I've never seen the word Love used so much on this list. I'm getting Nervous. What's next, a group hug?
Shudder. aw heck, hug me. Swerve > From: "Dave Warren" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 15:49:55 -0700 > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: Future of Tucows/OpenSRS > > I think it looks like Elliot loves her a lot! > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "erol M" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 3:29 PM > 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 >> > > -- > `Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting > `Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! > Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! > Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door! > Take thy beak from out my heart, and take tha form from off my door! > Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' > >
