As of 00:00 UTC today – 4 days after the launch of the Fast Track Process we have new requests coming in.

The total number is 10 requests. They spread over 5 different languages.

Details about the process is at: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/

Please keep asking questions. Is there is anything we can explain better? The FAQ will be updated shortly to include everything you ask here as well.

The launch went smoothly. We have since monitored the system and everything is working.

As of 10pm Pacific time (15 November 2009) we have received:

- 6 requests from countries/territories
- representing 3 different languages

Following the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Final Implementation Plan, no additional details will be reported by ICANN – that is, until requests has been successfully processed.

That said, we will be providing additional stats (as the above) updates in regular time intervals.

No countries or territories has reported problems using the system, at this time.

All details for participants and access to the system is available directly from http://www.icann.org or directly at: http://icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/

Inquiries for the system are to be submitted to idncctldrequest@icann.org

A quick note to participants:

When uploading supporting material, please note that each file must be limited to 10MB. If you have larger files, please indicate that in the text box provided, and send the files to idncctldrequest@icann.org We will try to find a better solution to this soon.

We are very much looking forward to receiving additional requests and processing everything, to make IDN ccTLDs a reality for Internet users around the world!

Instead I have decided to post the letter below. Samira is a real person She is a little girl from a village in a developing country. She has one thing in common with many others – she has no access to the Internet (they do have radio). But while her Internet problems start at a different place than IDNs, I am confident that IDNs at some point soon will make it easier for her to learn about the Internet and also make it easier for her to use it. Samira will have to wait for the postal delivery of this letter – but then there is nothing like getting that kind of mail too

Other than that I just like to say that I hope the Fast Track launch goes smoothly, and that it will work favorable for all participants. But most of all I hope that we with this launch will treat IDNs carefully and with the respect it deserves, and that we will continue to work together across time-zones and cultures, because afterall, what is the Internet if it does not work well for many years and users to come.

————————————-
Dear Samira,
Tomorrow is BIG BIG day for many people around the world and I decided to share it with you.

I know you have not seen the Internet yet, but as you grow up and you do, maybe you will recall this letter and an exciting time. What is the Internet? Well, it’s like this big box of information, pictures, games – you can read and also write about anything you like. it could be about peasants, your favorite food, toy, and you know what? You can even listen to the radio on the Internet. Only your imagination sets a limit for the Internet. Have you ever looked under water? It’s like an entire new world down there, so different than on land. The Internet is kind of like that – a different world – only bigger and it has information about under-water and land in it….anything you can imagine

And every page on this Internet has an address. You know, just like you know how to explain where you live. It is made that way so that I can tell you an address and you can then go to that address and read my letter to you, or look at a picture I placed there for you to see. All these addresses have only been able to be written in the Roman alphabet….yes sounds a little weird, but that is just all those letters you see me write here.

Guess what happens tomorrow? Countries around the world – your country too – will be able to get a new address on the Internet. The most exciting thing is that this new address can be in almost any letters you like. So you can use your own language for an address for you. Then your friends and family can use that address and see what you are putting on the Internet. So it will be easier for you and everyone you know to remember that address. I think you will be excited when you see how it works.

I know that even though you already know more than one language, you are soon going to begin learning English. English is the language I used to write this letter to you. Languages are so exciting and they change all the time. Sometimes it can be hard to keep up with, but I will tell you more about it in my next letter. Learning another language is amazing and it will help you communicate with people around the world. I have made so many friends around the world who all have helped make the Internet change the way I tried to describe to you. They have all taught me something important about life that I will never forget. But it would not have worked if we did not speak a little bit of the same language. So I really hope that you will be enjoying learning a new language.

You know how you can write your language both by using the Roman alphabet, and also the Arabic one? Well, this Internet change is almost the same thing – now these addresses can be in either alphabet too! And the coolest thing about it is that there is only one to decide which alphabet to use, and that it YOU! It is your choice for you and you alone!

But please keep that in mind when you start using the Internet. Let me know when that is and I will help you get your own address to a place on the Internet, in your language. But remember that I am not able to read or write your language (although I wish) so it may be a little bit difficult for me in the beginning and I will need your help.

With the very best wishes to you and many many others in the next generation of Internet users. I know I am together with many people around the world when I say that I can’t wait to see what you will use it for and how you will change it over time too….

Of 1,120 total attendees (excluding staff and Board), we emailed 540 of them using the information they had provided on registration and received 110 responses – a healthy response rate of 20.4 percent.

All responses were from you the community (i.e. no staff or Board responses) and the results are below (these results are also published on the Seoul meeting site at http://sel.icann.org/survey.):

Quick analysis: The results are surprisingly good. There isn’t a single question where a significant majority of people weren’t positive in their response. Obviously there is always room for improvement – two meetings after we introduced the document deadline, it seems there are still large sections of the community that are not entirely happy – we will have to look into why and what we can do about it.

In terms of what happens at meetings, the least important event according to you was the Board meeting – but even then a majority of people felt it was very important or important.

And there was a very positive response to the lively opening ceremony – in which not only traditional Korean drummers but also a young guitarist made famous by a YouTube video played. And ICANN’s new CEO is off to a positive start at his first ICANN meeting.

Combined with an extremely favourable review of the overall meeting and the facilities it offered, it seems as though we are clearly doing something right at meetings. Something that we intend to not only maintain but to improve.

Here is a quick rundown of ICANN-related events and information for participating both in person and remotely.

Open Forum

There are two main sessions from the ICANN perspective. On Sunday 15 November, at 9.30 to 11.00am local time in Room 1 (Sinai), ICANN will be running an open forum that will cover the organization’s latest developments, including the new Affirmation of Commitments, the recently approved “fast track” for IDN Internet extensions, the new generic top-level domain process, and other topics.

If you not attending the conference in person, the session will be audiocast and you will be able to send in interventions via email and through a chat function on the IGF site.

Critical Internet Resources

Then, on Monday 16 November, there will be a main session on Managing Critical Internet Resources in the main room from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

This event will be webcast and, again, you will be able to send in questions via email and through chatrooms.

Participating Remotely

Links to the webcasts, audiocasts and chatrooms will be posted on the IGF’s webpage at http://www.intgovforum.org.

There are also a number of “remote hubs” around the world that comprise local meetings where participants are able not only to watch the webcast of the IGF but also to interact with the meeting.

Those participating will also be able to discuss the themes covered by the IGF from a local perspective with others from their own region. The Forum serves as a stimulus or a starting point for the debate of local issues and implications and for the development of a network of interested people in every region.

For more information go to: http://www.igfremote.com/

Other sessions

Apart from those two main sessions, there are a range of other sessions that may be of interest to ICANN community members. These include:

Monday 14.00-15.30 (Room 2, Red Sea): Best practices in ccTLD Policy and Operations management Resources

Monday 14.30-16.00 (Room 3, Suez Canal): Managing Internet Addresses: Global and regional viewpoint

Tuesday 11.00-12.30 (Room 2, Red Sea): Domain Name Use: Theft, Threats & Solutions

Tuesday 14.30-17.30 (Room 4, Nile Valley): Securing Cyberspace: Strategy for the Future

Tuesday 15.00-18.00 (Main room): Internet Governance in the light of WSIS Principles

Wednesday 9.00-12.30 (Room 3, Suez Canal):Code of good practice on participation, access to information and transparency in Internet governance

Wednesday 14.00-15.30 (Room 4, Nile Valley): Arabic Script IDNs: Challenges and Solution

Full schedule

You can view the full IGF meeting schedule online at: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2009/sharm_el_Sheikh/WorkshopSchedule.html

في ختام اجتماع الآيكان في مدينة سيول بكوريا الجنوبية الأسبوع الماضي وتحديداً يوم الجمعة ٣٠ أكتوبر ٢٠٠٩، وافق مجلس إدارة الآيكان على الخطة التنفيذية لتطبيق أسماء النطاقات الدولية من خلال ما يعرف بعملية المسار السريع لأسماء نطاقات المستوى الأعلى لرموز الدول. وهذا القرار يعني ببساطة أن الدول التي لغاتها الرسمية لغات غير الإنجليزية، أو تحديداً لغات لا تعتمد على الأحرف الاتينية (الألمانية والسويدية وغيرها)، سيكون بإمكان هذه الدول الحصول على نطاقات عليا تمثل أسمائها بلغاتها المحلية. فعلى سبيل المثال سيكون لدول كالصين والهند والدول العربية وغيرها أسماء نطاقات بلغاتها الرسمية. ونص القرار على أن تبدأ الآيكان في تلقي طلبات من الدول التي ترغب في الحصول على نطاقتها العليا بدءاً من يوم ١٦ نوفمبر ٢٠٠٩

وخلال الأسبوعين الماضيين تلقيت العديد من الأسئلة بخصوص هذا الموضوع ماذا يعني وما هو أثره على الإنترنت بشكل عام وعلى استخدام الإنترنت في العالم العربي بشكل خاص. وسأقوم هنا بمحاولة الرد على هذه الأسئلة بشكل موجز ومن خلال النقاط التالية:

١- موضوع أسماء النطاقات الدولية ليس بجديد، فتسجيل أسماء نطاقات بلغات مختلفة على المستوى الثاني متاح تحت بعض نطاقات المستوى الأعلى (.com) منذ بضع سنوات، لكن الجديد في الموضوع هو أن تكون نطاقات المستوى الأعلى هي نفسها بلغات مختلفة وبالتالي يكون عنوان الإنترنت بالكامل بلغة لا تعتمد على الأحرف اللاتينية كاللغة العربية والصينية وغيرها.
٢- ما تم الموافقة عليه يوم الجمعة الماضي في سيول يخص فقط أسماء نطاقات رموز الدول وليس له علاقة بأسماء النطاقات العامة (com, net, org)، حيث أن هناك برنامج منفصل يهدف لاستحداث أسماء نطاقات عامة جديدة بأي لغة سواء كانت الإنجليزية أو غيرها.
٣- بالنسبة لاستخدام أسماء النطاقات باللغة العربية، يظن البعض أن ذلك قد يحدث طفرة في استخدام الإنترنت في العالم العربي من حيث انتشار الخدمات الإلكترونية والزيادة في أعداد المستخدمين. أنا شخصياً أرى أن أسماء النطاقات العربية، بالرغم من أهميتها، لا تقدم حلولاً سحرية لمشاكل النفاذ للإنترنت في عالمنا العربي. أنا أرى في أسماء النطاقات العربية عاملاً مساعداً للمحتوى العربي، فإذا ما توفر المحتوى العربي بشكل جيد على الإنترنت فعندئٍذ ستكون أسماء النطاقات العربية بمثابة العنصر التكميلي المشجع والمحفز للملايين الذين تقف اللغة عائقاً بينهم وبين الوصول إلى الإنترنت، بحيث يكون من السهل عليهم قراءة وفهم وكتابة العناوين كاملةً باللغة العربية وتصفح الإنترنت من خلال محتوى جيد باللغة العربية.
٤- بالإضافة للنقطة السابقة، فإن أثر استخدام أسماء النطاقات العربية سيختلف من دولة إلي أخرى. ففي المملكة العربية السعودية على سبيل المثال يستخدم الناس الكمبيوتر والإنترنت باللغة العربية بشكل كبير وبالتالي عند توفير أسماء النطاقات باللغة العربية سيستفيد هؤلاء المستخدمون بشكل مباشر وقد يمتد هذا التأثير لتشجيع أصحاب الأعمال والهيئات المختلفة على توفير المزيد من الخدمات الإلكترونية والمحتوى باللغة العربية وبالتالي تشجيع الناس على الدخول على الإنترنت واستخدام هذه الخدمات. في المقابل فإن بلد كجمهورية مصر العربية والتي وصل فيها عدد مستخدمي الإنترنت لحوالي ١٦ مليون مستخدم بنسبة انتشار حوالي ٢٠٪، والنسبة الأكبر من استخدام الإنترنت فيها باللغة الإنجليزية، فمن الصعب تصور أي أثر سريع لأسماء النطاقات العربية على استخدام الإنترنت في مصر. ولكن لو نظرنا إلى المدى المتوسط والبعيد وتأملنا نسبة انتشار الإنترنت في مصر وكيف يمكن أن تصل هذه النسبة إلى ٥٠٪ أو ٦٠٪ سنجد أنه لا يمكن تحقيق ذلك إلا من خلال نشر مزيد من المحتوى باللغة العربية سواءً كان هذا المحتوى في صورة خدمات عامة تقدمها الجهات الحكومية، أو خدمات بنكية، أو في صورة محتوى تعليمي أو ترفيهي أو غيرها. إذن مع وجود المحتوى الذي يتطلع إليه ٤٠ أو ٥٠ مليون مواطن في مصر ومع إمكانية قراءة وكتابة عناوين الإنترنت كاملةً باللغة العربية، أتصور أنه من الممكن الوصول إلى انتشار أكبر لخدمات الإنترنت في مصر وستكون أسماء النطاقات العربية هي أحد العوامل المساعدة لهذا الانتشار.
٥- وفيما يخص ما تمثله أسماء النطاقات العربية بالنسبة لمسجلي الأسماء من الأفراد والشركات والهيئات وغيرها، فذلك سيساعد بالطبع هؤلاء المسجلون على تسجيل أسمائهم والعناوين التي يرغبون في الحصول عليها كاملةً باللغة العربية، مما يسهل على المستخدم النهائي الوصول لذلك الموقع. من ناحية أخرى، فإن وجود أسماء للنطاقات العليا باللغة العربية قد يشجع الشركات التي تعمل في مجال الإنترنت والخدمات الإلكترونية في العالم العربي على الدخول في مجال العمل في تسجيل أسماء النطاقات. ولا بد هنا من التأكيد مرة أخرى أن القرار الذي اتخذته الآيكان يوم الجمعة الماضي في سيول يخص فقط أسماء النطاقات الخاصة برموز الدول، بينما الحديث عن أعمال تسجيل النطاقات وشركات التسجيل وأصحاب السجل مرتبط أكثر بأسماء النطاقات العامة والتي لم تتم إتاحتها بعد بلغات غير الاتينية.
٦- ظن البعض أن هذه الأسماء الجديدة ستكون متاحة للاستخدام بدءاً من ١٦ نوفمبر القادم، والصحيح أن هذا التاريخ هو التاريخ المحدد من قبل الآيكان لبدء تلقي الطلبات من الدول. وتساءل البعض عن التاريخ المحدد لبدء تشغيل هذه النطاقات العليا الجديدة، وهو سؤال لا يمكن الإجابة عليه لأن هذا التاريخ بالقطع يختلف من دولة إلى أخرى بحسب ظروف استعدادية كل دولة ومتى ستقوم بتقديم طلبها إلى الآيكان وكذلك الوقت الذي ستستغرقه عملية التقييم، ثم عملية تفويض النطاق نفسه إلى المشغل في الدولة صاحبة النطاق. وقد يستغرق المشغل بعض الوقت للتجهيز وفتح باب التسجيل تحت النطاق، وبمجرد فتح الباب نستطيع القول أن المستخدم النهائي يستطيع التسجيل تحت هذا النطاق.
٧- يتساءل البعض عن الدول العربية التي من المتوقع أن تقدم طلباً إلى الآيكان للحصول على اسم نطاقها باللغة العربية. كانت الآيكان قد أجرت استطلاعاً عن هذا الموضوع وأعربت تسع دول عربية عن رغبتها في الحصول على اسم نطاقها العربي. الدول التسع هي الجزائر، تونس، المغرب، ليبيا، مصر، سورية، الأردن، السعودية، والإمارات.

خلاصة القول أن إتاحة أسماء نطاقات بلغات مختلفة هي خطوة مهمة للتغلب على أحد الحواجز اللغوية التي يمكن أن تعيق البعض من استخدام الإنترنت، لكنها بالتأكيد لا تقدم حلاً سحرياً لمشاكل النفاذ للإنترنت في الدول التي تستخدم لغات محلية غير الإنجليزية في تعاملاتها الرسمية وحياة شعوبها اليومية.

The voting procedure needed 60 percent of both of the new houses – contracted and non-contracted – to vote in favour. A first round vote with Chuck Gomes and Olga Cavalli saw Chuck Gomes win 100 percent of the contracted house vote and 50 percent of the non-contracted house; a second round with just Chuck on the ballot saw him win all but one Council votes.

Chuck will be helped by not one but two new vice-chairs under the new system: Olga Cavalli (interim) and Stephane van Gelder. Chuck mentioned in his acceptance speech that he intends to follow the same pattern that he himself had as vice-chair, where they are included in all decisions.

So congratulations new GNSO chair Chuck Gomes and congratulations to the new Council, which has been formed after years of hard work balancing the various stakeholders’ interests.

Outgoing chair Avri Doria was given a standing ovation on standing down and we captured the moment:

A mock-up of what the new front page may look like

Since June, ICANN staff has been working hard with external consultants Revere Group to redesign the website to fit with the community’s needs. Revere first carried out a site audit [pdf], pointing out all the areas where the website didn’t fit in with best practices and guidelines.

Then it carried out the online survey as well as around 15 in-depth interviews with community members and staff to find out what it was that people felt the website needed to do. And it also went through the full logs of website visitors to find out who was coming to the site and from where. And from that created a research document [pdf] summarizing the findings.

Based on these two documents, a new taxonomy [pdf] of the site was developed in iterations. New categories and menus cover all the different aspects of ICANN as an organization and structure them more simply and logically. And from that, wireframes [pdf] – blueprint designs – for new webpages were drawn up and new functions and approaches were discussed in an effort to make the site as easy to use as possible.

Design

Once the wireframes were in place, the study then moved into a design phase where a wide range of different approaches to the actual site look were drawn up and run through a group of around 10 staff over the course of a month, and the designs were gradually honed down to the point where the blueprints for the different pages were created as images.

And that’s where we currently are, as of 21 October. The remaining steps are the important ones – figuring out how to implement the new approach, ensuring that we keep as much of the design and new functions sketched out earlier in the process.

We will be working on a timetable for that in the next few weeks and will try to be conservative in our estimates so we don’t end up over-promising. But it is probably safe to say that before the next meeting in Nairobi in March 2010, there will be an updated and fit-for-purpose website that should finally put an end to most, if not all, of the usability issues that the community has had to deal with on ICANN.org for the past few years.

We are publishing summaries of the different aspects of this whole process so you as the community can see the work that has been put into this effort. Hopefully you will like what you see.

Usability study work summaries [pdfs]

• Site audit
• Research
• Taxonomy
• Wireframes

Session goals and outcomes:

The public forum is the community’s opportunity to make comments on the main topics in front of ICANN at each meeting directly to the Board and in front of the rest of the community.

The goal is to give a public and open forum for issues to be raised toward the end of the meeting and draw the community and Board’s attention to anything important.

The public forum is split up into the main topics of the Seoul meeting with a time alotted for each subject (see below). Attendees are encouraged to be brief and concise to enable as many people to speak as possible. A microphone is placed near the front of the room and commenters line up behind it to take their turn in asking a question.

Answerable questions are much preferred to comments, and both are preferred to statements – which can be incorporated into the official record without the need to read them out. If there are a large number of commenters, a two-minute clock may be introduced.

The ideal outcome of the public forum is that everyone who has an important issue to raise is able to relate it to the Board while also making the community aware of the issue.

The issues for discussion and their time slots are provided below.