Last night in San Francisco, California, VeriSign celebrated the .com 25 – the people and companies that, over the past 25 years, helped shape the web as we know it. This was part of the 25YearsOf.com celebration. In addition to the .com 25, Verisign also recognized a select group of Domain Pioneers. We’re proud that Tucows, and Elliot Noss, Tucows President and CEO, were on that select list of those recognized as pioneering people and companies in the domain name space.
VeriSign visited our Toronto offices a few weeks back to give Elliot the opportunity to talk about how the Internet has impacted his life, and about where he sees things heading in the future:
The Internet is people
Look back all the way back to 1994, when Tucows.com software library launched in Flint, Michigan, you’ll see that there was a focus within Tucows around the idea that the Internet is made up not of wires and routers, but of people.
Tucows.com used a network of thousands and thousands of mirrors – mostly Internet Service Providers – who provided a local copy of the Tucows software library to their customers as an additional feature on top of an Internet connection. In 1999 Tucows extended this network of relationships by adding domain name registrations to the mix through OpenSRS. We leveraged the existing relationships that we had in the Tucows network to build out a global network of domain sellers who used the OpenSRS backend to power sales and management of domain names to their customers.
These days much is made of Web 2.0 and the social qualities of the Internet. But the truth is that the Internet has always been a synergy of technology and people. Without the physical interconnections, the Internet wouldn’t exist and conversely, without the Internet, many of these social connections wouldn’t be possible.
What was originally a way to connect computer networks to computer networks quickly morphed into a way to interconnect the billions of people on planet earth with each other at the speed of light. Mobile, ubiquitous Internet access leads to a more social Internet which empowers people through the Internet.
This generation of kids who grew up with the Internet have come to expect to be able to access it on demand, wherever they might be. They forge relationships with each other via the web, they communicate via the web and they seem to be constantly connected to each other via the web.
Much thanks goes to VeriSign for putting together the 25YearsOf.com initiative. We’re honoured to be recognized as part of this select group of Pioneers. It’s a testament to vision that both Elliot and Tucows as a whole share–that the Internet is more than a vast physical network but that it is an extension, and an extender of social interactions between people that makes the world wide web so incredible and powerful.
Tucows President and CEO, Elliot Noss appeared on Business News Network’s (BNN) “After Hours” program here in Canada yesterday to followup on his comments made recently on the Tucows Inc. website.
In that post, Elliot called out Canadian broadband providers as lagging behind much of the rest of the world when it comes to providing affordable, fast, and reliable broadband Internet access.
In addition to the news release about our new service, YummyNames, we’ve also put together a short video explaining what YummyNames is all about with Bill Sweetman, General Manager, YummyNames:
And we also have a social media release (SMR) which is a special webpage loaded with nearly a dozen videos, images, quotes and links about the announcement. You can view that here.
Of course, we’d also like to invite you over to the brand new YummyNames website where you can try a search or two and see what the portfolio has to offer.
A number of us at Tucows had the opportunity to attend the third mesh conference here in Toronto over the past two days. Mesh is billed as “Canada’s Web Conference” and provides a place for those working in the Internet industry to gather and connect, share ideas, and be inspired by some of the people using the Internet in exciting and innovative ways.
We had the opportunity to listen to Ethan Kaplan, head of technology for Warner Records talk about the challenges and opportunities that the music industry is facing, and about how they are trying to develop strategies and put in place technologies to help maintain and grow their business.
We also had the chance to hear about a number of Canadian technology success stories. Lane Merrifield, Executive Vice President Walt Disney Internet Group, and Co-founder and General Manager of the kids virtual world “Club Penguin” provided some excellent insights into how they built a very successful online world by putting the needs of the audience first (in this case kids and parents), and maintaining a solid focus on the vision they had for their service despite the naysayers who told them it couldn’t be done.
In various breakout sessions, we had the chance to learn more about things like online video production from the likes of Amber MacArthur and gained an insight into the challenges that startups and entrepreneurs face through the stories of people like Pownce’s Leah Culver, Ryan Carson of Carsonified, and Julia Johnston of mEgo.
All in all, it was an educational and rewarding two days of interaction with our peers, and conversation with some of the Internet’s current and future leaders.
ISPCON Spring 2008 is underway in Chicago. This morning, Elliot Noss, CEO and President, Tucows, took to the stage to deliver his keynote address titled, “Why You and Lowfat Lattes are Google’s Worst Nightmare.”
Snead writes, “What Elliot talked about, that strikes me as true, based on those of my clients who are successful, is that successful Internet businesses are high touch, and that people will pay to have their problems go away.”
For the benefit of those not in Chicago for ISPCON, or for those at the show who want to have another listen, we recorded the keynote it in its entirety.
Recently, ISP-Planet’s Alex Goldman had a chat with Rohan Jayasekera, Director, Tucows Email Service.
In the article, posted today, Rohan explains our philosophy in creating and running the Tucows Email Service. He also points to some of the features and benefits that make our hosted email solution a sensible choice for service providers.
If you’re in Chicago this week for ISPCON Spring 2008, drop by booth 114 for a chat and to see the Tucows Email Service first hand. And you can hear more of what Rohan and other industry experts think about the future of email on Wednesday, May 14th, at 8:45 AM in Room 9. Rohan will be participating in a panel discussion, “Who Should Be Running Your Email?”
After much deliberation and consultation (in other words, in true Canadian fashion), the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has announced that WHOIS Privacy will go into effect on .ca domain names beginning June 10th, 2008.
The CIRA approach to WHOIS privacy is quite interesting and demonstrates a clear desire to protect the privacy of Registrants. There is full information on the new policies at the CIRA website.
Geist goes on to suggest that CIRA is now in a global leadership position on the issue of registrant privacy. Geist writes, “With more than a million Canadian domain name registrations, the resolution of the whois issue ensures that the Canadian domain name space is set for continued growth as it now features a “privacy advantage” over other domains struggling to strike a similar compromise.”
What makes the CIRA policy different is that WHOIS privacy is enabled by default for individual domain owners. Registrants have to specifically opt-out with CIRA to have their information displayed. In contrast, the registration information for corporate domain holders is shown by default, however, they can opt-out and hide the information in what CIRA calls special circumstances.
As you would expect, we’ll be fully complying with the new policies. We’ll have more on how things will work from both a Registrar and from the Reseller perspective soon.
ISPCON Spring 2008 is less than a month away. That means there’s only a few days left to take advantage of free exhibits and events passes.
If you are planning to attend ISPCON, head over to their website to sign up today. The free exhibits and events pass offer only lasts through April 18th. Also of note, the price for conference and one-day passes also goes up after April 18th as well.
Tucows will be at ISPCON again this spring. Elliot Noss, Tucows CEO and President will offer up his thoughts in a keynote address on Wednesday, May 14th. Elliot will explain “Why YOU and lowfat lattes are Google’s Worst Nightmare.”
In addition, Rohan Jayasekera, Director, Tucows Email Service, will be participating in a panel discussion. That session, “Who Should Be Running Your Email,” is scheduled for the Wednesday, May 14th, but check the ISPCON conference schedule for the official word on times and for information about the other sessions.
Elliot Noss, our President and CEO, will be one of the keynote speakers at ISPCON Spring 2008. ISPCON happens May 13th – 15th at Chicago’s Donald E. Stephen’s (Rosemont) Convention Centre.
On Wednesday, May 14th, at 10 A.M., Elliot will present, “Why YOU and lowfat lattes are Google’s Worst Nightmare.” Here’s the summary:
“Google has an Achille’s Heel. Ruthless efficiency is embedded in their DNA, which is good for machines but bad for human beings. In this keynote session, Elliot Noss, President and CEO of Tucows will talk about how Starbucks is a better role model than Google or how applying this approach can help make a difference in your business as you compete against the biggest fish in the pond.”
As usual, Tucows will exhibiting at ISPCON. In addition, Rohan Jayasekera, Director, Tucows Email Service, will be participating in a panel discussion. That session, “Who Should Be Running Your Email,” is scheduled for the Wednesday, May 14th, but check the ISPCON conference schedule for the official word on times and for information about the other sessions.
ISPCON is less than six weeks away. We’re gearing up for the show, and we’re looking forward to getting the chance to meet potential new, and current customers face-to-face. See you there.
According to a press release from Verisign, effective October 1, 2008, the registry fee for .com domain names will rise from $6.42 to $6.86 and the registry fee for .net domain names will increase from $3.85 to $4.23.
This should come as no surprise to those who follow what’s been happening in the domain name industry over the last few years. Just this past October, a similar price increase went into effect, raising the registry fee for a .com from $6.00 to $6.42. Other registries followed suit raising prices across the board for generic top-level domains.
Elliot Noss, Tucows CEO and President called it “a dark day in Internet history.” At the same time, he predicted perfectly what would happen in 2008, saying, “Worse, this now signals a near-annual event that will take place in all major gTLDs. It is simply wrong.” You can read the full text here.
If history is any indication, we can expect other registries to announce similar fee increases.
Tucows.com used a network of thousands and thousands of mirrors – mostly Internet Service Providers – who provided a local copy of the Tucows software library to their customers as an additional feature on top of an Internet connection. In 1999 Tucows extended this network of relationships by adding domain name registrations to the mix through OpenSRS. We leveraged the existing relationships that we had in the Tucows network to build out a global network of domain sellers who used the OpenSRS backend to power sales and management of domain names to their customers.
A number of us at Tucows had the opportunity to attend the third 
ISPCON Spring 2008 is underway in Chicago. This morning, Elliot Noss, CEO and President, Tucows, took to the stage to deliver his keynote address titled, “Why You and Lowfat Lattes are Google’s Worst Nightmare.”
The CIRA approach to WHOIS privacy is quite interesting and demonstrates a clear desire to protect the privacy of Registrants. There is 