Pinoy NGOs can now get their own exclusive internet domains

The Public Interest Registry (PIR), a Virginia-based non-profit organization managing the top-level domain .ORG, recently launched .NGO and .ONG, the newest addition to global internet domains.

 

Both .NGO and .ONG were created exclusively for non-government organizations and their communities around the world.

 

Recognizing the vibrancy of Philippine civil society, the PIR brought together representatives from their organization and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), as well as some of the Philippines' most prominent NGOs to discuss the opportunities brought forth by the new global internet domain. 

 

The event was held in AIM Conference Center on August 19, bringing together some of the country's most prominent NGOs.

A portal for NGOs worldwide
 

Aside from a global web domains .NGO and .ONG, the PIR is also looking to create a portal for members of the NGO community, which will feature a centralized directory service and exclusive profile pages for the organizations to promote their cause, list their contact details and bring forth continuous dialogue.

 

According to Nick Thorne, PIR advisor and former UK ambassador to the UN in Geneva, they are expecting the site to be open to the public by January next year. 

 

Right now, interested parties may register a .NGO|.ONG. name by completing a validation questionnaire to show their NGO's status in globalngo.org. They will then receive updates regarding the formal launch next year, and will be able to choose a domain name in a first come first serve basis during the site's sunrise period in September.

 

Board Member of PIR and CEO of HivosIndia Advisory Services Ingris Srinath explained that .NGO and .ONG will be more than just domain names. “(It will be) a membership to a community. It will offer visibility,” she explains.

 

Moreover, since the site and the web domain will only be available for validated NGOs, it will serve as an online community wherein NGOs can “establish trust, raise funds, connect with partners around the world, collaborate to reduce online risks, and contribute to the development of the NGO community.”

Qualifications and cost
 

To qualify for an .NGO or .ONG domain name, the organization must meet the qualification set by the PIR: acting for the public good, a non-profit making entity, staffed and headed by independent actors with limited government and political influence, actively pursuant of its causes, structured, and legal.

 

Once the site is up, the NGO's online presence must be active, among other things that may challenge their membership, such as legitimacy, and consistency to the PIR's criteria.

 

In line with this, the PIR will set up an advisory council that will organize representatives form different sectors and regions who will serve for consultation to improve the NGOs' validity in a global basis.

 

Aside from the regular web providers, interested parties may also come to PIR to register. The organization will be opening a registrar service which will set a gold standard for other registrars. 

 

“PIR will use the outlets where you can currently buy .ORG,” PIR advisor Nick Thorne explains.

 

The domain name may cost around $50 depending on the web provider. According to Srinath, those who will register through the PIR will get a domain name at a wholesale price. This membership will have to be maintained and renewed annually.

'A Facebook for NGOs'

 

As time goes by, Srinath hopes that the site will go beyond being a static online avenue for NGOs. Just like “a Facebook for NGOs,” she hopes that the site's directory gains a life of its own as members of the community decide on how they will put it to use.

 

Meanwhile, the .ORG domain, where most of the largest global NGOs are listed, will continue to evolve for social enterprises and businesses that have a social purpose, as well as associations such as FIFA, explains Srinath.

 

"Here's a chance to do something special for one of the most important parts of the global community, which is the civil society sector,” Thorne added hopefully. — TJD, GMA News