Go Daddy to Auction 1 & 2 Letter .Org Domain Names

Go Daddy and the Public Interest Registry (PIR), the non-profit organization that operates the .org domain registry, have jointly announced a special auction of one and two letter / character .org domain names. This is the first time that single character .org domain names are available for sale.

In total, 42 domain names will be auctioned on a special page at Go Daddy Auctions (see list below). In order to participate in the auctions, interested companies and individuals must be pre-approved. According to the press release, “there will be some requirements for the winners of a single- or two-character .ORG domain name, although re-branding is not mandatory.” This is similar to other registries that have auctioned single letter domain names, although I am not sure what the requirements are.

I would imagine the single letter .org domain names are going to see bids into the six figures, although it might be a challenge for a non-profit organization to spend that kind of money on domain names (imagine a cancer organization explaining a $500k domain purchase to donors). PIR is planning to “forward its share of the proceeds to programs that enhance open development and Internet security.”

The auctions will last ten days each, and although the exact date has not been set, the auctions are expected to begin in the coming months.

.Org domain names at auction:

  • A.org
  • C.org
  • D.org
  • E.org
  • H.org
  • I.org
  • K.org
  • N.org
  • O.org
  • Q.org
  • S.org
  • T.org
  • V.org
  • W.org
  • Z.org
  • BP.org
  • QD.org
  • FS.org
  • LO.org
  • NH.org
  • NQ.org
  • TS.org
  • WZ.org
  • XQ.org
  • ZG.org
  • ZI.org
  • ZQ.org
  • 2C.org
  • 2W.org
  • 3P.org
  • 5V.org
  • 6J.org
  • 7D.org
  • 7E.org
  • B3.org
  • C2.org
  • CQ.org
  • E3.org
  • H9.org
  • HB.org
  • I6.org
  • K4.org

Press Release:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Oct. 10, 2012) – For the first time in the Internet’s history, the domain name A.ORG and other single-character .ORG names are available to the public. Go Daddy and Public Interest Registry (PIR) are teaming up to auction 42 valuable single- and two-character domain  names like I.ORG, S.ORG and TS.ORG on www.GoDaddy.com. Short and memorable, these domain names are expected to demand high interest in the aftermarket.

The monumental auction of the 42 names is set to last 10 days and is available to pre-approved parties. Today, interested parties can review the available names and submit their contact details to receive auction updates and begin the approval process. While the auction date is not set, it is expected to take place in the coming months.

The .ORG domain name extension is one of the Internet’s original top-level domains. Reputed to be the most-trusted domain extension, according to a CARAVAN Omnibus domain consumer survey in 2011, large corporations, non-profits, special interest groups and even SMBs can benefit from leveraging .ORG domain names to strengthen their brand message world-wide.

“Companies want a short, snappy domain name, and these dot-ORG names are what you could call the ‘cream of the crop,'” said Go Daddy Director of Domain Name Aftermarkets Paul Nicks. “Go Daddy’s auction platform is extremely user friendly, making it easy to bid-on and track listings both online and via mobile devices. As far as integrating these very valuable names into an organization’s culture, we are offering personalized support to Go Daddy Auction winners to help ensure they are successful.”

Ninety-three percent of consumers want to know what companies are doing to make the world a better place, according to the Cone/Echo Global CR Study. A .ORG domain name is widely associated with serving the public interest and is a powerful tool for companies to communicate their commitment to corporate social responsibility. Combined with Go Daddy’s industry-leading products and unparalleled customer support, businesses can quickly and easily supplement their image and better leverage their online performance.

“Go Daddy met and exceeded all our requirements to handle the sale of our single- and two-character domain names,” said PIR Chief Executive Officer Brian Cute. “Go Daddy clearly understands and cares for our brand, and they offer their customers the very best tools required to grow an online presence.”

In the secondary marketplace, past sales of valuable .ORG domain names have included DIY.org for $60,000, AutoInsurance.org for $440,000 and Poker.org, which sold for $1 million. It is expected the historic auction of these single- and two-character .ORG domain names will not only generate high bids, but also help define the aftermarket prior to the introduction of new gTLDs.

Similar to other premium domain names, there will be some requirements for the winners of a single- or two-character .ORG domain name, although re-branding is not mandatory. Following Go Daddy’s .ORG domain names auction, PIR – a non-profit 501c3 organization – will forward its share of the proceeds to programs that enhance open development and Internet security, particularly in areas of the world where technology is lagging.

To view all 42 .ORG domain names available please visit: www.GoDaddy.com/ORGAuction.

Connect with Go Daddy on Facebook  & Twitter.

 

About Go Daddy
Go Daddy is the world’s largest domain name provider, Web hosting  provider and new SSL  certificate provider, focused on helping small businesses grow  larger.  Go Daddy  provides dozens  of cloud-based services and is the largest worldwide mass-market hosting provider by annual revenue according to Tier1 Research (Mass-Market Hosting Report-Winter 2011) and is the #1 provider of net-new SSL certificates for 2011, according to the  Netcraft, LTD Secure Server Survey.  To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com/PR.

 

About Public Interest Registry

Public Interest Registry (PIR) is a nonprofit corporation that operates the .ORG top-level domain — the world’s third largest “generic” top-level domain with more than 10 million domain names registered worldwide. As an advocate for collaboration, safety and security on the Internet, PIR’s mission is to empower the global noncommercial community to use the Internet more effectively, and to take a leadership position among Internet stakeholders on policy and other issues relating to the domain naming system. Public Interest Registry was founded by the Internet Society in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA.

Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

9 COMMENTS

  1. @elliots i wonder what Will be the Price range?
    It Will be good idea to let your visitors guess the Price and see who Will be able to guess 😉

    • Not sure… I don’t know if they will have/need a reserve price. I am sure more details will be forthcoming when the dates are set. You can sign up on the Godaddy auction page to receive updates.

    • I think the sale of single letter .com names would be the highest value domain auction. I would imagine some single letter .com names would sell into the seven figures, possibly eight figures for the most desirable domain name.

  2. Just thinking how come CM.COM has been dropped, anyone knows the story behind this? I saw it is available but had some owner… since is a 2 letter the registry kept it for themselves…

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