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Nominet proposes shorter .uk domains

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Top Contributor
Nominet is seeking Brits' views on its proposals for slightly shorter .uk domain names with some layers of security thrown in.

The non-profit company, which controls the .uk domain registry, hopes to introduce a new service for businesses called direct.uk that could, by ditching the .co and the .org from .co.uk and .org.uk, offer snappier domain names registered at the second level.

<snip>

As of today, the company isn't trying to force businesses over to .uk domains and away from the pervasive co.uk suffix. But it's likely that down the line, Nominet may expect firms in Blighty to sign-up for shorter domain names. It said:

We are proposing that it would be a new and different service that would sit alongside the already known, respected and trusted options such as .co.uk, .org.uk and me.uk that will remain as an accessible, flexible and vibrant domain name spaces.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/01/nominet_shorter_dot_uk/
 

findtim

Top Contributor
bad bad bad, i agree with snoopy, another cash grab

if they do that in austalia there will be war ! imagine the first domain civil war

tim
 

Shane

Top Contributor
I've been making my way around Europe over the last five weeks, and besides the UK pretty much every country I've been to uses the shorter version such as .cz and .de etc.

And I have to say it's really growing on me. If I was given the option to use domain.au over domain.com.au for my business I would go for it, provided of course that the old one still worked.

The implementation would be the tricky part. The existing com.au owners would have to be given first priority, but many net.au owners would also feel just as entitled. Tricky...
 

findtim

Top Contributor
i think the .com.au should have first option and it should be FREE.

first in best dressed

i don;t think the .net.au owner has any right/advantage over the .com.au owner.

it shouldn't be a tender or anything like that, otherwise its just a money GRAB for whoever gets to do it.

i can see the value in cutting out the "com" but to tell me that my xxx number of domains i now have to go and reregister or worst COMPETE to register would drive me mental, ALSO i'd then have to tell my xxx number of clients that "hey, they changed the rules and you need to secure your name BUT if you don't then your competitor can !!!!

absolute BS, i see your point but are you saying that i could bid to buy carsales.au ? can you imagine that ! realestate.au ! ( forgeting about TM's ) but its the theory i'm talking about.

how the gov changed us from "pounds and pennies" to dollars and cents , then from "miles" to klm was amazing, cost loadssssssssss of money but didn't take anything away from anyone.

the AUda or whoever would have to GIVE the new domain to the current .com.au owner in my view.

the current system works for me, "i was first and got the .com.au", the org can have the org and the last in gets the .net.au ..... it works

tim
 
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Lorenzo

Top Contributor
I've been making my way around Europe over the last five weeks, and besides the UK pretty much every country I've been to uses the shorter version such as .cz and .de etc.

And I have to say it's really growing on me. If I was given the option to use domain.au over domain.com.au for my business I would go for it, provided of course that the old one still worked.

The implementation would be the tricky part. The existing com.au owners would have to be given first priority, but many net.au owners would also feel just as entitled. Tricky...


indeed...about time...even Peru' uses second level.
 

brettf

Regular Member
You need to separate the concept of is registrations in the second level a good thing, and implementation. They are two very separate things.

Personally I'm in favor of registration in the second level - implementing and finding a way to protect existing domain holders rights, is more challenging.

The issue is every time this topic comes up, the two discussions are intertwined which is emotive and generally then stops a sensible objective debate/discussion about what it might look like in implementation.
 

findtim

Top Contributor
The issue is every time this topic comes up, the two discussions are intertwined which is emotive and generally then stops a sensible objective debate/discussion about what it might look like in implementation.

objective debate ! yep, if i own cars.com.au they you HAVE to GIVE me cars.au

end of objection, this prevents a money grab and will force the AUda in there decision to change

but +++, how about they give me $50 a domain because of the time i have to spend sorting out my folio and my clients folios !

imagine the TIME if you have 1000's of domains ?

theres my objective debate.

tim
 

findtim

Top Contributor
Seriously though, why should the owner of cars.net.au not have the same chance/option ?


SIMPLE, we ALL agree that a .net.au is 1/10th the value of a .com.au ( across many threads this is the case) , so I got here first ! now you go change the rules and you want me to compete toe to toe with some "latecomer" , i don't think so, as the radio interview posted today says " if i had the vision the why shouldn't i profit..."

bring on just .au but don't make it a bank balance war, i can tell you right now that any members premium domain names that you have worked for sooooo hard to grow, but if the "just .au" came on offer for anyone to bid on... i could buy it and reproduce it very quickly thus stealing your traffic, you simply could not beat me on price if i decided i wanted it, i would then take alllllll your effort into my website, thats simply not fair, you may rebuff this as i don't have the connections you do in whatever market it is, but i could easily take 10% off you in the first month and then grow from there.

thats the situation for all of us, sorry to make dnt members as an example but its a reality.

you have a catch 2 here, on one hand you want to promote the business of domaining and on the other hand you are going to let them in with a new goldmine ! STUPID is my opinion.

tim
 

johno69

Top Contributor
SIMPLE, we ALL agree that a .net.au is 1/10th the value of a .com.au

Resale value yes. Aftermarket value yes. Retail value NO, it is exactly the same as the .com.au

Many years ago the idea of the .net was for businesses that were primarily online. So there are and were many end users that chose the .net.au extension.

Why should they be punished for choosing what they thought at the time was the most relevant extension?

When you say:
so I got here first !

Don't forget every domain you catch on the drops is a new registration. So the super awesome .com.au you caught last week thinking will give you a leg up will put you to the back of the queue if you use that method. Because the .net.au was registered first.

There is a general feel that .com.au is the big brother of .net.au but that's due to the general perception which flows on to aftermarket values.

bring on just .au but don't make it a bank balance war

It doesn't have to be.

you simply could not beat me on price if i decided i wanted it

You are the one making it a bank balance war. No need to wave your wand around here.

you have a catch 2 here, on one hand you want to promote the business of domaining and on the other hand you are going to let them in with a new goldmine ! STUPID is my opinion.

We are not the first country to have made the change. There will be a way that is fair for all. But I still believe just handing it over to the .com.au owner may not always be the best way.

It would be great as 95% of mine are .com.au but i'm just looking at the bigger picture.
 

johno69

Top Contributor
you have a catch 2 here, on one hand you want to promote the business of domaining

I never want to promote the business of domaining. Never ever.

If I was a car salesman i'd not be talking everyone into buying cars from the auctions and selling. I never understand why "domainers" are promoting the drop auctions.. it's just stupid to me.

Promote the hell out of AMA for the domains you are selling. But to bring more competition against yourself just doesn't make sense. You yourself have posted about a friend you talked to now outbidding you on your niche and had a whinge he was hitting on your turf.
 

snoopy

Top Contributor
I've been making my way around Europe over the last five weeks, and besides the UK pretty much every country I've been to uses the shorter version such as .cz and .de etc.

I think mostly countries use whatever was created initially, and the countires who have implemented shorter versions have an uncomfortable split between the two and a weak namespace, eg india and china.

And I have to say it's really growing on me. If I was given the option to use domain.au over domain.com.au for my business I would go for it, provided of course that the old one still worked.

The implementation would be the tricky part. The existing com.au owners would have to be given first priority, but many net.au owners would also feel just as entitled. Tricky...

I don't see how or why auda could justify giving .com.au owners first go. How about they give .net.au owners first go? After all these poor people are the ones who have had to live with a terrible domain.

A big chunk of names worth anything would go to competition in my view. I think there would be a whole lot of money spent (wasted) on .net.au perhaps, then a whole lot of auctions, with the end result being a halving of value of existing names and an overall weaker namespace. Lots more reg fees being paid though, and likely a lot of auction money. How money grubbing is AUDA......time will tell.
 

findtim

Top Contributor
as always you make good points but on this one i disagree with many.

Many years ago the idea of the .net was for businesses

they pick the wrong boat to jump on, geez we have all done that, but if i'm on the right boat don't let them back on.

Don't forget every domain you catch on the drops is a new registration

YES, "fortune favours the prepared mind" ( ansel adams)

It doesn't have to be.

it will be, face it

i'm just looking at the bigger picture

ok, so when YOUR premium domain comes up i'll buy it,( i WOULD NEVER do that to you ) but how would you feel, your game is growing expedentially, laws are changing and YOU know they will change as the structure of your business sector is currently STUPID, everyday on TV i watch countlesssss ads for mainstream betting ONLINE, on Iphone etc but YET you are being blocked in your business? its total hypocrisy that you are being stopped so imagine when the laws change someone like me comes along and STEALS all your hard work.

thats what i am saying

tim
 

johno69

Top Contributor
I never said it should be a free for all. And don't misquote me.

I said

Many years ago the idea of the .net was for businesses that were primarily online.

I think there should be some system that makes an offer to the current registrants of the same domain. If that is free then ok, but it could somehow fairly include both owners of the net.au & com.au.

For the business that I would be concerned about i've already got both wrapped up and have had for quite a while, as should everyone else I believe.

ok, so when YOUR premium domain comes up i'll buy it

Again I never said this should be allowed at all and would rally against it totally. I'd most likely be one of the most vocal against it.

Hasn't there been some sunrise period before where the current registrants were offered the domain and if only one responded they got it, if both did then it went to auction?

Maybe it could go to a second criteria rather than bank balance, like usage term, or any other secondary criteria?
 

snoopy

Top Contributor
SIMPLE, we ALL agree that a .net.au is 1/10th the value of a .com.au ( across many threads this is the case)

This is a domainer concept, it means very little outside of people talking on domain forums.

AUDA won't say "well .net.au is shité, those owners won't be in the running". They are more likely to say "lets allow .com.au owner to apply, lets allow .net.au owners to apply, lets allow .id.au owners to apply", they may even allow trademark holders, business name owners, people running businesses with similar names etc then they'll hold a great big auction to sort it all out.
 

findtim

Top Contributor
sorry if i miss quoted you as i think this is a good debate and should stay that way.

I never said it should be a free for all

it seemed to suggest that to me

I think there should be some system that makes an offer to the current registrants of the same domain. If that is free then ok, but it could somehow fairly include both owners of the net.au & com.au.

doesn't make sense? do you own EVERY .net.au of EVERY domain you own? otherwise you will be in a bidding war.

For the business that I would be concerned about i've already got both wrapped up and have had for quite a while, as should everyone else I believe.

good for you.... enter snoopy !

do you think the everyday business person does? do you advise all your clients to register the .net.au as well as the .com.au?

Hasn't there been some sunrise period before where the current registrants were offered the domain and if only one responded they got it, if both did then it went to auction?

aren't you contradicting your discussion?

Maybe it could go to a second criteria rather than bank balance, like usage term, or any other secondary criteria?

minefield

tim
 

johno69

Top Contributor
doesn't make sense? do you own EVERY .net.au of EVERY domain you own? otherwise you will be in a bidding war.

No I don't. But the ones I develop and can see may turn into a success I do.

do you think the everyday business person does? do you advise all your clients to register the .net.au as well as the .com.au?

No I don't think everyday business people do. Everyday business people still use bigpond emails. They clearly need educating. For the sake of $20, yes I do recommend they purchase the .net.au of their primary business domain.

What can it hurt? If they can't afford $10 a year to protect the name then they should pull the pin on the whole idea of running an online business.

aren't you contradicting your discussion?

No i'm not. I said, this is what has happened before. It's not my idea situation, but just handing it over to the .com.au owner may not always be the best option either.

Who gets Whirlpool.au ?

I don't have the solution, but am saying I don't agree with what has been put forward yet. I don't think i'm alone either. Isn't that why it has been quashed in the past?
 

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