September 2, 2011 — Non-profit organization New Zealand Computer Society announced on Thursday its plans for the development of a Cloud Computing Code of Practice to inform the public about cloud computing issues. This announcement comes a day after New Zealand web hosting provider FlexiHost launched a NZ domain lookup and registration mobile app.

Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose ICANN Staff requests community feedback concerning implementation plans [PDF, 876 KB] for three specific Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT) recommendations (#15, 16, and 17) that affect the way ICANN publishes and manages Public Comments. These ATRT recommendations, which comprise Phase II of the Public Comments Improvement program, address: Stratification : Categorize topics to assist the community understand the subject matter and inform a participation decision. Prioritization : Assist community members in determining the importance or urgency of a solicitation by providing key information. Comment/Reply Cycles : Structure the community’s input process into an initial period for submitting new comments followed by a separate reply period during which community respondents would be able to address and rebut arguments raised in opposing parties’ previous comments. A fourth area involving Technical Forum Improvements is also incorporated into this solicitation. A Focus Group was organized in July 2011 to provide input concerning various implementation scenarios related to the topics mentioned above. The Focus Group held its deliberations in ICANN’s Wiki environment from 20 July 2011 through 19 August 2011. A summary report [PDF, 162 KB] of the group’s activities has been prepared and the Wiki space in which the Focus Group worked is accessible for viewing at: https://community.icann.org/x/74MKAQ . The attached report [PDF, 148 KB] addresses the four enhancement areas each in a separate section that incorporates Staff implementation recommendations, Focus Group input where applicable, and additional questions to stimulate community feedback concerning these processes. Note : As an initial test of this concept, the comment forum on this paper will introduce a Reply Cycle. At the conclusion of the initial comment period (30 September) and assuming that on-topic submissions have been received, the comment period will be extended for an additional 15 days (15 October). During this extension, contributors are asked to address any additional submissions to previously posted comments. For each such reply, it will be helpful to everyone for the contributor to cite the original poster’s name, comment date, and any particular text that is pertinent. At the conclusion of the full comment period, ICANN plans to seek feedback concerning the process and what changes or enhancements might make it more useful and productive. A consolidated report of the forum submissions will incorporate both the initial comment and subsequent reply periods. Section II: Background The Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT) submitted a report to the ICANN Board on 31 December 2010 containing 27 recommendations, three of which (#15, 16, and 17) address improvements concerning how Public Comments are announced, published, and managed. At its 24 June 2011 meeting, ICANN Board accepted the implementation plans developed by ICANN Staff regarding these recommendations. These plans were organized into two major phases based upon complexity and the ability to effectuate short-term improvements. A set of Phase I activities was implemented effective 30 June 2011. In that first phase, Staff completely redesigned web pages, added new navigation menus, streamlined Announcement and Public Comment Box formats, and introduced an “Upcoming Topics” feature. Staff also created internal document templates to facilitate publication and ensure presentation consistency. We also added new standardized data fields across all solicitations (e.g., Originating Organization, Purpose, Current Status, Next Steps) and clarified opening and closing dates and times. Phase II of this initiative addresses enhancements involving: Stratification, Prioritization, Comment/Reply Cycles, and Technical Forum Improvements. Please see the attached report [PDF, 148 KB] for further information on each of these improvement areas. Section III: Document and Resource Links The following documents and reference links are provided to assist community members in contributing to this solicitation: Main Report: Public Comments Proposed Process Enhancements-Phase II [PDF, 148 KB] Board Action on, and Implementation of, the Accountability & Transparency Review Team Final Report June 2011 [PDF, 876 KB] Public Comment Focus Group Report [PDF, 162 KB] Public Comment Focus Group Wiki Forum Comment Period Deadlines Open Date: 31 August 2011 Close Date: Comments : 30 Sep 2011 Replies : 15 Oct 2011 (see note in Section I) Important Information Links Public Comment Box To Submit Your Comments (Forum) View Comments Submitted This ICANN announcement was sourced from: www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-31aug11-en.htm

To support the implementation of the ATRT Recommendations relating to Public Comment Processes, the ICANN Public Comment landing page (see: www.icann.org/en/public-comment/ ) has been redesigned and restructured as of 30 June 2011. The Public Participation Committee (PPC) of the ICANN Board reviewed and approved these changes during its meeting in Singapore, as the first phase of improvements in the public comment process. The new design is intended to standardize and simplify navigation and the presentation of the content. The information elements have not been altered substantially (other than an addition of Upcoming Public Comments list), but the page contents have been reorganized for uniformity and consistency. In essence, the aim is to place the predominant focus on topics that are OPEN for Public Comments while links are provided to various other categories such as Upcoming, Recently Closed, and the Archived Public Comments. The Upcoming page represents a new concept and is intended to provide the community a preview of potential topics that may be opened in future periods. The current list was compiled with input from ICANN Community Leaders and the ICANN Staff. Once each year, a formal collection and publishing cycle will be launched; thereafter, the list will be updated regularly. We hope you like the new design and that it makes your work with Public Comments more productive. If you have any comments, suggestions, or other feedback, please write to: participation@icann.org . This ICANN announcement was sourced from: www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30jun11-en.htm

APNIC would like to know what you think about their public website. Please take a few minutes to fill out this quick survey! Everyone who participates will have a chance to win an Apple iPad! APNIC and the Internet community As a membership organization, APNIC is committed to serving our Members across the Asia Pacific region. Part of our service is to provide a website that serves as an information portal and document storage facility. Even if you are not an APNIC Member, they would greatly appreciate your feedback. Their public website is accessed by a wide range of global Internet community members. Your response is anonymous, and will only be used to make improvements to www.APNIC.net . Take the APNIC website survey here This APNIC announcement was sourced from: www.apnic.net/publications/news/2011/web-survey

[news release] The Internet is one-step closer to being more accessible to speakers of Arabic in Qatar and around the world with the official launch of the Qatar Domains Registry (QDR), which was officially unveiled to the public on March 2, 2011 by the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR). QDR, which will be managed by ictQATAR will begin making Qatar-specific Internet domain names in Arabic and Latin-scripts available to select organizations in Qatar immediately, with general domains available to the public by August of 2011. “The launch of the Qatar Domains Registry is a major milestone as we work to build a more digitally inclusive society

Hosting Reviews – BELLEVUE, WA – eNom, Inc., the world’s largest ICANN accredited domain name wholesale registrar, today announced the launch of a new portal, org.eNom.com, designed to drive awareness of the multiple uses for the .ORG top-level domain name (TLD). The new .ORG marketing portal features information to help companies and organizations learn how to best use the .ORG TLD in order to create programs around corporate and social responsibility

A screen shot of Hosting 4 Less’ HonshuQuake.com website (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosting provider Hosting 4 Less ( www.hosting4less.com ) announced on Thursday it has launched a new website, www.HonshuQuake.com, dedicated to providing relief to the victims of the recent Japanese earthquake and Tsunami. Last Friday, Japan experienced a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Honshu, which immediately triggered a major tsunami.