Here's the The Lowdown
from DN Journal,
updated daily
to
fill you in on the latest buzz going around the domain name industry.
The Lowdown is
compiled by DN Journal Editor & Publisher Ron
Jackson.
Neustar
Creates .BIZ Buzz With 1-Character Domain Auction at
Sedo and Upcoming 2-Character Rollout. Company Also
Picked to Operate Colombia's .CO Registry
The
operator of the .BIZ registry, Neustar, has
created some buzz around the extension with
announcements yesterday and today detailing plans to
make one and two character .BIZ domains available
to the public. Neustar said this
is the first time any major global top level domain (gTLD)
registry has released all one and two-character names.
Neustar
joined with Sedo
to make the first big splash yesterday - announcement
of an
exclusive Sedo auction featuring the entire available
catalog of one-character .BIZ domain names. The one-week
online auction will begin at 12 Noon (Eastern Daylight
Time) on September 23 and end at 11:59 a.m. on September
30. The complete list of one-character domains that
will go on the block is available at www.sedo.biz.
While
some one-character domains were previously assigned
during Neustar's request for proposals (RFP)
process, interested parties will now have an opportunity
to acquire one or more of the 31 remaining single
character .BIZ domains through Sedo's
auction. Neustar said proceeds from the auction will
be used to further promote the .BIZ brand. Further
details concerning the auction will be posted at here
in the coming weeks.
Today
the other shoe dropped when Neustar
announced that they are accepting proposals for two-character
.biz domain names through September 30. Tim
Switzer, vice president of domain registry services at
Neustar, said “We will select the candidates who not
only present the best plans, but will commit to making the
.BIZ domain name a significant component of their
marketing efforts.” The 1,332 one-and
two-character domain names in .BIZ were originally
reserved by the registry when the new TLD was launched in
2001. Since then over 2 million .BIZ domains have
been registered.
Colombia
- home of .CO 2nd level .CO domains expected in 1Q-2010
In
addition to running the .BIZ ship, Neustar is
about to take over the technical operation of Colombia's
.CO country code registry. Colombia's Minister
of Communications, Maria del Rosario Guerra,
announced
that a 10-year contract to promote, manage, and
operate the technical infrastructure of the .CO
ccTLD had been awarded to .CO Internet S.A.S.,
a strategic venture between Arcelandia S.A.
and Neustar. Arcelandia is a Colombian entity with
interests in a variety of Internet-related
businesses.
The
transition from the current administrator to .CO
Internet S.A.S. is expected to take place during
the last quarter of 2009. The global launch
of second-level registrations (for example,
domains.co) is expected to happen during the first
quarter of 2010 with a sunrise process
designed to protect trademark interests. Details
are to be published at www.news.com.co
as they become available.
In a
directly related note, Lori Anne Wardihas accepted a role as
Director of Business Development for .CO Internet
S.A.S. Lori Anne is well-known in the domain
community (she was with Michael Mann's
WashingtonVC when I first met her and she went
on from there to found her own
company).
All
told, Ms. Wardi brings close to 20 years of
diverse business experience to her new position.
Prior to joining .CO Internet, Ms. Wardi founded
and managed several businesses, including Dream
Big Media, Inc., a digital asset
strategy consulting firm in New York City.
She
has consulted with executives in many of the
world's most prominent investment banks,
professional service firms and non-profit
organizations, including JP Morgan Chase, UBS
and AIG and also served as the Global
Manager of Training and Professional Development
for the Technology Division of Goldman Sachs.
Lori
Anne Wardi
Director of Business Development
.CO Internet S.A.S.
Ms.
Wardi has a B.A. in International Relations from Muhlenberg
College; a Master's Degree in Human Resources
from Cornell University; and a Law Degree
from Brooklyn Law School.
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