Selecting Domains

BBC’s List of Bizarre Domain Names

selectin — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:13:47 +0000

It is no secret that media companies buy domain names of their shows. Some of them are real pippers as is indicated by a list of 154 such domain names that were released by the BBC this week.

More information on the domain names themselves are listed in the original Telegraph article here, but those mentioned include www.desperaterussianhousewives.co.uk, www.watchagrownmanrot.co.uk, www.singlessos.co.uk and www.bestmurders.co.uk.

I know of one domain name investor who purchased a great domain name and one year later a television show in the U.S. unveiled a program by the very same name. Needless to say, the domain has reaped the rewards of increased traffic and quite a few offers for the domain itself – thousands of times what he intially paid for it. If you’re creative and have a knack for what’s hot the domain name industry is the one to be in for sure.

Domains – Sheikh What ICANN Gave You

selectin — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:06:59 +0000

The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, is the first Arab leader to use non-Latin characters in the titles of web addresses, which became available earlier this month. Apparently the Sheikh is a bit of a social media maven and was quick to act on ICANN”s introduction of the new domains.

From a statement posted by the media office of the government of Dubai, ““This remarkable achievement reflects His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum’s keenness to promote the Arabic language, and reaffirms the United Arab Emirates’ deep-rooted Arab identity.”

Domainers are waiting with baited breath to learn whether or not popular registrars will enable them to buy non-latin character addresses and whether the new domains (which are few at the moment) will be worth making an investment in for the future.

Domainers Add Caution to Success Formula

selectin — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:56:37 +0000

An excellent article from the Miami Herald about some domainers that have probably lost millions of dollars collectively in the .mobi craze of a few years ago should act as the ultimate cuationary tale for those looking to make a few bucks from the buying and selling of domain names.

Many domainers at the time who were interested in .mobi, fully expected that those domain names would be on par in terms of value as .com’s in the long as .com’s bought hundreds (in the case of the domainer in the article around 500 .mobi’s). The problem is that the demand has not really been there for many years. Add to that the introduction of the iPhone and iPhone applicaitons (not to mention the introduction of more sophisticated mobile operating systems) and you’ve got a near perfect storm for domainers to lose out in a big way. Let this be a warning for domainers (novice or expert) to never, ever to lose sight of what is most important when it comes to investing in a domain name – it’s actual (not perceived) value to your own or underlying businesses not just another sucker willing to invest in it.

Nine in Ten UK Businesses Want One & Two Character Domains

selectin — Thu, 27 May 2010 01:54:21 +0000

Via Network World, nearly nine in ten (87 percent) of UK businesses are in favor of one or two letter domain names according to the UK domain registry Nominet.

Those short domain names are in high demand so Nominet’s Policy Advisory Board would host a consultation period which will allow UK companies to comment on how domains should be made available.

Current Nominet rules prevent the use of single-character domain names, while two-character domain names must comprise a letter and a number. UK businesses have until June 8 to complete Nominet’s online survey.

Sedo Auctions E.CO for Charity

selectin — Thu, 27 May 2010 01:39:47 +0000

Sedo, a domain name marketplace for domain names, is powering an auction for the new .CO extension. The domain, the proceeds of which will be given to the charity of the buyers choice, is E.CO. The auction runs from June 7 at 12 pm EDT to June 10 at 4pm EDT and will be hosted by .CO INternet S.A.S. at Internet Week in New York. The last hour of bidding will be shown on a live broadcast and simulcast at Internet Retailer and TRAFFIC in Vancouver.

Cybersquatters Waiting for .CO Release? Not.

selectin — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:13:45 +0000

Research and Marketers seems to be preying on the fears of big brands with the release of an audio conference titled “The Instant Impact of Colombia Opening Up Registration of .co Domain Names on IP Lawyers and Protecting Your Clients from Cybersquatters.” If that’s not the most terrifying bit of linkbait then I’m not sure what is.

The 60 minute webinar addresses the impact of Colombia removing the restrictions for registration of third-level domain names, starting to offer second-level registration directly under .co, starting to market .co as a generic top-level domain, and what IP lawyers and their clients need to do during the sunrise period between April 26th and June 10th.

It’s our thought that there are plenty of laws on the books to protect international trademark owners from cybersquatters and that this audio webinar is little more than a ploy to drive awareness of little more than a blip in the domain industry.

Buying Domains from Accredited Registrars

selectin — Tue, 18 May 2010 02:05:05 +0000

It is a quite unfortunate circumstance, but not uncommon, for domain name registrars to have their licenses revoked by ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers), the entity that governs the sale of domain names.

The latest two registrars to receive termination notifications that they will no longer be able to sell domain names are Mobiline and Western United – both companies owe nearly $20,000 U.S. in accreditation fees to ICANN.

This should act as a warning to those buying domain names (and buying and selling domain names) to select an active and accredited registar. Those that do not heed this advice risk losing their domain names or dealing with the headaches of having a new registar take over their account (although they will retain ownership).

Build an App, or Buy a Domain Name?

selectin — Tue, 18 May 2010 01:54:52 +0000

With all of the recent discussion related to tablet computing, for example the iPad, many business owners are asking an important question – is it better to build an app or buy a domain name?

This is an interesting question and one that deserves a great deal of attention from both small business owners looking to make their mark in the digital landscape as well as large-scale Web properties. The answer? Keep reading.

For the most part applications designed for the iPhone, the iPad, Blackberry devices or those using the Android operating system are exceptionally immersive experiences – or that can be (and most certainly will be in the future). The downside of applications is that most of us have broad and diverse interests and would need hundreds of different applications to accomodate those interests and in some cases needs.

This is the primary reason that domain names remain an important part of your Web success. Instead of competing with domains, applications provide a supplimentary media touch-point. Domain names by themselves are meaningless without a meaningful brand behind it and supporting it.

So should you build an app or buy a domain name? Our advice, the guidance provided by SelectingDomains.com, is to do both – focusing on achieving a level of synergy between your domain names, your applications and your brand.

Buying .COM Domain Names

selectin — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:17:59 +0000

: When Selecting a Domain, Make Sure It is a .COM :
Most of the premium (best) .com domain names are already taken but the chance that you will find a domain with extensions such as .net, .biz, .us or any of the other domain name extensions is not really the way you want to go. There is certainly a place for these extensions in a domain name portfolio, but .com’s have earned the trust of Web consumers and have the highest resale value. For this reason, when selecting a domain, stick with the .com extensions.

Thank you for visiting SelectingDomains.com. If you are looking for a domain name, visit the PopularTLD.com domain name auction market.

Buying Domain Names With Hyphens

selectin — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:17:18 +0000

When Selecting a Domain, Make Sure It Does Not Contain Hyphens
It is not uncommon for those selecting domain names to find the domain they want is already taken. The result is they often include hyphen to get as close as possible. This presents a number of problems including domain names that are neither memorable or short. Selecting a domain name with hyphens which closely matches another without hyphens could also create some legal troubles down the road so make sure when selecting a domain name that you simply avoid those with hyphens altogether.

Thank you for visiting SelectingDomains.com. If you are looking for a domain name, visit the PopularTLD.com domain name auction market.