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Registrar Connections
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July/August 2008
In this issue:
Register Now for North America
Registrar Days
VeriSign’s 2008
North American Registrar Days will be held September 16 and
17 at Hotel Monaco in the beautiful historic district of Old Town Alexandria,
Virginia. Alexandria, founded in 1749 and listed on the National
Register of Historic Places is nationally recognized for its abundance
of 18th- and 19th-century architecture and historic attractions.
VeriSign is committed to helping registrars
improve their business and drive more domain name registrations. This
year’s theme is “Taking Your Business to the Next Level”. All
.com and .net ICANN accredited registrars are invited to attend, with
particular emphasis on registrars in the North American region.
Take advantage of an excellent opportunity to interact with VeriSign
and your fellow registrars to share data and information around services,
products, trends and research affecting our industry.
Registration is now open so reserve your spot
and register
online today. This year’s agenda promises to deliver
timely and valuable information that will help registrars improve their
business, maximize opportunities and drive more domain name registrations.
Highlights include:
- The State of the
Domain Name Industry
- Security Trends
and Patterns
- Leveraging Current
Trends for More Effective Marketing
- Enhanced Data Services
- Policy Topics
- Product Roadmaps
- Latest Promotions
and Market Research
Please join us for a very exciting event!
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European Registrar Days --
Just Around the Corner
The 2008 European Registrar Day is coming up on October
8 in the charming European city of Amsterdam. This will be a perfect
opportunity to come together with VeriSign and other business professionals
like you to discover new trends, best practices and ways to maximize
opportunities. This event is designed for registrar professionals in
the European region with responsibility for:
- Business and Product
Strategy
- Marketing and Sales
Development
- New Product Development
- Anyone Tasked with
Improving Company’s Performance
Please SAVE THE DATE! More information will
be coming soon!
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Jumpstart Your .TV Sales: Pricing
Promotion and Marketing Tools
VeriSign recently launched an integrated marketing
campaign in support of the .tv domain name. This campaign includes a
limited-time .tv pricing promotion plus key selling materials to help
you increase your .tv business.
The .tv Pricing Promotion will begin on September
1, 2008 and run through November 30, 2008. Participating registrars
will receive a discounted price for new .tv domain name registrations
with the opportunity to receive additional credits based on performance.
In order to participate, registrars must meet certain marketing requirements
and complete the Enrollment Application Form. Forms must be returned
to VeriSign on or before Monday, August 25, 2008.
If you have any questions about the .tv pricing promotion
or want to request a copy of the Enrollment Application Form, please contact
Customer Service or send an email to namingmarketing@verisign.com.
A new .tv Registrar Toolkit will be available to help
you market .tv domain names to both businesses and consumers. Components
will include Icons, Banner ads, Header image, HTML email templates and
new .tv messaging. All marketing tools will be accessible starting
August 15 at www.verisign.com/tvmarketing
Plus, the Rich Media Content Report, provided through
VeriSign’s Internet Profile Service, identifies your registered .com
and .net domain name customers who are good candidates for a corresponding
.tv domain name. These domain names may include links to rich media
content, particular words within the domain name, embedded content from
major video content providers, and other characteristics. We have cross-checked
these domain names to ensure they are available for registration, and
are unique to your customer list.
To receive your Rich Media Content Report, you will
need to sign and return an Internet Profile Service for Registrars Agreement.
Once you return the signed agreement, you can retrieve reports from
your FTP account and get started!
To request the Agreement and learn how to get your
reports, contact
Customer Service.
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Getting the PR Resources You
Need: Selecting an Agency Partner
Finding the most appropriate public relations support
is sometimes like finding the right pair of shoes. New pairs of
shoes can be hard to break in initially but once you do, they can last
you for several years to come. The same can be said for many of
the professional consulting relationships we build today. Once
you’ve outlined the need to augment your internal marketing efforts
with PR, the next step is choosing the right agency for your company.
There are several important steps to finding the right agency for your
organization
Network, Network, Network: Word of mouth can be key
Similar to finding great candidates for employment, word of mouth
can be the quintessential way of generating a quick short list of targets.
Do your homework: There’s a reason agency report cards exist
A number of the smaller, medium, and new boutique firms have
experienced and proven staff without the associated higher costs that
larger firms present. It’s important to look beyond the basic
press release and media relations programs. Finding an agency
partner also includes discovering which ones have sought after new media
programs, blogger relationships and viral programs to effectively communicate
in 2008 and beyond.
To RFP or to not RFP, that is the question
Most organizations use a request for proposal (RFP) to clearly
define what they’re looking for in an agency relationship and how much
they’re willing to pay. What are the organizations’ marketing
goals? What are the key targets they’re trying to reach? This
step is the first “real” process that enables the best of the bunch
to rise to the top of the selection process.
Up close and personal: be careful of the dreaded bait and switch
Finding the perfect blend of talent and chemistry is the most
important part of the selection process. Most agencies tend to
bring their most talented PR executives into the new business courting
dance. However, don’t be fooled, make sure that the actual person
or persons will be assigned to your account. Ask as many “what
if” questions as possible, including the names of past or current accounts
they work on.
Decisions, decisions: involve more than just the marketing team
Your decision will be based on a variety of factors including;
your instincts, agency capabilities, cost and chemistry. Also,
realize that this process should not be completed in a marketing vacuum.
Get sales, customer service and other management involved to meet with
the presumptive agency of record.
To discuss how to get the most out of your public
relations efforts or to share what has worked for you, send an email
to NamingMarketing@verisign.com.
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Managing Domain Name Renewals
with ConsoliDate
Do you have registrants that let their domain names
lapse beyond the expiry date, and who claim that they were not aware
that their domains were up for expiry? While this is a common occurrence
and may be attributed to a variety of causes, there is value to be gained
by ensuring that all your registrant’s domains and other value services
expire at the same time. VeriSign’s
ConsoliDate synchronization service makes this a very simple
process.
Registrants that do not renew on time, and subsequently
find their domain on hold or worse in the 30 Day Redemption Grace Period
are in most cases very eager to get their domain reinstated. With ConsoliDate,
customers can sync their multiple domain names so that they all become
due on one single date with one focused and comprehensive renewal notification
plan.
In cases where registrants have not renewed during
the 45 day grace period, ConsoliDate in addition to a Restore function
allows them to bring their domain name back into OK status even after
the Delete command has been issued. Those registrants that wish to retain
their domain name by using the ConsoliDate function are ideal, up sell
candidates. Providing your registrants with the opportunity to
sync all their domain names to the same expiry date will eliminate any
future negative experiences around renewals and lead to easier and more
efficient management of their domain name and value-added service portfolios.
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Providing System Feedback in
AJAX-Based Web Applications
Feedback makes the user aware that the system is processing
their input. System feedback is necessary in both traditional Web and
AJAX applications. In traditional web applications, the browser provides
the initial feedback in the browser progress bar, but for AJAX applications,
the feedback must be designed as a part of the interface.
AJAX Applications
AJAX applications rely on asynchronous client-server communications
enabled through javascript. Application communications with the server
occur in the background almost instantaneously and, often only specific
sections or modules of the page update rather than the entire page.
Designing For System Feedback in AJAX Applications
In cases where asynchronous client-server communications are
instant (less than 1 second), providing detailed system status to the
user is not necessary as the delay is often not noticed and appears
to happen automatically. In recent user testing, we have found that
a ¾ second delay is the preferred amount of time before displaying a
hover-over. When the delay is greater than 1 second, system feedback
becomes very important to the user so they know the system is actively
processing.
For delays between 1 and 10 seconds, you can provide
proper feedback by displaying animated icons or text messages that imply
that the system is processing the request. For delays greater than 10
seconds, providing detailed system feedback with text messages and percent-complete
progress indicators is critical. This not only implies that the system
is actively processing the request, but will also inform the user about
the wait time.
Designing an interface that returns appropriate feedback
not only provides positive interactions for your users but will also
allow them to accomplish their tasks with minimal frustration.
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In the News
China Tops US for Internet Users
Shanghai Daily (China) (07/24/08) Chen, Lydia
The China Internet Network Information Center
reported that China now has 252 million Internet users, passing the
United States as the world leader. Although China now has the world's
largest number of users, its Internet penetration rate is just 19.1
percent, below the world's average of 21.1 percent. By comparison, over
60 percent of the population in Japan, South Korea, and the United States
uses the Internet. Experts predict that this will continue to grow,
with over 300 million Chinese citizens expected to be online by the
end of 2008. China also saw a large increase in the number of domain
name registrations. The .cn domain has now registered over 12.19 million
domain names, through July 22. Online music, news, and instant messaging
were the top three attractions for Internet users in China.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/login.asp?url=%2Farticle%2F%3Fid%3D368002%26type%3DNational
More Adults Online, But Kids Consuming More Content
Center for Media Research (07/11/08) Loechner, Jack
Although adults make up the largest percentage
of online video viewers, children watch more video streams and spend
more time watching videos from home, according to a study conducted
last month by Nielsen Online. The study, "VideoCensus, June 2008,"
found that children between the ages of 12 and 17 view an average of
74.2 video streams a month, while children between the ages of two and
11 watch an average of 51 streams. Adults, meanwhile, watch an average
of 44.3 video streams each month. The study also found that children
between the ages of 12 and 17 watch an average of 132.4 minutes of online
video each month, compared with an average of 117.9 minutes among children
between two and 11 and an average of 99.4 minutes for adults. In addition
to looking at how much online video children watch, the study also looked
at where children prefer to watch those videos. According to the study,
Disney Records was the leading online video destination among children
between the ages of two and 11, followed by EverythingGirl.com and MyePets.
Stickam was the most popular source of online video for children between
the ages of 12 and 17, followed by Buzznet.com and Atlantic Records.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=l.loginForm
Internet Ad Execs Conflicted Over Proposed Top-Level Domain Name Changes
RedOrbit (07/21/08) Sharp, Tara
Online advertising and marketing executives
are divided over whether a recent decision by the Internet Corp. for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to allow generic words, brand names,
and names in international scripts to be registered as top-level domains
will help or hurt their companies and their clients. Ken Wells of the
San Marcos, Calif.-based graphic design and Internet applications developer
Alchemy Design Group says the decision could create a challenge for
his company because it would force him to buy up every single available
extension or allow a competitor to purchase it. Meanwhile, Red Door
Interactive President Reid Carr worries that the new system would open
the door to individuals "cyber squatting" on a particular
brand or registering a brand name as a domain extension and doing something
bad with it. However, executives for other companies say they expect
the expansion of top-level domains to benefit them and their clients.
Geary Interactive President and CEO Andreas Roell says larger companies
in particular would benefit from the new system. He notes that the new
system would allow a company like San Diego Gas & Electric, for
example, to register the domain extension .sdge and put up a consumer
information page at the domain info.sdge. According to Roell, this would
be more intuitive for consumers because they would not have to type
in the address sdge.com/info, as they do under the current system.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=1487308
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