RE: [atlarge-discuss] 006 Deciding Name for Organisation

["Bruce Young" <Bruce@barelyadequate.info>]

Richard Henderson wrote:

>these words just don't mean anything to most internet users - honestly - as
>someone coming from "outside" this whole ICANN/@large world, I can honestly
>say that 18 months ago I didn't even know what DNS meant. I didn't know who
>ICANN was.

I view this as an essential part of the outreach process.  We need to
explain what DNS is, and *why* the shady dealings VeriSign, NuLevel, etc.,
are conducting are not in *users'* best interests!

Like many here, if we are successful in our efforts, I foresee a
not-too-distant future where a great many users have their own domain. And
decisions made today that will deprive them of a fair chance to register the
name they wish need to be illuminated, and user educated as to what the
scoundrels are depriving them of!

>Even if we "educate" people, what on earth is going to make them interested
>enough to sign up to this "mission"?  As long as the Internet works, they
>can't really understand there's any problem at all.

I can't speak for other nationalities, but we in the US don't apreciate
being scammed, particulrly by corporate interests.  And I think that if
everyone understood how fragile the whole underlying process is, that it is
being kept that way artificially to keep certian interests well compensated,
and that there is no technical reason for limiting ourselves to the few TLDs
we have, we'd have some really pissed off citizens on our hands.   I imagine
this would be true elsewhere as well!

Unfortunately, as long as the mass media is willing to ignore these issues,
people will remain ignorant.  So one of our challenges is to convice the
media that this story "has legs."

Bruce Young
Portland, Oregon
Bruce@barelyadequate.info
http://www.barelyadequate.info
--------------------------------------------
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