NEW YORK, NY – This past week, the man who virtually created the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee, spoke about his “Contract for the Web” initiative; something he believes is fundamental to ensure a protected, free and open Internet for all of society. Early backers of the initiative, which can be viewed at ContractForTheWeb.org, include notable support from some of the webs largest innovators such as Google.com, Facebook.com, Craig Newmark (Founder of Craigslist.org), the W3C … [Read more...]
Insane: France Seizes Geographic Domain Name France.com with Help from Web.com
NEW YORK - An unprecedented theft has occurred in the domain space as the European Country of France has stolen the Internet domain name France.com from its owner, who according to a lawsuit filed this month in California "has lawfully owned and used the domain name in commerce since 1994." Although Networks Solutions (Web.com) is not party to the lawsuit, it seems they would be guilty of gross misconduct in my opinion and should also be sued for transferring the … [Read more...]
Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Domain Name Events in the United States
LONG ISLAND, NY - The following domain name events are coming up within the next few months and will all be held in the United States (Las Vegas Nevada, NYC New York and Orlando Florida - All fantastic destinations for just about anything you can think of). Whether you are looking to meet new business prospects to grow your revenue, get to meet (in-person) people you ordinarily deal with only online, or you're just looking to get away, domain name events are great places … [Read more...]
Another Cool $25 Million Bet on New gTLDs; The Next Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
LONG ISLAND, NY – Another cool $25 mil was spent on the next best thing to a .com, a dot Art domain. Now that’s a lot of Fishnagles if you ask me. Is it going to pay-off dividends? We'll all have to wait and see; but if you asked Mr Ulvi Kasimov who won the bid to operate the .art domain, I’d bet he would tell you it’s going be worth every single cent. And you want to know something? I think this guy might actually be right on this one. Editors note: A comment below disputes … [Read more...]
The Domain Business: An American Dream and Reality of .Com Domaining
Below are some of the best videos on the domain business that I have ever seen. These stories lend credibility to what domainers work towards each day. I’ve been in the domain business for over a decade and I had not seen two out of three of these videos so I am sure there are others who have not seen them either and would love to watch them. These videos articulate the reason that the domain business, a relatively unknown industry, is one of the most exciting and lucrative … [Read more...]
Google to Become Judge, Jury and Executioner on Ad Placement
NEW YORK, NY - There are a number of domainers out there that live and die by the sword – that is, the ad placement sword, where they cut and slice up deep rich (or some even thin) content pages with just the right mix of ads, images and content to keep users entertained while the clicks keep coming in. This is how the developer-focused domainer drives revenue on their blogs and net properties, especially since domain parking revenue dried up. That last thing domainers … [Read more...]
Making Their Mark: “Big Brands” Invest Hundreds of Millions on .Dot Alternatives
NEW YORK, NY - Regardless of what your position is on new gTLD domains "Big Brands" are buying in hook, line and sinker while ICANN is raking in hundreds of millions of dollars on new gTLD fees. Each new application cost its applicant $185,000.00 and with it, an annual maintenance fee of $24,000.00 (yearly recurring). This doesn't include potentially hundreds of generic domains that were applied for and went to auction (I didn't count each one [Full statistics here] … [Read more...]
New gTLD Success Will Be Measured Only by Use; Not Sales, Not Registrations
NEW YORK, NY - This week a new gTLD sale made the news, not because of its great keyword, but due to its high price and its ending extension. The domain name casino.online recently sold for over $200,000.00 at SEDO. This might seem like a domainers dream-sale turning a lucky registrant into an instant success, but it was far from a general availability registration; it was actually a domain name reserved by the registry. So basically, it was, for the most part, a planned … [Read more...]
Episode 128 of Domain Name Wire Features Internet Commerce Board Member
NEW YORK, NY - This week, listening to the Domain Name Wire podcast (Episode #128), not only will you find out all about what’s happening in the domain space recently, but you’ll also have the opportunity to listen to a board member, Zak Muscovitch, discuss what exactly the Internet Commerce Association is and why it exists. “For the Interest of Domain Name Investors and Domain Name Owners” That’s basically what the ICA is, according to Muscovitch. DNW host Andrew … [Read more...]
Majority of Top 100 Highest .net Domain Sales of All Time Just Going to Waste
Looking at the top 100 (reported) highest priced .net domain name sales of all time it is pretty clear to see that the majority of them are not even being used; what a shame. The list below ($8.8 million dollars in domain sales) illustrates how the majority of people buying .net domains over the years are either investors or those who feel that these premium .net domains are not worth building a foundation on. The great majority of these .net domains either redirect, are … [Read more...]
Liquid Domains: Look Who’s Buying and Using Three Letter .com Domain Names
NEW YORK, NY - Getting your hands on a three (3) letter .com domain name can be a life changing event for most. These short .com domain names are in high demand in just about all areas of the world. They are often referred to as "Liquid Domains", domain names which possess instant market liquidity (the ability to sell quickly without having to reduce price). Below is a brief look at what 3 letter .com domain names sold over the last five to six years, who is using them and … [Read more...]
Domain Community Can Do “Much Better” to Help Heidi Powell Keep HeidiPowell.com, Raise Awareness
NEW YORK, NY - It’s going to be a sad day for all domainers if and when Mrs. Heidi Powell loses ownership of her domain name “HeidiPowell.com”. Some of you may have read my original article on this topic earlier this month and some of you may not. Some of you may have even helped contribute to Heidi’s GoFundMe campaign to help her fight this nonsense legal battle – but again, some of you may not. Now I don't know exactly how big the domain community is - but it is sure bigger … [Read more...]
Expense Report: Domainers to See Increase in Costs via Secure Browser Requirements
Over the last year, buzz on SSL use in general has been skyrocketing due to increased hacking and search engine requirements. Now, web browsers will instill even more urgency for webmasters and site owners to get-their-act-together and prepare to tackle the challenge of converting non-secure sites, to secure. In a business field already difficult to prosper, the last thing you need is another monkey-wrench thrown into the mix. For many domain owners, including myself, it … [Read more...]