The research [PDF] analyzed detailed information from The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine (HWOL) database as conventional employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics were not suitable to track such a phenomenon as this economic ecosystem is so new.

"Dave predicts that computers will be equipped with optical connections instead of pins for networking, and the volume of data transmitted will overwhelm routers, which at best have mixed optical/electrical switching," writes Oram. "Sensor networks, smart electrical grids, and medical applications with genetic information could all increase network loads to terabits per second. When routers evolve to handle terabit-per-second rates, packet-switching protocols will become obsolete. The speed of light is constant, so we'll have to rethink the fundamentals of digital networking."

Google Plus is of course Google's entry into the social network battle, and the service recently announced over 90 million users. Just this month Google has started inserting social media content from Google Plus listings (when available) into the search engine response pages (SERPs) on Google. However, other major sources of social media content — Facebook, Twitter — are not included.

Danny does a great job of laying out why this is overly preferential, and doesn't deliver the best search result. The engineers from Facebook, Twitter and MySpace behind Focus on the User have developed a bookmarklet called, "Don't Be Evil, get it?" that you can add to your browser to pull more comprehensive social media listings into your personalized search results.

Danny makes a strong case this improves current search results. He provides lots of screenshots like the one below. It's important to note that the bookmarklet is using Google's own algorithmic rankings for these revised SERPs.

Danny also includes the other side of the story. Sites like Facebook and Twitter do not license their content to be crawled, so why should Google include this content?

"Google, in particular its executive chairman Eric Schmidt, has argued that it doesn't have all the data it needs to include other social services in the way it does for Google Plus. The failure to reach a deal with Facebook; the failure to renew a deal with Twitter, these have prevented the social signals it needs from being used, Google has said."

What the Focus on the User group has done is clearly demonstrated that Google could have included other content if it wanted. And to my read Danny has made a convincing argument that Google SHOULD do this, because it delivers the highest quality search results back to the user.

If legal concerns are really what is holding Google back, the company should challenge Facebook and Twitter to allow them to use the same inputs Focus on the User has accessed via the bookmarklet. If those companies refuse, then publicize that decision.

I've installed the Focus on the User tool and I'm doing my own comparisons. If anyone out there is already using it, please drop a comment with your impressions.

Written by Christopher Parente, High Tech Public Relations

"To deliver content effectively, Web browsers typically open several dozen parallel TCP connections ahead of making actual requests. This strategy overcomes inherent TCP limitations but results in high latency in many situations and is not scalable. Our research shows that the key to reducing latency is saving round trips. We’re experimenting with several improvements to TCP."

Cheng believes the current transport layer badly needs an overhaul to catch up with other (networking) technologies. Read more.

The Internet usage rate among people aged between 10 and 29 has been growing rapidly while those aged between 30 and 39 are viewed as main force behind access growth.

How exactly did I measure this? I took five devices and visited the main entry points for the latest Alexa Top Global Sites list. I compared the size of the returned HTML document for each of the devices in question to see if server-side redirection and/or adaptation was being used. To avoid having to actually view the resulting page from each device I used the page byte size as a proxy measurement: if different user-agent strings resulted in significantly different returned HTML byte size for the same URL, I count this as server-side device detection at work. Where known, I used the full set of HTTP headers for each device in addition to the correct user-agent string.

Server-Side Mobile Web Adaptation
	Top 10 Sites	Top 25 Sites	Top 100 Sites
None	0%	4%	18%
Some	20%	8%	8%
Extensive (greater than 3 versions)	80%	88%	74%
Any adaptation at all	100%	96%	82%

Google is the star performer, fine-tuning all of its properties in all territories. The most notable non-adapting sites in the top 25 are Apple and Craigslist (to be fair to Craigslist their site is quite efficient thanks to its spare use of images).

In conclusion, while the blogosphere is full of lively debate about new methods of achieving mobile adaptation using JavaScript, progressive enhancement and media queries, the data show that the giants in the web arena are using server-side device detection techniques to achieve this goal. The techniques are not mutually exclusive of course, but pragmatism suggests that the method used by the big brands is at least worth a look.

Testing Notes

• A few of the Alexa top 100 sites are not sites designed to be browsed as such e.g. googleusercontent.com and t.co
• The main entry point for the Wikipedia (wikipedia.org) does not use device detection but all of the language-specific entry points do e.g en.wikipedia.org and es.wikipedia.org etc. For this reason I counted this as a site that uses adaptation since search results usually send you to the language-specific entry point.
• A bug in the library that I was using to crawl the sites caused failures for a handful of them so I checked these by hand.
• This method of counting server-side device device detection probably under-counts if anything since some sites may use server-side image resizing as a means of adaptation without changing the containing HTML document.
• Sites can use device detection simply to redirect browsers to a more mobile-friendly site and/or adapt the HTML to the particular device in question.

Mobile Devices Used

• Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10.7; rv:8.0.1) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/8.0.1
• Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3
• Nokia6300/2.0 (05.00) Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1
• SAMSUNG-SGH-E250/1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 UP.Browser/6.2.3.3.c.1.101 (GUI) MMP/2.0
• DoCoMo/2.0 N905i(c100;TB;W24H16)

Written by Ronan Cremin, Director of Engineering at dotMobi

We've also extended the property set of DeviceAtlas Cloud Premium to include all of the multimedia properties, making the property set at par with DeviceAtlas Enterprise.

The major focus for these new properties is HTML5, which allows advanced Web apps to be completely optimized and provide a faster, richer experience for end users. Having these properties on the server side means fewer requests for the client and less content that has to be sent. It's a win-win on both sides!

We've also introduced a number of standard JavaScript properties that nicely complement the HTML5 set. Many devices, especially non-smart phones, have inconsistent support for JavaScript. These properties take the guesswork out and allow appropriate content to be sent to all users.

The other new property of note is Display PPI. This returns the pixel density for a device's screen and can be used with the resolution properties to produce images that look sharp on any screen. Many new devices are being introduced with high-resolution "retina" displays, so it is becoming increasingly important to take pixel density into account when resizing images for devices.

This release also brings a new mobile site, built using the award-winning goMobi platform and full access to the Data Explorer for all registered users.

All of the new properties can be found listed on the property pages in our Resource Center.

2011 has been a significant year for the technology sector globally. Information technology is touching more people in more ways than ever before.

Developed markets will be considering a 2012 in which business innovation, competitiveness, and service differentiation are built on ubiquitous broadband, cloud computing, smarter mobile computing, and an increasing plethora of Internet-connected devices. By contrast, securing the technology future for developing markets demands that attention be placed on more fundamental issues.

Here are five key tech issues for the emerging markets in 2012.

Internet Infrastructure

The build-out of critical Internet infrastructure is critical to economic diversification and sustainable development. Initiatives to improve routing of domestic Internet traffic and provide new, more optimal routes for regional Internet traffic must be accelerated through the build-out of Internet exchange points (IXPs). One top of the exchange points must come expanded terrestrial and mobile broadband networks.

Implications: Internet service providers (ISPs), governments, and businesses must work together for a faster roll-out of national and regional infrastructure. This is the key to unleashing ICT-based innovations and spurring the market for digital content and mobile service delivery.

Incentive Regulation

The agenda for infrastructure development must be guided by informed government policy. This is particularly crucial in smaller economies where market size does not present sufficient incentive for private sector investment. Incentive regulation to improve the current weak frameworks for stimulating growth and protecting consumer interest in the ICT sector will be demanded by the private sector. At the same time, governments will increasingly recognize that national benefits of ICT-enabled growth are too important to leave to the private sector to set the implementation agenda. More stakeholders will call for ICT adoption to be set within a wider context of national development.

Implications: Regulators have to adapt more quickly to technology changes. They must take the lead in ensuring that market forces align to social development objectives. Done well, this can translate to increased business innovation, improved delivery of government services, and greater consumer choice.

Cybersecurity

Cybercrime will increasingly challenge resource-constrained businesses and governments. Businesses, especially those with large, high-value networks, like financial services providers and energy companies, will require greater support cover not just nationally but regionally. A coordinated approach is critical to guiding national action and ensuring consistency and compatibility of action among nations. If regional governments are to secure their information and communications systems, identifying and investing in a central point of coordination for cybersecurity must be a top priority.

Implications: Governments must put aside petty internal and intra-regional differences and cooperate fully to ensure that cybercrime does not disrupt already fragile local economies and markets.

Mobile Phones, Mobile Apps, Mobile Services

Growth in mobile computing uptake and the availability of mobile apps that address local needs will continue. It will be driven by consumer-focused apps, but eventually business apps will catch on. As smartphones proliferate and mobile providers upgrade their networks to provide customers with faster mobile broadband access, software developers will have greater incentive to build apps. The improved user experience resulting from faster mobile data plans means that consumers will also have greater interest and incentive to use mobile apps and services.

Implications: The education sector must evolve to supply the human resources needed to support, not only the creation of digital content, but the development of new, digitally driven innovation and enterprises. This will create opportunity in the private and NGO sectors for training and capacity building beyond the traditional approaches.

Open Data

As governments increasingly recognize the potential of open data, they will move to make their datasets publicly accessible. Progressive administrations will seize the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to transparency and accountability. Of course, they will also benefit by shortening the timeframe of new service roll-out and shifting the burden to innovators and entrepreneurs.

Implications: A huge opportunity has opened for entrepreneurs, researchers, and society. More public awareness is needed to stimulate innovation, collaboration and, most important, more efficient, personalized services for citizens.

Onward to 2012

There is wide recognition of the value of building knowledge-based economies and of investing in technology-driven systems. These are fundamental to economic and national development. There is also no denying that the technology revolution is exposing antiquated infrastructure and institutional processes; testing the philosophy and approach to education; highlighting the imperative for new approaches to human resource development; and creating new, strategic challenges for business, education, and political leaders alike.

Advances in technology have exacerbated the vulnerability of states to externally developed and controlled intellectual capital. The central role of information and communications technology in modern society amplifies the debate on priority and significance of deliberately cultivating and securing indigenous intellectual capital.
From all indications, 2012 will be a continuation of the positive trends and innovations that gained momentum in 2011. The most forward-thinking, innovative organizations will continue to adopt and deploy technologies to improve efficiencies and better engage customers and citizens.

In 2012, these developments in emerging markets will require strong, ethical leadership to ensure that investment in technology is matched by commitment to equitable social development.

Written by Bevil Wooding, Internet Strategist, Packet Clearing House

cPanel and dotMobi today announced the immediate availability of the goMobi mobile website builder via the cPanel platform. This means cPanel Web hosting companies can now offer their customers a unique, leading-edge way to connect with on-the-go consumers and prospects.

With the rapid rise in mobile Internet usage, goMobi gives Web hosting companies a proven way to open the massive opportunity of the mobile Web to their customers. According to recent research from Web performance measurement firm Gomez, over 50 percent of consumers are more likely to buy from a store with a mobile website, so the demand for mobile sites is only set to grow. The goMobi cloud service can build a sophisticated mobile friendly website in minutes at a price point designed for small-to-medium businesses.

With goMobi, cPanel users can offer a very powerful, yet easy to use, mobile site builder. cPanel is launching a substantially enhanced version of goMobi, which brings a range of new templates, the ability to create custom forms, video content embedding, and integration with leading m-commerce solutions like PayPal and Google Checkout. Users can generate the mobile site using existing (or new) Web content, and add a range of updated features like "click to call," Google Maps integration, social networking integration, and automated QR code creation. Such features come as standard offerings with goMobi and have proven to convert clicks into sales. goMobi sites can reside on any Internet domain like .info or .mobi, and will work on more than 7,500 models of Web-enabled mobile devices and handsets.

"Mobile has changed how customers interact with businesses. Only businesses that are able to provide a great mobile experience will be successful in this new market. We are delighted to be partnering with cPanel as we roll out goMobi to the hosting industry," said Eileen O'Sullivan, COO of dotMobi.

cPanel Vice President of Operations, Aaron Phillips, said, "We are pleased to have goMobi in the suite of tools cPanel users can offer their clients. Web hosting companies are seeing a daily increase in the demand for a solid, but simple, mobile Web solution. And that is exactly what dotMobi offers with its goMobi service. It's a cost-effective way for any business to create and manage a mobile website while giving hosting companies a profitable way to help those customers."

goMobi is available as a cPanel application with a fully integrated WHMCS module for billing and client management. For more details, visit http://goMobi.info.

About cPanel

Since 1997, cPanel has been a leading innovator and developer of control panel software for the Web hosting industry. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, cPanel builds software that allows Web host professional to transform standalone servers into fully automated point-and-click Web hosting platforms. cPanel licensed software allows owners of servers and websites, along with resellers and developers, to optimize their technical resources and replace tedious shell-oriented tasks with dynamic, intuitive Web-based interfaces.

Infographic provides brief overview of the major findings from entrepreneurial potential in new Top-Level Domains research report. (Click to Enlarge)

The findings identified significant revenue potential for entrepreneurs to own industry-specific Top-Level Domains such as .shop, .law or .hotel and commercialise them by on-selling second-level domains to relevant businesses (e.g. retailername.shop or lawfirm.law). The new Top-Level Domain program was given the go-ahead in Singapore on 20 June by ICANN, the global governing body for internet addresses. The monumental shake-up will see domain names move beyond the increasingly saturated .com space to a large number of generic domains, with some calling it the ".anything boom." ICANN's application window opens in less than two months on January 12.

Commissioned by ARI Registry Services, the new study was led by Dr. David Neal, director of Empirica Research, and aimed to identify whether small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) will buy into the new program. Dr. Neal said: "Surprisingly, nobody had stopped to ask if restaurant owners would actually buy a domain within .restaurant, or whether lawyers will buy one within .law. The survey findings suggest that a high percentage of them will, even if this means paying a premium over their current web address."

In the survey of 200 SMBs across a range of industries, findings indicated high potential to monetise new Top-Level Domains:

• 49 per cent of SMBs describe themselves as likely to register a web address under a new Top-Level Domain related to their business
• SMBs are willing to pay substantial premiums to own an industry-specific web address, stating they'd pay 47 per cent more than what they pay annually for their current address
• Had the opportunity existed when they were starting their business, 44% of SMBs said they would have bought one at the time

Adrian Kinderis, ARI Registry Services CEO, who is helping companies and entrepreneurs apply for new Top-Level Domains, said: "These results are encouraging considering it's a new concept and awareness is still low among businesses. The findings demonstrate a strong demand in the market for new Top-Level domains."

SMBs perceived the most significant value in industry-specific web addresses to be the possible advantage within search engines, the ability to better match a domain name to their business and the potential to increase purchases from international consumers.

Mr Kinderis said: "In today's digital economy there's an increasing amount of consumers buying goods and services online and businesses are keen to differentiate themselves — this creates a market of highly interested customers willing to pay a premium price for more relevant domains.

"It's disappointing to see that with less than two months to go until the application window opens, less than 15 per cent of businesses are aware of the program.

"Domains like .shop will have huge global appeal — so selling web addresses to small businesses is just the start of the revenue opportunities. If you included the sale of premium, highly sought-after names like malls. shop or bookings.hotel which could be auctioned for tens of thousands of dollars, you're talking multi-million dollar annual revenues from a global customer base," Kinderis concluded.

SMBs also showed interest in Internationalised Domain Names (IDN) which will allow domains in non-Latin languages such as Chinese or Arabic. Fifty-four per cent of SMBs who have customers that do not speak English said they were interested in owning an IDN. Chinese IDNs were nominated by 90 per cent of SMBs.

Additional research was conducted via in-depth interviews with renowned entrepreneurs, including Jake Winebaum, former President of Disney Online, and Tony Chow, an Asian expert in digital media and creative entrepreneurship. For more information please click here to download a summary of the research whitepaper.

Example - the .shop business model

Using data collected during this research and census data from governments, the following hypothetical business model for a .shop new Top-Level Domain within the Australian market demonstrates the potential revenue opportunity:

There are 219,000 retail stores in Australia and 20% of them are likely to register a web address within a .shop new Top-Level Domain. This yields a potential customer base of 43,800 retail stores willing to pay $126.5 AUD per annum — resulting in a total annual revenue of $5.54 million AUD for a .shop new Top-Level Domain — generated from Australian retail stores alone.

Adding Singapore and Hong Kong's retail stores to the business model results in a potential annual revenue in the order of USD $7 million.

Research methodology

The research was conducted in September 2011 with 200 small and medium sized businesses based in Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong. Survey respondents were all owners, CEOs and Managing Directors and represented a broad cross-section of industries.

About Empirica

Empirica Research is an international social and consumer research firm based in Melbourne Australia. Founded by academics, Empirica specialises in applying scientific rigor and the most advanced research methods to business and social research.

But where they are seriously wrong is when you enter anything like 'Interlink' 'Pronet' 'National Trust' 'Premier Traders' or 'United Manufacturing', uncontrollable citations will gush out from every corners of the world. This debate originates from a lack of understanding of corporate nomenclature; usability of a name in relation to 'precise-search-ability' v/s 'open-search-ability.'

Often corporations mistakenly believe that their name is the only 'one powerful name identity'. Example, The United Manufacturing & Distribution Chicago Limited is convinced that they are 'United Manufacturing' while customers refer to them as UMDC to avoid a long descriptive name, and often they are called UMDC Chicago to differentiate themselves from other city locations in Atlanta, Kansas and Baltimore, their domain is www.unitedmfgdistributionchicago.com, as 'united manufacturing' was already gone, their stock symbol is UMAND.

Now try to find them on e-commerce, as every name combination buries them in thousands of citations. Across the world among the established business communities such clusters of multiple names are a common scenario. None of these names show up on the top of a search page. After all a very miniscule number of businesses in the world have a single globally workable distinct name identity?

If businesses around the world are already spending USD 400 billion annually to keep their name identities afloat so why do the largest majority of names still lost in the fathom? Google's algorithms and Ad words trawl at the bottom but good names pop up and work well with ad words and other pay per click models. The rest stay at the bottom.

Let's examine the three types of searching.

First, someone enters 'footwear'. Thousands of citations pop-up nicely stacked to choose from, in this type of search, advanced knowledge of a domain name was not required. Second, someone enters a specific name of a footwear brand, like, 'Moda Shoes', 'Quality footwear', 'Footsie,' 'Star' or 'Babe'. Thousands of citations pop up and further sub searches may eventually provide that sought after answer. Lastly, one enters Nike, Reebok, Adidas or Bata and the right site pops up instantly.

There is nothing wrong in any of the above search procedures, they all work, but the last one is the most desirable from the marketing and image expansion point of view.

Saving splits of seconds so that the potential customers do not get distracted by hundreds of other options are the hidden secrets of cyber name identity domination. The bigger question is why is this obvious hindrance to sales not corrected immediately? Who are the real beneficiaries of these lingering name disfunctionalities?

Now back to the argument. The owners with confusing and diluted origins resort to be discovered by random guesswork searching and prefer a search engine approach. This group often finds refuge under scrambled SEO options and prays for direct hits. This group always wants to justify that Google is a better way to randomly check then to type a specific URL in the browser. Without search engines and SEO, they would be literally doomed.

The facts remain despite such heavy costs of customer acquisition; dysfunctional names still constitute the largest majority.

ICANN's new gTLD program of global cyber name identities is neither for diluted, conflicting or dysfunctional names, nor for names that are not worthy of such expensive and exclusively undertakings. However, the spotlight has shifted to 'naming' and hardcore corporate nomenclature issues. In response a White Paper entitled "The World's Largest Branding Revolution Starts January 2012". Free downloadable PDF version is available at http://www.aarm.org

The big question of today is, at the end of any major branding if there isn't a distinctively exclusive and memorable name capable to withstand global scrutiny, why haven't such branding projects been erased yet? Is there any link between continuous higher burn rate on duplicated and generic type name brands which never make it to the top?

No matter what, Google search results, very soon, will appear like a full blown colorful magazine, the end user's richer experience will tickle the fancy with accompanying picturesque designs, photography; videos blended with textual columns and collage of social media to mesmerize and monitor all responses. A kind of cyber-immersion into 'GoogleMatrix' where a new world of highly affordable, measurable 'selective pay-per-click advertising' would emerge.

These digitally intertwined globally scalable and overhead expenditure free services would create further shock waves to current marketing and branding models. In conclusion, using the search engine as nets, rightfully, work wonders, like huge drift nets and bottom trawlers, they overflow the decks. But when you are looking for a special guppy fish distinctively called 'Nemo' the game gets sophisticated for all parties; the search engines, the searchers and the 'searchees'.

Google search will not replace domain names but the search results will become clear indicators or shining stars and lost souls creating a wider divide among winners and losers of the name identity game.

Written by Naseem Javed, Corporate Image & Global Naming Expert

Co-authored by JM Larsen, CMO, Sedari and Rita Tateel, President, The Celebrity Source

We read with interest the 20 Sept., 2011 article in The Hollywood Reporter. This confirmed that there is a lot of misinformation about the expansion of the domain name space circulating. Sadly, a creative opportunity is being seen as a threat by the most creative of industries.

The arrival of an open playing field for .ANYTHING is not a threat, it is unquestionably a long awaited opportunity and solution to the murky waters of the .COM namespace.

The opportunity is the restoration of trust and authenticity. Trust and reputations have been eroded by cybersquatting, phishing and fraud that are endemic to the current naming system.

Lady Gaga recently lost a legal battle to regain her LADYGAGA.ORG name. Countless other celebrities and brand holders have lost the rights to use their own name as a website, or found others free-riding on their reputation. If, as a brand holder, you didn't think through every possible version of your online name in the existing system, someone else will have done so… and for $5 become the proud owner of, say, LadyGagaNews.com just as if they were 'Born This Way' — even when they were not.

At what point does Lady Gaga put her foot down and demand ownership of her brand online… in its entirety? Until ICANN recently announced the opening up of the Top Level Domain (TLD) space, that option was simply not available. Now, if Lady Gaga applies for and is granted the rights to .GAGA she will own that space, permanently. Finally.

The film industry is concerned with the additional investment, protection and brand vigilance that will be required in the new Internet naming system. Would it not be attractive to the Entertainment industry if an appointed industry representative worked with stakeholders to find a policy system that allowed all new films to release and promote under the .MOVIE or .FILM namespace… if studios and production companies were guaranteed availability, confidentiality, reliability and extended securities? None of this is possible in the current .COM space. Plus no one would willingly act against the film industry for .MOVIE or .FILM, especially if it was under the umbrella of an organization like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and/or the Motion Picture Association of America — the legal defense budget alone would sink any competitors.

The choice is simple — more of the same misery of domain name by domain name fights, or a new world of opportunity for the Industry to command and control it's virtual properties. How it works would be up to the Industry; how it is liked and accessed by moviegoers is up to the Industry's imagination.

Celebrities (and their representatives) may question why it's necessary to buy their new TLD .name if it's already secured by rights of publicity and other trademark/license protections currently in place. However, like the Lady Gaga case, and countless examples of celebrity/studio merchandise fraud, the current .COM world proves this protection assumption to be false. Your name is not yours until you claim it.

Name/brand protection is only one aspect of how the new Top Level Domains (TLDs) are advantageous. For celebrities, as an example, there are at least three other major reasons to apply for and own your name/brand TLD: (1) create new business models for endorsements, advertising and product sales; (2) build out your brand through increased Search Engine Optimization — a valuable exposure vehicle for the non-profits, companies and products associated with and endorsed by the celebrity; and (3) strengthen and expand your fan base by creating virtual "villages" with many websites for shared interests, causes and increased fan connectivity. A sustained communications campaign can tell your fan base or brand customers where the real you can be found. Everything else with your name on line is either misrepresentation; or simply not you.

Hollywood brand owners and their representatives are strongly encouraged to take another look at the new TLD opportunity. It's something that the intellectual property community, charged with the protection of their client's brand equity, have fought for years to see realized. What it is definitely not, is a simple ploy to encourage brands to register thousands of new TLDs.

Ironically, the new TLD opportunity which is being criticized by some in advertising and entertainment law is the exact solution that they have been fighting towards for over a decade — complete and undisputed control over brands and intellectual properties they represent. Imagine if you had been able to influence the way .COM names were sold and to whom? With the new TLDs you can do just that.

This is the entertainment industry's moment. Do your homework, galvanize and get involved. But don't think about it too long. The TLD application process is complicated, and on April 12, 2012 the window of opportunity closes… possibly for several years.

Written by Jennie-Marie Larsen, Chief Marketing Officer at Sedari

Read full story: Reuters

Other sources: (UPDATED Oct 20, 2011 10:31 AM PST)
China says Internet censorship meets global norms Boston Globe, Oct.20.2011

We constructed arguments based on the future internet; where segmentation was possible. We were building a 'business section' online with .BIZ. We proposed that there remained only limited options for elegant domain names under .COM and .NET and the growing global business community, particularly new businesses launching their online presence, needed new inventory. Back then there were just 30 million .COMs. Now, 10 years later there are 95 Million. So inventory wasn't the issue. People associated the Internet with .COM and our job to launch these new TLDs was to be an uphill struggle.

Now in 2011, it's been 10 years since the first round of new TLDs was launched by ICANN. Those six names were reasonably successful. I say reasonably given the advertising community's disinterest in them. Between the top two performers — .BIZ and .INFO there are now close to 10 Million names worldwide. In the ICANN lead up to their launch in 2000, many of the same industry players submitted similar bids to what ICANN is asking of applicants in this round. The same process was repeated in the second round of new gTLDs with names like .MOBI. In that round many names represented different identities and new uses starting to see a little innovation in the web name space.

This time, however, I see one very different reason for new TLDs. The time has come for Communities, Geographies and Brands to have access to authenticity and authority online. Today's opportunity is all about preventing fraud and misrepresentation online. Brands and named personalities have had to fight tooth and nail to hang on to, or win back their rightful names. Anyone can register anything under the current generic TLD space where you find dirt-cheap anything.COM. Name sellers have built name generating software to come up with a wide variety of options for any name in .COM. If a company has not been extreme in their diligence to protect the IP of their brand online — they are wide open to fraud. The domain name space has spent almost two decades growing up. Fraudulent domain owners can now secure lock a name, and hide their identity. That is so long as their luck does not run out and they are found misrepresenting a brand, or swindling consumers.

Which brings me to my point. I'm an online shopper. I love the experience, the browsing, the solitude of my screen, the satisfying dragging of icons into my virtual shopping trolley.

My particular weakness is a luxury handbag bag. And in this I'm far from being alone. I'm part of a substantial target audience. Alas it's an audience that is targeted by fraudsters.

After many years of managing to never be fooled by the deal that just looks too good — they got me. A respected friend, from the legal community no less, forwarded an email with a link to the Mulberry-Sale.com site. And the deals were very attractive, not outrageously cheap, just the right pricepoint to be believable.

Feeling very smug about my clever find, I proceeded to checkout, entered all my bankcard details and looked forward to receiving my package. Five days later I began receiving confirmations about the delivery. The tracking number and shipping company listed were the giveaway — why would a Chinese delivery company handle a US-European shipment? And then I noticed the style of English — Asian style not US and I knew I'd been had. I immediately called my bank. Too late: of course they couldn't put a stop payment on the charge, I had already confirmed it.

I wrote Mulberry customer care an email about the experience and warned them they had better be more diligent about protecting their brand online. I suggested they take such actions as registering any combination of their brand in .COM and other geographic markets they sold to. It took me a few moments to escalate my tone towards the obvious — APPLY FOR THE .MULBERRY TLD and save us the headache of wondering if a site belongs to you or not. I want to go to your OFFICIAL Mulberry website, and to know that anything not bearing the .MULBERRY domain name — is not your site. I want that from all of the brands selling their wares online. I'm tired of being fooled by clever cyber-crooks. Even if I should have know better.

At the ticket price of USD $185,000 to apply for a TLD with ICANN, coupled with the consultancy fees brand owners will most likely need to take on to write a bid that meets all the demands of the ICANN registry contract — only the worthy will bother. It's apparently the only way we can ever be guaranteed a trusted, secure space online to transact and interact with a known entity. Remember when the WhiteHouse.com website was highjacked? ICANN is asking for a real and true commitment from those who want their identity online to be permanent and guaranteed. And I'm asking nothing less as a consumer interacting with those names online.

Written by Jennie-Marie Larsen, Chief Marketing Officer at Sedari