One of the more popular web 2.0ish website branding ideas from startups is to use domain hacks. Many companies do this in lieu of the standard “web 2.0” creative names that reside on .com, most likely because even these domain names aren’t available to hand register.
In case you aren’t aware, a “domain hack” is a domain name that uses the ccTLD extension as part of the branding instead of .com. For example. the url shortening company known as Bitly operates primarily on Bit.LY, using the .LY extension, which is overseen by the government of Libya. Smartly, the company also owns Bitly.com in the event of consumer confusion.
Francois Carrillo, the owner of Domaining.com, has recently launched DomainHacks.com as a marketplace to buy and sell domain hack domain names. This comes on the heels of other marketplace and website launches, including NumericDomains.com, CAX.com, and Flipping.CO, which have both launched in the last several months.
Carrillo’s network of domain investing investing websites is impressive, and it wouldn’t surprise me if one of the larger domain companies makes a play to acquire it because of the traffic and eyeballs it commands.
If you are interested in looking to buy domain hacks, Name.com offers some competitive pricing on many ccTLD extensions. I personally don’t own any domain hacks, but it’s an opportunity some people might be interested in researching.
There was a lot of commentary on Rick’s Blog when he mentioned that he bought and was successfully monetizing many