UK Web Domain Changes Namesco Interview
The world could soon be getting 1000 new domain name suffixes, and the UK body Nominet is looking for your comments on the .uk suffix. In Show 89, we looked at what these changes may mean to you.
Our interview with Kelly Salter from Namesco Ltd about UK domain name changes (12 mins) |
UK Domain Changes on the way:
In show 89, we looked at upcoming changes to domain names in the UK and around the world. Here is the transcript of the material used in Show 89. Note that the box above links to the full interview with Namesco, not the edited version used in our show.
Transcript continues from Planned Obsolescence
Pete:
OK, let's change subject. Kelly, a test for you. What's our web address, please?
Kelly:
Well, this is a very easy test. It's www.frequencycast.co.uk.
Pete:
You can also find us on www.frequencycast.com - did you know that?
Kelly:
Of course I did!
Pete:
And we're also frequencycast.co.
Kelly:
Just .co?
Pete:
I thought .co was quite a nice name. It's actually a Columbian address.
Kelly:
Did you buy that?
Pete:
I did.
Kelly:
You bought a Columbian domain name?
Pete:
Yeah!
Kelly:
For any particular reason?
Pete:
Because it's frequencycast.co - it's shorter than .co.uk, and .com.
Kelly:
Sometimes I really worry about you!
Pete:
Well, the interesting thing is, potentially, in about six months' time, we can start buying .uk domain names.
Kelly:
Well, that's quite interesting. So is there a particular reason that it's actually happening?
Pete:
I don't really know the full details on this, but they are planning to bring out .uk, and all sorts of other domain names, over the coming months, and it is going to mean some big changes to web addresses, and Kelly is going to tell us all about these changes, and why they're happening.
Kelly:
What? I can't tell you about that. I've just been asking you the questions!
Pete:
Not you - a different Kelly. We're now talking to Kelly Salter, who is part of the domain product management team at Namesco, who, coincidentally, are the company that look after the FrequencyCast domain name.
Kelly S:
As some of your listeners may be aware, Nominet is the organisation that is in charge of looking after all of the .uk domain names in the UK name space. But Nominet is now asking the question, should they allow registrations directly ending in .uk?
Pete:
We've already got .co.uks, we've already got obviously the me.uks and everything else, but given that everyone is used to the .co.uk, why would we need something else? Why do we need this uks?
Kelly S:
From the end of this year, we are going to have a lot more domain name extensions. ICANN, who is the organisation responsible for the internet on a global level, has decided that we need more choice and competition, so it will begin to launch a thousand new domain name extensions within a one-year period, such as .web, .shop, and obviously Nominet is very aware that change is upon, and they need to ensure that .uk remains one of the market leaders in a global environment. Maybe now is the time to change, and allow new businesses to get shorter, more memorable, relevant domain names, but this is just a consultation. Nominet wants to know what every internet user and small business in the UK, what you think.
Pete:
The consultation starts from the first of July. How long does the consultation run for?
Kelly S:
The consultation will run for a couple of months, but I encourage you to all give your answers in as quickly as possible.
Pete:
But isn't it the case now that, because we are settled with .co.uk, adding the shorter versions is either going to cause maybe confusion, or perhaps companies to nick other names? - so we're frequencycast.co.uk; could someone come along and nick frequencycast.uk?
Kelly S:
The way Nominet's proposing to release these domain names is they would allow existing domain name registrants to apply for the corresponding or matching domain name. Now, Nominet will look at, have any of the domain name registrants from co.uk, or org.uk, or me.uk applied? - and obviously, if you've all applied, it will be awarded to the one that's had their domain registered the longest.
Pete:
Now, I have to ask, every time one of these new domain suffixes comes out, there's always a push from companies that sell domain services to go ahead and get one of these. I remember when the .biz came out, when the .info came out, when the .co came out, there's always a push from people that sell the domain names for you to secure something before somebody else does. Is there perhaps sort of a cynical ploy maybe on behalf of some of these companies, to force you to grab your web real estate before somebody else does?
Kelly S:
If you are a UK business, then the extensions you should be looking at are .uk, and .com. Already there are 318 different extensions on a global level. When that figure increases by over a thousand, people are going to have to really think, what extensions are relevant?
Pete:
OK, that makes sense. Will there be a .podcast?
Kelly:
Not in the first round, but who knows what the future will look like? We are literally on the brink of the biggest change the internet has ever seen.
Pete:
Assuming things go well with the consultation, and these domains are going to go ahead, what sort of timeframe would we be looking at for seeing these out there on the market?
Kelly S:
At the earliest, this will be 2014.
Pete:
Thanks very much to Kelly Salter, domain product specialist at Namesco. For more information, plus a link to the consultation document Kelly was talking about there, go to our website - the address: www.frequencycast.co.uk.
Kelly:
Or .co, apparently.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Nominet Consultation Website |
Transcript continues: Show 89 - Gadget Show and Microsoft BoogieBoy
Our interview with Kelly Salter from Namesco Ltd about UK domain name changes (12 mins) |
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