Using Community Geographic Domain Names for Community Websites

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Using Community Geographic Domain Names for
Community Websites Leonie Parkinson General
Manager
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Who are .au Community Domains (auCD)?

• Not-for-profit organisation established by the
  Australian Domain Name Administrator (auDA)
• To facilitate the development of Community
  Geographic Domain Names (CGDNs)

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About CGDNs

• There are now geographical community website
  addresses available for licensing one for every
  suburb and town in Australia (except capital
  cities)
• CGDNs available are addressable locality within
  an Australian state or territory, as defined by
  the Committee for Geographical Names in
  Australasia (CGNA) John Tulloch member and
  Director of auCD
• They are easy to remember locality based website
  addresses by combining your town/suburb name with
  your state/territory and country code, for
  example
• www.warnambool.vic.au, www.wyndham.wa.au,
• www.bathurst.nsw.au

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What can the CGDN licence be used for?

• Solely for the purpose of operating a community
  website developed for the benefit of the entire
  local community and content and functionality of
  the website should include but not be limited to
• - Community events
• - Community directory
• - Business Directory
• - General information about the community
• - Local news
• - Community feedback facility
• You can issue virtual addressing, ie. issue
  personal/organisational/club community geographic
  email addresses eg. johnsmith_at_warnambool.vic.au,
• tennisclub_at_portland.vic.au,
  generalstore_at_koroit.vic.au

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Who is eligible to license a CGDN?

• Legally registered not for profit organisation or
  a special committee of local council that broadly
  represent their community
• Individuals, commercial entities and government
  bodies are not eligible
• No restriction on the number of domain names
  provided meet eligibility criteria for each

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Benefits of CGDN Community Websites

• CGDNs provide communities opportunity to pull
  together a variety of resources to a single
  unique location on-line
• Allows businesses and community organisations who
  cant afford their own website a web presence

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Benefits of CGDN Community Websites

• Easiest way for your community to be found on the
  internet through the website address itself
• Utilise this communication tool to springboard
  initiatives and engage the community (eg.
  Community Fire Plan, Best practice water, sharing
  resources, IT up-skilling)
• Provides a community of communities that can
  share experiences/resources and the ability to
  communicate with each other

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Local Council involvement

• Local councils not eligible, however
• Councils are encouraged to be involved in
  developing this local public asset through
  membership of the applicant entity
• To date, councils
• 35 are a member of applicant organisation
• 46 have provided some sort of support
• 25 have provided financial support

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www.huntershill.nsw.au
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• "the benefits for the community, its local groups
  and
• businesses have been tremendous.  The website
  affords
• a very high search engine resulting in local
  businesses
• being found very quickly, the calendar of events
  allows
• community groups to better organise their events
  as
• they can see what else is happening throughout
  the
• year and the residents and visitors to the area
  have a
• one-stop shop for everything they need to know
  about
• Hunters Hill."
• - Deb Anschau on behalf of Discover Hunters Hill

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www.avoca.vic.au
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• "We hope to be able to use the website to
  promote sustainable economic growth in tourism,
  retail and industrial development. Greater
  community awareness and promotion of events and
  activities is now available at the click of a
  button. We can keep people in touch with people,
  plus our geographical location is now accessible
  to the world."
• - Marg Pilgrim, Avoca Business and Tourism Inc.

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www.koonwarra.vic.au
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• Gippsland was under threat of massive fires
• late 2006/early 2007 - the community resolved
• to develop a community fire plan from their
• local community website
• www.koonwarra.vic.au.
• further demonstrating that the
• www.koonwarra.vic.au site is a valuable
• community resource, and a trusted local
• voice. Helen Guy representative of the
  Koonwarra Sustainable Communities Centre

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www.korumburra.vic.au
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• Korumburras community website is the first
• CGDN to be fully developed by the local Year 9
• students and was part of the school
• curriculum.
• The philosophy of the local website is to be as
  inclusive as possible and to offer either free or
  very cheap access to a website for those who want
  to have a web presence.
• Jennifer Young, Korumburra Community Development
  and Action Inc.

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ROLE OF auCD

• To assess CGDN applications for compliance with
  the policy rules and guidelines
• To provide support services to help local
  communities register their CGDN and create and
  maintain their community website

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Support Services provided at no cost include

• A forum for communities to share their
  experiences and develop best practice
• Promotion of their community website and any
  ongoing initiatives via the media, auCD website
  and e-newsletters to the community of auCD
  subscribers
• Workshops in your locality
• On-line How to Kit
• Free licensing of Community Site in a Box until
  31/12/09

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On-line How to Kit includes

• Forming a Community Website Group
• Forming a not-for-profit organisation
• Sourcing Funding
• Website development
• Community consultation
• Launch and Marketing
• Sustainability

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What does a CGDN licence cost?

• A 2 year licence fee will cost between 164
  and 198 (inc GST) depending on which registrar
  you choose after your licence application is
  approved by auCD

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What other costs are there to consider?

• Website development
• Website hosting
• Management of website

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Website DevelopmentCommunity Site in a
BoxFree until 31st December, 2009

• Create your own styles
• Functions such as news, events, contact us,
  search, directories and site map note unlimited
  content size
• Ability to issue unlimited individual geographic
  local email addresses to your community via the
  website
• Directories that are re-nameable and integrated
  business directory that is powered by Sensis
  Yellow Online
• Statistics on web use and allowance for sponsor
  ads
• Hosting and unlimited size of website
• Help/support
• Create users with different levels of roles
  author, administrator, editor

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Website development

• Refer to resources on auCD website eg
• - Picture Australia ourtown
• - Discount IT for not for profits
• - Tourism Australia resources
• - Free Sensis online integration yellow,
  whereis maps
• - Forum to share experiences ask questions

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Leonie Parkinson General Manager .au Community
Domains www.aucd.org.au (03) 9863
8577 leonie.parkinson_at_aucd.org.au