RE: [wg-b] WG-B Deadline

[Jeff Trexler <jeff_trexler@yahoo.com>]

> Given the speed at which ICANN is working, I think
> spending time to test 
> theories of this sort without waiting for ICANN is a
> Good Thing.
> 
That suggestion has its merits, but there are a couple
of things to consider.  

(1)  .union.us has a substantially different
signalling value from .union.  For example, .us
dilutes the strong value of an address ending in
.union.  .Us is unfamiliar to most people outside the
cognoscenti (you know, the kind of people who
subscribe to this working group!), and given web-users
right-left approach to domain names, an uncertain
final value can dilute the force of second-level
terms.  

(2)  domain names, like phone numbers, are not an
ideal subject for experimentation--my guess is, most
registrants want an address that their clients can
rely on over time.  And the cost of such an experiment
can be great--not just in frustrated clients (or union
members, in this case), but in revising letterhead,
business cards, opportunities lost due to a
poorly-functioning experiment, and so forth.  Imagine
if your street address, zip code or phone & fax
numbers changed periodically due to findings in
top-level experiments.  These are not small things for
either an international union or a tiny local.

So while .union.us might not be a waste of an
experiment, I can understand why an operating union
might be a bit gunshy & prefer simply to wait for a
more clear and stable variant.

=====
Jeff Trexler
Asst. Professor 
SMU School of Law
3315 Daniel, PO Box 750116
Dallas, TX  75219
(214) 768-4243
http://www.law.smu.edu/lawschool/faculty/trexler.htm

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