The overall value of the internet is incredibly difficult to measure. However, if we consider the benefit it has in our daily lives, we can at least begin to determine the internet’s value and appreciate the positive impact it has on society as a whole. In this blog post we explore some of the factors that contribute to the internet’s value, look at the role of domain names and security in .au and highlight some areas where businesses and individuals can deliver value with their website and domain name.

The internet and our daily lives

As revealed in their recent Digital Lives of Australians 2022 report, our colleagues at auDA maintain a vision to unlock the positive social and economic value for Australians through an open, free, secure and global internet. The report reveals that 98% of Australians feel that the internet provides value to their lives and 61% of working Australians say they could not do their job without the internet. Both of these statistics demonstrate the power of the internet, and leave us wondering where we would be without it. 

When we think about the type of value the internet holds, the first things that come to mind include being able to access information immediately and being able to access any type of information, no matter where we are. According to computingaustralia.com.au, there are a number of areas where the internet has changed people's daily lives, and therefore contribute to its value, including:

• Communications (e.g. social media, email)
• Education (e.g. attending school/university online)
• Remote working (e.g. working from home or anywhere)
• E-commerce (e.g. being able to buy and sell products and services online)
• Privacy and security (e.g. cyber crime and cybersecurity awareness) and;
• The Internet of Things (e.g. physical devices other than your mobile phone that are connected to the internet).  

Domain names and security

With Top Level Domains (TLDs) and country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) being at the root of the internet, we can begin to understand how the areas mentioned above and many facets of the internet are made possible because of domain names. As explained by ICANN, the top-level domain (TLD) is the right-most string, or series of characters, in every web address. They go on to explain that there are a variety of TLDs, including country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs), which are delegated to a designated ccTLD registry, which is operated by a ccTLD Manager, according to local policies that are adapted to meet the economic, cultural, linguistic, and legal circumstances of the country or territory involved.

As the registry services provider and policy administrator of Australia’s ccTLD, Identity Digital Australia and auDA are committed to ensuring .au remains as secure as possible. In this blog post, auDA shares that the .au domain has now been deemed part of Australia’s suite of critical infrastructure, given the centrality of the .au DNS to Australia’s digital economy and society. They explain that the rules and security measures in place to protect .au ensure that the rate of DNS Abuse is well below the global average, currently at .03%, making it a viable choice for Australian businesses and individuals.

Continuing to deliver value

When someone starts a business or other type of online venture, one of the first steps is usually to register a domain name. This way, a website and/or email address can be created and a strong foundation will be established, giving you a great starting point. If you have an Australian presence, you can showcase this through the use of a .au domain.

Once a domain name and website has been set up, there are so many ways to continue to deliver value with your online presence. If your goal is to provide a source of information for your customers, you can strengthen your current offer by providing quality content. In this post, Hubspot share details on how to create value for your customers by being more customer-centric:

One way to create value is to provide educational, free content online. Not only is this helpful for your customers, but it’ll also improve your online presence.

The internet is a vast space, where opportunities for improvements in delivering value from a business’s perspective are endless. To determine the type of value your online presence offers, it can be useful to consider how the internet has changed your customers' day-to-day lives and make improvements from here. Make sure you are leveraging the true power of your domain name because without it, there would be no basis for your online activity. The internet is an incredibly valuable space as it plays such a big role in our daily lives and although determining its true value can be difficult, we can appreciate that the world we live in would not be the same without it.

Have a question, comment or want to get in touch? Email us at marketing@identitydigital.au