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Spam Tactic Bloggers Should Know About

Elliot Silver
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8

For those of you who run a blog, this might be of interest.   Someone posted a comment on my blog with a fairly unique nickname, which he uses in domain forums and other places. Having seen his “handle” before, I approved the comment after briefly reviewing it.

Shortly after posting the comment, virtually the same comment came in with the same handle, but it had an extra sentence at the bottom of it. Since I just woke up, I immediately approved the comment without much review, as I do for most people I know and trust. I received an email follow-up from the initial commenter who mentioned that he didn’t add the erronious sentence at the end.

I looked into it in my referrers/IP log, and sure enough, it wasn’t from the same IP. In fact, the second comment contained a back-link to a porn site – clearly unrelatated to the original commenter. Essentially, the spammer assumed (correctly in this case) that I would simply approve his comment.

Usually I check the back link (even though all back links are “no follow”) just to make sure I am not approving spam. You can tell what’s generally spammy when there are hyphens and other interesting URLs. Needless to say, I will now be more cautious when approving comments to make sure someone isn’t trying to get me to post their spam link.

What If You Die Tomorrow?

Elliot Silver
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15

Yeah – that would suck, right?   Well, what would happen to all of your domain names?   How would all of your Internet-based colleagues and friends find out about your demise? There’s an article on Yahoo News discussing how some online gamers have dealt with death, and how their families had to inform friends and colleagues about a death. Now is the time to start thinking about this type of stuff while you are alive (and healthy).

There have been a couple of websites established that can help family members notify friends and colleagues. One thing I strongly recommend to domain owners is to   extend the registration on the top 10-15% of their domain names for as long as possible.   In the event something happens (even if it’s injury and not death) the extended registration will ensure that domain names do not accidentally expire.   Most of my best domain names don’t expire for 10 years, and I extend it every time I can.

Secondly, on a flash drive that will either be stored in a bank vault or in a safe place within your home, write out all of your domain accounts and/or passwords.   If this scares you, you probably won’t need passwords if something happens to you and you at least give control of your possessions to a family member.   It’s important that they know where your domain names are registered at the very least.

Thirdly, on this emergency flash drive, add the names of your forum ID, email address, friends’ names and contact information, and other vital information.   It might also be smart to list a domain attorney or someone trusted within the domain community. Oftentimes a trusted family member or a friend won’t have much of a clue about domain names.   Since you won’t want your domain names to be a burden to them, put them in touch with a trusted person who can give them unbiased advice. If it’s difficult for you to sell a 5 letter “brandable” .net, do you really want to make it tough for a loved one to do it?   Give them an idea about what you think are your best names if they really don’t have a clue.

Think about some of these things and start planning, because you never know what tomorrow brings.

T-Minus One Month

Elliot Silver
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0

I am sure you know it already, but as a reminder, taxes are due in one month from today, April 15th. If you have been procrastinating, now is the time to buy the Domainer Tax Guide, the resource I gave to my accountant in order to figure out my tax obligation. The guide is written by an accountant, who happens to be married to a domain investor.

Adam Strong posted on Twitter, “Entrepreneurs, what’s more fun? Visit with the accountant or the dentist ?”   I am not sure yet, but my taxes are being prepared this week.

Anyhow, don’t procrastinate any longer, and get your taxes done ASAP.

Help a Good Cause Choose a Good Domain

Elliot Silver
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0

A friend sent me information about a contest being run by New York City Alliance Against Sex Assault to help them choose a new domain name for their website, which currently resides on nycagainstrape.org. The reason they are looking to change their domain name is outlined on the contest website:

The URL change comes as a response to the need identified in a number of projects: (Project ENVISION, the Adult Health Map) to discuss sexual violence in a way that makes it easier for more people to talk about it. The Alliance is against sexual violence, but what does the world without sexual violence look like and how do we explain it? That’s where we need YOUR help.

I think this is a smart idea because their current domain name is very specific, and a broader name could encourage a wider audience to visit and participate in their programs. The organization’s mission is to build the capacity of communities, organizations, and institutions to advance the right to live free from sexual violence and reduce the harm it causes individuals, families, and society.

If you have an idea for a good domain name, please submit your idea to: Contest@nycagainstrape.org. If you own a great domain name that would be of interest, perhaps you could donate it in exchange for a charitable gift deduction. Otherwise, feel free to submit domain names that are available for them to register.

One word of advice to the NYCAASA – if you see a domain name you like that’s unregistered, spend the $10 and reserve it before discussing it.   While most people wouldn’t do something to undermine an organization’s efforts, it would be in your best interest to secure all potential domain names (that are unregistered) before deciding.

The Way to a Domainers’ Brain…

Elliot Silver
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6

The way to a domain investor’s brain is through his liver.   Thanks for the wine, Gordon!

Liquidating Your Domain Names

Elliot Silver
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13

Say that you need to cash out your domain investments ASAP. Perhaps you need to pay some bills, and you can’t afford to hold on to some of your domain names any more. Where do you turn? Right now, I don’t think there are any absolute reliable options, but I do think Bido is going to change this.

If you put your domain name up for sale on a domain forum, it’s unlikely to sell unless it’s a great name and you price it under market value. What happens is that you list your name, and if it’s not snapped up in the first several minutes, others will pass it over, and eventually it will end up on page 5 – the annals of the domain forum. You then have to lower your price, and wait and hope that someone sees it the second time around. This is no way to liquidate a domain name because it isn’t quick and you aren’t guaranteed to sell it for what the market will yield.

When you put a domain name for sale on a site like Sedo or Afternic, you are   competing with hundreds of thousands of other domain names, and a quick sale is very unlikely. It’s difficult (or expensive) to stand out on one of the leading aftermarket sales sites. These sites may be good for selling a domain name, but I don’t think they’re the right venue for a quick liquidation sale.

Auctions are also good spots to sell domain names, but they aren’t close to a sure bet, and   you’ll end up locking up your domain name for weeks due to auction house exclusivity. Domain brokers can be great, too – but again, you have to work with exclusivity, and competition from other listings.

So after all of this, I really think Bido is going to be a great place to sell your names quickly. People have been commenting that the sales are far from stellar. I disagree. The names for the most part have been far from stellar, so the sales prices are in line with expectations.

Yesterday, ZJP.com sold for $4,055.   I believe this is in line with what other 3 letter domain names are selling for now, and it shows that the market will set the price if the starting price is below market value, which is true with Bido’s $1 auction starts. Especially at this time, you can’t expect to get end user prices by selling to domain investors.

Domainers watch Bido and observe the auctions – whether the domains are great quality or poor quality.   Domainers can bring liquidity to the marketplace, and if you need cash, selling to a domain investor is usually the quickest way to make a sale.   Bido offers a great platform for domain investors to get liquidity.   I would imagine they will open up for more auctions soon, and that should make it easier for people to sell their names.

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