Dot Scot Registry director Harry McGrath explains the story behind the .scot domain,
and what the future holds
WHEN we got together almost seven years ago to form Dot Scot Registry, it didn’t strike us that dotscot (.scot) would be the only top level domain name in the world that rhymes, alliterates and assonates. That’s not to say we didn’t see poetry in it. A cultural and community domain for "the worldwide family of Scots" sounded poetic enough to us.
The idea had been floating around for a while, mostly inside the head of one of our former directors, Davie Hutchison – now a Scottish Government special adviser. In 2005, the body that regulates the internet’s top level domains (TLDs), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), promised that it would soon be accepting new applications to join the ranks of .com and .org.
While waiting out ICANN’s constant delays, we discussed, debated and did some research to establish the appetite for .scot, both at home and furth of Scotland. The dam broke in January 2012 when ICANN finally began accepting applications for new generic TLDs and we had the opportunity to convert a rather abstruse idea into a working reality.
We wanted the definition of "Scot" to be as wide as a possible which was in tension with ICANN’s inclination to restrict eligibility. And we needed letters of support. They were supplied by the Scottish Government, football authorities, Sir Sean Connery and a variety of other sources.
Still, there were issues to be addressed. As a penniless not-for-profit, the $185,000 application fee was prohibitive, but we put a plan together that got us to the starting line and found a skilled technical partner to help with the backroom mechanics of running a registry.
We wanted the definition of "Scot" to be as wide as a possible which was in tension with ICANN’s inclination to restrict eligibility. And we needed letters of support. They were supplied by the Scottish Government, football authorities, Sir Sean Connery and a variety of other sources.
In September 2014, we flipped the switch and .scot became a reality. We have now passed 11,000 registrations which makes .scot one of the world’s fastest growing community domains.
The Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament have .scot as their main web addresses. It’s being used to promote Scottish culture, education and sport; for business branding; by newspaper websites and online media; and by individuals who want to express their Scottish connection or simply like having .scot as part of their internet identity.
In September 2014, we flipped the switch and .scot became a reality. We have now passed 11,000 registrations which makes .scot one of the world’s fastest growing community domains.
It’s still early days and there are challenges ahead, not least in terms of price. We are sometimes asked why a .scot is more expensive than some other domains. The price is set by the approved third-party registrars who sell it, and they, in turn, are bound by simple price-point economics. The more they sell, the cheaper .scot will eventually be.
When the news of .scot first broke, one tabloid newspaper ran a headline to the effect that Scotland was separating on the internet, neatly encapsulating the opposite of what we are trying to do. We see it as contributing to global citizenship and helping build a unique community online, as recognised last year during the Southbank Centre’s Web We Want festival.
To achieve that, we’re planning for the future again: increasing our profile by launching a new website, ramping up our social media presence and recruiting volunteer global ambassadors to help increase awareness of .scot wherever they happen to live.
These ambassadors already include Professor Liam McIlvanney, chair of Scottish Studies at the University of Otago; Gillian Davidson, head of mining and metals at the World Economic Forum; Alasdair Reid, Global Scot and advisor to the European Commission; Gus Noble, president of the Illinois St. Andrew Society; Theresa Mackay, owner of Larchgrove Marketing Group in British Columbia, Canada; and Dr Stewart Gill, principal of Emmanuel College at the University of Queensland.
When the news of .scot first broke, one tabloid newspaper ran a headline to the effect that Scotland was separating on the internet, neatly encapsulating the opposite of what we are trying to do. We see it as contributing to global citizenship and helping build a unique community online.
With the assistance of our international ambassadors and Scotland’s 50 million-strong diaspora, the long-term goal is to create a charitable arm and use it to support Scottish cultural endeavours and help address Scotland’s social challenges.
In short, there are exciting times ahead for Scotland online.
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Picture courtesy of Ai.Comput'In
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