SEPTEMBER 2018

#Opencoop:
Mapping the co-operative and solidarity economy
Delegates at the Open Co-op Conference were
encouraged to make more use of the .coop domain
to market their distinctive business model.
More than 4,866 organisations across 88
countries use the .coop domain. Launched in
2001, it is managed by DotCooperation LLC
(DotCoop), which is jointly owned by the National
Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA)
and the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).
The domain is only open to bona fide
co-operatives – and Tom Ivey, communications
officer at DotCoop, says it can help increase their
visibility in a crowded marketplace.
“If every co-op had a .coop url and each member
used a .coop email address, the co-op movement
would have great internet presence and a
media programme worth billions,” he told the
conference. “We own this space as a movement,
it’s available just for us. It’s for our community to
take advantage of.”
A .coop domain can be more expensive than a
.com one, sometimes by more than £50, because
DotCoop has to verify all users to ensure they
are a legitimate member or for the service of the
co-operative community. But Mr Ivey says that the
.coop domain adds value to a co-op’s marketing
campaign by showing its co-operative credentials;
other domain names do not have the same ability
to tell customers about the business.
Because .com is the largest domain extension in
the world, some co-ops might not be able to use it
because it has already been taken.
“With .coop, because it’s a small community
and it is strictly reserved for co-ops, there is much
more chance that people will get the domain name
that they want,” said Mr Ivey.
Co-ops are already using the .coop domain to
increase the visibility of the sector. In Colorado,
a group of co-ops set up Colorado.coop, a
platform where people can search for co-ops
across different sectors and learn more about the
business model.
In the second part of the year, the Dotcoop team
will present case studies of co-ops, big and small,
who have incorporated the domain into their
marketing programme. Mr Ivey said there is still a
need to bust misconceptions.
“It is a lot easier than people think. They
might think it’s difficult to do it or get rid of the
previous website. It’s not true,” he told delegates.
“Websites can be kept exactly the same.”
Adopting a .coop domain does mean moving to
a new email server, he added. Co-ops wishing to
keep their old domain can use both, and users will
be redirected to the new address.
In terms of how long it takes to register the
domain, when a co-op is already up and running
and has bylaws and articles of incorporation,
getting a .coop domain can only take a few days. If
the co-op is still setting up, it can apply for a .coop
domain and start building its website.
In addition to the .coop domain, the
International Cooperative Alliance developed the
Co-operative Marque, a global identity for the
co-op movement, which is free to use for any
bona fide co-op. After they register for the .coop
domain, co-ops also get the Cooperative Marque
and Identity Toolkit to help them to get the most
out of using the marque in their communications.
To promote the movement, the DotCoop team
has started various social media campaigns. At
the International Co-operative Alliance’s global
conference in Malaysia, DotCoop selected around
30 volunteer media ambassadors who have been
promoting the sector on social media ever since.
Around 8,150 .coop domains have been
registered so far, 49% in North America and 38%
in Europe. The UK accounts for 12% of the domains
registered, more than the Asia-Pacific region (6%),
Central and South America (6%) and Africa (1%).
In an attempt to reach out to different regions,
Dotcoop is working with the ICA Asia-Pacific region
to translate their Dot that says a lot campaign
video into various languages.
“The more people adopt the .coop domain,
the more valuable it becomes,” said Mr Ivey.
.coop
www.coop
Chrome
Search Web
The dotcoop website
makes the case for the
new domain
I’m Feeling Lucky
28 | SEPTEMBER 2018