If you are a dot ca domain holder, you may be aware that the elections for the CIRA Board of Directors are underway.

Many of you know Zak Muscovitch, a domain name lawyer, whom we previously interviewed about Canadian domain laws.  Zak is seeking a seat on CIRA’s Board of Directors.  Given his background as a domain name lawyer who has successfully represented domain holders at CDRP cases and in court, I believe that Zak is eminently qualified for this position.  I also believe that he understands the concerns of domainers.

I am supporting Zak and am asking you to show support and vote for Zak as well.

To vote in the election, you must be a CIRA member.  However, just because you own a dot ca domain does not mean that you are a CIRA member.  From what I have seen, most .ca domain owners are NOT CIRA members.  You must separately apply to become a CIRA member at:

https://member.cira.ca/en/member.html

The process for becoming a member is very frustrating to say the least.  My application was sent in about two weeks ago.  Emails to CIRA about this were never replied to (e.g. CIRA confirmation number BEH-100818-023520).  On phoning CIRA about my application, I was informed that they could not find it.  The person I spoke with refused to provide his name.  I have heard similar stories from other domain owners.  Update:  this issue has now been resolved.  Thanks to CIRA for dealing with this.  I should add that I have been dealing with CIRA for years, and never had an issue before this.

So, please apply for your membership right away, and be sure to obtain proof of posting or screenshots if you submit online.  The process takes less than 5 minutes.

My understanding is that corporations are entitled to membership, so if any of your corporations own dot ca domains, they too can apply for membership.  Update:  CIRA has advised me that the rule is one person, one vote.  So, if you own a corporation, only you or the corporation can be a member.

If you spouse or significant other owns a dot ca domain, they can also apply for membership.  If they don’t own a dot ca domain, then you should ask yourself, why not?

It is important that membership be applied for by August 30 at the latest – that’s just one week away!

To be included on the Final Members’ Slate, Member Nominees must receive the support of at least 20 CIRA Members. Members will be able to Show Support at https://elections.cira.ca/2010/en/support.html from August 26, 2010 at noon (ET) until 6:00 p.m. (ET) on September 9, 2010. Voting will take place between September 22 and 29, 2010. Results will be posted on CIRA’s web site on October 6, 2010. Voting can be done online or at the CIRA Annual General Meeting.

The DOAC recently held its first meeting of members, which I attended.  I think that this organization has a lot of potential to improve the Canadian internet landscape in a way that is beneficial for all stakeholders.

The DOAC’s mission is the promotion of internet business and investment in Canada.  Let’s face it – the better that the Canadian internet does, the better it will be for all participants.

At the meeting, the DOAC went into more details, and discussed its mission statement, which includes:
1. To promote the registration and use of dot ca domains in Canada and globally.
2. To protect the rights and interests of dot ca domain owners.
3. To encourage the ethical and responsible use of dot ca domains.
4. To bring the collective voice of all dot ca stakeholders to CIRA.
5. To lift the dot ca presence requirements.

The DOAC also elected its directors: Frank Michlick, Harold Simpkins, Peter Maxymych, Rick Silver, Jeffrey Behrendt, and Larry Franschman.

The officers of DOAC were elected as well:
President: Rick Silver
Vice-President: Peter Maxymych
Vice-President of Communications: Frank Michlick
Treasurer: Harold Simpkins
Secretary: Jeffrey Behrendt

Zak Muscovitch, Canada’s leading domain name lawyer, is handling the legal aspects.

If you own a .ca domain, or provide services to .ca domain owners (such as hosting, web design, technical support, marketing, legal, etc.), then you should join the DOAC.  It’s free and easy – simply complete the form and click submit.  You owe it to yourself (and your clients) to stand up for the future of the Canadian internet.

I am proud to announce that my company, in partnership with the renowned Hubbard Media of DropSystem fame, has entered the TBR market by launching Dropping.ca.  What Dropping.ca does is simple – we catch dropping .ca domains – hence our name!

As expert domainers all know, your best bet when trying to obtain a TBR domain is to backorder it from as many places as possible – as you can’t know in advance who will obtain it.  I encourage you to give Dropping.ca a try and backorder the TBR names you are interested in with us.

At Dropping.ca, we provide high-touch service, combined with a simple, easy to use interface.  We are happy to help you every step of the way, and you can be assured that all your questions will be quickly answered.  We also transfer your domains to you right after payment – we don’t hang on to them and collect your parking profits while you watch your expired domains lose their rankings in the search engines.

The costs are modest – there is a minimum charge of $60 Canadian (+GST) for a domain.  Our services are no win, no fee – so you only pay for the domains we catch on your behalf.  We require a $60 bond payment as security when you set up an account.  However, if I know you, please feel free to contact me through my blog and I’ll be happy to set up a personalized coupon code for you to waive this bond.  If more than one person backorders a domain, then it goes to auction.  Given that we are the new kid on the block, you can rest assured that our auctions are not as competitive as the established players and there are lots of good deals to be had.

So, what are you waiting for?  It’s easy to get started.  Head on over to Dropping.ca and sign up.