IBM Chief Innovation Officer Bernard Meyerson wrote a blog post discussing “inventions that will change the world within five years.” The article covers the “IBM 5 in 5” list that the company unveils annually.

Not only do I think Meyerson’s article is well worth a read from a consumer point of view, but as a domain investor, you might be able to use the 5 in 5 list to speculate on domain name acquisitions. I won’t get into a discussion of the actual technologies that are discussed because that’s probably something Stephen Douglas could more knowledgeably cover, but it’s interesting to review.

Personally, I tend to stay away from hand registrations in general, especially when it comes to speculative technology. However, if you can grab meaningful keyword .com domain names for emerging technology, then it could be a decent opportunity. I don’t think it’s wise to buy longer tail speculative tech names, especially if those are in alternative extensions.

The long story short is that if you can get great keyword .com domain names early enough, these types of speculative purchases may be rewarding. You probably don’t want to waste your money registering names where the keywords have already been picked over by other domain investors (like 3d, cloud…etc).

You should also be aware that some of the technology that is proprietary will likely have trademarks associated with them, so use caution.

Whatever your domain interests are, the article is interesting to read.

Thanks to Francois for sharing.

One of the things I look at when evaluating domain names to acquire is how many other TLDs are registered for that keyword. Obviously, the more domain names that are registered, the better. In addition, I also look at very similar keyword domain names, including those that use the same keywords with additional words (ie DogWalker.com and BostonDogWalker.com).

Taking this a step further, I also have a look to see who owns the other extensions and when they were registered. It’s always good to see that Name Administration or another successful domain investor owns a keyword name in an alternative extension because that is  indicative  of a good name.

Even better, though, is when a company or person in that particular field owns one of the other extensions. If multiple companies own different extensions in the keyword, it’s even better, especially if the registrations are aged (5 years+).

First off, those are great sales prospects should you want to sell. Secondly, it shows the keyword has value to companies in the field, so you might either be able to sell it quickly, build on it if you want to spend the time/money, or wait for the right offer to come around.

Finally, when you buy the .com and there are other developed extensions, you’re likely to receive traffic as a result. This traffic is fairly well targeted and can be monetized in a variety of ways. It can also be used to show potential buyers the value of buying the domain name from you.

Buying the .com domain name when there are many other TLDs registered will likely cost significantly more money. However, there is considerably more upside to these types of names.

When I receive inquiries on my domain names, the first thing I do is try to find out who the buyer is. I use a variety of means to try and determine who wants to buy my domain name. Although my price isn’t solely based on the buyer, that is a strong consideration that I make.

Based on how important I think it is to find out who my buyer is, I assume other domain owners do the same type of due diligence when I am trying to buy a domain name. Sometimes I think it helps when people know I am a domain investor because they don’t expect to get as much as they would if I were a large company like Google or Apple. On the other hand, many people don’t want to think they are leaving money on the table, assuming I am offering a low number.

For the most part, I do not hide or shield my identity because I don’t like it when others do that for me, and I only offer a number I am comfortable paying. When I do wish to remain anonymous, I use a company like Afternic, have someone I trust reach out on my behalf, or I use an anonymous email address. To complete a private acquisition, I use Escrow.com. I shared a way to remain anonymous on deals on Friday.

Although I don’t like the idea of being anonymous, I do think it can save money depending on the circumstances. this is why some of the biggest companies use private companies to buy domain names anonymously, and it might be a good idea for you and me.

Many people like to buy domain names anonymously because some domain owners price their domain names differently based on who is buying the domain name. I want to share a quick tip about staying anonymous when using Escrow.com, assuming you’ve kept your identity private during the negotiation process.

In your account profile settings, change your name to something generic like “Domain Administrator” or “Domain Manager.” When the escrow transaction is set up, the seller will receive an email and instead of having your name in the transaction, the fictitious identity will be listed.

One word of caution with this. You will need to make sure to check off the box to have the payment remitted to your company instead of to you, as it will be made out to that name if you don’t. It’s probably not possible to cash a check at the bank made out to “Domain Administrator.”

Just as a reminder, the seller could obviously search Google for your email address, so you’ll want to make sure you don’t have a presence there (or attached to a Facebook / LinkedIn account).

Here are a couple of other things of importance to note if you do this. A real email address and phone number should always be provided (the second phone number listed is not given to the seller). Also, payment by credit card or Paypal will require full disclosure so the transaction should be done by wire.

It’s also a good idea to notify Escrow.com’s support team so they know you. They may cancel a deal if they suspect fraud or money laundering.

One of the most common problems I face when trying to buy a domain name in private is getting in touch with the owner. You probably wouldn’t believe the number of people who seem to have outdated Whois contact information, making it more difficult to track them down to make an inquiry on their domain name.

When you can’t get in touch with a domain owner, the good news is that other people probably haven’t been able to contact them either, and without their receiving many inquiries, you could have a better shot at making a deal. That said, I think it’s important to make a reasonable offer.

There are many ways to find a domain owner when the Whois contact information and phone numbers don’t work, and I want to share a few resources with you for the next time you are trying to track down an owner:

• WhitePages.com – phone number search
• Facebook – email lookup
• LinkedIn – email and name lookup
• Archive.org – see previous iterations of the website’s contact info
• Screenshots.com    – see previous iterations of the website’s contact info
• Intelius.com – find a person and contact information

Are there any other resources you use to find a domain owner when their contact information is outdated?

Many people shared their domain acquisitions in the comment section of an article I posted yesterday where I shared some of my recent domain acquisitions. I think posting is a good way to give some further insight into my business and it may also be a good way for others to share and learn as well.

In response to some of the domain names that commenters listed, someone named Ze shared some good advice about buying domain names.  I am not sure if Ze is someone’s name or if it’s a pseudonym, but the advice is good and well worth a review, especially for people who may not be making significant sums of money or to those who are just starting out.

This information was poached from his more extensive comment, but I think this is the most beneficial insight from the comment.

A few things to think about when you buy a domain: