.us Fasten your seatbelts boys and girls

[dsiomtw]

WASHINGTON, July 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- GoDaddy.com, Inc. and Afilias USA, Inc., have teamed up to create The Domain Name Alliance Registry, LLC ("Alliance Registry"), a joint venture seeking to assume stewardship of the usTLD, America's sovereign space on the Internet. Yesterday, Alliance Registry submitted a proposal in response to the request for quotations issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for a registry operator for the usTLD.


"Today, the usTLD ranks 9th among the world's country code domains, despite America's leadership of the Internet and the most robust domain growth market in history. Now is the time to change usTLD leadership and put it on a growth track," said Roland LaPlante, Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer for Afilias. Added Warren Adelman, Go Daddy's President and Chief Operating Officer, "We believe Alliance Registry pools the strengths of its partners, Go Daddy and Afilias, to offer usTLD superior technology, enhanced marketing, and focused administration to improve this critical national resource."


The bid submitted by Alliance Registry includes several key elements that would improve the .us domain registry, both in technological security and marketing tactics. Over the past 6 years, the .us domain has underperformed relative to its international competition and Alliance Registry has the resources and the capabilities to make major improvements. Some of these improvements include:

-- Reduced pricing for usTLD registrations to make them more affordable
and deliver greater value to the usTLD community
-- Greater volume, growth, and usage of the usTLD stimulated by registry
enhancements and marketing programs that have been proven to work by
Alliance Registry's joint owners
-- Enhanced Locality space support to enable every city and town in
America to have its own dedicated space within the usTLD (e.g.
anytown.us)
-- World class stability and security of the registry platform and DNS
services supporting the domain
-- Expanded administration services to facilitate oversight and provide
better counsel for the DoC
-- Enhancing kids.us so it becomes the feature-rich, safe online
environment for America's children it was envisioned to be


In addition, the proposal outlines a proven plan to ensure a smooth transition, based on the experience of its partner Afilias in transitioning numerous top-level domains and with Go Daddy's experience in ensuring harmless data transitions for consumers. DoC is expected to award the new contract by September, with the administrator taking full responsibility of the usTLD when the contract with the current provider expires on October 26, 2007.


During a news tele-conference earlier today, Brian Cute, Alliance Registry's new Director of .us activities said, "This is an exciting opportunity for us to work closely with DoC to realize the full potential of the usTLD." He continued, "We believe it's time for a change, and Alliance Registry is uniquely positioned to take usTLD to its rightful position as a leading country code domain."


To hear a replay of today's news conference and to learn more about Alliance Registry's bid, please visit http://www.dnalliance.us.

 

[steven22]

I am pro .US and all for someone else taking over from Neustar. However, I think is ironic that the United States, where we have the 1st amendment, censors what names can and an not be bought (7 words from George Carlin). Seems to go against everything American to me. If they continue to censor words, what makes you think they would take over some of your names that should probably have never released in the first place. Time will tell.....but i think the .US has more grounds to take over IRS.us , Houston.us and HUD.us then the .com version

 

[acc]

"... fantastic news thats what all of .us domainers have been hoping for"

You mean the fact that Afilias would be the registry or part of the registry for .us? Are you joking? When .info was first handed to Afilias on a platter by Esther Dyson, Vint Cerf, and the rest of ICANN's BoD, Afilias Directors abused the Sunrise Period (for trademark holders) by claiming false trademarks on prime .info names such as Maui.info. Govinda Leopold was one of the guilty Directors. There were others. You can see for yourself, Maui.info was handed to someone else in July 2002, almost a full year after it was pirated by an Afilias Director, and only due to enormous public outcry. Afilias has done nearly nothing as far as marketing .info. As a result, here we are seven years after .info launch and .info remains anemic. The registry gave away registrations for free, for a period of time, and that's the only reason the introduction and registration numbers are as high as they are. No, Afilias has not gotten its act together since then.

And perhaps you're delighted that a registrar would also become the registry. I remember IOD's .WEB was turned down by ICANN back in 2000 due to the fact that IOD would have been the registry and registrar.

Interesting hearing another take on this. Thank you for that information.

I am personally glad that the DOC has - by this action - acknowledged the real lack of focus and followthru by Neustar regarding the .US extension. Given the sheer size of the US market, and witnessing the success of the .de and .co.uk extensions, this is such a potential powerhouse given the right marketing.

As far as GoDaddy's value in the equation, given its infrastructure and customer base, it could bring the .US so much more exposure to the general public than any other registrar or entity in this industry. GoDaddy has the marketing muscle and drive that is required in this instance. Having Afilias along provides the registry experience angle and GoDaddy will be the adult in the house with complete watch over the actions of all involved. There is no room or need for anything like the stated shenanighans that could ruin GoDaddy's good reputation. (This is not regarding whether or not one personally likes their user interface, marketing during checkout, etc.)

 

[airwav]

I am personally glad that the DOC has - by this action - acknowledged the real lack of focus and followthru by Neustar regarding the .US extension.

It is not that they have acknowledged anything, the contract was up.

Maybe this could be a wakeup call to Neustar. I do know they are working on some projects that have been on the back burner for years, however maybe it's just too little effort and too late.

Also note this, the DoC has a small department that oversees this agreement, as well I am sure, many other agreements. Unless someone complains they are unaware of any problems. So it is great to vent your issues with Neustar on this forum, but I wonder how many NPers have contacted the DoC and expressed consern about Neustar upholding their agreement?

As far as GoDaddy's value in the equation, given its infrastructure and customer base, it could bring the .US so much more exposure to the general public than any other registrar or entity in this industry. GoDaddy has the marketing muscle and drive that is required in this instance. Having Afilias along provides the registry experience angle and GoDaddy will be the adult in the house with complete watch over the actions of all involved. There is no room or need for anything like the stated shenanighans that could ruin GoDaddy's good reputation. (This is not regarding whether or not one personally likes their user interface, marketing during checkout, etc.)

I am in total agreement that GoDaddy it the marketing muscle and could turn the .US a 100% around.

However I think one should look at the bigger picture.
Think of what it is going to take to move all of these domains to Afillas, in Ireland I might add.
How many screwups could there be? Always expect the worse. Wouldn't this put the .US even further behind the eight ball?

Look at GoDaddy. I know I am not the only one that has had issues where their actions were unorthodox and showed glimmers of the wild west. However in all fairness, once I brought my issues to a higher authority, they made it right. But, in my case, it lead me to believe that the GoDaddy attitude is, "lets see if we can get away with it and pad our pockets", before "this is the right thing to do, to support our customer."

Folks, I am not a Neustar fan. It is clear they have sat on their hunches for the last few years and put little effort in promoting and managing the .US namespace.

But would fixing the problem be a better solution over possibly creating more problems? There is an old saying that may apply "jumping from the frying pan into the fire"...

Bob Parsons is a savvy and "sort of" cut throat business man. If GD had the .US, the success of the namespace, I think, would be guaranteed. However I think moving the .US to another registery will cause some damage.

I guess in the best of both worlds it would be GD managing the front end and Neustar on the back. That is where the joint venture should be. :imho:

Just my two cents, for right now...

 

[dna]

I have nothing against Godaddy and have most of my domain names registered there.
But I don't see why the US Registry should be a for profit company.
And I find the offer to drop the registration fees by 25 cents to be inadequate.
Especially as INFOs are being registered for $2.
And we should oppose any company where there is any hint of corruption,
as there appears to be at Afilias, unless the charges are adequately explained
away. I don't want to see another Registerfly happen.

 

[Lasher]

Do we know if Neustar have even applied to continue running it, or if any other companies besides GD/Afilias have tendered the contract?

 

[Carlton]

.US is an awesome extension sitting relatively idle under the tenure of Neustar. GoDaddy (with Afilias in the background) will be extremely positive for dotUS. Far too many exaggerated fear scenarios being thrown around here that will never materialize.

If GoDaddy/Afilias are awarded the contract ... then it's a welcomed change with very exciting and positive implications for current .US registrants. GoDaddy rose above all competitors because they have managed their company extremely well, are profitable, and can market successfully on a widescale basis. When you think of the total bullsh*t stagnancy of Neustar and most all other registries, then this is a welcomed opportunity to lift .US up where it belongs. Think big upside, elevating the namespace, and everyone you know finally knowing about and using .US domains and websites like they do com/net/org. It's time people.

Far as "taking back" geo .US domains, , crush some tin foil around your antenna. And the earth may collide with Jupiter tonight ... but it probably won't. Neustar had 7 years to advance any number of promotional efforts. Let's give someone else a try who has some cachet and firepower and proven track record of getting things done. Enough of these wimps sitting back accomplishing nothing.

 

[Pred]

.US is an awesome extension sitting relatively idle under the tenure of Neustar. GoDaddy (with Afilias in the background) will be extremely positive for dotUS. Far too many exaggerated fear scenarios being thrown around here that will never materialize.

If GoDaddy/Afilias are awarded the contract ... then it's a welcomed change with very exciting and positive implications for current .US registrants. GoDaddy rose above all competitors because they have managed their company extremely well, are profitable, and can market successfully on a widescale basis. When you think of the total bullsh*t stagnancy of Neustar and most all other registries, then this is a welcomed opportunity to lift .US up where it belongs. Think big upside, elevating the namespace, and everyone you know finally knowing about and using .US domains and websites like they do com/net/org. It's time people.

Far as "taking back" geo .US domains, , crush some tin foil around your antenna. And the earth may collide with Jupiter tonight ... but it probably won't. Neustar had 7 years to advance any number of promotional efforts. Let's give someone else a try who has some cachet and firepower and proven track record of getting things done. Enough of these wimps sitting back accomplishing nothing.

agreed.
i dont own any .us domains but they have to be wildly underpriced.
i am not a huge fan of godaddy, but they are the biggest registrar in the world for a reason. i have an account with about 100 domains in & tbh have personally had no problems

i like what they're doing with this advert, a new angle
now remeber to concentrate boys 7 to rep me like a whore if you appreciate

http://www.frenchmaidtv.com/pages/ep_domain.html

 

[domainica]

I would suggest that folks who are serious about making a change go here:
http://www.dnalliance.us/pages/supporters/
and voice their opinion.

The more ammo GoDaddy has, the better their chances.

 

[fonzie_007]

IMO, a change from Neustar couldn't be a bad thing. The status quo sucks, so lets give another company a whirl. Neustar has failed to even bring in any decent marketing ideas and implement them.

 

[Fundraiser]

Carlton for President. The campaign starts today. :tu:

 

[NameCharger]

.US is an awesome extension sitting relatively idle under the tenure of Neustar. GoDaddy (with Afilias in the background) will be extremely positive for dotUS. Far too many exaggerated fear scenarios being thrown around here that will never materialize.

If GoDaddy/Afilias are awarded the contract ... then it's a welcomed change with very exciting and positive implications for current .US registrants. GoDaddy rose above all competitors because they have managed their company extremely well, are profitable, and can market successfully on a widescale basis. When you think of the total bullsh*t stagnancy of Neustar and most all other registries, then this is a welcomed opportunity to lift .US up where it belongs. Think big upside, elevating the namespace, and everyone you know finally knowing about and using .US domains and websites like they do com/net/org. It's time people.

Far as "taking back" geo .US domains, , crush some tin foil around your antenna. And the earth may collide with Jupiter tonight ... but it probably won't. Neustar had 7 years to advance any number of promotional efforts. Let's give someone else a try who has some cachet and firepower and proven track record of getting things done. Enough of these wimps sitting back accomplishing nothing.

My sentiments exactly!

We know GoDaddy's not afraid of a little TV advertising... will go a long way with the American public!

 

[harkster]

News flash -- It has been rumored that all advertising during the next Super Bowl will be devoted to the .US internet extension.

Damn, is it time to get up already. Was having a most wonderful dream.

 

[Epic]

News flash -- It has been rumored that all advertising during the next Super Bowl will be devoted to the .US internet extension.

Damn, is it time to get up already. Was having a most wonderful dream.

That would be excellent exposure...And Godaddy could promote it as a "new" extension since nobody in the US has ever heard of .us. :p

 

[Carlton]

Carlton for President. The campaign starts today. :tu:

LOL ... and if elected I'll appoint Fundraiser as Chief Economic Advisor. All US business, both domestic and foreign, will be run from BUSINESS.US :D

 

[oldtimer]

The first business of the day should be “ a new .US domain for every American “ , that would put the .US numbers above any other extension.

Now seriously what if drivers licenses or social security numbers ( or national ID cards) are made in the form of a domain name so that every person could be recognized and identified by their own personal domain name that might be a combination of their name and a corresponding number.

 

[airwav]

.US is an awesome extension sitting relatively idle under the tenure of Neustar. GoDaddy (with Afilias in the background) will be extremely positive for dotUS. Far too many exaggerated fear scenarios being thrown around here that will never materialize.

I think it is prudent to examine the "what if's" when talking about moving the entire structure of the .US and I am all for POSITIVE change.

My only concern is that the .US flourish. I am in 100% agreement that Neustar has not protected and/or promoted this important American national resource. This opinion stems from the fact that I am a USMC Viet Nam veteran and feel that the .US is as patriotic as apple pie , as well as the fact that I am fairly heavly invested in the .US market.

It will be interesting to see what these two companies do in the next few weeks while the DoC makes up their mind, should I stay or should I go, in any event it is getting the .US in the news and thats the best thing that has happened to the .US in YEARS!

 

[Moses]

I personally love .us (only have 2 for future development) and are little surprised it has not taken off as Americans are one of the most patriotic people in the world.
does anyone know a .us site that is well known with a good content?

 

[Carlton]

...does anyone know a .us site that is well known with a good content?

This will get you started ...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3A.US

 

[HeyNow]

GoDaddy Serves Self, Not .US

My sentiments exactly!

We know GoDaddy's not afraid of a little TV advertising... will go a long way with the American public!

Godaddy's expensive Superbowl ads only advertise Godaddy.com, nothing more. You really think they're going to spend $$$$ advertising individual extentions? No way.

 

[dsiomtw]

That's not necessarily true. GoDaddy makes the overwhelming majority of their money from add-ons when people order domains - they add on hosting, private registration, etc. etc. If they wanted to they could realistically do a commercial advertising FREE .US domains and still make a fortune from all the add-ons and lifetime value of the new customers.

 

[harpo]

this deeply saddens me for all this undue attention to the .us tld
now i will have to be pay more for keywords and lll.us than before
somehow the triffles aare beligerant when money is involved
once collective people start using this extension and advertizing it
it will go through the roof like .com .......
sea the parting waves...
what the.us ext is only what 7 years old
a 7 year old kid just wants to play with his friends
business and money sound soooo strange
heads get big and everyone just pushes
its still a kid why push it give it time if neustar wants to do nothing with it its ok with me.
its wonder koolade when the kids seell for 10 cents
so sondeful

 

[AdoptableDomains]

Godaddy's expensive Superbowl ads only advertise Godaddy.com, nothing more. You really think they're going to spend $$$$ advertising individual extentions? No way.

Not true. I really didn't like the way the godaddy ads said something like "get your dot com name at godaddy for only $9.99". they went out of their way to say "dot com". I wouldn't complain if they just said "domain name". If you don't remember or didn't see them, there are here:
http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/superbowl05/landing.asp

They also wouldn't likely run the whole ad based on an extension, but might have a 5 second mention a special price or promotion on .us. If they own the registry, they would probably then make more on the .us than they would on a .com from the two separate income sources.

 

[fonzie_007]

If GD is running both the .us registry and their own registrar, I wouldn't doubt they would start pushing .us domains--its a way to profit two-fold...

 

[Carlton]

Godaddy's expensive Superbowl ads only advertise Godaddy.com, nothing more. You really think they're going to spend $$$$ advertising individual extentions? No way.

"GoDaddy serves self" ... well of course they do, they're not a charity. dotUS is a money-making opportunity for them or else they wouldn't be interested. That's business ... and it's good for everyone who is a stakeholder in .US be they pure speculators or .US developers. Whether or not GoDaddy mention .US in a superbowl ad is not the end all. That was merely brought up as a "what if".

Keep focusing on the miniscule negatives and you'll be stuck in the same place you've always been. It's about opening doors and having enough sense to step on through when a new, and reasonable, opportunity presents itself. Or, kiss Neustar's a** for another 3-5 years. That's worked wonders for the extension,

 

[zand_stein]

thanks Dsiomtw/...........lol