Domain Incite?

@Kevin Murphy good to see you attending Meetdomainers.

However please could you tell my why you didn't write a more positive story about the event like this one you wrote a week ago: http://domainincite.com/cctlds-under-the-hammer-at-uk-domainer-conference/

dolphins.me.uk

I have decided (for SEO reasons) to change the name of my campaign website to:

http://www.dolphins.me.uk and now you can click on “Adopt a dolphin”.

Also just to show I am thick-skinned rather than thin Kieren…

I notice the 50% increase in the Nominet NED salary this year (since 2007) from £18,000 to £27,000 for 26 days. Whilst the new chair’s salary has gone down from £85,000 to £65,000 as recently advertised…Therefore should I be elected to the Nominet board I will ask Nominet to donate £9000 of my salary to the Sea Watch Foundation.

Andrew Bennett

Open letter to Kieren McCarthy

Dear Kieren,

I note with interest your article above.

I would like to point out my disagreement with the following part of it:

[quote]

"A key issue at the heart of Nominet’s problems is a small group of determined domainers who feel the organization is not listening to them — they want lower per-domain prices whereas Nominet’s management is keen to retain what it sees as the high status of dot-uk domains. Due to Nominet’s unusual membership and voting structures, this small group was capable of exerting disproportionate influence and did so to elect Board members who then opposed plans internally. Baroness Fritchie says she understands the pressures that can result from new groups upsetting the status quo. “I was vice-chair of a building society when it went through carpetbagging. We had a few people with different agendas.”

[/quote]

First of all I believe the "small group of determined domainers" doesn't exist - we are all individuals with completely different interests and lives. Many maybe "friends" in the industry (as are members on all sides of the fence) however as I have pointed out to you on previous occasions, you do not get elected to the board of Nominet or the PAB unless you have wide support including that of large registrars.

Secondly if the lower prices statement were to be true, why would 'domainers' want to devalue their own assets? If you were to spend time speaking to real successful 'domainers' they really don't care what the price is. Many of them however are extremely upset and concerned about what the future holds for their investments due to articles like yours.

In my opinion what domainers are really frustrated with is the way in which they have been 'lumped' together when they have varied business interests. Please see the comment by The Rt Hon. Lord Lucas during the second reading of the Digital Economy Bill:

[quote]

The Explanatory Memorandums that go with the Bill are not very clear on this provision and include some descriptions of untoward activities which do not seem to me to correspond to reality. I will not go into great detail about it now, but certainly the description of drop-catching is completely wide of the mark and bears little relation to the actual activity. I am puzzled that the Government should feel so twitchy about this. I should like to be sure that, should they act, they are totally clear, open and consultative about the way that they do it.

[/quote]

Source: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2010-01-12a.402.6&s=nominet+segment%3A20490247

Also the "carpet bagging" episode actually took place during the 1999 election and had nothing to do with "domainers".

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/network-nominet-set-to-demutualise-1104463.html

Therefore please could we have debate on the topic of "domaining" rather than continued stories like the one above?

Yours Sincerely,

Andrew Bennett

Nominet Non-executive Board Election Candidate 2010

http://www.andrewbennett.me.uk