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<mailto:ua-discuss-bounces@icann.org>> On Behalf Of Ashish Modi Sent: Thursday, 9 August 2018 10:10 PM To: ua-discuss@icann.org<mailto:ua-discuss@icann.org>; ua-eai@icann.org<mailto: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 [XGENFOOTER] [-XGENFOOTER] Do not Remove: [HID]20180809153926965[-HID] [http://mail.xgenplus.com/XGenPlusMessageID:15338093661849442-#RCPT#.jpg][http://dlr.tbms.in:8077/XET8715:201808.jpg]

Hi Edmon. I could not resist to pick you on this sentence: 2. ... unless your native language is english you will talk to your phone in your own native language. so, I wonder, if your native language is english, in what language would you talk to your phone? 😜🤡 Cheers, R.

Alas, it cannot be used for IDNA or EAI or indeed any other Internet standard identifier, because Klingon is not a part of Unicode. A On Fri, Aug 10, 2018 at 04:11:15PM +0000, Mark Svancarek (CELA) via UA-discuss wrote:

Klingon

From: Roberto Gaetano <roberto_gaetano@hotmail.com> Sent: Friday, August 10, 2018 01:45 To: Edmon <edmon@dot.asia> Cc: Mark Svancarek (CELA) <marksv@microsoft.com>; Universal Acceptance <ua-discuss@icann.org>; Don Hollander <don@i2.org.nz>; Ashish Modi <ashishmodi@xgenplus.com>; ua-eai@icann.org Subject: Re: [UA-discuss] Why should a company adopt IDN

Hi Edmon.

I could not resist to pick you on this sentence:

2. ... unless your native language is english you will talk to your phone in your own native language.

so, I wonder, if your native language is english, in what language would you talk to your phone?

😜🤡

Cheers,

R.

-- Andrew Sullivan ajs@anvilwalrusden.com

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 +1.206-355-0230 tel +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

[XGENFOOTER]

[-XGENFOOTER]

Do not Remove: [HID]20180809153926965[-HID]

Might be worth sending a link to our video, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REDeEhvHwsU Gwen Carlson Senior Director, GDD Communications Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers Telephone: +1 310 578 8653 Mobile: +1 619 322 3188 Website URL: www.icann.org From: UA-discuss <ua-discuss-bounces@icann.org> On Behalf Of Tex Sent: Friday, August 10, 2018 9:48 PM To: 'Ashish Modi' <ashishmodi@xgenplus.com>; ua-discuss@icann.org; ua-eai@icann.org Subject: Re: [UA-discuss] Why should a company adopt IDN Promotion of IDN and EAI, like I18n and L10n, should be targeted to the audience. The arguments that appeal to a CEO can differ from the arguments that motivate marketers, developers, etc. (Sometimes they overlap.) The appeal also depends on the stage of globalization maturity that the company is at. I would start by asking: * What experience do they have with i18n/l10n? If they do, which markets or languages do they already localize to? * Do they have global clients or partners pushing them to be more global, prospective clients in a new market, or are they just at the tire kicking stage? * Is the CEO asking for personal interest or do they need help motivating his/her organization or perhaps his/her board? The list of responses that people supplied is good. I especially liked the speed dial analogy. To be effective, there should also be a list of counter-arguments, and responses to those. (Typically, cost, English is the language of business, etc.) If I have time I will create a list, but I can’t in the near term. My list of the positive arguments is the following. (Many but not all were represented in the others’ responses.) Partners, Suppliers, Resellers, etc. If you have global clients, partners, or affiliates they will require you to support EAI or move to a competitor that will. Cost If the company is already internationalizing and localizing, being UA-ready is a fundamental I18n requirement that should be included in product planning. * It isn’t difficult or a significant burden over other I18n requirements. * Delaying implementing EAI increases the cost of its eventual implementation as it could mean rewriting or re-architecting code that is in development now. * Delaying implementation increases technical debt that will need to be resolved at some point. Even if the company is not internationalizing its applications, EAI is a fundamental requirement. Users may have EAI email addresses when they communicate with you. Brand Reputation CEOs respond to opportunity and risk, often two sides of the same coin. Improving and protecting brand reputation is an example. Supporting native language in IDN demonstrates commitment to local markets, quality, good customer support. Lack of support puts the brand at risk of being perceived as poor quality, hard to use, insensitive to local needs. Market Opportunity CEOs are sensitive to financial and market opportunities. However, although native language support is an important factor to capturing a market, there are also many other factors that have to be resolved simultaneously. (For example, having native language speakers in customer support and call centers, native language marketing, social media, etc.) Therefore many of the arguments about market size and opportunity are not as compelling as most people think, until they are made specific to the industry and demographics of the company’s particular product space. It is worth providing the market opportunity data, but it will be taken with a large grain of salt if it isn’t product specific and compared against competitors, etc. Competition Local competitors or other global competitors can leverage their support for EAI and native languages to take away market share. That is a cogent threat. User Experience, Customer Satisfaction and Retention Users may have pride or feel their status is elevated by having a native language and personalized email address or IDN. Employees may also take pride in an IDN for their company. EAI offers ease of use including entry (typing, handwriting recognition, voice), visual and voice recognition, memory recall, and easier site navigation. Also EAI/IDN makes it easier for users to communicate or transfer IDN to each other, since they can speak them or write them out on paper, etc. Marketing EAI may improve SEO. An IDN reinforces and protects the localized company and product names. An IDN may make it easier for users to recognize phishing or other malicious variants of the company domain name. Registering IDNs can prevent others from infringing on your rights to the domain or using it to hurt your brand or trademark or hurt your SEO. As with other features of I18n, supporting EAI enables more than one language. So, initially you may be interested in one market, but you automatically get the benefit of access to other markets. Often, supporting EAI improves revenue in existing markets, as other language speakers within the market increase their business with you.