s Day, anyone can register a .wales and .cymru domain name on a first come, first served basis.

Support has been strong in Wales with the Welsh Assembly being the first to switch on its new domains back in December. Others to have already taken the opportunity to register their .wales and .cymru domains include the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, the Arts Council for Wales, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion.

Wales is also one of the few countries in the world to have two top level domains as well as the option for using .uk that was their only TLD representing the country previously.

“These domains are about taking our Welsh passion, pride and provenance to the online world and as a consequence we all now have an opportunity both within Wales and around the world to do exactly that,” said Ieuan Evans MBE, Chair of the .cymru and .wales Advisory Group and former Wales rugby captain.

“I’m thrilled to finally be able to use my own .cymru and .wales web addresses and know that anyone with a connection with Wales will want to do the same and join me in making the web more Welsh.”

“The new domain names create a fantastic opportunity for Wales that support development of businesses, communities and the Welsh language online. It means we could use the top level domain names to establish a strong online presence, which truly reflects our national identity,” Carwyn Jones, First Minister, has previously said.

Time to bid.wales – .cymru and .wales are open to everyone

dotCYMRU and dotWALES logoFrom 29 December, anyone is able to apply for .cymru and .wales domain names. So if you’re proud about being Welsh, or the Welsh connection is important to your business, now you can celebrate that by giving your website a name that ends in .cymru or .wales. If more than one person wants to register a domain, an auction will determine who will win the registration. Continue reading “Time to bid.wales – .cymru and .wales are open to everyone”

Last Chance For Welsh Businesses To Get Their Priority Applications In For .CYMRU And .WALES Before Christmas Eve

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoIt’s last orders this week for businesses operating in Wales to make their priority applications for the new .cymru and .wales domain names, applications close at midday on 24 December 2014

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoIt’s last orders this week for businesses operating in Wales to make their priority applications for the new .cymru and .wales domain names, applications close at midday on 24 December 2014.

Businesses can show that they are eligible for the domain name and that they actively use it in Wales by supplying advertising / marketing materials, websites, stationery or photographs, or a signed declaration by a UK solicitor or a trademark lawyer. If there is more than one valid application for the same domain name then it will be subject to an auction. Full details of the validation process are here.

The new .cymru and .wales domains have already started going live with the Welsh Assembly being the first to switch on its new domains. Strong backing has come from many organisations, including the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, the Arts Council for Wales, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion.

From 29 December 2014, anyone can apply for domain names that haven’t been registered in the earlier phases. Domain names that receive more than one application will go to auction.

For more information, please visit ourhomeonline.wales.

This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/last-chance-welsh-businesses-get-their-priority-applications-cymru-and-wales-christmas

Premium Names Launched For .CYMRU and .WALES

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoThe Premium Names list for the new .cymru and .wales domain names is published today, ready for applications from 29 December 2014 when anyone can apply for domain names that have not been registered in the earlier phases

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoThe Premium Names list for the new .cymru and .wales domain names is published today, ready for applications from 29 December 2014 when anyone can apply for domain names that have not been registered in the earlier phases.

Premium names are those with popular terms that will generate high levels of interest. They will all be up for auction with a £50 reserve price plus application and registration fees.

The new .cymru and .wales domains have already started going live. The Welsh Assembly was the first to switch on its new domains and strong backing has come from many organisations, including the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium and the Arts Council for Wales.

General availability begins on St David’s Day, March 1st 2015.

This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/premium-names-launched-cymru-and-wales

Welsh Businesses Get Priority For .CYMRU and .WALES From 3 November

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoBusinesses operating in Wales will go straight to the front of the queue for the new .cymru and .wales domain names from today. For those keen to promote their association with Brand Wales, applications open at midday on 3 November and close at midday on 24 December 2014

DotCYMRU & DotWALES logoBusinesses operating in Wales will go straight to the front of the queue for the new .cymru and .wales domain names from today. For those keen to promote their association with Brand Wales, applications open at midday on 3 November and close at midday on 24 December 2014.

Advertising / marketing materials, websites, stationery and photographs can all be used by businesses to show that they are eligible for the domain name and that they actively use it in Wales, or a signed declaration by a UK solicitor or a trademark lawyer. If there is more than one valid application for the same domain name then it will be subject to an auction. Full details of the validation process are here.

The new .cymru and .wales domains have already started going live. The Welsh Assembly was the first to switch on its new domains last month. Strong backing has come from many organisations, including the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, the Arts Council for Wales, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion.

While Welsh businesses are opting for the new domains to underline their Welsh connections, research has shown that 70% of Welsh consumers also express a preference for .cymru and .wales over other popular domains such as .com.

From 29 December 2014, anyone can apply for domain names that haven’t been registered in the earlier phases. Domain names that receive more than one application will go to auction.

General availability begins on St David’s Day, March 1st 2015.

For more information, please visit ourhomeonline.wales.

First .cymru and .wales websites go live in digital milestone for Wales

dotCYMRU and dotWALES logoToday (30 September), the first .cymru and .wales websites will go live when Wales’ First Minister and the National Assembly’s Presiding Officer officially switch over the first tranche of websites to their new internet domains, marking a historic day in Wales’ digital history

dotCYMRU and dotWALES logoToday (30 September), the first .cymru and .wales websites will go live when Wales’ First Minister and the National Assembly’s Presiding Officer officially switch over the first tranche of websites to their new internet domains, marking a historic day in Wales’ digital history.

Those wanting to express their Welsh identity online will be able to do so through two new .cymru and .wales domain names. One of the first to go live will be the National Assembly for Wales, who were amongst the first to declare their support for the new internet domains and today they will officially adopt their new assembly.wales and cynulliad.cymru web addresses.

Commenting on this historic event, Ieuan Evans MBE, Chair of Nominet’s Wales Advisory Group said, “Today heralds a new era for Wales in the digital world. The first group of websites going live today marks only the beginning of this new and innovative venture for Wales. In the next phase of the project, this opportunity will be extended to all businesses and individuals. We can’t wait to share these new domains with everyone in Wales.”

Joining the National Assembly in making the switch will be Media Wales, with their online outlets Wales Online and Daily Post switching over to the new domains, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion. Welcoming the new domain names, Presiding Officer, Dame Rosemary Butler AM said “Brand recognition is essential for organisations and businesses to successfully promote their work and interests. A .wales /.cymru brand will be an enormous help to Welsh organisations as they strive to make their voice heard around the world.”

“This is an exciting and positive development for Wales. I am pleased that the National Assembly for Wales has taken a leading role in this initiative, by agreeing to be one of the ‘early adopters’ of the new domain names.”

“I encourage everyone who has an online presence in or about Wales to consider adopting the new .cymru / .wales, as part of their future.”

From November the window will open for all businesses trading in Wales to get their new domains ahead of wider availability for the public in March 2015. With over 8,000 new businesses set up in Wales annually, the new domain names provide the perfect opportunity for them to demonstrate their Welsh credentials online and show they’re proud to be part of Wales’ growing online community.

Baroness Rennie Fritchie, Chair of Nominet UK, the company behind .cymru and .wales, said: “After 25 years of the world wide web, Wales is making history by getting its own home online. We are proud to be part of the .cymru/.wales project, excited by the interest it’s generated, and look forward to seeing the Welsh community develop and grow online.”

This Nominet announcement was sourced from:
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/first-cymru-and-wales-websites-go-live-digital-milestone-wales