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With the Vancouver Canary Derby only 25 days away our fundraising has been kicked into high gear. We're cranking it up this week by throwing a birthday party that's not all about us. Webnames.ca is also using our 10 Year Anniversary Party to raise some needed funds for the Canary Foundation. 
I come to work every day at 8:30 AM and by 10:30 AM I am on the phones making calls to our wonderful customers about their domain and service renewals. What I could do in this role is stare at the yellow, white and black screen with its array of links, click the domain name that is up for renewal, not look at the associated website, but instead move on to the next new yellow, black and white screen where I can review your account history, billing and other information.
How much fun is that?
You're probably thinking not very much fun, but there is also miraculous little button on the side of the screen that says "view website". And for most of you, I've already hit that link by the time we're talking. I like to get a feel for the projects you're working on, it makes the customer service side of my job so much more meaningful having a sense of who you are, and what you do while I help to renew your domains.
I've been with Webnames.ca for five weeks now and I love it. I want to share with you a few of the sites that have made my day for one reason or another in these last five weeks:
So thank you Webnames.ca customers, for making my day- one way or another every day!
In two weeks time the harmonized sales tax (HST) will replace the existing provincial sales taxes (PST) and the federal goods and services tax (GST) in the province of British Columbia.
Every few years a new domain extension is released to the market place. This year there is a new domain that is designed for businesses - .CO, which is associated globally with the word "company," but can also represent corporations and commercial endeavors.
With the similarity to .COM or .CA for that matter, .CO could be easily confused and open to phishing, spamming and fraudulent activity. Imagine receiving an email from yourbank.co (rather than yourbank.com) to update your personal information. There will be a certain percentage of people who will get caught. So for this reason alone, large companies and trademark owners should definitely protect their brands and company names.
Many people have also asked me want the relevance is to smaller businesses. With limited budgets, should a small business owner invest in a .CO if the owner feels their name is less of a target by spammers?
Here are some of the unique benefits of a .CO domain name:
• .CO is universally recognized as an abbreviation for company and can represent a corporation or other commercially focused endeavor
• .CO is meaningful, memorable and easy to remember
• .CO registration is open globally, giving small businesses the chance to get the name they always wanted
Some savvy businesses are purchasing names that combine their profession and geography (such as SeattleDoctor.co or VancouverBuilder.co). This will enhance their position online, making it easier for customers to find them. I personally feel that it is important for all businesses large or small to protect your online brand. The pain of losing your name to another company, especially a competitor, could be highly damaging to a business of any size. If small businesses can't afford the $275, wait until July 20 when the General Availability stage opens up and the price drastically reduces to less than $30/year.
How to Get a .CO Name
.CO names are currently available from Webnames.ca through a process called .CO Landrush. This is a limited period of time in which people have the opportunity to reserve names before they are generally available on July 20, 2010.
Webnames.ca will be taking .CO Landrush registrations until July 13th.
During .CO Landrush, if you are the only applicant for the name, you are informed around July 20 or shortly thereafter and are awarded the name. If more than one customer reserves the same name, those customers will be entered into an auction and the name awarded to the highest bidder. If you do not win your .CO name at auction, you will receive a refund on all fees, less $10 for processing so there's very little risk even when applying for very generic names.
Webnames.ca is offering a .CO Landrush price of US$275 which is the lowest in the industry (compare to GoDaddy at $299).
More information about the new .CO extension and the Landrush application process can be found on our .CO Landrush page. Here you can search the .CO WHOIS to find out what domains are available before you call our customer support at 1-866-221-7878 to apply for your names. Good luck!
On behalf of the staff at Webnames.ca, we would like to congratulate Cybele Negris on receiving Business in Vancouver's 11th Annual Influential Women in Business Award.
We would also like to extend our congratulations to the other honourees:
• Janet Austin, CEO, YWCA Vancouver
• Ida Goodreau, Corporate Director and former CEO of LifeLabs and Vancouver Coastal Health
• Sarah Morgan-Silvester, Chancellor, University of British Columbia
• Janine North, CEO, Northern Development Initiative Trust
This below article "Cybele Negris - Queen of her Domain" is from Business in Vancouver March 23-29, 2010; issue 1065
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Is it still relevant to focus on the success and role of women in business? That's one of the questions we asked this year's IWIB honourees, and they responded with a resounding "yes." As successful as women have become in business, there are still great strides to make and milestones to achieve; which makes our annual IWIB section even more relevant for inspiring women of all ages to reach their full potential.
Queen of her Domain
Cybele Negris may have taken the long route to achieving success, but it wasn't for lack of entrepreneurial drive.
Article by Curt Cherewayko
To think: shyness nearly relegated Cybele Negris to an academic career in psychology, far from the front lines of the Internet where she stands today.
Years before co-founding web domain registrar Webnames.ca in 2000, Negris dropped out of the commerce program at UBC and completed a psychology degree, which required her to do fewer front-and-centre presentations.
At the encouragement of her professors, she was taking a hard look at pursuing a PhD in psychology.
"I did quite a bit of research in the last year and a half of my psych degree and realized that was really not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and that business was my first love," said Negris. "I took the long route I guess."
She overcame her introversion through a lot of work, including the Dale Carnegie self-improvement program for businesspeople.
Since then, self-improvement, particularly the form that comes through community participation, has been a key factor in Negris' career trajectory.
She is one of four founding partners and COO of Webnames, a UBC spinoff that registers, hosts and manages website domains and domain portfolios for thousands of Canadians and Canadian businesses.
Though profitable since its first year of business, Webnames doesn't disclose specific figures.
Negris said that the company has grown steadily in revenue, profitability and employee count since year 1, when sa;es were $2.5 million.
In the mid-1990s, with only a psychology degree and a handful of business courses under her belt, she was going to pursue an MBA to get back on the business track, but landed a role with Richmond-based Pegasus Pharmaceuticals.
"That ended up becoming my real-life MBA," said Negris. "I was thrown into the fire."
Leveraging the strong connections that she forged at UBC during her years as a student there, she moved on from Pegasus and began work in the university's human resources department.
She was quickly promoted to the role of faculty relations manager for the president's office.
After two years there, she realized that she was better-suited for work in an entrepreneurial setting.
"I end up giving my all with any job," said Negris. "I realized at that point that if I'm going to work this hard I should be working for myself."
She was consulting for UBC's University-Industry Liaison Office when she met John Demco, the manager of computing facilities at UBC's department of computer science.
Demco had created the ".ca" domain registry in 1987 in a bid to give Canadians a national identity online.
But the registry was growing so fast that what essentially started as a hobby was becoming a full-time volunteer job for Demco.
As a result, he and UBC transferred control of the registry to the better-equipped Canadian Internet Registration Authority(CIRA). Negris was sent over to Demco's office to help manage the registry in the months before it was to be transferred to CIRA.
Demco expected that he would need to explain the highly technical inner workings of the registry to Negris at least a few times before she grasped it - as was the case with most people.
"She came back a day or two later with the most astonishingly complete notes I could imagine," said Demco, noting that his rule of thumb was to expect people to grasp 20% of his introductory explanation about the registry.
"She got it 100% right the first time - it was just unbelievable."
After transferring the registry from UBC to CIRA, Demco, with Negris and two other technology professionals, Stephen Smith and Matthew Lane, founded Webnames.
It was one of the first registrars in Canada to sell and manage domains from CIRA's registry.
Demco, Webnames' director, said that among Negris' contributions to the company is an ability to constantly find ways to tweak operations and make the Webnames machine run more smoothly.
For someone so driven and thorough, Negris acknowledges that her career to date appears rather unfocused.
"That's what I love about business and being an entrepreneur: there's so many opportunities [that] you need to be flexible and ever-changing," she said.
"All of those experiences I had when I was younger prepared me for being an entrepreneur."
She a is prominent member of the Vancouver business community as a director of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, a director of the Vancouver Economic Development Commission, vice-chair of Small Business BC and a director of the B.C. government's small business roundtable.
She also is a former president of Wired Woman Vancouver, a non-profit organization providing education, networking and mentorship to women in the technology sector.
She remains a mentor at Wired Woman, but stepped down three years ago after having her second child with her husband of 10 years, Brad.
Among the reasons that Negris joined Wired Woman, which reaches out to girls as well as women, was to build the support structures needed to provide girls with more encouragement to pursue careers in the technology space.
"There is still a lack of women in executive roles in most industries, especially technology," said Negris. "So it is important to have positive role models who can mentor future generations to reach their best potential." •
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5 Questions: Cybele Negris
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
I'm proud that after close to 10 years since Webnames.ca was founded, I can honestly say I still love what I do and am passionate about our ability to keep things fresh and innovative while maintaining our core competencies. Also, our success allows me to give back to the community that has made us successful.
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What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
Like any entrepreneur, two key challenges are a constant lack of time to accomplish everything and "Entrepreneurial ADD" - most entrepreneurs have a lot of ideas and, as your company grows, more opportunities come along. Successful entrepreneurs can focus enough to get the next milestone accomplished while not stifling innovation on what may be the next big thing.
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What career decisions would you make differently were you starting out today?
I would have embraced my leadership role earlier. Years ago I thought of myself as a shy person who just wanted to be behind the scenes rather than be the face of an organization. These days, I have to limit the number of events I attend each week. I do 15 to 20 speaking events each year.
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What's one business lesson that you'd like to pass on to others?
Surround yourself with successful, hardworking, positive people. That includes hiring people who have a track record for success as well as partnering and networking with highly successful, smart people.
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Is it still relevant to focus on the success and role of women in business?
It's great to have the opportunity to celebrate success no matter who you are, male or female. BIV also recognizes young entrepreneurs (male and female) through the Top Forty Under 40 program and BIV's lists recognize success across many industries, so I see no problem in celebrating the success of women.
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Business in Vancouver (www.biv.com) has been publishing in-depth local business news, analysis and commentary since 1989. The newspaper also produces a weekly ranked list of the biggest companies and players in a wide range of B.C. industries and commercial sectors, monthly features and industry-focused sections that arm its subscribers with a complete package of local business intelligence each week.
Webnames.ca is proud to promote the BCTIA Technology Impact Awards taking place June 8, 2010 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Over 700 senior representatives of the technology and business community will attend this event to recognize the best of BC's technology community.
The Technology Impact Awards is an annual program created to celebrate the successes of BC's technology industry and the companies, people and innovation that continue to put British Columbia on the map.
The deadline for submissions this year is March 17th. Complete details about the prestigious awards program are available on the BCTIA website.
Companies of all sizes and sectors are encouraged to apply. There are 9 award categories in total:
TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
Most Promising Pre-Commercial Technology
Excellence in Product Innovation
Best Application of Technology
COMPANY AWARDS
Most Promising Start-up
Emerging Company of the Year
Company of the Year
PERSONAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
Team of the Year
Community Leadership
Person of the Year
BCTIA Award Recipients from 2009 include:
About BCTIA - Growing our Technology Community
The British Columbia Technology Industry Association is an industry-funded organization supporting the growth of British Columbia's strong knowledge economy. Our network of 2100+ member companies are all sizes and from all technology sectors and collectively employ over 70,000 workers in BC.
The BCTIA delivers programs and services that directly influence the growth and success of our companies. As the voice of the technology industry, the BCTIA is committed to the ongoing growth, sustainability and prosperity of the technology industry and the transformation of British Columbia to a knowledge-based economy.
Learn more about the BCTIA's activities, programs and support for BC's tech community.
Imagine anyone on the planet being able to find and contact you with a single click.
Give your contacts the ability to connect with you through one easy to remember name and make a donation to a worthy cause at the same time.
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Webnames.ca has partnered with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society in an effort to raise money for their deserving initiatives.
Register YourName.tel name through the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society's .TEL Page and $5.00 of your $19.99 registration fee will go directly to the foodbank!
Better yet, because 25% of the registration fee is donated, the longer your registration term the larger the donation to the Food Bank.
For example, if you register for 5 years, $25.00 will be donated ... if your register for 10 years, $50 will be donated!
What are you waiting for? Now is a great time to register a .TEL name for personal or business use. Want to recognize a valued client or colleague? Register a .TEL name on their behalf, and donate to the Foodbank at the same time. Visit the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society's .TEL Page and REGISTER TODAY!
Learn more about the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society by visiting their website.
You asked and we listened! By popular demand, Webnames.ca has extended its "Deep Discounts on Multi-Year Domains" promotion until January 31, 2010.
Save up to 65% off multi-year domain registrations and renewals:
5 years - $99 (less than $20/year)
10 years - $129 (less than $13/year)
REGISTER --- or --- RENEW today!
The longer the term ... the more you SAVE.
Now is the perfect time to register new domain names for:
This promotion is valid for both new domain registrations and renewals of the following extensions:
.CA (2-10 years)
.COM, .ORG, .NET, .INFO, .BIZ, .CN, .ASIA (2-10 years)
.MOBI (2- 5 years only)
Promotion Terms & Conditions: .TEL and .US are not included in the promotion. Corporate, Managed Service, Partner, Charity, Resellers and Special Pricing accounts are not eligible for the promotion pricing.
I was invited to speak at a really great event last week "Leadership Lessons from Influential Women in Business". It was put on by Business in Vancouver, Professional Women's Network, and Young Women in Business. The event was sold out!
I was honoured to be part of a group of women that included Tamara Vrooman CEO of Vancity, Sarah Morgan-Silvester Chancellor of UBC, Karen flavelle of Purdy's Chocolates and many other successful women in Vancouver. Here is a complete list of all the women who spoke.
The room was a constant buzz of energy. The topic I spoke about was "The Power of Networking". The 3 groups of women who joined me, in true networking form, traded business cards as soon as they arrived at the table. We discussed everything from the fear of networking, networking outside of your comfort zone, how to turn networking into sales, some of the great networking groups in Vancouver and of course, the big topic of social media & networking.
Here's a short summary of our lively discussions with some takeaways:
1. Recognize your fear - Most people who don't network a lot have a fear of it. When you're talking to someone, they are probably more nervous than you are. Recognizing that fear is normal and common is a great first step to overcoming it.
2. Develop your networking style - Do men and women have different networking styles? Some thought that men were more aggressive and women had softer styles. Personally, I don't like to generalize. The point is, be true to who you are and be genuine, honest and natural in your interactions in order to develop valuable connections and relationships.
3. Use Social Networking tools - from LinkedIn to Facebook to Twitter, there are great ways to connect with people these days. Everyone who used LinkedIn found great value in it as it allows you to keep up-to-date on the activities of your network without actively having to talk to each person regularly. You can also keep your network abreast of your updates. Many people didn't understand the value of Twitter although more people are starting to try it out. Twitter is a very fast way to get your message out to a lot of people.
The key point to remember is to make sure you use these tools appropriately and manage your reputation carefully. Maintain work-related content and avoid posting anything too personal and certainly avoid anything inappropriate. Your reputation is out there for anyone to see whether it be future employers, future clients or business partners or future acquirers of your business.
4. Recommended networking groups - There are many industry specific groups.
I'm on the Board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and can attest to the amazingly high quality of programs and networking events. The next FWE 2010 Gala on January 18, 2010 will celebrate the people who invest in entrepreneurs. Keynote speakers will include stars of the popular shows Dragon's Den and Fortune Hunters.
One group I joined recently is the High Output Business Network They combine the power of social networking and weekly chapter meetings in a no non-sense "this is what I need" and "how can I help you" format, that I find surprisingly refreshing.
The Vancouver Board of Trade has some great events as well and at the beginning of each event, people are invited to exchange cards and ask "how can I help you". This format really helps those who are typically too shy to approach others at a networking event and I highly recommend it to those who are just starting to network.
The Women's Enterprise Centre has a comprehensive list of the various networking groups for women in BC.
5. Start your own group! - There are a number of less formal groups in your local area called "Meetups". These are formed with specific topic areas like entrepreneurs, sales, social media, real estate. I joined the dotTel meetup recently. Go to www.meetup.com to find one that suits your interest. If you don't find a group that fits your interests, you can even start your own.
6. Importance of Followup - Many people go to a networking event and come back to the office with a stack of business cards and they sit on a desk for a while before they get tossed in the garbage -- wasted time and some trees sacrificed in the meantime. When you meet someone, write on the card where you met them and a few notes about them. Write a followup to the people you met the next day to continue the conversation you had and to build on the connection you made.
.TEL - Making Networking More Successful
To facilitate easier networking and life-long connections, Webnames.ca gave away three .TEL names as prizes at the event. .TEL is like a virtual business card. You give out your easy to remember .TEL name rather than a business card.
The information in a .TEL is much richer than what fits on a small card and can include email, phone, fax, Skype, SMS, Google map, links to blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. The true beauty is you can update your contact information as often as you like without having to reprint business cards and whoever has your .TEL name will have your up-to-date contact information for life.
Photo:
L to R. Cheryl Carter-Business in Vancouver, Laurel Douglas-Women's Enterprise Centre, Paulina Lipska-Young Women in Business
In June, we gave all of our email users access to Pronto, our new webmail interface.
We were pretty excited about its collaboration features and wanted to see what you thought about them too. After 3 months we sent out a survey to a select group of Pronto users.
Here are the results:
There were complaints about it timing out. Testing around the office confirmed this was an issue if you unchecked the "Use Proxy Safe Mode". So keep that option checked and you should not have any more timeouts.
You were thrilled to use Pronto but you didn't want to pay more to use it.
You spoke and we listened. Pronto is here to stay for all users. We think its collaboration tools will aid your business as it expands and you add more employees.
Earlier in the month we randomly drew a winner in our .TEL -Blackberry Strom contest.
Webnames.ca customer Nancy Hamilton is the recipient of a fancy new Blackberry Storm smartphone courtesy of our friends over at Telus.
In fact, Nancy's own .TEL is great example of how to use .TEL for business - check it out at http://nancyhamilton.tel/
Thank you again to Marcy, Corporate Account Manager at Telus Wireless Enterprise Solutions, for the amazing prize.
Stay tuned for our next contest coming soon!
Webnames.ca is looking for a company to take over our adjacent office space on the 5th floor of 21 Water Street, in the Packing House building in Gastown. It would be suitable for a tech, design, media or similar themed company.
Office Details
The available space faces south on to Water St. and includes three offices, a server room and a spacious common area suitable for several work stations. Lots of windows and natural light.The size is approximately 2000 square feet. There is no kitchen and the lareg washrooms are shared. There is a bike storage room.
View the location in Google maps and the building in Google street level.
The Packing House - 21 Water Street
One of the oldest buildings in Gastown, the Packing House has a mix of small and mid-sized businesses that keeps the place humming with activity day and night. The building combines Edwardian charm along with modern amenities, attracting an eclectic mix of technology, design, advertising and media companies.
The building was originally built for the Swift Canadian Company, local meat packers, as its cold storage plant and was also the site of the Sunnyside Hotel built in 1874.
The Location - Gastown
Walking distance of Vancouver's downtown core, this is one of the last affordable commercial districts in the inner city. A wave of new development has revitalized the neighbourhood. Today upscale boutiques, cafés and restaurants flank narrow lanes and cobblestone sidewalks, creating a relaxing, pedestrian-friendly ambiance.
Contact Us
To learn more about the space, or to make an appointment to see it, please email corporate@webnames.ca.
