[Air-l] DomainsR'Us (was: Re: origin of the species)

[JASON NOLAN]

>Message: 3
>Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 15:34:19 -0500
>From: Barry Wellman <wellman at chass.utoronto.ca>
>To: aoir list <air-l at aoir.org>
>Subject: [Air-l] origin of the species
>Reply-To: air-l at aoir.org
>
>Can't one safely assume that an e-address ending in .edu is an American
>address? (I've never seen one that I know originated elsewhere.) If so,
>then whoever is doing the counts, can simply add the .edu to other US
>signifiers.
>
>  Barry, the .ca (which ain't California).

Not quite... www.toronto.edu maps to www.utoronto.ca.
My email address is jason.nolan at utoronto.ca which, depending on the 
gods, is also jason.nolan at toronto.edu. .edu is no different than .com 
.net or .org. They're all somewhat diasporic domains, I guess.
Anyone can have them. .mil on the other hand...

Another point worth mentioning is that just because someone does not 
use an amerocentric domain name doesn't mean that they're not 
american. My friend, an American living in France 
(http://sarahsmiles.tk/) just registered a domain in Tokelau 
(http://my.dot.tk/index.html). And there was a movement to get access 
to the .eh (Western Sahara I think), by a group of Canadians because 
of how many of us end our sentences, eh?

You can essentialize the Internet suffix too quickly. Domain names 
have their own problems and stories. For example, for me to register 
a .com/.net/.org domain costs $23.15 (CND) versus almost $50 to 
register a .ca domain. And nothing at all to register a .tk domain. 
Even worse, if I want a top level domain such as my 
achieve.utoronto.ca, I now have to have political clout within the 
institution. And then there's been this marketing of county's 
domains, such as .tv .to and .tk as commodities. This is very cool, 
and worthy of study, especially if someone includes the stories of 
the whos and hows by which these names were given out in the first 
place.

Just a thought or three.


-- 
Jason Nolan PhD   
Scholar in Residence,
Knowledge Media Design Institute
University of Toronto
http://achieve.utoronto.ca/jason/
(416)978-5656/3884f
ICQ: 6238593