Hey, Erol popped in. :-)
Let's all add our families to this list. y'all have a good weekend. sW > From: erol M <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 17:29:09 -0500 (EST) > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: Future of Tucows/OpenSRS > > Perhaps she should be added to the discuss-list so she can see exactly > "how much" you love her? ;)~ > > > On Fri, 10 Jan 2003, Elliot Noss wrote: > >> 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. >>>>> >>> >> > > -- > erol m | "To know recursion, you must first know recursion." > [EMAIL PROTECTED] | -- anonymous
