insight 

I noticed the other day that there is a “Linked ICANN” group in LinkedIn so I joined it assuming it was run by ICANN.  However, having seen the home page (http://www.linkedicann.com/) it clearly isn’t.  In fact it appears to be a domainer run group since that site has nothing but adverts on it.  I’m not a member of the group any more.

This got me thinking that it would be good for us to have a Nominet group on LinkedIn for anyone to join, which we could use as another way of keeping in touch with our community.  It would also mitigate the chances of someone doing to us what they’ve done to ICANN.  So I’ve created a group called “Nominet Community” and anyone can join.  This is the URL:

http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/101204/7BB57564185C

While I was at it I created one for Nominet staff, past and present, to join.  Obviously this one is not open to everyone:

http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/101205/179AFC14DE04

Just a quick plug for the ladies and gentleman who have put their jobs up on offer for our Yummy Mummy jobswap.

In support of CLIC Sargent, Nominet’s chosen charity of 06/07 we are auctioning off our senior management! Read more

It’s a week since we moved into our new building, Minerva House and I have to report that I’m impressed. Like moving house, there are two issues when you move – the disruption of the move itself and the impact of living in the new building. Let’s talk about the second of these two first:

What’s really important and noticeable for us is that we are all under one roof again. For the last few years we have been spread across two buildings, which has not been ideal, causing surprising communications issues and having to search for an umbrella if it’s raining. Now we’re under one roof, despite there being no new joiners, the company instantly feels bigger – we see faces we could have gone for days without seeing, there’s already better communication across the business and there’s a buzz about the eating area at lunchtime.

Also important for us is the look and feel of the new building. Being new, it’s modern, bright, and despite covering less square footage, appears significantly more spacious. I’ve heard comment about what a change it is, how re-invigorating an environment it is and it’s this energy we plan to harness as we move forward, ensuring that this remains an inspirational place, where everyone comes to work with a passion for the tasks they are undertaking.

The move itself was smooth. Speaking to the technical team who were in over the weekend of the move (apart from one minor scare early on the Friday night, which was swiftly resolved) all went according to plan. It would appear that all the testing that went in beforehand paid off. Lots of effort from a large group of people went into making this so smooth, too many to mention here – they know who they are and know how much their efforts have been appreciated.

I know there’ll be cynics out there who think that this shiny new building is a white elephant, however, this truly is a workplace that will inspire and we look forward to welcoming visitors over the years ahead.