Nonprofit web design

Geographical domain names - for example http://www.bundanoon.nsw.au/ - are being offered to Australian nonprofit and community organisations. The domains are issued solely for the purpose of operating a community-run website that’s developed for the benefit of the entire local community.

Leonie Dunbar gave a presentation about geographical domain names at the Making Links 2008 conference. Apparently they are a world first and I think it’s an interesting, potentially very valuable idea. Why?

• You can guess the website URL for your local community website; or look them up in the directory;
• It gives authority, and almost certainly better search engine placement, to these community organisations.
• auCD have strict rules about which community organisation is issued a domain.
• Their ”Community Website in a Box” CMS enables an organisation, if they choose to use it, to manage their web content.

But:

• There can be only one georaphical domain name per community. What if more than one organisation registers an interest? How would disputes be managed?
• I just tested a dozen websites and none validated with fewer than 10 html errors. Isn’t Community Website in a Box supposed to be accessible?

Good to see that the web team at InfoXchange has already developed a website with a geographical domain, for the Collingwood Wired Community at www.collingwood.vic.au/. And it’s one of the best-looking sites so far!

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