Subscribe

Announcing Geographic .CO Acquisition

Elliot Silver
-
29

I’ve been excited about this for the past few days, and I needed to make sure a few things were in place before announcing it. After reviewing my Founder’s Program application for a web development project, the .CO Registry has awarded my company the geographic domain name Bahamas.CO. I love the Bahamas and I plan to visit sometime this winter, and I will be back there again in March for Domain Roundtable.

Under the agreement with the Registry, I will need to launch a website on this domain name within the next few weeks, and I’ve already set the wheels in motion. I started a logo design contest on 99Designs today, and I will be working with my developer to build a beta website, hoping to launch the second week in August after he returns from a trip to NYC.

Press Release is below:

Silver Internet Ventures, LLC Commits To Building A Web Presence On The New .CO Domain

Joins Growing Ranks of People and Businesses Getting a Fresh Start on the Internet with a truly global, recognizable and credible domain name

JULY 22, 2010 – Silver Internet Ventures, LLC a web development company with experience developing geographic domain names, today announced that it has secured the domain Bahamas.CO and will be expanding its geographic web presence online. Silver Internet Ventures’ new Bahamas.CO website will be launched in mid-August.

Until now, Silver Internet Ventures has focused solely on US city .com domain names, owning and operating Lowell.com and Burbank.com. Bahamas.CO will be the company’s first major international geographic website, and the company will build a travel portal for people looking to learn about the islands of the Bahamas and the fun things to do in the Bahamas.

“I am very happy we were able to work with the .CO Registry to acquire Bahamas.CO,” said Elliot Silver of Silver Internet Ventures. “This is a huge opportunity to build a great website as others build their brands on .CO. I love the Bahamas, visited last year, and I can’t wait to get started on the Bahamas.CO website. These are exciting times, and with the recognition of .CO around the world, I am confident this is going to be a wise investment.”

Silver Internet Ventures, LLC joins the growing ranks of organizations and individuals who have already committed to the new .CO domain, including major global brands and Fortune 500 companies such as BMW, Cartier, Facebook, Google, Hilton, Overstock, Panasonic, and innovative media companies and startups like Twitter, Politico, Angel List, Challenge.co, and more.

With the .com domain running out of viable names, corporations, brands, web developers, agencies, entrepreneurs and others are turning to the new .CO domain as a way to enhance their existing Web presence or to get a fresh start with a global, recognizable and credible domain that better meets their business or branding needs.

“Whether you run a start-up, a small business, or a multi-billion-dollar corporation, you need a meaningful, memorable digital brand that tells people who you are and what you’re all about,” said Juan Diego Calle, chief executive officer of .CO Internet.   “Thanks to forward-thinking companies like Silver Internet Ventures, the .CO movement is gaining tremendous momentum, and we’re very excited to help create new online branding opportunities that the world has not seen since the Internet was first born.”

About Silver Internet Ventures, LLC

Silver Internet Ventures, LLC is a privately held online media company founded in 2008 by Elliot Silver. Websites owned by Silver Internet Ventures are located on category defining domain names that offer a platform for local companies to promote their brands online to a highly targeted audience. The company owns and operates Lowell.com, Burbank.com, TropicalBirds.com, and Dreidel.com.

About .CO Internet S.A.S.

.CO Internet S.A.S. is the Registry Operator for the .CO top-level domain.   .CO Internet was formed by a strategic venture between Arcelandia S.A, and Neustar, Inc. (NYSE: NSR). The .CO domain offers individuals and businesses a truly global, recognizable and credible option in branding their online presence. Thanks to leading-edge technology, enhanced security and unprecedented rights protections for brand owners, the .CO domain is poised to become the world’s next premier web address. For additional information, please visit www.COinternet.co.

Media Contacts:
Eric Sokolsky, Sparkpr for .CO Internet S.A.S., +1.908.288.7201, eric@sparkpr.com
Donna Burke, Sparkpr for .CO Internet S.A.A, 1.415.321.1862, donna@sparkpr.com
Lori Anne Wardi, Director of Marketing for .CO Internet S.A.S, +1.917.838.6743, lori@COinternet.co
Elliot Silver, Silver Internet Ventures, LLC, pr@silverinternetventures.com

======
Photo credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11149039@N04/2376885496/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theactionitems/3956453149
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sm3287/218475309/

Seeking Advice on BumperProtectors.com

Elliot Silver
-
63

I would like to get your advice on how I should proceed with the development of BumperProtectors.com. I received a couple of decent offers for the domain name when I emailed companies that sell bumper protectors as well as domain investors, but nothing was significant enough to warrant selling the domain name.

One person/company inquired about the domain name last week, and after I informed him about the previous high offer, we discussed the options to build it, as the offer was higher than he would pay. We discussed creating a line of bumper protectors in China or Hong Kong and then selling them on the website. There is no real market leader that I could see, so this would be a good opportunity. Producing a $50 product for a few dollars each would yield a strong ROI after a couple of years.

The big downside with producing lines of bumper protectors is the liability issue. For whatever reason, Americans tend to be more litigious than elsewhere, and I wouldn’t want to have the liability in the event one of my $50 bumper protectors fails to protect someone’s bumper. Further, I could foresee someone forgetting to put their bumper protector away after leaving a parking spot, and in the event it flies off of the car and damages another vehicle, I could see further liability as the producer. While the liability might seem far fetched, it’s not worth the risk for such a small revenue stream in my business.

That being said, I am thinking about building a website with an Amazon store being the revenue generator. I know Amazon notoriously pays little, but if I can get the site to rank #1 as a result of unique content I have written combined with the store, it could be a nice little passive money maker.

I’ve heard about Epik and WannaDevelop but haven’t heard much in the way of results (how much people are earning from their websites). With an exact match product .com domain name, what can be expected in the way of earnings?   I am not interested in spending a few hundred to build a website that makes no money!

Please let me know your thoughts on developing BumperProtectors.com.

**** 7/13 Update ***

After a very good face to face conference with Rob Monster, I’ve decided to award the project to Epik and will post updates once the site launches. This is the first time I am working with Epik and I am excited about it.

Premium WordPress Plugins & Code Snipets

Elliot Silver
-
2

I use WordPress on a number of my websites because it’s an easy platform to manage. There are thousands of programmers and designers who use WordPress, and likewise, there are thousands of great plugins (both free and inexpensive) that can help a developer customize a website. IMO, it makes web development less expensive and less time consuming than a custom content management system.

I was having a chat with my web developer last night, and he recommended that I check out Code Canyon to see the WordPress plugins that are sold on site. I had heard of the site before because of its affiliation with ThemeForest.net, but I hadn’t really visited or looked around. Not only is The Events Calendar plugin I use on Lowell.com and Newburyport.com for sale on the site (I had discussed it before), but there are plenty of other great scripts and plugins as well.

Frequently, Mike has to make modifications to free plugins to better suit my needs, but sometimes enhanced plugins, that do what I want out of the box, are available on Code Canyon for a few dollars, which is obviously better than paying an hourly rate for customization. As much as Mike doesn’t mind getting paid extra to do extra work, he has (more than) enough on his plate right now to keep him very busy!

Code Canyon has everything from enhanced contact forms, to jquery code, to advertising platforms, and everything else in between. Yes, some of the links contain affiliate code, but Code Canyon is something my developer uses and a site I will continue to monitor to find great WordPress plugins.

Usually, I come up with ideas for my websites based on things I’ve seen elsewhere, and I leave it to Mike to find the plugin or script to make it work. Now, I will look at the plugin options first and ask him to implement them on site. It’s a good way to save time and money.

Coming Soon: WhyPark Domain Apps

Elliot Silver
-
16

I spent some time working with Craig Rowe of WhyPark and want to share some good news that some of you may have heard about in Vancouver at the Traffic conference. Next week, it is expected that WhyPark will debut a bundle of special domain apps that domain owners can add to their websites. At first, 8 apps will be available, and the company has plans to add somewhere around 30 in the near future.

The apps I am most interested in adding to some of my websites include:

  • Hotel Listings
  • Business Directory
  • Weather Report
  • Twitter Feeds
  • YouTube Videos

Craig set up one name for me, which you can have a look at to get an idea of how the apps can be used. Have a look at SwissAlpsVacations.com, and you can see I have used the Hotel Listings, YouTube Videos, Weather Report, and Twitter Feeds on the site. These apps can help keep visitors engaged on your website, can   help bring traffic (in conjunction with custom content), and can help you generate more revenue on your names as a result of this.

Probably the most exciting domain app for me is the Business Directory, as businesses will be able to sign up and pay for a directory listing via monthly Paypal subscription. Craig previously set up RateAHost.com so that people can see how the directory looks and how it works.

One reason I am excited about it is because I can add it to a site like TropicalBirds.com, and I can have a breeder directory by type of bird breed or state. It’s a great way to drive more recurring revenue, in addition to the PPC links. WhyPark already helped optimize the revenue on TropicalBirds.com, and now the new apps will bring a new revenue stream.

The second reason I am excited is that it will allow me (and others) to set up directories on their websites very easily. I would probably work with my designer to create a custom template and then add the domain app to the site. Had I not wanted to do a fully custom site on DogWalker.com, this could have been a good option to save time and money.

Since the apps haven’t been publicly released yet, I don’t have results yet, but it’s clear that it’s a big advancement for the company. Domain owners are able to build their sites individually or in bulk, just as they are able to do so at WhyPark now.

Stat Tracking & Traffic Analytics

Elliot Silver
-
11

It’s critical for any commercial website owner to track the site’s traffic and analytics to see how many people visit the site and how people interact with the website. There are number of stat tracking and traffic analytics companies that can help web developers, but I use just two of them for my websites, including this blog. I want to let you know what I use and why I use each.

Google Analytics is used by many websites of all sizes. One of the best things about Google Analytics is the fact that the website can coordinate with the other products in the Google business suite. It’s simple to install across a website, and it provides a ton of useful information. Website owners can see exactly how people got to a website, how the visitor navigated, length of time on a website/page, and a significant amount of other info. It’s one of the more comprehensive analytics trackers out there. The best part of course is that it’s free.

StatCounter.com allows website owners to track their stats in real time. I particularly like the fact that I can see exactly where the most recent visitors came from in chronological order. This is helpful when someone links to my website, and I can see this traffic immediately. I am able to label IP addresses so I can see who is visiting if I choose to do so, and I can also see what companies are visiting and where visitors are located. I use the upgraded option which tracks the last 10,000 visits and it only costs $49 every three months. It’s not as comprehensive as Google Analytics, but it provides accurate real time information of my website’s visitors.

On my blog where accurate stats is critical due to the advertising revenue, I use both Google Analytics and StatCounter.com. I can cross-check stats, and they are generally very close to each other, giving me a level of comfort to report accurate stats. StatCounter.com loads results very quickly and is simple to navigate. I prefer using it for my stats, and the analytics from GA supplements these numbers.

If you use different tools, which ones to you use and why?

Don’t Stop Domaining

Elliot Silver
-
15

No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to stop working… whether I am out to dinner or on vacation, I always seem to find myself thinking about business. It’s not necessarily bad – unless you happen to be a person with whom I am spending my “free” time.

Nevertheless, it’s not always a bad thing (I think). We’ve been staying right on Jardin du Luxembourg, and it’s a beautiful area, as you can see from the photographs in this post. We went for a run in the gardens this morning and it was magnificent.   Been rainy for a few days, but the past two have been sunny in the high 70s.

While relaxing this evening, I went to see who owns JardinDuLuxembourg.com, and the name had expired and was not owned by anyone at the time. I pinged Bari (my rep at Moniker), and as she usually does when I send a message to her, she bought it instantly on my behalf.

I may post some photos on my new domain name when I have a chance and write a little bit about the area.There are quite a few hotels, restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, apartments…etc. It’s too bad I didn’t own it before I left… would be interesting to ask my accountant about expensing some of this trip… kidding.

Talk to you all soon… It’s time for some wine in the gardens.

===

I didn’t bring my cord to upload photos, so these are courtesy of Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xlibber/2961646533
http://www.flickr.com/photos/switchhook/3388584338
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28793002@N03/3750452968
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davearquati/3808246269/

More photos on Flickr that aren’t Creative Commons.

1...181920...53Page 19 of 53
© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv