HNS at NamesCon Recap
HNS: The Blockchain for the Domain Industry
Preface
Handshake is love. This has never been more clear than experiencing NamesCon 2022 in Austin, TX. Our community came together in-person and in spirit. There were several Handshake official NamesCon partners, but what’s even more awesome is how so many community members contributed in various ways. There were two Handshake booths: Hey tx and PremiumTLDs. Special shoutout to the PremiumTLDs team for enabling Handshake to have such a strong presence at NamesCon! I also want to specifically thank erwin.groen/ and those who contributed with the HNS pins. These pins were gifted to many prominent domainers (eg. Michael Cyger), HNS enthusiasts, and even the Handshake co-creators (Andrew Lee, JJ, and Joseph Poon)! Lastly, thanks to Pei/ and the .tx community for helping with the booth every day. Alright, let’s get started.
Day 1
The first day centered around the Hey tx booth and the blockchain domain panel. Although I had been to other major conference this year (SXSW, Consensus), the energy was something I hadn’t really experienced before. Authentic. Love. Purposeful. We were on a mission.
The talk of the conference was the Day 1 blockchain domain panel. There was a packed house and it was by far the most engaged audience for all of the NamesCon sessions. I can honestly say that I had never see a panel like this; it was intense. The backstory is that Unstoppable Domains (UD), a one billion dollar corporation, sued a HNS community member for having .wallet on HNS. The love for HNS and the community led to JJ (Handshake co-creator) and Chjango exposing UD for what they really are. UD = corporation + customers. HNS = protocol + community. Corporations will come and go, but a decentralized protocol will live on forever. This session opened the eyes of many former UD supporters as they saw UD for what they really are: money-hungry web3 opportunists. Looking back 5 years from now, this session will likely be noted as the nail in the coffin for Unstoppable Domains.
Day 2
The second day consisted of being at the booth and networking with the amazing NamesCon attendees and sponsors. We had 10+ materials centered around .tx, HNS, and various Handshake companies. One of the most shocking things while at the booth is how half of the attendees had already heard about Handshake 🤯
Without providing too much details, I can say that there are several companies interested from a business perspective. Many see that HNS represents innovation, which is the opposite of what the domain industry experiences with ICANN at the helm. While the domain industry has traditionally served businesses and entrepreneurs, the impending decentralized web means that all 5+ billion Internet users will need to own their name (and IOT devices). HNS can help 100x the domain industry.
On this day, we gifted 2 HNS TLD's, including .ConnectReseller to Connect Reseller and .Tipalti to Tipalti. Connect Reseller was interested in helping expand Handshake’s presence, particularly in India.
Day 3 - HNS Day!
The third day was jam-packed with several Handshake sessions, a happy hour, and the FlamingoHandshake auction. There was also a morning panel session titled “Is ICANN threatened by blockchain domains?” with Tom Barrett (EnCirca and AltRoots) as the HNS and blockchain domain representative. The fact that there was a session titled this proves that HNS is entering the consciousness of the gatekeepers of the domain industry. We hope that ICANN can take a neutral position in the future by realizing that HNS can be used as a testbed of innovation and that they can be major stakeholders in the HNS network. If ICANN becomes less fearful, I believe that more ICANN TLD custodians would claim their HNS counterparts. Bravo to Ray King and Top Level Design for leading the way by claiming .ink, .tattoo, .gay, and .wiki on HNS.
HNS Sessions
The HNS sessions consisted of:
1) Handshake 101 with Matthew Zipkin (Handshake and Bitcoin developer)
2) Handshake's Potential Impact on the Domain Industry - Jothan Frakes as host (NamesCon co-founder and Domain OG), Tom Barrett (EnCirca and AltRoots), Ray King (Porkbun and Top Level Design), and Lauren Tussey (101Domain).
3) HNS Names from a Business and Investment Perspective - Nole as host, Chjango Unchained (dWeb Foundation), Alvin Kim (PremiumTLDs), Nick James (Web3 Texas and Web3 Earth), and Steve Webb (Impervious).
The overall consensus was that these sessions were highly educational, objective, and exciting. Huge thanks to our speakers! This was the largest in-person event of the year for blockchain domains. The sessions will be uploaded to Hey tx’s Youtube channel, so make sure to subscribe. Here’s the welcome address, which includes a thank you to our wonderful sponsors.
FlamingoHandshake Auction
Although it was the 16th FlamingoHandshake Auction, this was the first time there was an in-person element. This was a fantastic event with the FlamingoHandshake team online, and Chjango as the host in Austin. There was a solid in-person turnout and this definitely sparked interest in HNS names from domainers and Austinites alike. Notably, the .e/ top level domain went for 300k USD (5 million HNS), which was the highest sold domain at NamesCon; there was a legacy domain auction the day prior.
Although Richard Kirkendall of Namecheap was once again victorious in winning the .e/ auction (Namecheap now owns 6 1L HNS TLD’s), the real story is how other major domain participants (Porkbun, EPIK, and NamesCon) were close in winning! The .e/ sale is certainly symbolic as HNS represents the future.
Closing
The NamesCon team is excited for Handshake to have an even larger presence at NamesCon 2023. To the HNS family, get your NamesCon tickets as soon as they come out. Not only is it amazing to connect with others in-person, the passion will light a flame with those new and old to HNS. My belief for HNS to succeed is to first take over the domain industry. Be part of this.
I’ve never been more bullish on Handshake's future as I am now. HNS is the blockchain for the domain industry. With NamesCon, we have demonstrated as a community that Handshake is here to stay.
For a free and open web,
nole.tx/
Founder of Hey tx
Director of Handshake
PS: Nole recently appeared on BlockChannel. Listen to learn more about Hey tx and Texas.