Elizabeth Cummings ⬥ 14 January
When you climb into a cab, you never really know what to expect in terms of the driver’s personality. Some drivers prefer to remain silent while others strike up a conversation with you. From my years of traveling I have talked to cab drivers about everything from family to American foreign policy to sandstorms. The other day was no exception.
I had just finished telling the driver where I was going and was settling back into my seat when he asked me how long I have been in DC and what I do for a living (note: the picture here is not an actual photo of my cab driver; I just included it for comedic effect). I always pause for a second when asked that question; explaining what a “domain name strategy consultancy” is can be a bit complicated. But he seemed to know what I was talking about. When I had finished my usual spiel he began asking me more in depth questions about domain names and confided to me that he had purchased several “big” domain names ten years ago for a company he had started which subsequently failed.
We had arrived at my destination at that point. He had pulled the cab over to the side of the street, killed the meter and pulled out a pencil and pad. He began asking me more in-depth questions about buying and selling domains, how UDRP arbitration works and what qualifies as cybersquatting. I ended up giving him some information on DigitalDNA before finally paying and clambering out of the cab.
As he drove away my mind wandered over all that we had just discussed. I was amused that what had begun as a simple chat between two strangers had taken such a twist, but it almost didn’t surprise me considering how big a part domain names play in an increasingly Internet-driven society.
I think that sometimes, because our expertise is tightly focused on the domain name space, we tend to assume that we have to explain to people outside the industry why domain names are so important and how the work that FairWinds, CADNA and DigitalDNA do factors in. In this case, it was neat that in the span of about 10 minutes I managed to connect with a total stranger because of the work that I do here at FairWinds and it was definitely an experience that I won’t forget anytime soon.
Tags: cab driver, CADNA, consultancy, cybersquatting, DigitalDNA, domain names, FairWinds, Internet, UDRP