WEST PALM BEACH – There are two main places my Internet travels will take me when I have some extra time to keep up with domain name newlines. These two places are, 1) Domaining.com, where I can find commentary on pretty much anything meaningful that is going on in the domain name space, and if I don’t find something that grabs’ my interest there, I’ll move on over to 2) Google News. If something in the domain space is not happening in at least one of these two places … [Read more...]
What’s Next? Could Eminent Domain Be Used to Steal Your GEO Domain Name?
NEW YORK, NY – This will be a controversial subject for many if not all domain name owners, however, in light of the France.com domain seizure, every Geographic domain name ‘taking’ could be imminent. Sound insane? Read on. While researching how in the world this atrocity could have happened to the owner of France.com, (Jean-Noel Frydman), as a GEO domain name owner, I wanted to research the possibility of this happening to others, myself included. Since I’m in the … [Read more...]
Industry Event, NamesCon 2019, Comes to Tropicana Las Vegas, Saturday, January 26
NEW YORK, NY – In another month or so, just after the holidays, domain name professionals, enthusiasts and others in the Internet industry will begin getting ready for another round of the world’s largest domain name conference, NamesCon 2019 in Las Vegas. This year it will again be hosted at the Tropicana Las Vegas, on Las Vegas Boulevard, right where the busy area of the strip begins, but word in and around the Industry is that this will be the final year of the venue being … [Read more...]
Domain Name ‘Bill of Rights’ Proposed by Global Domain Name Registrar Uniregistry
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...]
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...]
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...]
ICA Full Speed Ahead: Can UDRP Be Used to Steal Your Domain Name After 20 Years?
NEW YORK, NY – As the saying goes, actions [always] speak louder than words. I came across some material today on Circle ID that certainly merits some highlighting; reason being, all domainers should know about it. A Re-Examination of the Defense of Laches After 18 Years of the UDRP, by Internet Commerce Association With some much going wrong in the world these days, boy does it feel good to see something ‘going right’ once in a while. First off, If you are a … [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...]
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...]
Schilling Comes Clean on Domain Hike; “Understands Price Increases Unpopular”
The world is in an uproar at the moment – the domain world that is. New gTLD domain names, those under the Uniregistry umbrella (which is a lot of them), will experience “significant” price hikes in the coming years, some of which could be up to 300% higher than originally released at. The domain community is not happy. There are many good reasons why people are in an uproar; for one, you have domain investors who may have purchased large numbers of these domains; second, … [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...]