Today in The Lowdown: Over the years we have taken thousands of photos of domainers at industry events around the world. In a recent review of our massive archive we found photos of some people whose names we don't have. We're hoping our readers can help remedy that. Also today, more news on upcoming domain conferences.

 

Country Code Alchemist: How .CA Devotee Rick Silver Is Turning  Canadian Websites Into Gold 

al·che·my (noun): A seemingly magical power or process of transforming base metals into gold.

It should come as no surprise that Canada's Rick Silver spent much of his boyhood as a  magician. As an adult, after spending the past decade buying and developing domain names, Silver now rules an online empire built on his nation's relatively unheralded country code extension - .ca - an extension that most others routinely overlooked. 

While there is no doubt that .coms still rule the Internet roost, ccTLDs have been coming on like gangbusters over the past couple of years, making Silver's bet on top tier generic .ca domains look smarter with each passing day. They have served as the foundation for his thriving website design and development company n49 Interactive.

While Silver has long been a familiar figure to those in the Canadian domain community, his visibility within the industry went global last year when he took on an additional role - moderator of Rick Latona's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conferences.

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T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Comes to Canada: 2010 Vancouver Conference Proves to Be a Crowd Pleaser  

By Ron Jackson

Scenic Vancouver, British Columbia provided a perfect setting for the first T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference ever held in Canada. The landmark show was staged June 8-10, 2010 at the Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel that directly overlooks the city's spectacularly beautiful Coal Harbour.

Vancouver was an appropriate location not only for its natural beauty but also because the city has produced some of the most successful domain investors of all time (Garry Chernoff, Frank Schilling, Dr. Kevin Ham and Richard Lau are just a few examples).

The highly anticipated event was produced by the same Rick Latona team, captained by Jodi Chamberlain, that is responsible five of this year's six T.R.A.F.F.I.C. shows. Here is our wire to wire review of those three memorable days in Vancouver.        Click here for Full Story 

2010 GeoDomain Expo Review: New Orleans Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Domain Developers  

By Ron Jackson

The 2010 GeoDomain Expo enjoyed a successful run at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in the heart of New Orleans April 28-30. Geodomain developers from around the U.S., Canada and beyond converged in the Big Easy for the annual event staged by Associated Cities (a global association of .com city geodomain owners). 

Don Jones and Bill Hammack, the partners who own and operate AC member NewOrleans.com, served as gracious hosts for the conference and thanked attendees for coming back to a truly unique city that has staged a remarkable comeback since being devastated during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.   Click here for Full Story 

2010 DMG Review: Domainer Mardi Gras Dialed Everything Up a Notch For the Show's Second Run in New Orleans

By Ron Jackson

The 2010 Domainer Mardi Gras (DMG) conference was held in New Orleans Feb. 11-13, right in the middle of the world famous Mardi Gras celebration that brought hundreds of thousands of revelers to the Big Easy. With the show's headquarters located at the New Orleans Marriott, DMG attendees were just steps away from the French Quarter and Mardi Gras ground zero on Bourbon Street.  

The 2009 debut edition of Domainer Mardi Gras was a big hit with attendees but show sponsor Parked.com managed to dial everything about the 2010 event up another notch. Credit the conference's Executive Director Michael Ward and his team for strengthening the show's content while simultaneously providing attendees with a VIP Mardi Gras experience.  Click here for the Full Story