Nominet listening, maybe?

[Stephen]

Maybe Nominet are listening about .uk?

It has been previously mentioned to Nominet that the .uk proposal / consultation was hard to find on there website, it was via a middle page and 2nd below .wales consultation in the list of options which referenced second level domains rather than .uk. not very good for something so important.

Today they changed their website and added an easy to understand link from there home page to their proposal/consultation page via a new easier to understand icon image.

Well done, Nominet.

Now lets hope for transparency, answers to questions and a proper grown up debate and we might yet be able to have an improved UK namespace.

 

[Edwin]

That's been there for a week or so at least. I've used the FP link several times to go to the consultation page.

It was already there on August 13th http://web.archive.org/web/20130813073043/http://www.nominet.org.uk

 

[Lucien Taylor]

Good news, and good to be positive about ANYTHING they do to improve the dreadful consultation, however late.

Now we just need:

1. a similar link to Registrar Agreement consultation - equally important and about to trash the small domainer/business market and hand the market to 123-REG/SEDO and turn Nominet into a data-quality Policeforce, give it (as a competitor registrar itself) easy access to company information, require us to write annual reports and publish them online, subject ourselves to Nominet audit .... and so on.

2. a published data-set of the V1.0 feedback (anonymised would be fine). The feedback where they are arguing that people supported the direct.uk proposal

3. the publishing of all blog comments in response to CEO articles about the proposals, not just one-sided propaganda

4. a method for those submitting feedback for both consultations to have them published as anonymous, not to have their name and organisation published as well, or nothing.

 

[Stephen]

Today for the first time

That's been there for a week or so at least. I've used the FP link several times to go to the consultation page.

It was already there on August 13th http://web.archive.org/web/20130813073043/http://www.nominet.org.uk

Yes that page shown the way back machine on your link, is the Nominet home page, I have been seeing since 1st July.

On the page you refer to top graphics line with 2 box links for;

"Current consultations" which had a list of links in right side column to consultations with .wales at the top. - "Registration of second level domain names" as 2nd on list (doesn't actually mention .uk for those few people who would not make the link between second level and .uk)

".uk policy process" which is an information page with no direct link to .uk proposal or consultation.

The graphic on the second line refers to "Direct .uk consultation" does not go to the .uk consultation or proposal page but the page with "Current policy discussions and consultations" and a "see also" list on the right column with .wales at the top. - "Registration of second level domain names" as 2nd on list

Today for the first time for me, the page came up with the graphic/link shown, I must visit Nominet page several times a day on numerous computers and today is the first time, I have come across the graphic as shown in my post, which has a link directly to the .uk proposal/consultation page from the Nominet home page.

 

[Edwin]

The giant pink "Consultation .uk" graphic is already present in the archive.org cache of the page that I linked to, the one from mid-August.

 

[Stephen]

I can only say what I have seen

The giant pink "Consultation .uk" graphic is already present in the archive.org cache of the page that I linked to, the one from mid-August.

Thanks but when I load linked wayback page all I see is;

and that is what I have seen for the last 2 months when I have loaded nominet.org.uk on a variety of browsers and machines. Maybe I was unlucky just to see that page?

maybe its a java script setting or something technical, but it is the first time I have seen that .uk graphic with a direct link from the home page and if it is only one of three rotating pages then .uk graphic is not as prominent as I would like to see, considering its importance.

So it is not as good news as I thought, unless they have changed the code to load the other section scroll choice that shows the .uk graphic, as ever always an optimist!

Anyway the new page/section loads with the .uk graphic on my pc, so it is a bit quicker for me to get to .uk documents via the Nominet website.

 

[max_rk]

Could someone rimind me please why exactly Nominet can't contact registrants for asking quotations about direct.uk? As probably many of you, i received emails from Nominet as registrant,where they are asking to participate in the Nominet customer satisfaction survey.

They can do such survey but not survey about direct.uk that is odd!

 

[Stephen]

email = spam

Could someone rimind me please why exactly Nominet can't contact registrants for asking quotations about direct.uk?

It maybe they should do a sample of registrants, not just for the all 10,000,000 domains. This suggestion was made in the .nz consultation.
No response from Nominet on the issue.

In July I asked Nominet about emailing UK registrants about the .uk consultation and after a limited response, I sent another email.

On 2nd August I sent this email to Nominet;

If you have not had such independent legal opinion about sending emails to UK registrants specifically about your new .uk proposal, I would be willing to provide one, at my cost if you would agree to send emails if it clearly stated in the opinion it was not against UK law. Please reply on this important point as in my experience these opinions take some time to obtain, also if you have a preference on legal firms to provide the opinion please provide me with the information.

On 28th August I received this response from Nominet;

As regards the offer to fund legal advice, this will not be necessary. I can confirm that Nominet had obtained independent legal advice on the question of notifying .uk registrants of the consultation by email and whether this would be compliant with UK law.

I have requested that the advise be made public in the interests of transparency, I await their response.

Also my follow up line of questioning; even if they are allowed to send an email to all registrants if they go ahead with .uk, as they have stated in their proposal, will they legally be entitled to send it, do they have external legal opinion to support this promised action?

Also will it be limited to one email?, as anybody in business knows that will not be enough messaging to get the registrant to take action about the .uk in the majority of cases, it would need a sustained effort of communication.

I hope this clarifies the situation for you.

 

[max_rk]

Basically Nominet doesn’t want to explain even when many don’t agree with findings. If there is something that prevent Nominet sending those email, they should let us know for transparancy.

Otherwise Nominet can’t claim doing business ethically.

Smoke and mirrors.

 

[Stephen]

acceptable and practical solution

Basically Nominet doesn’t want to explain even when many don’t agree with findings. If there is something that prevent Nominet sending those email, they should let us know for transparancy.

Otherwise Nominet can’t claim doing business ethically.

Smoke and mirrors.

If you get really paranoid, they don't even say in the reply, the advise is "no to sending out emails", only that they have the legal advise?

There are lots of valid and reasons why Nominet should not send out emails to the owners of 10,000,000 UK domain owners,
but there should be a grown up debate about it, and I'm sure from which a solution of what would be acceptable and practical would be found.

 

[max_rk]

Duging last round table I attended Nominet staff said that Nominet sought legal advice on “sending emails to registrants” and the advice was that sending emails to registrant would be illegal

That statement was challenged by lawyer in the room from Independent.

I believe Nominet responded this way before as well.

What you received form Nominet is even more vague reply.

If its illegal to do, why we can’t know what make it so?

They should or shouldn’t, that another questions.