Monthly Archives: May 2008

Sat 24th May 2008
Written by The Domains in EN
GoDaddy Allowing Obvious TM Violations For Sale At TDNAM - A quick check found these names currently for sale in the highest 50K range on GoDaddys TDNAM.com. It is outrageous and unethical that GoDaddy is allowing these obvious TM violations to be promoted on their site. A six year old could tell you these names would not last two seconds in UDRP arbitration. As an industry leader GoDaddy is setting a terrible example. They need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem: DisneyStudio.com 50K KinkosCommercialSolutions.com 50K JetBlue.tv 50K BarclaysCapitalGroup.com ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
New Trend: Naming your baby formed on a avalibility of a .com - According to a post by momlogic.com, there is a trend for parents to name their children based on whether the name is avalible as a .com. In part, the story says: “Registering a domain name year-by-year can be costly for 18 years — and who knows what’s going to be out there when your child is of age?” she ponders. “We could never have predicted MySpace 10 years ago nor would we have reserved a MySpace user name, right? Perhaps in 18 years teens will be broadcasting from their cell phones ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN
Are Domains containing Keywords Important in Search Engine Rankings?? - In a post at the SearchEngineJournal.com, they discuss if having a keyword in the domain name that relates to the topic your trying to get a search engine ranking for, helps you get a better position. The basic conclusion is that in Google not so much. In Yahoo somewhat more and in Microsoft Live Search, Yes. “”””if you are targeting Microsoft and Yahoo in your search marketing campaigns, then you should probably have a domain name that has your targeted keyword in it, especially in Microsoft ... read more ...
Fri 23rd May 2008
Written by The Domains in EN
Live TRAFFIC Auction Nets $2.55 Million - What a difference a year makes. The live auction at the TRAFFIC show netted only $2,555,000 in gross sales The most lively domain of the day was one we picked out last week, postalcodes.com, which rode all the way from a $1,000 reserve, to a $42,000 selling price. Reportedly there were only 75 people in attendance at the start of the auction and another 75 online, which is quite different from previous shows when there were several hundred people in live audience. The highest price recorded was $225,000 ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Moniker Domain Name Auction: GasPrices.com Sells for $225,000 - Auction results from Moniker auction at TRAFFIC. The live domain name auction in Orlando has started. About 75 people are in the room, and many more are watching and bidding on the internet. The auction started with .com domains, and then moved into other extensions such as .net and .info. Check back for frequent updates, although I will have to leave at 3:30 to catch a flight back to Austin. Below are the sales. GasPrices.com sells for $225,000 Susan.com $50,000 Grass.com ... read more ...
Thu 22nd May 2008
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Moniker Live TRAFFIC Auction Set for Tommorow - Tommorow at 2pm EST Moniker.com will hold a Live Auction from the TRAFFIC show in Orlando featuring just under 250 premium domains. Remote live bidding is avaliable through SnapNames.com We are looking for a total of $2.5M-$5M, unless israel.com sell’s which would not surprise me. The time of the auction is not going to help.  Its on Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend. The live attendance at the show is reported to be 60%-70% of previous shows. This means you may pick up a good buy at this ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Yahoo Postpones Annual Meeting - Yahoo postponed it’s annual meeting which was schudeled for July 3, to an undetermined date in late July, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This is the second time Yahoo has postponed its annual meeting, usually held in May or June. The previous delay, announced in March, gave Yahoo more time to explore alternatives to Microsoft’s unsolicited takeover bid, which was withdrawn this month in a pricing disagreement. Arthur Kozel, resgined today as a director of ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Google: Microsoft-Yahoo Deal is a Monopoly, Google-Yahoo Is Not - Google co-founder Larry Page said Thursday the Internet search leader opposed a Microsoft-Yahoo deal because it would monopolize the online communications market, stifle innovation and curb competition. But he discounted the idea that an advertising deal between Google and Yahoo would present any potential antitrust problems. Page said a successful Microsoft-Yahoo deal would have closed “a lot of things that are really important … like instant messaging.” “Now, if you put 90 percent of the ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
“Celebrity Photographer Announces World’s Largest Online Domain Name Auction” - That is the title of the press release I got today. Although from the “teaser” domains that appeared int the release seem to be, well lets say, of less quality than what we in the industry are used to seeing, the Seller is a has one of the great quotes about domain names (I added the emphasis to it). If the domain auction get some juice behind it and if the portfolio does manage to sell, it would be great for the industry. After all we have all seen item sell on ebay which are lets say “overpriced”. ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Next Big Money Drop Name: Clash.com - The domain Clash.com is dropping tomorrow and looks like it will be the next “big money” drop auction name. Currently already at $7,000 at namejet.com in predrop bidding, this domain, which is dropping the old fashion way, not directly to any auction house, but is up for grabs. If your interested get your backorder, in at all your favorite spots and good luck. Google+Michael Berkens ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Overheard during TRAFFIC - Here’s a quick summary of what’s gone on at TRAFFIC the past 24 hours. The mood at TRAFFIC is somewhat subdued right now, but that may be the massive hangover from last night’s TrafficZ party. A lot of beer was consumed and things didn’t settle down until four in the morning. This morning several domain investors and service providers discussed the fallout of pay-per-click and parked page revenue and what can be done to diversify. The session started off ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
2008 Domain Name Wire Survey Results - Rest of results from survey released. Yesterday during lunch at the TRAFFIC conference in Orlando, I released the remainder of the results from the 2008 Domain Name Wire survey. You can download the presentation here (pdf). Here’s a summary of the results: TOP 5 DOMAIN NEWS STORIES OF 2007 1. Domain values continue to rise 2. Attacks on legitimate domain owners 3. Registerfly 4. .Mobi values and controversy 5. Registry price increases WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO DOMAIN ... read more ...
Wed 21st May 2008
Written by The Domains in EN
How Microsoft Plans to get we to use Live.com; Pay You Cash - Microsoft plans to pay consumers who search and buy products through Microsoft’s Live Search engine. Microsoft’s is going to attempt to lure search users with “cold, hard cash” in Microsoft’s own words. Consumers who use Microsoft to search, buy products, and set up an online account will get a certain percentage of the price of the product sent to them either through a check, direct deposit or PayPal So, for instance, consumers who buy a $110 digital camera through www.live.com will get ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Microsoft: Not engaging in Buying Yahoo - In a report today Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that is not looking to bid to buy all of Yahoo Inc. but is in talks about other types of deals. “We are not bidding to buy Yahoo. “Yet, we are trying to have discussions about deals with Yahoo that might create value, but not a whole acquisition of the company,” he said without elaborating further. Microsoft is proposing to buy Yahoo’s search business and take a minority stake in it. For its part, Yahoo has said it was considering a “number ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Verisign: .TV finds it’s niche, politics - Our “friends” Verisign.com put out a press release today (don’t worry they didn’t anounce another price increase, this time) touting their .tv extension and how it is being used by Political Blogs and sites. Here is the release (the part that got me to gag I put in bold): Internet-savvy voters are turning off their TV sets and heading online for video content that is increasingly shaping their political views. As part of a growing reliance on video-rich Web destinations for more than just ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
Moniker.com No Reserve/Low Reserve Auction during Traffic nets $63K - The low reserve/No reserve auction just completed in Orlando and the auction netted just over $63K Here are the domains that sold daycare.org                          $16,500.00 refinancing.net                     $8,000.00 SpaceForRent.com                $8,000.00 DietChocolate.com                $7,500.00 TreatmentProgram.com        $4,000.00 but.net                                 $2,900.00 period.net                            ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Sedo Introduces Authentication System - After many complaints about incomplete deals, company offers three-tier verification system. Sedo sells a lot of domains, but many of the domain sales on its site are never completed. A number of people — including readers of Domain Name Wire — have recommended that bidders be authenticated to cut down on bogus bidding. Today Sedo introduced a three tier system for verification. Here’s how it works: 1. Tier 1 lets you bid on any domain under $10,000. You ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Review: “The Domain Game” Book Released - Long-awaited book about the domain name industry released today. What do you get when you take current reporting about the domain name industry, put it into the hands of an accomplished journalist, and give him a year to research and write about it? You get The Domain Game, the most thoroughly researched and interesting coverage of the domain name industry ever printed. Author David Kesmodel was introduced to the domain name industry while writing a few articles ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Second Day of TRAFFIC Conference Kicks Off - Initial domain auction goes well, second day kicks off. Last night more than 150 people packed the exhibit hall at TRAFFIC for a welcome cocktail party. The mood wasn’t quite as upbeat as previous conferences. There’s looming fear of attacks on the domain name industry and the downward pressure of domain parking revenue spoiling the mood. That said, the business is still strong and the low reserve/no reserve auction last night went well. 16 domains traded ... read more ...
Tue 20th May 2008
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
2008 Geodomain Expo in Chicago - The 2008 Geodomain Expo is confirmed. Here’s the info: When: July 10th, 11th and 12th, 2008 Where: W Chicago – City Center Sponsors: The Kelsey Group Associated Cities Tickets: http://AssociatedCities.com (Early Bird Special is only $595 until May 31st) Having the Kelsey Group promote this is going to take the Geo Expo to an entirely new level and it will be geared towards all Geodomains of all TLDs. This post was submitted by David J Castello. ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
New .mobi Auction and Parking Site Launched - A new site, Dedicated exclusively to dot mobi names, MobiSiteTrader.com It’s free to list an unlimited number of sites however there is an additional charge to have your domains listed as a “showcase” name. The site is also offering to appraise your .mobi domains for at a charge. According to the press release, Domainers who list their .mobi sites on MobiSiteTrader.com may also park their sites for free, and the templates offered are visually appealing and are guaranteed to mobile compliant. ... read more ...
 
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
TRAFFIC live Auction Poll Results - Ok you have spoken and israel.com seems to be the domainer’s choice as the best buy of the live TRAFFIC auction on Friday. Here the the total results: Israel.com $5MM and up (19%, 11 Votes) BabyFood.com $100,001 – $250,000 (17%, 10 Votes) DiscountTravel.com $250,001 – $500,000 (17%, 10 Votes) Grass.com $50,001 – $100,000 (16%, 9 Votes) Vote.info $10,000-$25,00 (10%, 6 Votes) idol.com $100,001 – $250,000 (9%, 5 Votes) oh.com $250,001 – $500,000 (7%, 4 Votes) Asia.net $50,001 – $100,000 ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Domain Parking’s Future: No More Long Tail - Look for Google and Yahoo to cut out low traffic domains. I’m at the Admirals Club in Dallas, en route to Orlando for TRAFFIC. On the short flight from Austin I read the latest Forbes, which includes a short article about domain names. Titled “Bo Knows Rico”, the article discusses a lawsuit against Google that has, among other plaintiffs, Bo Jackson (same case as Vulcan Golf). The plaintiffs contend that Google is aiding cybersquatters and benefiting from ... read more ...
 
Written by The MediaWizard's Blog in EN
The World’s Biggest Domain Name Deal - Unknown to me, since I was somewhere between San Francisco and Icheon at the time, a deal went down on the 15th of May that will shape the future of the web considerably. CBS acquired C|Net for $1.6 Billion. This deal is totally sweet if you ask a domainer, it includes domains such as TV.COM, News.com, Radio.com, Upload.com, Future.com, Chat.com, Com.com, Computers.com, Browser.com, Auctions.com, Builder.com, Events.com, Marketplace.com, Store.com, Tunes.com, Online.com, Gaming.com, Buying.com, ... read more ...
Mon 19th May 2008
Written by The Domains in EN and tagged
The Boston Globe asks “”Is America.com a $12m name like Sex.com?”” - In an artcle that appeared in Boston.com, part of the Boston Globe today the newspaper talked about this weeks auction of America.com It seems that Sedo.com, who is aucitoning off the domain,  first raised the possibility of america.com breaking the all time record ever paid for a domain name. Personally I don’t see it even coming close. Israel.com for my money is a better name and well worth $5M. America.com is a low seven figure dollar domain. What are your thoughts?? Google+Michael Berkens ... read more ...