31 December 2004

Avoiding aggressive ISP marketing I don't like posting retractions. I disagree with them, especially in a blog posting, where what I write and post is my personal opinion. However, they had a point. I made a post a while ago about a run-in I'd had with two entities. One, an individual, was acting as a cybersquatter. The person in question was actively monitoring new company registrations at Companies House here in the UK and then registering domain names that those new companies would probably be likely to use. The domains were then put on sale instantly at around one thousand pounds sterling. I vehemently disagree with that kind of behaviour because it's exploiting a gaping hole in the law right now that doesn't automatically defend a company's trademarks online; if I form a company called XYZ Ltd, then XYZ is a trademark and I should have a right to the domain name that goes with it). The States has laws in place to protect businesses against stuff like this, but alas the UK does not, only a few shaky precedents in law. The other entity was a hosting company. A while back the Crown allowed new company registrations to be published electronically enabling all sorts of people to monitor and use new company registration information. The less than scrupulous types got in on the act very quickly and started to use that information for nefarious purposes including cybersquatting. Other companies though use it for marketing purposes. One such company is the one I slammed in a previous (now removed) post, SwitchMedia, a sister company to SwitchGroup, a low cost US based ISP. Switch are not cybersquatters, but are instead a small ISP. As at 27th December they host 2,181 domains and are the proud owners of 0.0995% of the UK hosting market. For them, electronic new company registration data is a vital marketing tool enabling them to grow in a viciously competitive market. So, why do you care? Well, my original post was made following a letter to my company from Switch. The wording of that latter, especially in the light of just being trumped by a cybersquatter, was quite annoying. In the letter, Switch welcomed me to them, and then went on to say "We are pleased to inform you that your Company registration number as issued by the Registrar of Companies is : xxxxxx". It's easy to see, I think, how this be could be viewed as confusing. In fact, I read it as Switch implying that they had played a part in the formation of my company, and I lashed out. Doh! Homer would be proud. To quote their Technical Director, Chris Evans (I worked with a Chris Evans at Enron, wonder if it's the same one)... "We were the first company to use new incorporation data. We do however fully use it in compliance with the Crown copyright rules, whereas many others do not. Doing business is about being out there. This is just one way in which we are heard" The reason for my knee-jerk reaction at the time is that, as Chris points out, there are a lot of people out there that bend the rules. Everyday companies and people receive letters that actually have invoices attached claiming to have done one thing or another on their behalf, and claiming payment. It seems its impossible these days to form a company without attracting their attention. Cybersquatters register company domains and then demand extortionate fees to give them back (it only costs about ten pounds to set up a domain yourself). Other companies imply that they were put in touch with you through your accountants or other professional contacts, giving of an official air that confuses many. There are steps that can be taken though to defeat these people. When you set about creating a new company, first come up with a name. You can use Companies House Webcheck service to make sure you have a nice unique name, and of course to go through a number of alternatives until you find one that works. With the company name decided, head over to Network Solutions  and check to see whether or not the domain name that matches your proposed company name exists. If it does, you're in luck. Use a domain name registration service like RegisterFly to buy your domain and then get your accountant on the case of getting the company itself formed quick smart. The net result of course is that you'll have your company up and running, with it's correct Internet domain name, and you'll be free to ignore all the nasty types out there in the big wide world. As for SwitchMedia though, while they will register a domain name for you, they actually specialize in hosting packages. In fact, their sister company SwitchGroup has some pretty compelling deals in terms of price (although a 4 gig data transfer limit a month on their entry level package is hardly going to get them competing with the likes of WebHost4Life in the US at least). So, to them I've got to apologize. Now if only they could change their introductory letter to be a little more friendly and "helpful" in tone... ;)   2:04:05 PM    comment [] The detestable lavishness of western society I'm as guilty as the rest of you. I browse shop fronts and websites, eagerly dreaming of acquiring the latest this or that, imagining how it will change my life for the better. I had a discussion with someone only a few days ago about the car I'm getting when my family finally make the move to the States, how powerful it is, how cool it is. Millions of companies, big and small, around the world recently spent billions of pounds on Christmas celebrations, an orgy of drinking and overindulging, paid out willingly to thank staff for making yet more money for their employers. We all also spent hundreds of billions worldwide on trinkets and baubles to please our friends and families on Christmas day. In South East Asia, while we recovered from eating our Christmas lunches, vomiting from overindulgence, and complaining about the amount of Hollywood re-runs on television, 120,000 people died. These weren't pleasant deaths. Drowning is probably one of the most horrific ways a person can die, struggling and scrambling for air, lungs tightening as a feeling of immense panic sets in, the brain mentally screaming out "You are going to die", while frantically trying to coordinate limbs to do something, anything, to survive.  Babies, unable even to walk or talk, were swept away while we engorged ourselves. Other's too young still to speak have been left without families, many of them not even natives of that region and now with very little chance of being reunited with their remaining family members all over the world. Entire towns were levelled. Homes and businesses were snuffed out in an instant. After the massive undersea earthquake which started it all, the waves started moving towards land at a staggering 500 miles per hour. When the first of the swells made landfall they were impressive but not deadly, attracting people out of hotels and homes to watch them and marvel at natures wonder before the big monster tsunamis arrived without warning killing everything in their path. 120,000 people, and the numbers are still rising. That's tens of millions of lives affected by this disaster. This isn't a South East Asian disaster. This is a global disaster. The rotation of the earth was even momentarily affected when the earthquake hit. According to the BBC, citizens of England have already contributed just over 30 million pounds in donations and aid. That's disgusting. That's a pittance. That's a lot less than 1 pound per adult in the country. The aid agencies need our help, and they need it now. Don't sit there reading this thinking "but I'm already overdrawn", or "My credit card is maxed", or "This isn't my problem". Yes it is your problem. If they had hit England, or America we'd all expect help wouldn't we. We'd all expect the aid agencies out there to be equipped and able to cope, that they'd be able to help us start to rebuild our lives. This is our problem.  If you can buy a pack of cigarrettes today, or a pint of beer, or a six pack of coke, or a movie from Blockbuster you can afford to send money to help out in South East Asia. Companies too - cough up some cash (it's tax deductable). My current employer for example is celebrating it's birthday party in late January by taking everyone out to a swanky hotel for a weekend. Wouldn't it be a far far better thing to cancel that and send the cash to those that really, desperately need it. There is no excuse for anyone out there reading this. If you are reading this then there is a very strong chance you can spare something, even if its only a pound. Do it. Help people. Do something for someone else. Stop rolling around in a quagmire of self indulgence and go out and actually do something for the good of humanity for once. That hired movie is not important, nor is the trip to the pub. That pack of cigarettes is not vital to your life. Today is New Years Eve, so tonight most people will go out and eat and drink and be merry. Why not take one less bottle, one less pack of beer and instead do something useful with the money instead. Perhaps you don't feel "moved" enough to do anything. Please go to news.bbc.co.uk and click on the link for Amateur Footage of the Tsunamis. After you've watched every video and seen people actually drowning, heard the screams for help, the sobs from people that have lost loved ones, come back here and tell me you aren't moved by it. Giving is easy, and can be done on the web, or over the phone. Do it. DO IT. If you really really can't do it, but work for a company email your boss. Tell them to how great it would be for the company to do something for the world it operates in. If you work for one of the biggies (Microsoft etc) get them to step up a few million, or more. This is a life or death matter. The American Red Cross International Response Fund Americares South East Asia Relief Fund Direct Relief International International Assistance Fund Médecins Sans Frontiéres International Tsunami Emergency Appeal Oxfam Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Fund Sarvodaya Relief Fund For Tsunami Tragedy. Save The Children Asian Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund UNICEF South East Asia Tsunami Relief Efforts My family and I are not attending New Years celebrations tonight. The money is better spent on this, and it's hard in all good conscious to smile and laugh and be happy while millions upon millions mourn.       12:18:32 PM    comment []

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