Monthly Archives: April 2008

Wed 30th April 2008
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Wall Street Journal: Yahoo-Microsoft in Talks - According to a report by the Wall Street Journal today, Yahoo and Microsoft met Wednesday trying to reach an agreement on price for Microsoft’s acquisition of Yahoo According to the report, Microsoft, which proposed purchasing Yahoo for for $31 a share in January, is now allegedly poised to offer as much as $32 or $33 a share. However according to the report major Yahoo shareholders are still looking for something in the range of $35 to $37 per share, the Journal said. Google+Michael Berkens ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
Yahoo-Microsoft: 5 days after Deadline, Things are Very Quite - Last Saturday marked the deadline that Microsoft imposed on Yahoo several weeks ago to accept its buyout offer or Microsoft would launch a hostile take over. Microsoft declared it would launch a proxy fight to oust Yahoo’s board or walk away from the deal if the two failed to reach an agreement by April 26. So far there has been no word for Microsoft and on Tuesday a  spokesman said Tuesday the company has “nothing to report.” A Yahoo representative also offered no news. So what do you think Will ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
Marchex Goes Mobile - Marchex announced today that it has extended its local advertising strategy to the mobile market, entering into agreements to provide call based advertising services to three leading mobile advertising providers: AdMob, Ringleader Digital and 4INFO. Marchex’s VoiceStar subsidiary will deliver call tracking services to all three companies, enabling them to validate the effectiveness and return on investment of their mobile advertising networks and ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Moniker Publishes TRAFFIC Auction List Preview - Moniker.com published a list of some of the name that will be auctioned off at the TRAFFIC conference in May in Orlando. Here are the domains they have announced for the Live auction: Google+Michael Berkens ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Survey: Escrow.com Tops for Big Ticket Domain Name Transactions - Survey shows Escrow.com is leader at facilitating large domain purchases. 34% of respondents in Domain Name Wire’s third annual survey said they prefer to use Escrow.com to safely pay for high dollar domain names they buy. Escrow.com is popular with domain owners because it was designed as a fully automated platform for escrow and has a particular focus on domain names. Pricing is also reasonable: $0-$5,000 3.25% $5,001-$25,000 $162.50 + 0.26% of amount over ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
5 Ways to Boost Domain Parking Revenue during Parked.com - 5 simple ways to make more money at Parked. When it comes to ease-of-use, Parked.com is a clear winner in domain name parking. Even its domain editing tools are simple and quick to use. If you haven’t yet edited your domains there, here are five simple ways to tweak your way to more profits. 1. Remove unrelated keywords – having several keywords unrelated to your site’s topic can kill click-through rates. So when the algorithms get it wrong, it’s time to ... read more ...
Tue 29th April 2008
Written by The Domains in EN
Need a Job: Tucows is looking for an “Associate Domainer” - In the last several weeks some blogs have dedicated posts questioning whether Tucows was warehousing some of their expired domains instead of letting them drop into their auction system. Guess the debate is over as Tucows announced today that they were hiring someone for the job. According to Tucows blog they are looking to fill the position of “Associate Domainer” In their annoucement they stated: “””””” Tucows is currently seeking a unique individual to join our Domain Portfolio ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
Old Media Invests in New Media - Cox Enterprises Inc., an old media company which owns television stations and newspaper bought a New Media company startup today for $300 million, in a all cash deal. Cox bought Adify Corp.,whose technology platform helps Web sites more successfully sell higher priced ads targeted to specific audiences, such as parents or travel enthusiasts, keeping brand name advertisers from going to Google or Yahoo. Adify already runs several ad networks, including a lifestyles network for Martha Stewart Living ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Survey: Sedo “Most Innovative” Domain Aftermarket Company - Company selected as “Most Innovative” when it comes to selling domain names. 45% of those surveyed in Domain Name Wire’s third annual survey believe Sedo is the “Most Innovative” company in the domain aftermarket. This is the first year the question was asked on the survey. Sedo sold about $75 million worth of domain names last year, mostly through its online sites. It holds monthly “Great Domains” auctions featuring high quality domains and has over ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
GoDaddy Allows Transfers After Whois Changes - GoDaddy complies with ICANN advisory for transferring domain names. Last September I wrote that GoDaddy might have to end its controversial practice of denying transfers-out when a domain owner changes whois information in the preceding 60 days. A few weeks ago ICANN finalized the advisory that I wrote about, and it seems to target GoDaddy specifically. The advisory basically says that registrars can’t deny transfer requests due to changes in whois information, ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN
Dumb Domain Name Press Release of a Week - This domain related press release is good for a laugh. PR professionals always look for a way to tie their company to current events. A UK-based home business web site is stretching it a bit far with this headline: Early Release of Tax Stimulus has Domain Registrars Gearing Up Already laughing? It gets better: President Bush’s recent announcement of the long awaited tax stimulus checks being issued earlier than expected comes as welcome news to millions of American ... read more ...
Mon 28th April 2008
Written by The Domains in EN
LH.com UDRP, Bad Decision, Bad Language - As reported by Elliot today, Lufthansa airlines won a UDRP case over the domain LH.com. Lufthansa relied on a a german common law trademark whcih they said was established in 1945. However the airline did not file for an actual trademark on the term LH until 1999. The domain was acquired by the current holder in 2004. First let me note that it was a three panel decision and the vote was 2-1 in favor of Lufthansa. The was an dissenting opinion issued by David E. Sorkin who voted in favor of the domain ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
WhyPark Lands $230k Angel Investment - Domain name parking alternative gets funding, announces new ad network. Auto-generated web site company WhyPark, which provides an alternative to standard domain parking, has received an infusion of angel funding from one of its customers. Domain Name Wire has learned that the investment totals $230,000 and will be used to further enhance WhyPark’s service. [For those not familiar with angel funding, it typically represents investments by high net worth individuals ... read more ...
Sun 27th April 2008
Written by The Domains in EN
The Secret of Your Success - I get several e-mails each month asking for my advice on how to become successful. The e-mail’s are always the same “Please share the secrets of your success”. Success rarely happens overnight. It is a series of wins and losses, good and bad decision that play out over years. We all know what it takes to make it. Hard work, Smart decisions, and that certain factor that some call good luck, or being at the right place at the right time. There is no replacing these. Too many people look for ... read more ...
Sat 26th April 2008
Written by The Domains in EN
The True Value of Domains: Has Anyone Ever Lost Money on a Domain. - A simple question but one I have never heard asked. Has anyone ever lost money on a domain?? Specifically what I am asking has anyone ever bought a name for a premium at a drop auction, private purchase, or industry auction and then resold the domain for less? In my experience I have never heard of it. We have never bought a domain and sold it for less later on. To be clear I am not talking about registering a name for $7 and then letting it go the next year.  I am also not talking about domain ... read more ...
Fri 25th April 2008
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Microsoft: “Offer for Yahoo is Generous” - Chief Executive Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, stated today that their offer for Yahoo is fair, and it doesn’t intend to raise it. “Our bid is quite generous, roughly eighty times earnings…the combination would make a great company,” Ballmer said at a conference with business leaders in Madrid. “If we don’t hear from Yahoo, we’ve said we’ll go to their shareholders,” Ballmer added. Yahoo is trading down $.57 at $26.73. Google+Michael Berkens ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
Number of Internet Users in China Equal U.S. - China’s government reported today that the number of Internet users there has soared to 221 million. It was a 61 percent increase over the 137 million Internet users reported at the start of 2007. Nielsen Online estimates the U.S. online population at 221 million as well, but it counts only those with home or work access, as the vast majority of U.S. Internet users do. By contrast, one-third of Chinese Internet users surf through cybercafes. However in China only 16% of their population is online, ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
Canadian’s Online Buying Hits a Record in 2007 - Canadian businesses reported record online e-commerce activity in 2007, with Internet sales reaching nearly $63 billion for the year, according to new data released today by Statistics Canada. However, Canadian businesses are still more likely to be buyers than sellers online. Only about 8 per cent of private sector companies reported selling goods and services online in 2007, while nearly half, 48 per cent, reported making online purchases. Of those businesses who sold online, about 19 per cent ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Survey: Domain Owners Predict Increased Values - 75% of survey respondents see domain values increasing in 2008. Despite a rough economy, domain industry professionals are bullish on domain prices. 75% of those surveyed see aftermarket prices increasing in 2008 compared to 2007, and only 7% see values decreasing. The results are from Domain Name Wire’s third annual survey of 841 domain industry professionals. Why are domain owners still bullish despite a hurting domain parking industry? This week I was on Domain ... read more ...
Thu 24th April 2008
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Baidu distinction Jumps - Baidu.com, reported net income for the 1st quarter jumped 71.5% to $20.9 million, or 60 cents a share, in the first quarter, matching the estimate consensus of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Costs related to Baidu’s Japan operations in the first quarter totaled $4.3 million, which reduced earnings by 12 cents a share. Revenue jumped 108% to $81.9 million which topped estimates which were for $75 million. It also beat the company’s own guidance of $73.1 million to $75.1 million. Online marketing ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
CNET and Yahoo Announce Search and Advertising Partnership - CNET Networks and Yahoo announced today what they term a broad, three year strategic partnership that includes content, advertising, and search marketing components. Under the partnership: CNET.com will provide technology content, including news, product reviews and original video, to Yahoo Tech and Yahoo News. The agreement significantly expands the technology content currently available on Yahoo, and will include hundreds of monthly news stories from News.com, ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Reynolds Named to Internet Commerce Association (ICA) Board - Business association for domain name registrants and investors broadens representation; future board seats to be filled by direct elections WASHINGTON, DC (April 28, 2008) – The Internet Commerce Association (ICA), the business association for domain name registrants and investors, said today Philip Reynolds has been elected to the organizations Board of Directors. Reynolds is general manager of Thought Convergence, where he is responsible for day-to-day operations and serves as in-house counsel.  ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Buried Jersey Nets $175k - A few months ago we wrote how domains, like commodities and collectibles continue to increase in value in poor economic times. Why because they are rare. If there is only one of something, there will be a market for it. Today there is further evidence of this. The infamous David Ortiz Red Sox jersey that was buried and then dug up at the site of the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx was auctioned off on ebay.com for charity. The auction just ended with the final bid of $175,100. The actual value of ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
New Home Sales Hit 16 Year Low - A couple of days ago we published a post about Yale University economist Robert Shiller predictions for the housing market, and today the government released new report showing that new home sales fell in March to the lowest level in more than 16 years. March sales came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 526,000, the Census Bureau report showed, down 8.5% from a revised 575,000 in February and down 38% from a year earlier. Economists were expecting new home sales to decline to 580,000 from ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
Villas.com and Chicken.org: At Auction - Villas.com at auction at TDNAM.com is at $111K with 11 hours to go and reserve has not been meet Chicken.org is at auction on ebay.com with a $15K starting bid, and a $25K buy it now. Google+Michael Berkens ... read more ...