Community Geographic Domain Names

Abstract

The Australian (.au) Domain Name Authority (auDA) announced the creation of Community Geographic Domain Names (CGDNs) in November, 2002 (auDA, 2005b). This scheme is novel because it restricts licensing and use of the CGDNs to community-based groups running community portals. The community group must demonstrate that they are representative of and inclusive of all local community members. The community portals displayed on CGDNs are required to reflect community interests, and may choose to cover cultural events, tourism, historical information, special interest groups and local business (auDA, 2005b).