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Calls to Serve on CIRA 2012 Board Election Nomination Committee

By Cybele on January 18, 2012 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority is organization that manages Canada's .CA domain name registry. They also develop policies that support Canada's Internet community. The 2012 CIRA Board of Directors Elections are coming up and the first part of that process is to round up a group of Canadian professionals to serve on the Nomination Committee.

The Nomination Committee's role is to solicit and select qualified Candidates for the Nomination Committee Slate of CIRA's Board Election. The Nomination Committee consists of six to 12 individuals appointed by CIRA's Board of Directors to identify a roster of Candidates who represent the diverse geographical, gender, linguistic, cultural, and professional make-up of Canada to help CIRA achieve its mission and strategic objectives.

The Benefits of Serving on the Nomination Committee

Serve a two-year term with the objective of building a Member-elected Board of Directors that represents a wide range of views and interests.

Make a valuable contribution to the strategic direction of .CA and Canadian Internet policy.

Network and learn from professionals from across Canada.

Gain valuable insight and experience around technical innovation, Internet policy and organizational governance.

Select Candidates at a meeting in Ottawa. Travel expenses will be reimbursed.

The Responsibilities of Serving on the Nomination Committee

Solicit names of individuals who could help position CIRA and .CA for operational excellence.

Develop and provide to the Board a list of skills, experience and demographic criteria for Directors, necessary to ensure balanced representation and effective governance that will help CIRA achieve its goals.

Provide CIRA's Board of Directors and Members a slate of Candidates from which the Members will elect Directors.

Identify, interview, and check references of prospective Candidates, as required, for vacant positions on the Board.

Application deadline is January 20, 2012! Apply today

Review the Selection criteria

Learn more about CIRA's Election process.

Review CIRA's by-laws.

CIRA Announces Election Results for their 2011 Board of Directors

By Cybele on October 4, 2011 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CIRA announced today their 2011 Board of Directors election. .CA Members cast a total of 968 ballots, which were tabulated by CIRA's Election Returning Officer, Eric Lay. This election saw a 22 per cent increase in voter participation over the previous year.

.CA Members voted to elect three candidates from the Nomination Committee Slate and one candidate from the Members' Slate. Each board of director elected will serve for a three-year term.

The following four newly elected individuals take office immediately:
Kerry Brown
Bill St. Arnaud
Susan Mehinagic
Andrew Escobar

A list of all the election candidates and their vote count is available at https://elections.cira.ca/2011/results/en.

Webnames.ca congratulates each of the newly elected board members and we thank all the candidates for taking an interest to serve on this volunteer board.

Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) Board Elections - Campaign Forum Starts Today!

By Cybele on September 13, 2011 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You can play an important role in growing Canada's Internet domain and shaping our Internet and our future.

The Campaign Forum for the 2011 Board of Directors Election begins today. The forum provides Candidates, .CA Members, and the general public an opportunity to discuss viewpoints, concerns, and positions related to how Candidates will serve Canada's Internet community if elected as a Director.

The Campaign Forum will be available between September 13 and 20 at https://elections.cira.ca/2011/en/campaign.html. You can participate in the Campaign Forum--by asking your own questions to election Candidates.

More information about the final candidates for the CIRA board of directors is available at https://elections.cira.ca/2011/finalslate/list/en

Don't forget to vote September 21 to 28!

Become a CIRA Board Member - Help Shape the Canadian Internet and our Future

By Cybele on August 2, 2011 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

2011 Election - MN web graphic - english.jpg

Starting August 2 to August 15, 2011, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority's (CIRA) is accepting applications for interested individuals across Canada to fill an open position on its Board of Directors. Professional Canadians with Board experience and/or an interest in technology and the Internet are encouraged to apply. Expertise in one of the following areas would be an asset: accounting, law, marketing and communications or technology.

You can play a valuable role in contributing to corporate strategic direction by directly participating in annual governance activities. Now is your opportunity to take a leadership role in the development of the Internet of the future to ensure it continues to be an open and accessible public resource. Take part in the exclusive Members-only Nomination period by nominating yourself or someone you know for the 2011 CIRA Board of Directors Election.

Who should apply?
Professional Canadians with Board experience and/or an interest in technology and the Internet. Expertise in one of the following areas would be an asset: accounting, law, marketing and communications or technology.

Why should this interest me or someone I nominate?

This is a unique opportunity to work with Canada's Internet leaders as they develop strategy and policy that positions .CA for operational excellence.
You will gain valuable insight and experience around technical innovation, Canadian and international Internet policy, and organizational governance.
Board members are compensated for their time and reimbursed for expenses. For detailed information, please visit: cira.ca/about-cira/about-the-board/compensation/.
The yearly commitment includes five in-person meetings in various cities across Canada and committee work.
Nominees are not required to be Members or .CA domain name holders.

Help spread the word:

To apply or for more information: https://elections.cira.ca/2011/en/member_nominees.html.

Feel free to circulate the 2011 CIRA Election Info Sheet to interested parties.

Tweet about the election and use the hashtag #ciraelection

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation - Massive Fines on Companies and Individuals; Your Chance for Public Comment

By Cybele on July 21, 2011 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bill C-28, The Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act (FISA) was passed by Canadian Parliament and received Royal Assent December 15, 2010.

As Canada's first anti-spam legislation, it empowers authorities to aggressively fine spammers (individuals could be fined up to $1 million per violation and companies $10 million per violation). The legislation has major implications on how businesses conduct their communication practices with clients and potential clients.

In my earlier post in January 2011, Canadian Parliament passes Bill C-28, Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam, I summarized some key issues about whether the Bill would really reduce spam, when businesses need to be in compliance, how will violators be punished and more.

Draft regulations have now been posted for the new anti-spam legislation and both the CRTC and Industry Canada are calling for comments.

The CRTC notice is here http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-400.htm with the draft regulations appearing as an appendix.

The Industry Canada notice is here http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2011/2011-07-09/html/reg1-eng.html.

Deadlines for comments are August 29th and 31st respectively.

All Canadian companies, organizations and individuals need to ensure their electronic communications are compliant with the legislation so do make sure you understand the rules to avoid the massive financial implications.

BCTIA Announces Their New President & CEO

By Cybele on June 9, 2011 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Webnames.ca would like to congratulate Bill Tam for his new appointment as President & CEO of the BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) effective July 1, 2011. We would like to also wish outgoing President & CEO Pascal Spothelfer all the best as he returns to industry.

Mr. Tam has had a diverse career, serving as CEO of EQO Communications in Vancouver, a Venture Partner at SpringBank TechVentures in Calgary, VP Business Development at AT&T Canada, VP of Product Strategy and Marketing at MetroNet, in addition to executive roles at Rogers Telecom in Toronto and Bell Canada in Toronto and Denver, Colorado. Over the past several years, Mr. Tam has been actively involved in growth initiatives with a successful history of building and launching new businesses in the software, e-commerce, Internet, and telecommunications sectors.

Mr. Tam joined the BCTIA Centre4Growth as one of the first CEOs-in-Residence and for the past ten months has been a committed member of the team. He currently coaches over 40 tech entrepreneurs, and is a key contributor to the success of the Centre4Growth program.

Webnames.ca looks forward to continue to support BCTIA as a partner in events and other initiatives.

To read the full press release, go to http://bctia.org/files/Whats_New_Files/110601_BTam_Announcement.pdf

Most Small Business Friendly Community Award

By Cybele on June 6, 2011 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As a board member of the Small Business Roundtable of British Columbia, I'm happy to announce the launch of the "Most Small Business Friendly Community" award. The award is geared towards local governments who are invited to compete and demonstrate how they have implemented measures to support local business and attract new small business investment to their communities.

The importance of small business is paramount to the BC economy and the social health of each community. The award recognizes the leaders in local governments who foster the growth and success of small business. Applications for the award will be evaluated based on measures the local government has implemented that are aimed at:

• Reducing regulatory barriers

• Enhancing small business competitiveness

• Recognizing Small Business's contribution to their community

• Climate Action initiatives that support small business

One award will be granted in each economic region of the province. Up to three finalists per region will be selected and announced in August 2011. The winners will be announced during Small Business Month in October.

Deadline is June 15 so act fast. To participate, please encourage your local government within British Columbia to complete the application form provided through the following link:
http://www.smallbusinessroundtable.ca/Awards/Documents/SBRT%20Award%20submission%20form_FINAL.PDF

.CO Domain Hits 1 Million Milestone

By Cybele on June 3, 2011 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

.CO Internet S.A.S. the official registry operator for the .CO domain, announced June 2, 2011 that it reached the landmark one millionth .CO domain name registration.

Less than one year from the global launch of .CO in July of 2010, individuals, organizations and businesses in more than 200 countries have registered .CO web addresses.

"Entrepreneurs and innovative businesses around the globe are adopting .CO web addresses at an unprecedented pace, way beyond my initial expectations," said Juan Diego Calle, CEO of .CO Internet. "To hit this milestone in less than a year is a great testament to the hard work and dedication of our team - and especially to the foresight of all of those who believed in .CO from the very beginning. From our retail and business partners; to the trademark and domain communities; to all the people, businesses and brands who are building their futures on .CO - we owe you a million thanks!"

.CO Internet SAS took over .CO administration in 2010 from Colombia's University of Los Andes taking the country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) and presenting it as a viable alternative to the overcrowded .COM. .CO soon became the fastest growing new global domain name in modern history. By selling some one-letter .CO names to massive global brands like Amazon, Twitter and Overstock, the .CO Registry was able to bring huge awareness and adoption to the domain.

Overstock.com purchased O.CO for $350,000 and re-branded the company internationally featuring O.CO in all of its television ads. This move still generates huge interest and demand globally for .CO domain names. There is apparently another O.CO announcement to come Monday June 6 from Overstock President, Jonathan Johnson.

Amazon bought A.CO, Z.CO, K.CO and Cloud.CO, and Twitter purchased T.CO for its URL shortening service.

To celebrate the innovators, entrepreneurs and trailblazers who are turning their biggest hopes, dreams, and aspirations into realities on the .CO domain, .CO Internet has commissioned a series of short films called "Under the Bulb", which will premier live at a private event to be held on June 9th during Internet Week in New York City. Under the Bulb tells the stories of the people behind the growth of .CO. Each inspiring two-minute film captures life from the time the big "light-bulb moment" first strikes - through the time their ideas are brought to life.

"From startup to Super Bowl in seven months flat, we are a company of entrepreneurs," said Lori Anne Wardi, Director of Global Communications of the .CO Registry. "Under the Bulb is our way of honoring the fact that behind each of these one million domain registrations, are one million singular ideas with the potential to change the world." You can get an early preview of Under the Bulb right now at www.UnderTheBulb.CO.

If you don't yet have your .CO protected, its time to ensure yourname.co is registered. To search for your .CO name go to www.webnames.ca or contact the Webnames.ca support team for assistance.

Congratulations to the Winners of the CIRA .CA Impact Awards

By Cybele on May 30, 2011 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Webnames.ca would like to congratulate the
winners of the first annual .CA Impact Awards. 75 impact.png

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority recently announced the winners at the Mesh Conference in Toronto.

The .CA Impact Awards celebrate people and organizations using their .CA websites to make a positive difference in the lives of their users and their communities. Impact can be social, cultural, political, technological, or economic.

"At CIRA, we try to keep track of all the great .CA websites out there, but with over 1.6 million registered .CA sites it's hard to keep up," says Byron Holland, President and CEO of CIRA. "The .CA Impact Awards has really opened our eyes to some of the amazing work done on the web by Canadians. It's truly inspiring."

Four winners received $5,000 each as well as national recognition. The winners for each category are as follows:

eLearning: ArtsAlive.CA, an educational performing arts website produced by the National Arts Centre, is the pre-eminent resource for performing arts education in Canada, engaging Canadians through information, multimedia and activities.

Small Business: OpenMedia.CA uses its .CA website to protect the open Internet and to promote the innovation and free speech that it enables. OpenMedia.ca is currently the home of the viral Stop the Meter campaign, that brings the public together to fight for a more affordable Internet.

Non-Profit: UppercaseGallery.CA is now an online artist community, featuring a blog, exhibitions, and a magazine. UppercaseGallery began as a gallery in downtown Calgary that featured the work of emerging and established graphic designers before moving online. Its .CA domain name allows Uppercase Gallery to clearly define itself as Canadian, as much of its web traffic is international.

Web Technology and Design: NewPad.CA is an online apartment-hunting portal intended to make apartment hunting easier by mapping out online apartment listings in cities across Canada.

The .CA Impact Awards are part of CIRA's ongoing commitment to invest in Canada's Internet community and are designed to recognize youth, educators, not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, technology developers and web designers.

Check out the winners at http://www.cira.ca/awards/en/awards.html

BCTIA Technology Impact Awards 2011 - Finalists Announced

By Cybele on May 2, 2011 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As media partner for the BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA), Webnames.ca would like to congratulate the finalists for the 2011 Technology Impact Awards (TIAs).

Founded in 1994 by the BCTIA the Technology Impact Awards celebrate the successes of the technology industry and the companies, people and innovation that continue to put British Columbia on the map and who serve as role models for others in our province.

The finalists this year represent a broad range of technologies including enterprise, mobile and social media software; power electronics, imaging and microprocessor hardware, including quantum processing; and unique lighting and hybrid Stirling/Thermoacoustic devices. Their solutions can be found in a number of environments including healthcare, retail, financial services, research labs, telecommunications, green building and power utilities.

The Technology Impact Awards are broken into three groups: Technology Awards, Company Awards, and Personal Recognition Awards.

This year's finalists are:

Excellence in Product Innovation

Alpha Technologies Ltd. http://www.alpha.com
D-Wave Systems Inc. http://www.dwavesys.com
QR Loyalty http://www.qrloyalty.com
SunCentral Inc. http://www.suncentralinc.com

Best Application of Technology

McKesson Medical Imaging Group http://www.mckesson.com
Subserveo Inc. http://www.subserveo.com

Most Promising Pre-Commercial Technology

Etalim Inc. http://www.etalim.com
Secodix Corp. http://www.secodix.com

Most Promising Start-Up

Etalim Inc. http://www.etalim.com
QR Loyalty http://www.qrloyalty.com
Xomo Digital http://www.xomodigital.com

Emerging Company of the Year

Clevest Solutions Inc. http://www.clevest.com
QHR Technologies Inc. http://qhrtechnologies.com
Vivonet Inc. http://www.vivonet.com

Company of the Year

Avigilon http://www.avigilon.com
PMC-Sierra http://www.pmc-sierra.com
Tantalus http://www.tantalus.com

Team of the Year

Avigilon http://www.avigilon.com
SAP Canada http://www.sap.com/canada
Vision Critical http://visioncritical.com

To purchase tickets go to http://www.thetias.com

Webnames.ca Stands Proudly Behind Our Core Values

By Cybele on March 31, 2011 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you haven't already heard or seen the video, GoDaddy is getting a lot of bad press right now because their CEO Bob Parsons shot an elephant and put the video up on the internet (warning: graphic if you haven't seen it).

This is interesting timing because yesterday during a management meeting we were talking about our brand promise and what differentiates Webnames.ca from competitors.

Well, the outrage and groups urging people to close their GoDaddy accounts tells all of us who run businesses something very important. Brand promise and values matter.

So rather than go on about GoDaddy here's our story. We are Canada's original .CA registrar. My business partner John Demco founded .CA in Canada back in 1987. Before the world wide web and before people were even using email. He had a vision to secure an online identity for all Canadians. He ran this effort as a volunteer for 13 years for free and has been honoured as one of the pioneers of the Canadian Internet.

In 2000, we grew from 4 to 30 people in 4 months and ten years later, I'm proud to say that Webnames, founded on the principals of giving back, integrity and customer service continues to grow and expand. Our number 1 core value is to "amaze every customer with exceptional service". That's what defines us. That's who we are and that's our commitment to you. We don't hide from our customers...we post our toll free phone number all over our website and homepage. If you aren't satisfied, you can write directly to president@webnames.ca . Our BBB rating is A+ and has been for the 10 years we've been in business and we continue to track a zero complaint record. We bring the human touch back to technology and are your "Ally on the Web".

No we don't sponsor Nascar but we do give back to the community. That's another one of our core values "to make a positive difference." Members of the management team serve on a number of boards, mentor other entrepreneurs and businesses and the company sponsors numerous events, initiatives and charities.

Here's the Webnames.ca video that I'm proud to celebrate. You decide.

Cybele Negris
Co-Founder, Webnames.ca Inc.
http://cybele.tel

BCIC-New Ventures Competition 2011: Now Open to Applications Until April 18, 2011

By Cybele on March 14, 2011 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Webnames.ca is once again proud to sponsor the annual BCIC-New Ventures Competition. Now in its 11th year, the BCIC-New Ventures Competition is one of North America's largest technology business idea competitions. The Competition attracts applicants from a wide range of industries including cleantech, digital media, Internet, information technology and life sciences.

Entrepreneurs learn how to develop their ideas into a profitable company plus have the opportunity to win more than $360,000 in prizes.

$130,000 BCIC First Prize

$70,000 BCIC Second Prize

$40,000 BCIC Third Prize

$40,000 BC Hydro Sustainability Prize

$20,000 BC Bioenergy Network Prize

This year's competition includes three new prizes for Agritech and Social Ventures:

$15,000 Vancity Social Venture Prize

$30,000 Agritech Innovation First Prize

$20,000 Agritech Innovation Second Prize

The competition is open to any BC person, resident or business with a technology-focused idea that has not yet secured significant financing from external investors (i.e. investors other than friends, family and company founders).

Register today and learn what it takes to make your company a success from the program's seminars, speakers and networking opportunities with industry experts.

Check out all the partners and sponsors who make this program possible.

Application deadline: Midnight April 18, 2011. Good luck!
Visit www.newventuresbc.com or follow on Twitter @nvbc for more info.

See past winners

BCIC-New Ventures Regional Competition: And the Winners Are...

By Cybele on March 3, 2011 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As sponsor of the BCIC-New Ventures Regional Competition, everyone at Webnames.ca would like to congratulate the winners of the 2010 competition. Winners are selected by the competition's expert panel of judges, who base their decision on which company has the most potential for success.

$30,000 BCIC First prize: Reef Safe Fish (Victoria, BC)
Recent university graduates and siblings, Ashley and Robert Roulston at Reef Safe Fish have developed a closed loop waste-recycling technology that filters fish waste and then combines it with fertilizer to produce fish food onsite.

$20,000 BCIC Second prize: SideStix Ventures Inc. (Roberts Creek, BC)
As an athlete and amputee, Sarah Doherty and her team at SideStix have revolutionized the common walking crutch for the disabled, developing an ergonomic, shock-absorbing forearm crutch that significantly reduces joint compression and the secondary injuries that often arise from using crutches.

$10,000 BCIC Third prize: MemoryLeaf Media Inc. (Kamloops, BC)
MemoryLeaf's online memorial service, created by Jonathan Bowers whose family runs a local funeral home, lets users create a lasting legacy for their loved ones through photos, videos and stories. The service, arranged through local funeral service providers, also offers professionally developed resources to help answer questions about the grieving process.

Over 100 people attended the awards ceremony in Kelowna on February 24, 2011.

For photos of the event, check out the BCIC-New Ventures' new Facebook page.

For more info click HERE

Small Business BC Successful You Awards - Top 5 Finalists for 2011

By Cybele on February 18, 2011 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once again, I am honoured to participate as a judge for the Small Business BC Successful You Awards for 2011. As a board member of Small Business BC, I'm proud to represent an organization which focuses on providing entrepreneurs and small businesses with resources, services and vital information that help them through their start-up phase and ignites their development and growth.

The Successful You Awards celebrates those companies and entrepreneurs that have demonstrated their success in a variety of areas. Congratulations to the top 5 companies in each of the following categories: Best Concept, Best Green Business, Best Company and Best Employer. I look forward to watching the business pitches in the final round of judging.

Join Small Business BC March 29, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver to find out the winners of each category. The keynote speaker will be Vikram Vij, a BC based entrepreneur and restaurateur who had grown his South Granville restaurant Vij's into a highly recognized brand.

More information and tickets available at http://www.successfulyou.ca/awards-ceremony

And the Finalists Are ...

Best Concept - TOP 5

1.      Raudz Regional Table (Kelowna)
2.      Ugi Fitness Inc. (Vancouver)
3.      Urban Foliage (Burnaby)
4.      Hapi Foods Group Inc. (Sechelt)
5.      Hear at Home Mobile Hearing Clinic Ltd. (North Vancouver)

Best Green Business - TOP 5

1.      Down to Earth Health Shop ( Fort Nelson)
2.      West Coast Helicopters (Port McNeil)
3.      Digitech Renewable Printer Cartridges (Vancouver)
4.      FrogBox Inc. (Vancouver)
5.      Walker Technologies (Courtenay)

Best Company - TOP 5

1.      Appnovation Technologies Inc.(Vancouver)
2.      Trisko Talent Management Inc.(Vancouver)
3.      Innergy Corporate Yoga Inc.(Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Kamloops)
4.      Quicktech Computer Consulting Inc. (Vancouver)
5.      Steeples Restaurant (Shawnigan Lake)

Best Employer - TOP 5

1.      CityMax.com (Vancouver)
2.      Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd. (Cobble Hill)
3.      Bellevue Natural Health Clinic (West Vancouver)
4.      Seeds Natural Food Market (Cumberland)
5.      Tasktop Technologies (Vancouver)

2011 Technology Impact Awards Call for Submissions

By Cybele on January 14, 2011 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Open to BC technology companies of all sectors and sizes, the Technology Impact Awards is an annual event held organized by the BCTIA to recognize the achievements of the technology industry. Approximately 800 people from the BC technology community are expected to attend the province's largest and most prestigious awards night.

The 2011 Awards dinner will be held on June 9 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Tickets go on sale April 2011.

View the award criteria for each category below and application deadline is March 11:

Most Promising Pre-Commercial Technology
Excellence in Product Innovation
Best Application of Technology

Most Promising Start-up
Emerging Company of the Year
Company of the Year

Team of the Year
Community Engagement
Person of the Year

To submit an application online go to: www.thetias.com or call 604-683-6159 for more information.

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