I love my mother-in-law.....I love my mother-in-law......I love....... Elliot Noss Tucows inc. 416-538-5494
> -----Original Message----- > From: Jack Broughton [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 5:16 PM > To: Elliot Noss > Cc: Chuck Hatcher; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Future of Tucows/OpenSRS > > > ROFL!! > > There are those who would welcome a last minute reason to get out > of a visit to > the Outlaws. :) > > Jack > > Elliot Noss wrote: > > > Ok, ok. New rule. No substantive posts that require ME to > respond after 3:00 > > pm est on Fridays! > > > > I have a number of things I want to say to this, but will have > to do it over > > the weekend as I still have a bunch of work and will be late > for dinner at > > my Mother-in-law's. I love you all, but know what is good for > me. Response > > over the weekend. > > > > Regards > > > > Elliot Noss > > Tucows inc. > > 416-538-5494 > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Chuck Hatcher > > > Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 12:46 PM > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Subject: Future of Tucows/OpenSRS > > > > > > > > > I have been an OpenSRS reseller and a member of this list since > > > April 2000. > > > Although domain name registration is not my primary business, > it continues > > > to be an important part of my overall plan. My account has > brought 4,931 > > > domain-years of business to Tucows so far. > > > > > > Those of us who have been here for awhile can recall dozens > of reseller > > > issues that have come up, arguments pro and con, statements by Tucows > > > addressing the problems, and eventually a resolution. If you > look back at > > > the responses in the early days and compare them to those of > more recent > > > times, you can't help but get a sense of a change in attitude > at Tucows. > > > The focus now seems to be more on "the numbers" and less on > the merits. > > > > > > Now, don't get me wrong, I am a capitalist through and through. > > > The job of > > > every business is to be profitable, and you cannot ignore the > > > numbers. But > > > there is a difference between observing good results from focusing on > > > customer needs, and focusing only on the results. The > earlier approach at > > > Tucows seemed to be to provide what customers asked for, to do > > > business in a > > > fair manner, and to listen to constructive criticism. The > approach was > > > successful, at least from the measure of the number of domain names > > > registered. But as seems inevitable as companies grow, the > link between > > > customers and management has grown weaker. > > > > > > I have stayed with Tucows as my primary registrar even though other > > > registrars continue to offer more attractive pricing. (My effective > > > wholesale price at OpenSRS is actually higher today than it was > > > in the early > > > days when there were rebates.) I made this decision consciously > > > based on my > > > experience with Tucows, my concern that a registrar needs to make > > > a certain > > > amount of money to stay in business for the long term, and the > > > overall "good > > > feeling" I had from being an OpenSRS reseller. But the domain > > > name business > > > is in a constant state of flux, and each of us must > constantly re-evaluate > > > our supplier relationships. The big question for me is whether or not > > > Tucows actually wants to keep my business. And if they do, > how are they > > > showing it? > > > > > > The referral list has been discussed periodically over the > past couple of > > > years. The list itself is not an issue for me - I don't want > to be on the > > > list because I don't actively market a retail registration > business. But > > > seeing how Tucows responds to other "little guys" who do want > to be listed > > > is very important to me. It's hard to find any indication > that Tucows is > > > actively trying to promote the small reseller. I would think > > > anything they > > > could do to help the little guy to become more successful would > > > be good for > > > their business. (I would also think the biggest resellers > are the more > > > likely candidates to become accredited registrars and leave the fold.) > > > > > > Recently I brought up Verisign's upcoming Secondary Market > > > Program, looking > > > for a committment from Tucows that it would be offerred > through OpenSRS > > > resellers. I may be alone in my opinion that SMP will be a major > > > factor in > > > choosing a registrar in the year to come, but the fact is that it is a > > > wholesale registry product, and the business of registrars is > to supply > > > registry products to their customers. I felt the choice to not > > > provide the > > > service could be a costly one for Tucows, but in a private > email a Tucows > > > representative told me, "...we do not have the resellers that > > > would leave us > > > over not offering this product, and if the clients we do have in this > > > industry do leave, there would be little to no impact to our > operations > > > whatsoever..." Would the "old Tucows" have responded in this manner? > > > > > > I realize a lot of Tucows' success can be attributed to > Network Solutions' > > > disastrous business practices. OpenSRS was started at the > right time with > > > the right message to catch a large part of the mass exodus from > > > NSI. And it > > > has been fashionable to trash NSI and Verisign, which has led to an > > > automatic disdain for anything coming from Verisign. But > like it or not, > > > Verisign is the com/net registry, and every .com and .net domain name > > > registered or renewed is the sale of a Verisign product. The > registrar is > > > selling a commodity item. Sure, there are things that > > > differentiate OpenSRS > > > from NSI, Register.com, and the over 100 other registrars > that now exist. > > > But the core function of a registrar is to provide registry products > > > efficiently. And when a registrar decides not to offer a new registry > > > product, they force their customers to go elsewhere to buy that > > > product. It > > > is hard to understand a registrar willingly sending their > > > customers to other > > > registrars. It comes off as arrogant to say, "If you need > that, then we > > > don't need you." Now it appears as though WLS is coming. Will Tucows > > > condemn WLS as another Verisign travesty of fair trade, or > embrace it as a > > > new product some customers may actually want to purchase? > > > > > > Tucows, now with a stock price of 23 cents and a market cap > of under 15 > > > million, has become the number two registrar in terms of com/net/org > > > registrations in less than three years. That's a fantastic > > > achievement. It > > > would be easy to think, based on that success, that > everything is rosy and > > > future success is assured. Complacency is dangerous, and things > > > happen fast > > > in the domain name business. I hope someone at Tucows is watching the > > > trends, looking ahead at the winds of change, and making plans > > > for continued > > > success in the future. I know I am. > > > >
