I'm nominating for the auDA board this year

[snoopy]

Sounds like Dntrade needs a 3rd candidate Ned. Not sure how the voting will work, maybe people will get 3 demand votes instead of 2.

 

[neddy]

Shane, the good news is that there should be three vacancies for Demand Class Directors at this years election.

Shane, I'm wrong about this. I've just had a read of the auDA Constitution, and this is what it says about "Casual Vacancies":

19.7 Casual Vacancies
a. Subject to clauses 15.3 and 19.1, any vacancy occurring in the Board whether by death, resignation or otherwise shall be filled within three (3) calendar months of the vacancy occurring (or such longer period as the Board may otherwise resolve) by the remaining Directors. The natural person filling the vacancy will be appointed for the remainder of the term of office of the Director who created the vacancy.
b. All such appointments shall be made by instrument executed by all of the surviving or continuing Board.
c. The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but should the number of Directors fall below the minimum number fixed in accordance with this Constitution the Directors may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to the minimum of summoning a general meeting of auDA or in emergencies but for no other purpose.​

This could mean that you might even be invited to fill Miguel's position. Send Stuart Benjamin an email expressing your interest!

 

[findtim]

yes shane, jump at it before they waste the space with "a mate"
tim

 

[DomainNames]

Nominations don’t open until much later in the year, but given the recent interest in auDA issues I've decided to make my announcement earlier than planned.

I will be running for a seat on the auDA board this year.

I feel that the board has been without a director who genuinely represents small business and domain investors, and who engages with the community on a regular basis.

The board has instead been dominated by people from within the domain name industry, as well as people who may not necessarily have the regular SME owner’s best interests at heart.

It makes sense that the board would be made up primarily of people from within the domain industry, however given the way that pending changes in the AU domain space will affect all SME owners and domain name investors, it is my intention to be their voice on the board.

I believe I fill a rather unique gap between genuine end-users of premium domain names, and pure domainers.

But before I get into my background, I think it’s important to begin with where I stand:

1. Direct registrations

I'm on record as having said I supported the idea of shorter domain names, in the form of direct registrations.

What I don’t support is any form of implementation that damages existing com.au domain holders and their investments in branding, trademarks and indeed the domains themselves.

It is my firm belief that all existing com.au domain holders should be issued the .au version of their domain without the risk of losing it to any other party.

Australian business owners and domain name investors have invested vast amounts of money into com.au registrations, both as new registration and aftermarket purchases.

There should never be a situation where direct registrations jeopardise these investments.

If there is a risk that existing holders could be damaged, then any plans for direct registrations must be shelved.

2. Engagement with registrants

I believe auDA needs to seriously increase its level of engagement with existing registrants.

The vast majority of end-users, in particular SME owners, have no idea about what is happening in the Australian domain name space.

Whilst their domain name might represent a very small priority within their business, they should still be fully informed about any possible changes affecting their domain name or names.

Direct registrations are a major example of where many people believe engagement with everyday domain owners was poor, and who knows what other changes will come in future that need to be far better communicated.

3. Evening up the balance

Small business owners, and large businesses for that matter, are the major users of domain names in Australia, however they have very little representation on the auDA board.

Whilst some past and present board members may have been SME owners, I do not feel that they were on the board as a genuine representative of SMEs.

My background in small business and domain names

The business I founded six years ago, insurance brokerage Trade Risk, has used premium domain names in order to grow into a multi-award winning national business.

I know first-hand that without investing in premium Australian domain names that I could not have achieved the same success.

I am also the founder of Nuts.com.au, which is a fast growing online food retailer, as well as the owner of NumberPlates.com.au which is a leader in its category.

What my businesses have in common is the use of premium Australian domain names.

I have invested strongly in these and many other names, and I am very aware of their value as business assets.

I have a lot to lose if the implementation of direct registrations is handled poorly, as do many other SMEs and domain investors.

Unlike the vast majority of end-users I've also been a part of the domainer community for many years.

I registered my first .com domain in 1999 and my first com.au in 2003.

I have been a member of Australia’s leading domain name forum, DNtrade, since 2010 and have been a constant contributor throughout that time.

Corporate Experience

Whilst I haven’t sat on previous committees or boards, I do have a strong background in the corporate world prior to moving into small business.

Prior to founding my own business in 2010 I was employed as a Compliance Analyst for a subsidiary of the ANZ Banking Group.

I've also held compliance and project management related roles with corporates including Suncorp Bank, the National Australia Bank and other smaller financial institutions.

In my current primary role I am the principal of my own insurance brokerage. With insurance being a very heavily regulated industry, I am required to uphold very high standards in terms of compliance.

So why vote for me?

I feel very strongly that SME owners have been completely left in the cold when it comes to direct registrations.

I also believe that domain name investors (who are also SME owners) have been completely under-represented on the auDA board for many years.

Some past and present auDA directors seek support from the domain investor community around election time, however once the election has been run we rarely hear from them for another year.

I have been a strong contributor to the domain name investing community in Australia for a number of years, and also a strong advocate for small businesses using premium domain names.

It is my intention to finally give SME owners and domain name investors a genuine seat at the table so that we can have some well-deserved influence over policies which can and will affect our livelihoods.

Even if we cannot win a seat on the board, at the very least we can send auDA and the current directors the message that we are prepared to act together for our own interests - just as many of them have been doing for years.

Keep us updated please.

 

[Shane]

Wow some interesting developments there...

 

[findtim]

given you have already stated your intensions and ,other then me, the only 1 to have it seems logical to appoint you.

tim
ps: i don't intend to complicate matters by contacting stuart, not that it would imo

 

[neddy]

As they say in the Scouts; be prepared. My "educated guess" is that the AGM is going to be announced very soon; and it will probably be held in the last week of November.

The two current Demand Directors will no doubt be standing again, so the fact is, anyone who intends standing against them needs to be organised; and think smart. Why? Because they will be.

Some successful candidates in the past have even had their own "election website" that they referred people to.

Time to get thinking caps on. Proxies are going to be crucial.

 

[findtim]

Time to get thinking caps on. Proxies are going to be crucial.

they sure will be, unlike the present board members who already have a email list of member albiet from last year they are ahead of that game.
i've found it relatively uninteresting talking about the election, more frustrated than anything, July board minutes item 6 says it all ( see neds article "snippets" on domainer for more info)

i've spent most this time sorting business out so i can have some spare time to dedicate to the election, whilst thinking of the best ways to promote myself, a website was on my list.

once it is announced and nominees can get the full list of members then the show will start i suspect

tim

 

[neddy]

Canada (CIRA) is going through their Board elections at the moment. Interesting to see how enlightened they are when it comes to engagement with their stakeholders. Whole process is done online as well!

Wrote about it on Domainer today.

 

[Shane]

they sure will be, unlike the present board members who already have a email list of member albiet from last year they are ahead of that game.
i've found it relatively uninteresting talking about the election, more frustrated than anything, July board minutes item 6 says it all ( see neds article "snippets" on domainer for more info)

i've spent most this time sorting business out so i can have some spare time to dedicate to the election, whilst thinking of the best ways to promote myself, a website was on my list.

once it is announced and nominees can get the full list of members then the show will start i suspect

tim

I couldn't agree more Tim.

The point about the existing directors having an advantage with an earlier email list is an interesting one. You'd have to extend that to all previous candidates too, as they would also have a list.

We just have to fight the good fight and know we are doing the right thing by the wider domain name community, by which I mean the people and businesses who own and use domains - not just the ones making money on registrations.

 

[eBranding.com.au]

I couldn't agree more Tim.

The point about the existing directors having an advantage with an earlier email list is an interesting one. You'd have to extend that to all previous candidates too, as they would also have a list.

We just have to fight the good fight and know we are doing the right thing by the wider domain name community, by which I mean the people and businesses who own and use domains - not just the ones making money on registrations.

You could also just ask auDA for the current member list (contacts details); on the basis that you're nominating and you wish to inform members of your credentials for the role.

It seems only fair that all candidates should have the opportunity to engage with members.

 

[findtim]

You could also just ask auDA for the current member list

i already have done that when i first announced myself as a nominee, ( i don't remember exactly how it happened/ i think i posted it) auda at first passed me around a few people, 1 each day as i rang back, them telling me "i passed that onto..." , once i got a "yes you'll have it shortly" but the next day i contacted to tell me the members list is not available until nominees are opne and demand class only get demand and supply only get supply !

tim

 

[neddy]

With the auDA elections imminent, I wanted to give potential candidates an opportunity on Domainer to ask for your vote!

First cab off the rank is Shane Moore - he did an article back in May, but it's time for an update. Imho, Shane will make an excellent Demand Class Director.

If any other prospective candidates want the same opportunity, please email me.

 

[neddy]

Was watching the livestream from auDA's auIGF being held in Melbourne today. Chairman Stuart Benjamin announced two new Director appointments - including replacement for Demand Class Director Miguel Wood.

So Shane, you're going to have to do this the hard way! And believe you me, you have lots of support.

I also watched speech of new CEO of auDA - have to say I was encouraged.

Full story on Domainer today.

 

[Bacon Farmer]

More libs?

 

[Shane]

The race is certainly on now...

We have some competition from one existing director and some newcomers, so it's absolutely vital that all eligible members use their two votes wisely.

If you choose to vote for me, I'd greatly appreciate you signing and returning the proxy form linked to below:

http://shanemoore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2016-proxy-form-sm.pdf

You can email it to sm@traderisk.com.au

If you have any questions before voting you can post them here or email me. I'm also happy to provide my mobile number if you'd like a chat.

Cheers.

 

[findtim]

And ditto for me
http://whitecollarwebsites.com.au/2016-proxy-form-tim.pdf
please sign and email to tim@whitecollarwebsites.com.au , i'll be in sydney at the agm with shane and shane will be on every proxy i receive.

thank you everyone, it feels like we are packing to go on safari LOL,
tim