NEW YORK – According to a discussion from users over at Webmaster World, it has been found that Google is now utilizing ‘lazy-load’ technology to only load AdSense ads when they are in a user’s actual device view-point. Not only have I personally noticed continual drops recently, but a frustrated colleague who has been monitoring his website decline in AdSense revenue called me up yesterday and pointed out this forum thread detailing the find - which I finally had time to … [Read more...]
Will Internet Remain Safe Place to Invest and Conduct Business in Years to Come?
NEW YORK – Back in 2016, the ICA, (The Internet Commerce Association) asked me a very important question; they asked what I thought would be some of the biggest challenges the domain industry would face in the coming years. While some might answer that question with suggestions about the difficulties new gTLDs may bring toward branding, or monetization strategies with domain parking from declining CPCs, my answer was likely very - very different than most domainers. This … [Read more...]
A Look at the Top 100 “.IO” Domain Names Sold in During Past 12 Months (2017-2018)
NEW YORK - Today I purchased two domain names in the '.io' extension - which continues to do well (and I only have a few; less than 10). I registered Heaters.io and Injured.io and I will see what happens with those. They seem like great domains and for Reg fee, there is little to loose. I'm not too sure why the IO tld has done so well recently (it's been around since 1997), but I don't fully understand cryptocurrency either, and that continues to dominate much of the … [Read more...]
Sedo.com Releases Weekly Domain Name Sales List 04/23/2018 – 04/29/2018
NEW YORK, NY – This list is a little late, but as these Sedo lists are a big hit with readers, it's not worth missing it. Recently released is Sedo’s weekly sales list, a weekly list of public transactions above $2,000. This weeks highlights included the top .com sold as MicroMobility.com at $50,000 USD, the top ccTLD as App.co at 20,000 USD and the top other as My.bio at 49,900 EUR ($59,767.63 US). Here is the entire list for Sedo.com sales from 04/23/2018 – … [Read more...]
In Wake of France Domain Theft, Geo .COM Name Space Owners Question Future?
NEW YORK - If you had not yet heard, the mega GEO domain “France.com” was recently ‘acquired’ by the European Country of France. Acquired can be a tricky word as the domain asset was, in this case, acquired through what I call an ‘unprecedented theft’ while readers commented that this event is likely the ‘biggest story in domaining during the last 20 years’, and I tend to agree; surprising there isn’t more Internet chatter on the subject. Coincidently, I’ve also noticed some … [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...]
If You Didn’t Already Know, Facebook.com Was Sold for Just $200,000 in 2005
NEW YORK, NY – Way back in 2005, the huge social networking website known today as ‘Facebook’ began getting serious and received its first financial investment from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Shortly thereafter, the dorm room social project which began as TheFacebook.com, recognized the need for a shorter and better domain name, dropping the word “The” and becoming simply Facebook.com – the cost was $200,000.00. When asked in 2009 by a TechCrunch interviewer, what he … [Read more...]
You ‘Need Not’ Register A Domain to Keep Your Company ‘Tag Line’ or Slogan Safe
NEW YORK, NY – You might not need to bother registering a domain name to keep your brands tag line or slogan safe from violators – at least, that must be the general consensus within the industry as nearly none of the 200 company slogans and tag lines I’ve examined have done so. To my surprise, just a few have thought that registering their catchy phrase in a .com name is worthwhile. Below are a few of the companies which have their tag lines and trademark terms registered … [Read more...]
World Not Ready to Lose Access to ‘WhoIs’
NEW YORK, NY – There has been so much back and forth about the loss of ‘Who Is’ data that its been difficult to fully keep up on it. The ordinary availability of this critical industry information is expected to cease next month on May 25, 2018 when the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) becomes fully enforceable (it already went into effect this year but there is no recourse till May 25). However, today I received a meaningful update from the Internet Commerce … [Read more...]
Sedo.com Releases Weekly Domain Name Sales List 04/09/2018 – 04/15/2018
NEW YORK, NY – Just released is Sedo’s weekly sales list, a weekly list of public transactions above $2,000. This weeks highlights included the top .com sold as Stelline.com at $20,000 USD, the top ccTLD as Ilmiotappeto.it at 5,450 EUR and the top other as Penta.org at 5,000 USD. Here is the entire list for Sedo.com sales from 04/09/2018 - 04/15/2018. Domain … [Read more...]
Why I Purchased a New .Digital gTLD Domain
NEW YORK - Earlier this year I created a new company called Cars Digital Inc., a marketing company which specializes in advertising for used car dealers. As soon as I had realized that a new gTLD “.digital” domain name was available, I checked to see if “Cars.Digital” was already taken - and saw that it indeed was, so there was really nothing I could do about that and moved on with my daily routine. I had already registered the corporation and secured the .com domain name … [Read more...]
Call for Donuts to Release Proof of Original “Record Breaking” gTLD Sale in Late 2017
NEW YORK – With another ‘out of the ordinary’ new Generic Domain Name sale publicly announced by Donuts Inc. for Vacation.Rentals (reportedly acquired for $500,300.00 in an all-cash deal) this becomes their second earth-shattering alternative-dot transaction in the last twelve months of which many will agree, appears to be sent straight from the heavens above. In fact, all of their employees should vacate the Kirkland, Washington premises immediately and purchase lottery … [Read more...]
The Birth of ICANN: “The Green Paper”
NEW YORK - In 1997, the United States government under then President Clinton began processes to remove its control over the Domain Name System by creating research and dialog on how control of domain names and IP addresses should be handled in the future - by a non-profit organization in the private sector. This resulted in a document which has become known as "The Green Paper" originally named "A Proposal to Improve the Technical Management of Internet Names and … [Read more...]
Sedo.com Releases Weekly Domain Name Sales List 04/02/2018 – 04/08/2018
NEW YORK, NY – Just released is Sedo’s weekly sales list, a weekly list of public transactions above $2,000. This weeks highlights included the top .com sold as Closers.com at $50,000 US, the top ccTLD as Network.co.uk at 9,800 GBP and the top other as Live.casino at 24,500 GBP. Here is the entire list for Sedo.com sales from 04/02/2018 – 04/08/2018. Domain … [Read more...]
Is Dominion Registries Having Trouble Selling Their New Alternative Dots?
NEW YORK - According to a press release by Dominion Registries, a division of Dominion Enterprises, the company is removing a long list of previously implemented registrant eligibility verification restrictions for its new gTLD industry-specific domain extensions which consist of .AUTOS, .BOATS, .HOMES, .MOTORCYCLES and .YACHTS. The changes will be made this year, beginning first with .BOATS, which is now available to anyone at all, for just about any reason, defined … [Read more...]