This was a good discussion starter, Ashish.

Domain names and DNS are so powerful and amazing as a technology, and we all take for granted that they just work.    

I use a method of describing the benefits of IDN by taking a high level position about what domain names are.  I break it down to an analogy concept of "speed dial". Most everyone has a phone, regardless of their Internet experience, aptitude or skill level.  Yes this ignores many many other benefits domains bring, but we mention those after the person arrives at their moment of enlightenment about the core 'why'.

If we think about the abstract of a domain as a shortcut, that shortcut more valuable if it is more familiar. 

Most humans have challenges remembering phone numbers, and IP addresses are even more complex.  Humans use speed dial on their phones and keep contacts so that they don't have to dial all the numbers.  For Internet use, someone would have challenges to remember an IP address easily for an email, web, or other address to connect or access stuff.  This was true of IPv4 and is even more true with IPv6.  Domain names are like speed dial for accessing and connecting on the Internet.  

Domain names make it possible for humans to reach each other and resources by using something familiar and easy to remember.  Humans have a variety of languages and alphabets that are familiar to them, and domain names do too.  IDN unlocks an increased familiarity and affinity for humans.

This is the 'aha' moment that folks typically 'get it'.   I then explain that domain names do more than "speed dial", that there is load balancing, content distribution networks, resilience and stability benefits, how DNS is robust and distributed, etc.

I hope any of this is helpful.  It works well for me with talking about IDN with a diversity of age, language, and skill levels.

-Jothan



Jothan Frakes
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+1.206-201-6881 fax


On Thu, Aug 9, 2018 at 11:55 AM Mark Svancarek (CELA) via UA-discuss <ua-discuss@icann.org> wrote:

I’d ask your CEO friend which languages and scripts his target demographic prefers.  In the Russia example below, Cyrillic was greatly preferred.

 

At Microsoft everyone I know speaks and reads English, no matter where on Earth they are from, and many of their families back “in the old country” are ASCII-capable too.  They have trouble conceiving how unusual they actually are; your CEO friend might be having a similar dissonance.  And “ASCII-capable” doesn’t mean ASCII-loving; I can read Katakana but if you are marketing to me you’d best use ASCII.

 

From: UA-discuss <ua-discuss-bounces@icann.org> On Behalf Of Don Hollander
Sent: Thursday, August 9, 2018 03:45
To: 'Ashish Modi' <ashishmodi@xgenplus.com>; ua-discuss@icann.org; ua-eai@icann.org
Subject: Re: [UA-discuss] Why should a company adopt IDN

 

In Russia, the IDN’s have been adopted for visual marketing.  They’ve done some measurement that suggests it takes just 2 second for someone to recognise and remember a Cyrillic domain name, but considerably longer to remember an ASCII address.

 

Many companies in Russia started out using their IDNs for this purpose, and then redirecting users to their ASCII website.   Since then some have started native Cyrillic web sites.

 

Don

 

From: UA-discuss <ua-discuss-bounces@icann.org> On Behalf Of Ashish Modi
Sent: Thursday, 9 August 2018 10:10 PM
To: ua-discuss@icann.org; ua-eai@icann.org
Subject: [UA-discuss] Why should a company adopt IDN

 

Dear UASG Team,

A CEO of one of the largest Company of India is asking me to give him three compelling reason on "Why Should he Adopt IDNs" while it create difficulties in marketing, communicating, handling and promoting different domains to his clients. 

I have made probable answers to this, let me know if you wanna add some points to it.

A) Adopting IDNs will open the door to an extra US$10 Billion Economic Activity by capturing the large size of market who doesn`t know English in India (which he would not like to miss)
B) Deliver a better User Experience (UX), resulting in better customer satisfaction and retention
C) Increase in Indian Languages on Internet is the proof that future is Vernacular and you need to be UA ready in order to accept communication from your clients who are sending emails using IDNs.  

Look forward for your views on this.

Regards,
Ashish

 


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