By Mina Truong
The deadline for dot.ca domain name re-registration has been extended to Dec. 1 in order to give Canadian businesses more time to keep their Web sites.
“We wanted to give everyone an opportunity to re-register their names before it became inactive,” says Annie Boucher, media relations representative for the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).
Boucher says the number of businesses who re-registered were “not as high as they anticipated” for the original deadline of Nov. 1.
She says they extended the deadline because CIRA would like all domain names to re-register.
CIRA will be responsible for the registration of dot.ca domain names starting Dec. 1. All Web sites with a dot.ca must re-register with this organization.
Boucher says that like any other new organization, it takes a while to get the word out to everyone and this may be why less than half of dot.ca owners have responded.
“We’ve had advertising, over 90 articles published, direct e-mails, and called around,” says Boucher.
Karm Parker, web designer for Barrymore’s nightclub on Bank Street, says he didn’t hear anything in the media or from CIRA about the re-registration process, but definitely plans to re-register to ensure that the music club doesn’t lose its domain name.
The club relies heavily on its Web site to advertise upcoming shows, says Parker. “If we lost our name, our advertisements would be out the window.”
Although only about 44 per cent of Canadian domain names have been re-registered, CIRA’s new annual fee of $20 to maintain the name hasn’t discouraged many businesses and organizations from re-registering.
Most people and businesses realize what it means for them to re-register, says Mike Gifford, president of OpenConcept Consulting, an Ottawa Web design company.
“This is how they get their e-mails and send out e-mails to tell people what is going on with their company,” says Gifford. “If you don’t re-register (by Dec. 1), you’ve got to plan for transitions. It takes a while for the databases to switch over and link to a new Web site.”
“At first, I was a little put off (by having to re-register), but the process was pretty straightforward and only took me about a half-hour on line to finish,” says Ottawa musician Charlie Sohmer.
He says the fee is a fair price to maintain the site. “It’s very important . . . in keeping my audience aware of tour dates and informing new listeners about my catalogue of music.”
It isn’t like a “sales pitch” where CIRA is trying to make money off people, says Gifford. “It’s simple . . . if you don’t re-register your domain name, someone else could purchase it.”
“A domain name is like a sign on your company,” says Rob Brooks, president of Imatics Incorporated. “If you have to pay $20 to be able to keep it, there’s no reluctance to go through the process (of re-registering).”