Proposal to create a new Second Level Domain - ".geek.nz"

Proposal received from Dean Pemberton for the creation of a new second level domain .geek.nz.

Proposal received from Dean Pemberton on 28 August 2002, for the creation of a new second level domain .geek.nz.

THE GEEKS OF NEW ZEALAND

Overview

New Zealand is a country striving to become one of the technological elite. It does, however, suffer from a problem which sees some of it's brightest people leaving its shores. Geeks do not feel that they are taken seriously in New Zealand, allowances should be made to accommodate them.

Presently the New Zealand Internet Domain Name System has not addressed the geek needs of New Zealand. Geeks have been forced to register vanity names under such headings as .com, .gen or .net. This does not allow the Geeks of New Zealand to fully express themselves and oppresses their cultural expression. The majority of the Internet infrastructure in New Zealand was created by these Geeks, yet they are still grossly underrepresented when it comes to the existing domain structure. Some could argue that a small effort was made in the past with the <.gen.nz> domain. This may have been the case in the early days of the Internet. Now however the scope of <.gen.nz> has changed, and does not allow the geeks in NZ to fully express a culture that they are extremely proud of.

Qualifying Criteria

Main Principles for Registration of Second Level Domain Names InternetNZ, the .nz ccTLD Manager, has defined the criteria for second level domain names. The criteria as follows

1. There is a clear common interest shared by the entities that would reside within the domain - i.e. there exists a community of interest.
2. Communities of interest do not overlap, so far as is practicable.
3. The domain name clearly indicates or describes the nature of the community of interest.
4. The community of interest is certain of continued existence. These requirements are addressed in the following sections.

Principle One: Community of Interest

We envisage that the creation of geek.nz will foster awareness of New Zealand in international Geek culture, and in making Geeks around the world more aware of how Geek friendly New Zealand is, thus encouraging immigration of Geeks to New Zealand, furthering the Knowledge Economy, and importing both intellectual and fiscal capital.

The creation of <.geek.nz> as a second level domain will serve as a focal point for this worthwhile group, allowing Geeks to express their cultural uniqueness and individuality via the Internet. We believe that geek culture crosses all boundaries, ignoring race, gender, geography and religion.

We are applying for <.geek.nz> on behalf of all current and future
New Zealand Geeks.

Principle Two: No Overlapping of Communities of Interest.

It could be said that <.gen.nz> is a suitable domain for people to make vanity domains under the current structure. This was certainly true for the early days of the New Zealand Internet. This, however, was only true because geeks were by and large the only participants in the early Internet.

Now that the growth of the Internet in New Zealand has expanded to include every possible group, the <.gen.nz> domain is no longer sufficient to describe the Geek community. We are not asking for anything new. We are merely asking that an oversight be corrected. It is easy to see that the original geeks who pioneered the New Zealand Domain Name System, would not have expected wide spread use of the system. If they had, then they may have included .geek.nz at the outset of the system. The <geek.nz> domain will be widely used by individuals and organisations, and we predict that it will be a popular domain name

Principle Three: Degree of Descriptiveness

The New Hacker Dictionary defines 'geek' as follows

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geek[n] A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance. Geeks usually have a strong case of neophilia. Most geeks are adept with computers and treat hacker as a term of respect, but not all are hackers themselves - and some who are in fact hackers normally call themselves geeks anyway, because they (quite properly) regard hacker' as a label that should be bestowed by others rather than self-assumed.
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"geek" is the way that Geeks describe themselves, and it is the way they are described by others, the world over. We make the point, that this proposal represents a people asking InternetNZ to help them claim their right to name themselves. 'geek' is a generic term like 'bank' or 'shop' and is not a trademark nor does it imply endorsement of any commercial organisation.

Principle Four: Certainty of continued existence

It can be guaranteed that there will always be a demand for the <.geek.nz> domain name, as long as there is an Internet with a Domain Name System, there will be Geeks to support it. To question the continued existence of a Geek population in New Zealand is to question the future existence of the New Zealand Internet as a whole. Geeks are an integral part of the New Zealand Internet Geeks are involved in every level of the Internet in New Zealand.

The current 2nd Level domain policy has very little regard to the this fact. The closest current match (.gen) is so broad as to give no indication as to the specific nature of the Geek culture. This is not a fair representation of a group which provides most of the expertise for the smooth running of the Internet in New Zealand.

Conclusion

The Geeks of New Zealand believe that there is a strong case to be made for a <.geek.nz> second level domain name and that it meets the key requirements as set out by InternetNZ. The <.geek.nz> domain would be unmoderated. We also see no issue with running the RFD for this application being run at the same time as .bank.nz. We would request that the RFD start right away and be for the 60 day period of time.

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