Hannah Mondiwa, dotScot ambassador in Canada

Eleven years ago Scotland finally took its place on the internet when a small, Glasgow-based not-for-profit company dotScot Registry applied for the .scot domain. Today .scot is used by Scotland’s Government, Parliament and National Health Service as well as thousands of cultural and charitable organisations, businesses and individuals in 62 countries around the world.

The original vision for .scot was that it would be a domain for ‘the worldwide community of Scots’ and Canada in particular. Historically Canada was the most popular destination for Scottish emigrants.

Today there are around 5 million Canadians who claim some kind of Scottish connection, either because they were born in Scotland, have Scottish heritage or lived or studied there at one time. The number is even higher when you add ‘affinity Scots’ or ‘Scots adjacent’, a term coined by Canadian newspaper editor Richard Dal Monte to describe those who have a Scottish partner.

Recently a second Scottish domain (.co.scot) was created to encourage even more Scots-Canadians to identify their Scottish connection and become part of Scotland’s global internet identity

With Robbie Burns season approaching and celebrations of Scottish culture and poetry taking place all across Canada, there’s no better time for Scots-Canadians to become part of Scotland’s affinity network and bring their Scottishness on line.

Please head over to domains.scot where our modern image of Burns will explain what you need to do to acquire your own perfect .co.scot name. Wherever you live in Canada and whatever your connection to Scotland, welcome home!

Voices from Canada and Scotland

Hannah Rowena Mondiwa is the dotScot ambassador to Canada. Hannah is a journalist who won the Jack Webster Foundation’s BIPOC Student Journalism Award. She recently completed a four part investigative radio feature for CBC. Hannah was born in Malawi, raised in Scotland and now lives in Canada. She says:

So many Canadians I meet are proud of their Scottish heritage, and I think many of them would be drawn to having a domain that showcases their Scottish identity. Personally, although I haven’t18 lived in Scotland for many years it will always be home. I still visit regularly and carry Scotland with me everywhere I go. For that reason, choosing a .scot or a .co.scot domain was a natural fit.

Harry McGrath is Chair and Head of Engagement and Global Outreach at the DotScot Registry. He is a former resident of Vancouver where he was the Coordinator of the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University. Harry now lives in Edinburgh. He says:

The new domain for Scotland and its global community  .co.scot feels like a turning point in terms of expanding the number of people in Canada who will be able to express their Scottish connection through their internet identity. I lived almost half my life in Canada and know from personal experience how much interest there is in all things Scottish. Now we have another way that Scots-Canadian members of Scotland’s global affinity network can bring their Scottishness online.

.co.scot domains are available exclusively from domains.scot