CIRA elections, or, "What have I got myself into?"

24 Sep 2012

So Professor Michael Geist is running for a spot on the CIRA board of directors. I want to vote for him. While I'm there I decide I should really consider the other candidates as well. And after a very small number of bios, it becomes very obvious that many -- maybe most -- are focussing on growth, on marketing, on things that would never occur to me to be part of what I thought was such an exclusively technical domain. More fool me, I guess.

Example statement from candidate Jennifer Shelton, in answer to the question: "What specific actions do you propose to overcome [CIRA's] challenges and opportunities?"

Slowing organic growth rates will require CIRA to articulate, convey, and deliver on a clear brand message that makes the value proposition clear to all stakeholders. This message should include thought and technological leadership to differentiate dot-ca from lower cost alternatives.

GAH. GAH is my reaction. I can see what is probably meant, what I could rephrase in a way that doesn't make me twitch, what would let me avoid screwing up my face at the mention of this candidate's name -- but I'm damned if I can figure out why I should bother.

Not just her. John King writes:

New competition from generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) will arrive this year. More than ever, CIRA needs to be focused and decisive with marketing and strategic planning. CIRA needs the wisdom, the oversight and the support of a knowledgeable and committed Board of Directors to help shape the plan and to authorize appropriate action without hesitation.

And:

CIRA is a high-performing organization. There is excellent leadership from the CEO and in the functional areas. There is a culture of innovation, achievement and respect. It's easy to be enthusiastic about CIRA's very significant benefits for all Canadians and the organization's continuing recognition as an international exemplar of best practice in the domain industry.

(He goes on to compliment CIRA's "intentional [evolution] toward greater effectiveness. Intelligent organizational design FTMFW!)

Carole Mackaay:

The further segmentation of the top domain name space will inherently reduce some demand for .ca top level domain names. With many Canadian companies focused on export markets and the possible availability of custom specialized top level domains, the .ca top level domain space may find itself facing limited growth and it may be a challenge to project relevance to many Canadian potential registrants. It will be critical for CIRA to project value to the registrants and seek to maximize its relevance in the more complex and splintered top level domain space in the near future.

William Gibson (no, not THAT Wm. Gibson):

The issue is a marketing one. I believe what is needed is a two pronged approach. The first element would be designed to make the public much more aware of the .ca domain name designation and to make the designation much more attractive to and desirable for the users.

Ward Chapin:

• Encourage true value innovation
• Continued growth, sound financial practices and investigate new revenue sources to ensure sufficient investment in our future

Lynn Mackan-Roy:

CIRA needs to engage its stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations and prioritize targeted solutions.

By way of welcome relief, Adrian Buss is just plain confusing:

Members of the board of directors have to be seen to be the end product that CIRA delivers. The membership is at the core of CIRA's governance model, without an engaged membership .CA just becomes an irrelevant TLD.

Jim Grey says, let's carpet the registrars with flyers:

Continuing to increase our .ca brand awareness and preference with Canadians and to strengthen our relationship with registrars. In an increasingly competitive world the .ca brand awareness becomes key to continued growth. In addition our only sales channel to market is through registrars who will be inundated with new gTLD's and increased sales incentives from existing gTLD's. CIRA will need to strengthen the relationship with registrars.

The only thing Rob Villeneuve's missing is the cape:

I understand my role as a director is to implement CIRA's mission, adopt CIRA's vision, and live CIRA's values in my personal and professional affairs, both with CIRA and in my office as CEO of a group of registrars. I will at all times reflect CIRA's brand and show my pride for .CA, which is the foremost Canadian internet identity for a domain.

Victoria Withers sez:

Continued implementation and deployment of current technology by skilled professionals will provide the environment for an agile, secure and stable registry service. Focusing on a talent management program for all areas of the business will foster and create a culture of excellence.

Third person person is third person:

For instance, Rick Sutcliffe would best represent the interests of academics (among the first ever connected to the net), small business, and non-profits. He is also a fiscal conservative.

Also, "dot polar bear for all!":

In addition, [Rick Sutcliffe] believes that CIRA can better promote its brand to Canadians, so that when they think "Internet" they think CIRA, and when they think "domain" they automatically think ".ca".

With the many new TLDs now coming on line, he is more convinced than ever that CIRA needs to expand its product line, offering registry services for any new TLD that has relevance to its mandate for Canadians.

There's the odd mention of IPv6 or DNSSEC. One candidate mentions IDN French language support. (Sorry, two.) And one, bless their heart, talks about the downside of a .CA domain having its SSL certificate revoked by a foreign SSL cert registry.

I know this rant is not constructive. I know that short-sightedness lives in my heart, that my moral failure is that I'm unable to stop twitching at the jargon and see the good ideas that (may) lurk within. I know that I'm giving Michael Geist and Kevin McArthur a free pass...doubly so for McArthur, who talks about launching "a parallel alternative root as a contingency planning exercise and as deterrent to foreign political interference within the global root zone", which is a BIG can of worms that is not (and cannot be) discussed in nearly enough depth in a 500 word essay to be used as a campaign plank.

But oh god, the...the relentless focus on growth, growth, GROWTH is enough to make me want to huddle in the corner with a bag of chips and a copy of "Das Kapital" on my laptop.

News flash: organizations evolve toward self-perpetuation. Film at 11.