What's your beef?

[FC Domains]

In answer to a lot of topics here, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.

In the normal run of things Nominet seems to do an adequate job. It's only when people start to test the boundaries that the trouble starts.

Nominet isn't a like a water company. All of the money goes back into the service. Does it really matter how much is charged for what?

DRS decisions seem to basically fall in line with common sense.

How about we all just trade domain names for what they are worth, without all the hypes, scams and squatting?
No? OK carry on.

 

[Whois-Search]

I actually think it's a good thing we debate it like this..... we help find the holes in Nominet so they can be fixed.

 

[Jac]

I actually think it's a good thing we debate it like this..... we help find the holes in Nominet so they can be fixed.

Debate is a good thing but it is a two-way process. You can't have a two-way process if some people call Nominet personnel liars or attack every single thing that Nominet does or say, even when it is trying to adapt to the wishes of its stakeholders.

That is not debate, it's just plain old fashioned bigotry; and all it proves is that the human species learns nothing from history.

Regards
James Conaghan

 

[grandin]

But whos the liar

Sometimes a liar will try and make another a liar because they are a liar....facts dont lie...liars are liars...facts are facts

Lee

 

[Whois-Search]

Debate is a good thing but it is a two-way process. You can't have a two-way process if some people call Nominet personnel liars or attack every single thing that Nominet does or say, even when it is trying to adapt to the wishes of its stakeholders.

That is not debate, it's just plain old fashioned bigotry; and all it proves is that the human species learns nothing from history.

Regards
James Conaghan

How to Accept Criticism While at Work:

http://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Criticism-While-at-Work

 

[tmsdomreg]

Nominet's Visibility

In answer to a lot of topics here, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.

In the normal run of things Nominet seems to do an adequate job. It's only when people start to test the boundaries that the trouble starts.

Nominet isn't a like a water company. All of the money goes back into the service. Does it really matter how much is charged for what?

DRS decisions seem to basically fall in line with common sense.

How about we all just trade domain names for what they are worth, without all the hypes, scams and squatting?
No? OK carry on.

You make some very good points.

I think the trouble lies in Nominet's visibility - and I think they know this and are working hard to make the general public and Registrants in particular more aware of their role and procedures.

But customers still telephone me if they receive an invoice from Nominet because their name has not been renewed to ask if this is a Scam (like they do with Domains Registry of America etc) - I had a call earlier this week from a customer who had received his Domain Certificate asking if this was a Phishing Scam!

Someone at AD made a point in another thread (I can't remember who or which one, sorry) to the effect that they had only learned much about Nominet through this forum. And I agree.

Even though I've been in this business and dealing with Nominet/pre-Nominet in one role or another for 10 years, and hope I know and keep up to date with the procedures concerning .uk to the best of my time and abilities, I've learned a lot since joining AD, particularly re-DRS in which I have had little previous practical experience, and learned a lot about how Nominet (and ISPs) are perceived generally. And this has influenced how I deal with customers and how we try to explain to them about Nominet's role and their obligations under the T&Cs.

Perhaps it's time Nominet looked at setting up a Blog Site and Forum for Registrants on the lines of AD - Nominet Personnel must appreciate the value of it, else they wouldn't have contributed - because in a sense, the comments that have been passed in other threads, on the lines of Domainers are getting an unfair advantage through Nominet's unofficial involvement in this Forum, has an element of truth in it: the average Registrant, unless directed specifically to AD, probably wouldn't subscribe to such a specialised forum - and in any case, Domainers, like any other of the diverse groups Nominet has to cater for, have their own priorities and concerns to be addressed, just as Nom-Steer has its own agenda.

Perhaps Registrants Online was intended to be the first step towards such a project? If so, implimenting it is becoming way overdue IMO.

Peter

 

[Jac]

Sometimes a liar will try and make another a liar because they are a liar....facts dont lie...liars are liars...facts are facts

Lee

Lee

For the sake of clarity, nobody called you a liar.

But I am reminded of this little story about Daniel Boone. During all his lifetime Daniel Boone never carried a compass. Someone once asked him if he had ever been lost in the woods. "No", he said, "I can't say as I was ever lost; but I was once bewildered for 3 days!"

I think we all get bewildered at times.

Regards
James Conaghan

 

[retired_member6]

I've been bewildered for several years, still alive, still getting through, still having fun but not really here, it's amazing how long it takes to find direction. Life's like that sometimes. Fate, a wonderful thing.

 

[Jac]

How to Accept Criticism While at Work:

http://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Criticism-While-at-Work

Criticism is like consideration; it's a two-way process; and everytime you point a finger, there are 3 pointing back at you.

I don't mind criticism at all, but much of what I see on this board at times is not criticism; it is conjecture.

Regards
James Conaghan

 

[retired_member6]

Jac, how does your head keep it all in or do you have a book of quotes and euphemisms etc. dangling from your pc? :mrgreen:

 

[rob]

Before this lapses into another slanging match - lets get back on topic.

There is an existing nominet blog for the tech stuff - http://blog.nominet.org.uk/tech/ .

Further to this , other registries do decent amount of promo for visability. eg. the AUDA takes out full page adverts in the national press saying "G'day we are AUDA we run the .AU registry" etc.

However... what would people say knowing Nominet are forking out several tens of grand in adverts? I suspect the response would be 'waste of money' etc.

End of the day a fair number of end users dont know who Nominet are , let alone their registrant agents etc. so improving the profile of Nominet outside techie circles could be beneficial long term.

 

[Jac]

Jac, how does your head keep it all in or do you have a book of quotes and euphemisms etc. dangling from your pc? :mrgreen:

Uh? Hey! Sometimes I make it all up as I go along!

However; wisdom can come at any age, experience is what I have over you.

Regards
James Conaghan

 

[Whois-Search]

However... what would people say knowing Nominet are forking out several tens of grand in adverts? I suspect the response would be 'waste of money' etc.

End of the day a fair number of end users dont know who Nominet are , let alone their registrant agents etc. so improving the profile of Nominet outside techie circles could be beneficial long term.

Looks like this may help only 40k:

http://www.nic.uk/digitalAssets/8277_Campaign_Manager_2.pdf

 

[Jac]

Before this lapses into another slanging match - lets get back on topic.

There is an existing nominet blog for the tech stuff - http://blog.nominet.org.uk/tech/ .

Further to this , other registries do decent amount of promo for visability. eg. the AUDA takes out full page adverts in the national press saying "G'day we are AUDA we run the .AU registry" etc.

However... what would people say knowing Nominet are forking out several tens of grand in adverts? I suspect the response would be 'waste of money' etc.

End of the day a fair number of end users dont know who Nominet are , let alone their registrant agents etc. so improving the profile of Nominet outside techie circles could be beneficial long term.

I agree and I think Nominet should spend more on avertising and promotion. I think not doing so is actually counterproductive to Nominet's mission statement. I have personally been asking for an Educational Campaign for over 4 years. I was told it was too expensive. I have always retorted with how much more efficency there might be between registrant, Nominet and Tag Holder, if Nominet did indeed promote itself in an advertising campaign, and how much less time might need to be spent talking to confused individuals who either don't know who Nominet is (so why are they sending me stuff) or don't understand that going direct to Nominet and paying 80 quid plus vat for a renewal might actually void any SLA they have with their ISP or Tag Holder (on a hosting level).

I think some of the things Nominet has decided to do on a corporate level have served only to confuse the ordinary registrant/stakeholder more. So I am still for a national educational campaign so that more registrants know who Nominet is and what they do. Whilst Nominet already expends a lot of time and effort putting out press releases to all sorts of media, the media has its own criteria on what constitutes news, and in general, Nominet is not newsworthy.

So unless the Registry spends loadsa dosh on an advertising/promotional campaign, I don't think the average registrant or stakeholder will know much more than they don't know now.

Regards
James Conaghan

 

[retired_member6]

Uh? Hey! Sometimes I make it all up as I go along!

However; wisdom can come at any age, experience is what I have over you.

Regards
James Conaghan

Easily disproved but I'll save you the blushes.

 

[bb99]

So unless the Registry spends loadsa dosh on an advertising/promotional campaign, I don't think the average registrant or stakeholder will know much more than they don't know now.

It's a tricky one this. On the one hand I agree that a lot of registrants are "clueless" and could do with having some idea of what Nominet is.

On the other hand I don't think an AUDA style "G'day, We're Nominet - this is what we do" would be of much value if it were a purely paid for advertising campaign.

However a reasonable compromise would perhaps be a programme of PR type education whereby Nominet released appropriate information to journalists, business link, etc and appeared on things like Working Lunch (which Lesley has already done, but it was on a .com issue - shocking researchers at the BBC), Watchdog etc.

Good PR is better than advertising IMO, but you need to give it an appropriate slant in order to get it published. I know Ed Phillips did a piece about (I think) domains/cybersquatting in Accountancy Age a while back - that was pretty good.


Going back to FC's original question: What's your beef? Well on the whole I think Nominet do a tremedous job and I've said as much to them. It's all too easy for the "beefs" on here to blow out of all proportion and end up in a nom-steer-esque "who can have the last word" argument that doesn't really achieve anything constructive other than to take up people's time.

I find that the beefs on here fall into one of three categories:

a) Lucidcrous b*llocks;

b) Something I really agree with; or

c) Something that I previously wasn't aware of that makes me think "aha - that's an issue" (not necessarily an issue for me, but for someone else). I can understand why several people on here will argue certain issues to the death. It's because they've been personally affected by them.


But to answer FC's question more directly, I have two major beefs with Nominet and these are:

a) The transfer fee

b) The bulk transfer fee


Going back to education I think that a Nominet forum (not mailing list) with separate areas for members/tagholders and registrants and would be a solid step forwards. Granted there are technical issues relating to integration with existing mailing lists for those who "don't do fora", but this would be time well spent IMO.

 

[grandin]

You wont like this but its the answer

You wont like this but this is the answer:-

To me Nominet, as a company, are penny pinching. From my meeting they seem to be proud that they have kept costs under control BUT I personally believe in spending every penny to add value so here goes:-

Increase the registration fee to £150 this will give two things:-

1) give the cash to bring in some serious quality staff who are dynamic enough to take Nominet forward AND educate all 5 million registrants

2) the high fee will deter those of speculative nature*

*Lets face it a £150 would not put off a business who wants to hold its brand but would make a trader think twice.

Lee

 

[retired_member6]

So the internet is just for business now?

 

[grandin]

£150

£150 is cheap for most unless you buy 100's of the back of speculation......at least traders would have to be a bit more chooosie....will even things up as jac says...for the good of the whole commmunity

So lee are you a domain trader?

Lee

 

[retired_member6]

domain trader? I'm in business, what you doing putting my overheads up from £6 to £150? what am I... well it's easier to call myself a revenue generating internet guinea pig.

I don't have a precise business model, I tend to say I'm a website developer but this tends to involve, design, development, launching, marketing, editing, writing etc. then on top of that I work within affiliate marketing to generate sales, marketing companies / partners on the websites I develop and in turn making us all money in the end.

I'm a magical idea sprouting genius of the imagination that puts twinkling ideas on to the internet and makes them grow, and £6, a little effort aids in that process, I take empty white boxes and make them come alive - well slowly but they will.

In doing that I buy domains so as to develop websites and comunities long or short terms so as to sell products and in the meantime before development they get parked for PPC but at the same time as that yes I may dabble in domaining and sell before I develop (makes obvious sense) and try and shift a quantity at any one time at a cost higher than the original registration and sell on to someone a domain which they might find useful in a manner of ways.

That's not all I do, but there's a little idea. :mrgreen:

£150 a domain, someone's having a bubble! And I stand by my comment, a domain aint just for business nor is the internet, poor little 10 year old Johnny has to deliver a lot of newspapers to get his own website on the go now aint he? £150 have a laugh. £150 you're knocking on the head a hell of a lot of websites that wouldn't be on the net, I'd say by half a million at the outset, good luck in your quest to reduce the net by a vast amount. Free broadband, £150 domain names and pay to access websites. :mrgreen:

Business is all well and good but for your average punter just wishing to knock out £200 quid from each website over the course of a year and the majority not even wishing to make money, well that's the internet gone bust.