KIRKLAND, Wash., Sept. 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rightside (Nasdaq:NAME), a leading provider of domain name services that advance the way businesses and consumers define and present themselves online, today announced its official support of the grassroots #ILookLikeAnEngineer movement, which has gained support and participation from legions of people as it challenges gender and race stereotypes in the technology industry.

“Addressing the issue of diversity is vital to providing a competitive and innovative workforce, particularly in the technology industry,” says Taryn Naidu, Rightside’s CEO. “We are excited to be a part of this initiative that celebrates, supports and encourages diversity.”

Rightside’s sponsorship of #ILookLikeAnEngineer includes the following elements:

  • A donation to the #ILookLikeAnEngineer billboard campaign

    • The first ads go up this week in the Bay Area and can be found alongside the Bay Bridge, the 880 in Oakland, the 101 in Palo Alto, as well as Santa Clara and San Jose.
  • The creation of an affiliate program that will allow #ILookLikeAnEngineer to offer .ENGINEER domain names.

    • Engineers seeking a personalized new domain extension for their website, email address or to create a more memorable LinkedIn profile, visit www.getyour.engineer
  • Continue to support diverse start-up and tech communities by hosting Hack the Dot (www.hackthedot.rocks) domain hackathons.

“We’re grateful for Rightside’s support,” says web developer Michelle Glauser, an organizer of the #ILookLikeAnEngineer event and billboard campaign, “and we’re hoping that more technology companies will follow their example and be more inclusive of non-stereotypical engineers.”

Isis Wenger, the engineer who came up with the #ILookLikeAnEngineer hashtag wrote: “I invite [everyone] to help spread the word and help us redefine ‘what an engineer should look like.'”

To learn more about the #ILookLikeAnEngineer billboard campaign, please go to www.diversity.engineer.

About Rightside

Rightside® inspires and delivers new possibilities for consumers and businesses to define and present themselves online. The company, with its affiliates, is a leading provider of domain name services, offering one of the industry’s most comprehensive platforms for the discovery, registration, usage, and monetization of domain names. In addition to being a new gTLD registry operator, Rightside is home to some of the most admired brands in the industry, including eNom and Name.com. Headquartered in Kirkland, WA, Rightside has offices in North America, Europe, and Australia. For more information please visit www.rightside.co.

CONTACT: Bill Glenn
         VP of Marketing
         Rightside
         [email protected]