Last week a number of readers commented on this blog wanting to know who were members of the ICA and their level of membership.
Today the ICA published it’s list of members by membership levels.
I also received a lot of posts regarding that the “big” domainers needed to give to the ICA, because they had more to lose than the smaller Domainers.
However, although the “big” guys may have more to lose, they also have the funding to fight their fights.
“Big” domainer’s also have the funds for asset protection, planning, and positioning their holdings.
The small domainer’s don’t.
If a guy doesn’t have $295 to join the ICA, what kind of legal fund are they going to have to fight if someone comes knocking.
None.
It is quite common for the government when trying to test a law and establish precedents, to go after the weakest defendants first.
Why engage in battle with a well funded opponent when they can pick on someone without the resources to fight.
So who is going to speak for them??
The point is the “small” domainer may need the ICA more than the “big” domainer.
Alot of us smaller domainers dont have $295 to join. If the ICA is so worried about member numbers they should lower their fee. There are alot of respectable people missing from that list. And that alone speaks volumes to me. No thanks!
great post.
I guess that there is the TOP and the bottom to every situation.
The mind of the person decides the location be it top or bottom.
This is great to post this list. Our domain company, FastName Media, has joined. It is time to view this as a business (the portfolio) rather than a serious hobby. I have always viewed some of the individual domains as businesses as they are, but the portfolio is more than a hobby – that is reality.
I agree with Admin – $295 is not too much to ask regardless of the size of your portfolio. In fact, I bet most of us will waste $295 in reg fees on less than worthy domains in the next month alone. Call it R&D or whatever you want – I call them my mistakes, my recurring mistakes.
Rob
Then once again your certainly not going to have enough to hire an attorney.
So what are you going to do?
Personally, I never thought about joining before the Snowe Bill popped up on the scene.
I never heard of ICA much before and have never heard of anything they have accomplished for us domainers.
But the Snowe Bill sparked my interest to join now as we really have no other organization to speak up and defend our rights as domainers (that I know of).
I’ll be joining soon…
Although I think the ICA is a good thing and that people should join, I don’t like the lame fear tactics some people are using to get people to join.
Some of which I’ve read here on this blog.
Don’t blast people for not being able to afford it. They’re not bad people.
Paying $295 for membership is not the same as hiring an attorney. Unless I’m missing something, if you join the ICA they aren’t going to represent you. You STILL need to hire an attorney.
Kudos to Michael and Phil for publishing this list. We did emails back and forth last week where I stated my reasons for the necessity to do this and I’m glad they acted with such expediency. This transparency is a big step in the right direction for the ICA and, hopefully, will inspire others in our industry to follow suit. Michael just informed me that four new members have already joined the ICA since the list was published this morning.
However, Michael also told me that there are 30+ members who joined before 2/27 who have not yet answered his emails requesting permission to publish their names (anyone who joined the ICA after 2/27 was told their name would be publicized).
Scott
These are not scare tactics, this is the honest truth of what is going on and how things work.
Scare tactics are when you say things that are not true.
There is a bill that was proposed before congress that would be very bad for anyone in the domain business. (have you read the bill, it’s pretty clear language)
Without any action by someone representing domainer’s, the bill would have a chance of passing.
The ICA is the only group I know which has a lobbyist and represents domainer’s.
An organization needs funds to operate.
If the law passes the government will enforce it.
If you are unlucky enough to the one they choose to enforce it against you will need an attorney to represent you.
Attorney’s fees for this type of matter would run at least in the five figures and quite possibly the six figures.
If the ICA is successful in getting this bill defeated, this is a problem that no one will have to face and the $300 is much cheaper than the alternative.
If this bill fails the groups that support it will try to legislate again and once again we will need someone to represent domainer’s as a group, so none of us will have to defend ourself against the government on our own.
These are the facts.
This is the way the system works.
The only thing scary is if we allow it to happen to us.
“Scare tactics are when you say things that are not true.”
Sorry, but no. I’m not sure where you get that from, but it’s completely false. Scare tactics are used to coerce an outcome by spouting off extremes to scare people into siding with you. In fact, they are often true… to the extreme.
It’s EXACTLY the thing that corporate america and politics -the two things that we’re supposed to be fighting in this case- do.
And if I didn’t make my point in my first post, I’m 100% against the Snowe Bill and for the ICA.
We must fight this bill before the terrorists take our domains!
ICA basic membership is expensive. $295 is too much to ask regardless of the size of your portfolio. The ICA will be a much needed profffessional association for the industries professionals who’s membership fees will be settle at xyz, whatever it is it will be worth the opportunity to make a difference, for others it will be cheap advertising + discounts + kudos, but for the Worldwide domain registrants who number millions it will not matter one jot.
Noted comment Ref http://www.sevenmile.com/
***FS*** The Snowe Bill only affects American companies.. That is precisely why it won’t pass in its present form.. You will see every name compnay move to Toronto, or London or Mexico City. Laws won’t stop the value of names and naming.. technology will and that won’t happen in the next 30 years or more IMO
Emedocles
First of all guys the Snowe bill is just one issue in the Domain industry. Just one. There are more. There have been others in the past.
This bill hopefully will motivate people to come together and join an organization which will fight for its right’s.
I agree with Frank that this bill effects US domainer’s much more.
I said so in my first post about the bill 5 weeks ago. Go check out that post you will see it their
However, if this bill passed values of all domains would drop.
There are many other issues the ICA deals with all the time.
Remember how network solutions just got a 7% increase for the next 3 years out of 5 through, which will increase your domain cost so far by $.43 then more next year and then more again.
At that time I did not have a blog.
But many people including Rick was telling people on his blog that the ICA needed money to fight that and the response was the same as now, and guess what, the rate increases went into effect, and you are already paying more than you did last year and next year you will pay more again.
So things will happen if you let them.
Don’t let me scare you just look at the track record
After the Snow bill there will be another and another, why because dell, verizon and other major companies have started a lobbying group of their own
http://www.cadna.org/en/index.html
All of your guys who have told me they aren’t going to join the ICA, how many of you have ever looked at these guys website and see what they stand for??
My guess is none.
These guys are not going away and they got this bill proposed in just their first year of existence.
So you check out their site, learn about who they are and what they want to do.
Admin you directed your comment to me and if you read my comments again you will see that you are pushing against an open door, without you offering your time, experience & passion where could I garner such information, However I am just like many domainers who have to keep explaining to my partner why I ran up fees on registrations, renewals and will not sell until I am ready to develop which takes up nights after the day job. $295 is too much.
To those of you unable to spend $295 to defend your livelihood, why not donate a lesser amount? I bet the ICA won’t turn down your $25.00 donation.
admin // Mar 21, 2008 at 7:27 am
Damir
Don’t know if that will help
Please read this previous post:
http://www.thedomains.com/2008/03/04/enom-takes-away-cuba-domain-names-what-it-means-to-you-in-light-of-the-snowe-bill/
The US courts have ruled that since the central registrar for all domains is network solutions and since the servers are located in Virgina, then US courts have jurisdiction over the domain.
Yes if your a non-US resident with no assets here, they would have a hard time collecting the fine from you but they would seem to have the ability to take your domain away even if it was registered with a non-US registrar.
Which is it because this post you made in the WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE totally contradicts the big guys will go to the Cayman Islands with FRANK. So Frank is no better off than the little guy because I agree with you they will use the registry is in US so Frank has a lot to worry about, alot more than a small domainer who no one is coming after his LLLLL pronounceables, and if they do they just giving the $7 up
And the ICA is a good idea IMO but $100 membership hurts them how ? it is money they would not be getting otherwise.
Secondly are we trying to say that the ICA will not or cannot fight the SNOWE bill without x amount of $ ? Because what is that number ?
Interesting who I did not see as members of ICA
Fabulous
Parked
Godaddy
DemandMedia/Enom
Skenzo
etc………….
And before you get your attitude going I will join but I think there should be a $100 membership. You said they need members so this will do that IMO it will bring a lot of new people.
Hugh
I am going to blog on Saturday on those who are not members and should be. You named a few but their are a lot more.
You maybe right about the membership fee. If it was $100 there would have to be 3x more members just to make up the dollar difference. That might happen, but again that might not.
I did not set up the fees for the ICA, I am just a member, its their call and we will never know who is right, it is what it is and the price is $295.