Comments on: In Canada, .ca is replacing .com http://www.globalbydesign.com/blog/2010/03/18/canada-cctld/ Adventures in web and mobile globalization Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:38:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Emma Pruntyhttp://www.globalbydesign.com/blog/2010/03/18/canada-cctld/comment-page-1/#comment-39871 Emma Prunty Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:28:27 +0000 http://www.globalbydesign.com/?p=2797#comment-39871 It's important to remember that Canada is a bilingual country so many websites operate in English and French. Operating in a .ca domain feels psychologically different to being a regular .com especially for French speakers. And national pride has been around longer than the Olympics... It’s important to remember that Canada is a bilingual country so many websites operate in English and French. Operating in a .ca domain feels psychologically different to being a regular .com especially for French speakers. And national pride has been around longer than the Olympics…

]]> By: Jim DeLaHunthttp://www.globalbydesign.com/blog/2010/03/18/canada-cctld/comment-page-1/#comment-39796 Jim DeLaHunt Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:00:27 +0000 http://www.globalbydesign.com/?p=2797#comment-39796 I *do* live in Canada, having moved to Vancouver from Silicon Valley in 2005. I saw .ca domain names everywhere as soon as I came here, so it's not an Olympics thing. I guess you saw something different. My interpretation is that the .ca domain name sends the message, "We are really Canadian, we're not just an afterthought of a US website". Most of the domain names you cite also have .com counterparts, which are aimed at the USA. (How many of those domain have .us counterparts, to which they point their USA customers? See, .com is the USA top-level country domain! Heh.) There are many threads to the Canadian identity, but "we aren't the USA" is a pretty strong one. The .ca domain weaves nicely into that thread. I *do* live in Canada, having moved to Vancouver from Silicon Valley in 2005. I saw .ca domain names everywhere as soon as I came here, so it’s not an Olympics thing. I guess you saw something different.

My interpretation is that the .ca domain name sends the message, “We are really Canadian, we’re not just an afterthought of a US website”. Most of the domain names you cite also have .com counterparts, which are aimed at the USA.

(How many of those domain have .us counterparts, to which they point their USA customers? See, .com is the USA top-level country domain! Heh.)

There are many threads to the Canadian identity, but “we aren’t the USA” is a pretty strong one. The .ca domain weaves nicely into that thread.

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