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Enom Adds .CO Domains to Cart

Elliot Silver
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21

A few weeks ago, someone emailed me the following message about registering a domain name at eNom, the domain name registrar owned by publicly traded Demand Media (DMD).

“Today I wanted to inform you about something I find really unacceptable: eNom keeps adding “.co” domain names to my shopping cart, even after I delete them from the cart.”

At the time I received that email, I tested the registration process, but it didn’t happen to me, so I figured it was probably an isolated incident.

Today, when I went to hand register a domain name (WhateverYourHeartDesires.com), I was sure to only leave the .com field checked, as you can see above. However, upon proceeding to the checkout screen, the .CO domain name had been automatically added to my shopping cart. Had I been paying less attention, I could have very easily hit the checkout now button and bought a domain name I didn’t want or need.

In addition to this, there was also something called the “Rich Content Free Trial*” which had to be manually removed from my shopping cart as well. I didn’t review the *fine print, but my bet would be that it discusses that a free trial then turns into a paid renewal, which would be equally or possibly more annoying. I don’t know if this is the case for certain, but it would seem to be so.

I understand when companies use a checkoff box to encourage you to buy other domain names. However, it’s very annoying when I uncheck the box and they automatically add it to my cart. Why not just add .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us, .ws, and .name just for good measure? I guess they figure people might notice that but are less likely to notice a .CO.

I hope Enom will stop this.

Interesting Network Solutions Adwords Special Offer

Elliot Silver
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7

I was checking to see how companies rank in Google for the most frequently searched domain name related terms, and I saw a unique Network Solutions Adwords advertisement. Instead of the typical link to its website, there’s a button to click to view the offer (in addition to the link).

When you click the link, you’re taken to a Google Offers page rather than the actual NetSol website. On the Offers page, you’re given the choice of printing the coupon or saving the page with your other offers. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem like there’s a link to the NetSol website.

One thing I find peculiar about this is that Google Offers doesn’t appear to be set up for a strictly online merchant like Network Solutions. It would have been smarter if there was another button (or alternate button) that allowed the visitor to click through and have the redemption code plugged into the shopping cart or  overlaid  on the website to show that the coupon is acknowledged.

The other thing I find interesting is that Network Solutions appeared as the #2 advertiser for that search, while Go Daddy was above this ad. That seems to indicate that GoDaddy is paying more per click, but Network Solutions looks like its getting better placement and more visibility with that ad.

I wonder if Google does this for all advertisers that use Google Offers, as I haven’t seen it before.

Taryn Naidu Promoted to EVP and General Manager of eNom

Elliot Silver
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8

Taryn NaiduThis afternoon, Demand Media announced that domain industry veteran, Taryn Naidu, has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President, Registrar Services and General Manager of domain registrar, eNom. Taryn  has been with Demand (working on the eNom line of business) since 2006.

Before working at Demand Media, many domain investors got to know Taryn  through his former positions at Pool.com. Taryn  started out as an engineer with the company and worked his way up to CEO. He’s been active in the domain industry for a number of years as his ICANN Wiki profile can attest.

The full press release from today’s announcement is below:

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Demand Media ® (NYSE:DMD – News) has named Taryn Naidu to the position of Executive Vice President, Registrar Services and General Manager of eNom, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Demand Media and the world’s largest ICANN accredited domain name wholesaler. Naidu was promoted from Senior Vice President and will take on executive leadership of the eNom business. Michael Blend, who previously held this position, will continue to work full-time on special projects for Demand Media, reporting to the CEO, Richard Rosenblatt.

“Working with the eNom team to build a $100 million in revenue business and expand our lead as the world’s largest wholesale registrar has been a remarkable experience,” said Blend. “Coming off a record quarter for eNom in Q1, this is a great time to turn the leadership over to Taryn. We have worked closely together developing this business for nearly five years, and Taryn is the ideal person to lead eNom through its next phase of growth.”

Naidu joined Demand Media in 2006 as an executive advisor to the eNom management team, before taking a full-time position to drive business and product development strategy and corporate growth.

Prior to Demand Media, Naidu was the CEO of Pool.com, where he joined the domain marketplace company as an engineer and worked his way up to become president and ultimately, CEO. Naidu has a computer science degree from the University of Regina.

About Demand Media

Demand Media, Inc. (NYSE:DMD – News) is a leading content and social media company. Through its owned and operated web properties reaching more than 100 million monthly visitors, global network of digital partners, and innovative content studio, Demand Media publishes what the world wants to know and share. Founded in 2006, Demand Media is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, with offices in Bellevue, WA; Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; and London, UK. For more information about Demand Media visit http://www.demandmedia.com

Dynadot Announces Partnership With Sedo & $6.99 Domain Transfers

Elliot Silver
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7

Dynadot has become the latest domain registrar to link up with Sedo and become a part of the company’s SedoMLS program. There are now 57 program partners, including Name.com, 1&1, Moniker, Register.com, and many others. To celebrate the news, Dynadot is offering a special price on domain transfers -$6.99 for .com domain names and $5.99 for .net domain names.

Some advantages of the SedoMLS platform include instant domain transfer among partners, ability to list a wide range of ccTLD domain names, and payment within one business day.

For those who are active sellers on Sedo’s marketplace, there’s an advantage to listing your names with SedoMLS as well. According to the FAQ page, the “standard commission for domains listed in the SedoMLS network is 20%.   However, if you add your domain to SedoMLS and it sells on Sedo’s standard marketplace, you pay only 10% commission.”

It’s good to see the expansion of sales venues, and having your registrar linked up with SedoMLS gives you more opportunities to passively sell your domain names. I personally haven’t tried listing names on SedoMLS, but in reading more about it, I probably should get on that ASAP.

Have You Transferred Names From GoDaddy in Light of Elephant Video?

Elliot Silver
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27

I read an article on CNBC today that discussed NameCheap’s special promotion allowing domain owners to transfer domain names from Go Daddy for just $4.99. This was in response to Go Daddy CEO / founder Bob Parsons’ now infamous elephant hunting video.

According to the article, “GoDaddy users have switched some 20,000 domains to Namecheap, generating $80,000 in revenue in just a few days, and raising $20,000 for the charity.”

For curiosity’s sake, I am wondering if you transferred your domain names away from GoDaddy in response to the video. If not, do you plan to transfer your domain names away, specifically as a result of the video. I have a reason for asking, and my insight will be posted tomorrow or Friday.


Namecheap Responds to Go Daddy CEO Video: Pledges Donations to Save Elephants

Elliot Silver
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12

Namecheap logoIn response to the video of Go Daddy CEO Bob Parsons  hunting a “problem” elephant in Zimbabwe earlier this month, NameCheap has made a unique  special offer to domain owners. You can transfer up to 10 .com/.net/.org domain names to Namecheap for just $4.99/each through the end of the day on March 31, 2011 (11:59PM EST). Update: the offer has been extended to 11:59pm EST on April 1, 2011.

In addition to the low transfer price, the company will donate $1.00 for every transfer to the non-profit Save the Elephants organization. You can find out more about this organization on its website, or you can visit the Wikipedia page which has a great deal of information.

To take advantage of the special offer, you need to use coupon code “BYEBYEGD.”  This is actually a money losing proposition for the company, since annual registrations cost them more than the $4.99 it’s charging.

Go Daddy and its president have come under considerable scrutiny for the video which was first posted on Video.me. In addition to comments directed at Parsons on his blog and various other websites, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent him a scathing letter, which was posted on TMZ.

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