Registry Spotlight: Our chat with Nancy Gofus – COO, PIR

I recently had the honor of speaking with Nancy Gofus, COO of Public Interest Registry where we discussed how Customers today perceive .ORG Domain Names, as well as the initiatives PIR is taking to promote .ORG in emerging markets.

Read on to know more about PIR’s efforts to improve the reach of the Domain Name Industry in some of the fastest growing markets in the world!

1. According to you, what does .ORG mean to internet users today? How has the perception changed over the years?
   .ORG has come a long way from being known as a Domain Space for Non-Profits to a TLD that individuals & organizations across the world are embracing. Over the years, PIR has consistently launched campaigns to educate Marketers, Business Owners & Individuals about the values & benefits of a .ORG Domain.While .ORG has always been used by organizations for their Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Development efforts, we’re increasingly seeing corporations use .ORG for their entire online presence. With unavailability of preferred names in the .COM & .NET namespace, business owners & individuals are turning to .ORG Domains.Today, I think more and more corporations are realizing that a .ORG Domain is a generic TLD that any organization, whether commercial or non-profit, can use for their online presence. This change in perception is what is mainly responsible for the healthy growth rate .ORG has achieved in the past few years.
2. Speaking of growth, .ORG has been doing consistently well in the Domain Name market, with a 9-10% growth rate year on year. What plans do you have to further increase the reach of .ORG?
   We already have a strong presence in North America & Europe with a majority of .ORG Registrations coming from these regions. Now, we’re looking at promoting .ORG in emerging markets like China, Russia, India, Brazil & Turkey.The markets represent a huge opportunity for .ORG and the Domain Name Industry in general. In fact, we’ve looked at metrics such as .ORG Growth Rates, No. of Internet Users, Ratio of Domain Names & Internet Users and Investments in Technology Infrastructure by Local Governments to determine the markets we will be focusing heavily on.Our plan is to educate Customers in these regions not only about the value of a .ORG Domain but also about the benefits of having an online presence. Our primary aim actually is to expand and advance these markets on the whole.
3. What specific initiatives is PIR working on this year, to promote .ORG to organizations and corporations across the world?
   Like I said earlier, we’re focusing heavily on emerging markets and are launching programs that are specific to Customers in these areas. Our campaigns will highlight the need for an online presence for individuals & businesses as well as the significance of a .ORG Domain.In fact, I can cite ResellerClub’s example here – with RC’s Local Programs in place for China, Russia, India, Brazil & Turkey, we’ve really been able to reach out to the existing Reseller Base and promote .ORG in local languages & through local media. ResellerClub is also participating in our Target Country & Future markets initiative through which they’re able to offer 50% off on .ORG Domainson all their programs.These are the kind of initiatives we’re looking at to promote .ORG to even more corporations & individuals.
4. Lastly, do you think that browsing & buying patterns of Web Users are likely to change dramatically with the advent of new gTLDs?
   I personally believe that while the launch of New gTLds is a major milestone for our Industry, Customers will take time to understand and accept these new TLDs.New TLDs could make search & navigation more intuitive in many cases, but a majority of web users will have to be consistently educated about the entire program for it to be successful.Moreover, for millions of customers worldwide, TLDs like .COM, .NET and .ORG are now synonymous with the internet itself. New gTLDs will definitely shape the Domain Landscape differently but I believe web users will always look towards & trust extensions like .ORG for information online.

Huge thanks to Nancy Gofus for taking the time out to speak to us and we look forward to working closely with PIR to promote .ORG worldwide.

If you’d like more details about our ongoing .ORG Promo i.e. 50% off on all .ORG Registrations, please click here.

Data Source: .ORG Dashboard (2011 – 2nd Half (July to December)