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Annalisa
Roger
DotGreen Community Founder & CEO |
It will
take a lot of marketing money and a lot of legwork
to get over that hurdle. It is a task that will take
most new TLDs years to accomplish (if it is
accomplished at all). That is something that one prescient
applicant who hopes to administer the .green
registry - Founder & CEO Annalisa
Roger and her
team at the DotGreen
Community Inc. has always understood -
probably more so than anyone else in the new gTLD
race. That's why they have already been spreading
the .green gospel and building public
awareness for the extension for over five years
now. Talk about getting a head start!
Even so, with three other
applicants also chasing .green, the race is still
far from over, but what DotGreen Community has done
to date serves as a textbook example of how
to build public recognition and support for a new
gTLD to give it the best possible chance for
success. Many of you have already met Ms. Roger at
one function or another over the years and if you
haven't met her yet, odds are you soon will.
She has circled the globe several times over to get
her message across. We spoke with her at length to
find out what prompted her to begin this journey in
2007 and what she has done to get out the word on .green.
We also wanted to know how she plans to tackle the
challenges that lie ahead in her efforts to win the
.green extension and bring her long term vision
to life.
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As to what got her started
down this road, she may not have had a choice
as the web is in her DNA. Annalisa's
dad, Peter de Blanc, was an Internet pioneer,
getting involved with the web in
the mid 1980s and going on to serve as the administrator
of the Virgin Island's .VI ccTLD until he
passed away in 2002. Peter, an electrical engineer,
was also a talented inventor who designed
electronic circuits for professional audio and
lighting control applications and owned his own
music recording studio, DB Labs in Marin
County, California in the 1970s. The custom
sound mixing consoles he designed and built were
used by many of the most famous recording studios
and artists of the day.
| In the mid 1980’s Peter got
involved with the nascent Internet while he
was working as a Communications and micro computer
specialist for the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO) in the Eastern
Caribbean (UNIDO is the only arm of the UN
that specifically assists the private sector
involved computer training, network designs and
consultations). Peter pioneered Internet
availability in the Virgin Islands by creating the VIP
Free Net which brought text based free public
access for all in the Virgin Islands.
Annalisa recalls, |
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"An historic moment was
celebrated in September of 1994 when all who were
there in the room sent an email to the President of
the U.S. telling him the U.S. Virgin Islands was now
online!"
Annalisa added, "At the INET
95 Conference in Honolulu Peter presented
a paper called Networking the Carribean via
the VIP FreeNet. At a time when a copy of
the Sunday New York Times cost $12.00
in the Virgin Islands, he saw the importance of
a level playing field with regards to access to
information with the rest of the world rapidly
engaging in the new communications system. He
started the first ISP and the first
website for the region, and he provided the
public library and schools with computers and
started teaching everyone from kids to business
professionals how to use them and the wonders of
email."
"Peter was also involved
in and dedicated to ICANN
since the year it was first organized and was a
pioneer in structuring policies and the role of the country
code Top Level Domains, (ccTLDs). In August of 1995
Peter’s project was delegated the .VI country
code domain name and he also served as chairman
of the ccTLD Administrative Committee (AdCom),"
Annalisa said.
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Peter
de Blanc |
Annalisa recounted how her
father's involvement with ICANN helped set her
.green dream in motion. "I had attended ICANN's
Wellington, New Zealand meeting in 2006
during a family reunion trip with .VI country code
manager, Dotty Sparks deBlanc," Annalisa
said. "At the meeting I met many of my
father’s colleagues and listened to public
discussions of new gTLDs from earlier rounds."
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Lady
Green in New Zealand
The photo of model Amanda Bransgrove
shot by Michael
Almeida that inspired Annalisa
Roger's vision for .green.
(thanks to Amanda & Michael for use of
this stunning photo)
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"Later, when I was back
home in Northern California, I was helping a friend
build a website for his photography business.
I sifted through his beautiful nature and fashion
photos to choose what would “go online” and I
came across a particular image that depicted an
elegantly dressed woman sitting in the center of a
lush green New Zealand fern tree. In this
image, I saw a sophisticated civilization elevated
on the throne of Nature and I literally screamed
as .green entered my mind! It was a sudden
vision – and extraordinary experience for me
and those in the room. It totally sounds
crazy, but that’s how it happened!" Annalisa
declared.
Annalisa's vision quickly
gained support from several quarters. "My
father passed and left many friends within ICANN’s
country code and greater Internet community,"
Annalisa noted. "This is a very collaborative
group and so many have played a role in
welcoming me at ICANN meetings and encouraging me to
learn as much as I could about the business and the
industry, which I have done for five years."
Even so, for Annalisa and the
DotGreen Community to come as far as it has, it took
one more ingredient to really put
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| her plan
into orbit. "Passion is key,"
Annalisa exclaimed. "When people are truly
passionate about what they are doing, others
recognize it and want to get involved. The
enthusiasm behind DotGreen comes from the heart and
a place of authenticity and care that so many people
have about the future of our planet and its
inhabitants. The DotGreen Project is inclusive
and has benefited from a committed network of
grassroots members, academic leaders, non-profit
supporters, business sponsors, green angel
investors, all passionate supporters." |
"The universality of
sustainability inspires unlikely cross sector
partnerships and grows support for our vision of the
.green namespace; the green community has enabled
and propelled us to build momentum
for five years
including the development of the triple bottom line
operational structure, The Non-profit Public
Charity, the DotGreen Community, Inc., and more
that will insure .green is successful in its mission,"
Annalisa said, adding, "The history of the
organization is telling of our current initiatives
and green mindset. The energy and passion of a
heartfelt volunteer effort remains in our actions,
and DotGreen operations are largely influenced by
our non-profit roots. We continue to interact
with the green movement, and aspire to support
organizations in that space and provide a platform
to encourage green growth across all regions of
the world."
| The DotGreen Community doesn't
leave its mantra at ICANN's doorstep either. "We
are aware of the footprint necessary to come to
ICANN meetings and so we’ve used our presence in
this ICANN gTLD program to bring green consciousness
to ICANN delegates," Annalisa said. "Our People
and Planet events take international
delegates on educational green adventures and
encourage participants to bring back ideas – tree
planting, local eating, public transportation – to
their own countries in order to better incorporate
sustainability into their everyday lives. Anyone
can pursue their own path toward sustainability, and
we want to encourage that in whatever way we can
right now, and soon through the .green TLD."
Despite all of the blood, sweat
and tears that Annalisa and her organization have
poured into their .green effort, who will end up
running the TLD remains in question because
three other applicants have also applied to
administer .green. We asked Ms. Roger what
differentiates DotGreen Community from the other
applicants and how she thinks the question of who
gets the TLD will ultimately be resolved. Annalisa
asserted, "DotGreen is a grassroots
organization and is the only one of four
applicants for .green whose business model and
policies are designed as a social enterprise |
Image
from Bigstock |
| with a
primary purpose and mission focused on the Green
Movement. The application we’ve submitted for
.green includes a Public Charity Organization
of the same name, The
DotGreen Foundation, which already
benefits the public, something not proposed by the
other three applicants."
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Annalisa added, "DotGreen is the only .green
initiative that founded the concept and
shared it with the world since 2007 and has
maintained a website and strong promotional
presence ever since. We began as a truly green
organization originating from outside the Internet
industry, and we continue to operate in a way that
will benefit people and planet."
"We are a single
string applicant with the stated commitment to
advancing the green movement, and utilizing .green
to foster global sustainability. Through a
contract with Neustar,
DotGreen has a robust technical application and
consequently is the only applicant in the position
to focus on supporting, educating, and promoting the
Green Movement. The other three applications come
from technical registry operators who are in
the business to run the technical support of many
other new TLDs for the Internet. Our intent and
initiatives are transparent – perfect for the
Internet – for people around the world to adopt
.green, they need to know its real on all
levels…that is the only way for Green to succeed
in any industry."
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Image
from Bigstock |
None the less, in cases of
multiple applicants like we have with .green, ICANN
plans to resolve contentions with an ICANN auction
in which the highest bidder wins
rights to the TLD. Ms. Roger doesn't think that is
the best way to decide every case. "Maybe this
strategy makes sense for some businesses and
strings, as large portfolio applicants compete for
land grabs in this new TLD space, but it would be a
tremendous shame to allow this procedure to
dictate the operator of the .green TLD, which has
such great potential to serve the greater public
vs. just a few," Annalisa said.
"For something as
important as the green movement, representation in
the online namespace must be authentic, custom and
treated with consideration. We believe .green to be
an important resource for people and planet and we
have worked hard for the privilege to manage it.
ICANN is a multi-stakeholder governing body and it
does make decisions in
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| the Public’s best Interest.
I believe the .green TLD is such a case that the
ICANN community could rise to the occasion
and through comments and participation,
choose to eliminate or encourage the other three
applicants to view .green as a social interest to
the greater Internet world, and to remove their
application and seek refunds. After all, they
are all large portfolio players with many irons
in the fire, and very dependent on the ecosystem
they work in and the success of the overall new gTLD
program," Ms. Roger said. |
DotGreen is counting on
the support for the DotGreen application in
the form of comments at this critical
time in the ICANN evaluation process.
Comments are welcome before September 26, 2012 in
order to be considered by evaluators. The
comment process is simple and is as follows:
To
submit a comment, please use the link below.
You will need to
-
create
an account,
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choose
DotGreen Community Inc.,
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choose “green”
as the string,
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under
"Panel / Objection Ground", click on
"Evaluation Panel" and "Registry
Services"
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then
submit your comments.
https://gtldcomment.icann.org/comments-feedback/applicationcomment/login
Ms. Roger said, "We welcome comments from people from all industries
who are either engaged in sustainability efforts or
want to join in the green movement. The positive
feedback we’ve received from the community thus
far has been an important basis for ICANN evaluators
to take notice in what the Public’s best interest
is."
Annalisa added, "An additional green action we
encourage is for all to stay in touch with us
through the DotGreen e-newsletter to find out
when
.green names will be selling. The
success of .green will belong to those who use it,
develop it, and rely on it for their green business
and personal dedication to sustainability;
non-profits, corporations, developers, and
individuals. Anyone interested in contributing their
ideas, expertise, and inspiration is invited to
contact us at [email protected]."
For those who want a capsule
summary of what the DotGreen Community effort is all
about, here is a
concise two-and-a-half-minute video that will also
be of special interest:
In closing, Annalisa told us,
"Given the energy and
involvement of our team and the green community, it
would be a shame to see another large portfolio
entity take on the operation of .green as just
another keyword Top-Level Domain. For
us, this began as a green initiative; this is about
forwarding the green movement and operating .green
in the most effective way for our planet and all
people. Achieving success in the world, means
healthier lifestyles for people and planet. I
know success for .green in the TLD marketplace will
naturally follow if the public chooses to trust,
adopt and rely on .green."
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