By Anand Vora, Vice President of Business Affairs, Public Interest Registry
As a nonprofit dedicated to upholding the .ORG domain as a trusted domain space, Public Interest Registry (PIR) takes seriously its responsibility to operate for the good of the public interest. PIR strives to take thoughtful and deliberate actions in our work to create the best impact on the internet and our world. That’s why we are particularly proud of the launch of our most recent initiative, which we are calling the Quality Performance Index or QPI.
The QPI was created to accurately measure the quality of individual registrar .ORG namespaces. The score calculated from the developed QPI algorithm can be used for a variety of purposes, including determining eligibility for a variety of PIR channel and marketing programs. It was designed to 1) recognize and reward those registrars who are aligned with and committed to the PIR mission of maintaining and growing trust in the .ORG domain, 2) identify areas of improvement so PIR account managers can work with registrars to raise their scores, and 3) promote the overall quality of the domain space and the internet as a whole.
The QPI is calculated by analyzing data for each registrar based on three core Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – Abuse Takedown, Renewal Rates, and Domain Usage. The weighted scores are then combined to form a single QPI score. If the QPI score meets or exceeds the baseline threshold established for a particular promotion, the registrar is then pre-qualified to participate for the promotion pending any additional terms and conditions requirements. The QPI baseline for each promotion is developed independently and may vary depending upon the promotion.
For those registrars who do not meet the QPI eligibility threshold in order to participate in .ORG promotions, PIR hopes this is an opportunity to encourage one on one collaboration with our registrar partners. Our goal is to help them better understand the QPI in order to guide the progressive improvement of their scores to ensure participation in future programs. Better registrar QPI scores means more internet abuse sites being taken down, increase in longer-termed renewal rates, and higher quality usage of domain names. All these factors contribute to a good internet experience for all.
First and foremost, the QPI was designed to improve the overall quality of the .ORG namespace and continue to maintain and build trust in the .ORG domain overall. .ORG is the most trusted open top-level domain, and our hope is that the QPI is the first of many such initiatives designed to help keep it that way! PIR prides itself on being an exemplary registry, not just for .ORG but as an advocate for the betterment of the internet as a whole. We believe the QPI is our proactive approach to helping achieve a cleaner domain space for everyone.
If you would like to learn more about the QPI initiative, please contact [email protected].