Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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If you're a Kiwi taxpayer then you'll be ever so pleased to hear
that the government has fessed up to giving A MILLION DOLLARS of your money
to a domain name speculator.
Yes, that's right -- as good, honest, hard-working NZers die for lack of
radiotherapy thanks to a government that is too stingy to pay international
rates for radiologists, a significant amount of valuable taxpayer funds have
been squandered on the domain name NewZealand.com
Yes, that's right -- as we face yet another winter with the prospect that
the ill and elderly may have to endure life-threatening power cuts, some idiots
in the government's employ have thought it a good idea to waste a small
fortune on securing just 13 letters of the alphabet in cyberspace.
The Aardvark PC-Based Digital
Entertainment Centre Project
Yes, at last, this feature
has been updated again! (31 Mar 2003)
And let's not forget that the $1m they paid a cybersquatter for this name
is over and above the unknown (but probably also very large) amount they
paid lawyers to try and obtain the name through WIPO by devious legal tactics
that were tantamount to fraud (earning the government a strong rebuke).
And this arse-kicking was well deserved -- after all, it wasn't the first time
that the NZ government has played dirty when
trying to "snatch" various domain names from their legally registered
owners.
Not surprisingly, the government has come out in "spin mode" with the Tourism
Minister advising the house that the purchase of newzealand.com was a good
investment.
What colour is the sky in Mr Burton's world I wonder? Don't they have any
need for post-operative radiation treatment for cancer patients in his world?
Do they have unlimited, affordable electricity in his world perhaps?
As if to justify the governments blatant wasting of taxpayer money, Burton
reportedly went on to claim that Korea.com was sold for US$5 million.
Of course Mr Burton is 100 percent correct -- but that sale was made back
in 2000 when lots of silly people paid obscene prices for domain names.
It's now 2003 and the world (even in cyberspace) is a very different place.
Mr Burton also fails to mention that it wasn't the Korean government which
forked out $5 million for korea.com and there's a huge difference between
a company spending its own money and a government spending the money of its
citizens.
But let's look at just how important it is to have yourcountry.com as a domain
name...
Hmmm... it seems that neither the governments of
USA,
Canada,
Britain,
nor even
France
feel the need to register the dot-com version of their country name.
I would strongly suggest that having recently spent squillions on establishing
NZ's branding on the Net as "100% Pure New Zealand" and the domain name
PureNZ.com, the case for securing
newzealand.com for $1m was questionable at best.
And what about patriotism?
Why have a million dollars of NZ taxpayer funds been sent offshore to line the
pockets of some cybersquatter when no "offer that can't be refused" has been
made for the obvious (and more patriotic) domain
NewZealand.co.nz?
If the government ie really worried about protecting our image in cyberspace
then what are they going to do about the title of the page at
www.tourism.co.nz?
That must make a nice impression on would-be visitors trawling page-titles
on a search engine's listing.
And let's face it -- the vast majority of people looking for information
on the Net go straight to a search engine -- and Google is the most popular
one. So what do you get when you search for
New Zealand
on Google?
Yes, that's right -- the NZ Government already has prime position (actually securing
1st-place and 4 of the top 6 spots) with its
Govt.nz site. Why do we
need to spend $1 million for second when you already have first??
As someone intimately involved in online marketing I have to admit that
having the right domain name is a factor in promoting yourself on the web --
but it's nowhere near as important as it once was. In the case of NewZealand.com
I would strongly argue that there was no justification for spending $1m
of taxpayer's money to line a cybersquatter's pockets.
I also doubt that having a "cool Internet address" is worth sacrificing
the lives of sick cancer patients or neglecting key infrastructure services
such as power and roading.
In short, the purchase of NewZealand.com for $1m was the equivalent of a
beneficiary spending $400 on a personalised number plate when that money
ought to have gone on paying the doctor's bill and the power account.
It's sad to see the government setting such a poor example for NZ's less
privileged masses to follow.
Postscript
I guess we should be thankful for small mercies, as a trawl of the Aardvark
Archives reveals that NewZealand.com was on the market for
a whole lot more
a few years back.
And of course if any Aardvark readers have an opinion on today's column or
want to add something you're also invited to chip in and
have your say.
Yes, You Can Donate
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publication of Aardvark, the bills still exceed the income by a fairly
significant amount. It is with this in mind therefore that I'm once
again soliciting donations from anyone who feels they're getting some
value from this daily column and news index. I've gone the PayPal
way of accepting donations because the time involved in processing a bunch
of little credit-card billings sometimes exceeds the monetary value they
represent. Just click on the button to donate whatever you can afford.
NOTE: PayPal bills in US dollars so don't accidentally donate twice
what you were intending :-)
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