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.XXX Could Change Browsing Habits

Elliot Silver
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11

It is my understanding that the adult industry has been at the forefront of various industry changes. I have heard that the adult video business spurred the quicker adoption of in-home VCRs, and I also understand that online adult businesses helped to bring credit card processing online more quickly.

I am wondering if .XXX domain names could change browsing habits in the future and pave the way for the public adoption of gTLD domain names. Hear me out for a minute.

At the moment, adult websites can be found on a wide variety of extensions… com, net, org, info…etc. There really are no rules in place for where people can find adult websites. As far as I am aware, that will not change with .XXX domain names. People will still be able to visit adult sites on the same extensions as they can now.

As some websites migrate to .XXX domain names, and other new adult websites are developed on .XXX domain names, it’s likely more people will directly navigate to .XXX domain names for their adult pleasure. Frank Schilling has said that people already directly navigate to .XXX, so this isn’t a surprise. With increasing traffic patterns, I would not be surprised to see additional adult sites using .XXX domain names, despite the initial objection of some in the adult business.

Theoretically, I would think that when people become accustomed to visiting .XXX domain names, a “vanity” extension if you will (coined by David Castello), they will be more amenable to visiting other vanity gTLD in the future. If they want a restaurant, they might visit OliveGarden.Restaurant, if they want to make a hotel reservation, they may visit Marriott.Hotel or Philadelphia.Hotel.

I certainly don’t think this change will happen over night, and I am not sure how long it will take. However, I would not be surprised in the least if .XXX helps to usher in the public adoption and awareness of new gTLDs.

What do you think?

Update: Estibot’s Lead Generation Tool

Elliot Silver
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4

Earlier today, I posted an article about using Estibot’s Lead Generation Tool to sell a domain name, and that article has been taken down. I am sorry if you are looking for that article and it’s no longer available to read.

After a couple of well-reasoned comments from readers, and after thinking about it a bit further, I decided to pull the article. Although I was trying to show how useful the Estibot tool was to me, I think much of the success had to do with my sales email, negotiating experience, and most importantly,  the domain name.

Don’t get me wrong, the Estibot sales lead generation tool was helpful in finding a buyer, but I think my post made it sound almost too easy. I don’t think it’s right to give people the impression that it’s easy because the account at Estibot isn’t cheap, and I don’t think people will have much luck if their domain names aren’t great and prices aren’t fair. For instance, it’s not likely going to benefit people who want to sell a brandable domain name.

The Estibot tool worked well for me, but after further thought, I don’t want to give the idea that it’s a simple process. I hope you aren’t disappointed, but I would rather take the post down than have people use my example and get in trouble for spamming or have people become disappointed that they couldn’t replicate my success.

Have a great weekend and be safe.

.XXX Sunrise Period Extended – Over 70,000 Applications Received

Elliot Silver
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1

Last night, I posted a reminder to people that the Sunrise period to reserve .XXX domain names was going to end on October 28, 2011. According to an email I just received from Moniker, the Sunrise period has been extended to October 31, 2011.  The email stated:

“Great News! ICM Registry, responsible for the Dot Triple X sTLD (sponsored Top Level Domain), has extended Sunrise A and Sunrise B registration periods for an additional three days to conclude on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 16:00 UTC (Noon ET). This extension provides prospective registrants valuable time to secure their domains and protect their brands.”

Although the ICM Registry website still says the end date of the Sunrise period is October 28, I have confirmed this information with them. According to Vaughn Liley, Sales Director for the ICM Registry, the  extension is “due to incredible last week demand and at the request of several Registrars who wanted the weekend to process their backlogs of applications.”

In addition to this confirmation, Liley also informed me that they have received over 70,000 applications for .XXX domain names. Earlier this week, that number was around 42,000  applications. I am not surprised at how many sunrise applications they’ve received, but the figure is stunning. At around $200/each, that’s over $14 million up front cash. I wouldn’t even be surprised if they surpass 100,000 applications by Monday afternoon.

If you do wish to have your trademarks opted out of triple x domain names, now is the time to reserve them before the sunrise period ends.

My “Office” Set Up

Elliot Silver
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41

I am always curious about how other domain investors have their offices/work stations set up. I figured I would share my set up with you and learn how you have yours set up for some ideas in the future.

For starters, I work from the comfort of my own home. I work weird hours, so it wouldn’t benefit me to have an office elsewhere, since I’d probably end up working from home, especially during the Summer and Winter seasons. It’s also a cost savings since an office in Manhattan isn’t cheap if I’d want to upgrade from what I have right now.

I am a Mac guy, and I use a Macbook Pro 15″ / 2.2Ghz with a solid state drive. I also have a wireless mouse and keyboard. I use the Free Agent GoFlex drive to back up my system, using the Time Machine option. I have a 23″ Samsung screen for when I am working from the desk. I keep my iPad handy for when I need to multi task and/or see how things look on a different browser.

Now that you know how I have my “office” set up, why not share how you have yours set up.

Done Deal: Web.com Completes Network Solutions Acquisition

Elliot Silver
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23

Web.com put out a press release this evening announcing that the deal to acquire Network Solutions has been approved and finalized. The deal, valued at approximately $576 million ($405 million in cash and 18 million shares of Web.com common stock), was originally announced in August, and it comes on the heels of Web.com’s acquisiton of Register.com in June of 2010.

This acquisition triples Web.com’s customer base, and it will allow the company to offer cross-sells and up-sells to customers. In total, there are now about 3 million “subscribers.”  According to David Brown, chairman and chief executive officer of Web.com. “This transaction more than doubles our revenue, triples the size of our customer base, and provides the expanded scale to invest greater resources in growth and branding initiatives.”

I am interested in learning more about the branding initiatives that were mentioned by Brown. Register.com and Network Solutions have built solid brand names over the last 15+ years, and they have arguably more consumer recognition than Web.com.

Do you think the company should re-brand under one unified name, or do you think it makes more sense to operate under different identities?

Tomorrow Last Day for .XXX Sunrise B Applications

Elliot Silver
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1

ICM RegistryThe ICM Registry is currently accepting Sunrise B applications for .XXX domain names, and the final day to reserve one is tomorrow, October 28, 2011. If you want to opt out of .XXX for a trademark, tomorrow will be the last day to do it.

The landrush period will begin on November 8 and run through November 25. This phase of the release is for members of the adult community who do not have trademarks but do want to purchase .XXX domain names.

According to Andrew Allemann, the registry has grossed over $10,000,000 already, and they haven’t even hit the landrush or general  availability  domain sales yet, which will likely be the company’s bread and butter (main revenue stream). It’s an incredible story, and while the topic may be polarizing for many people, it is getting people to talk about domain names and gTLDs (although this is not a gTLD).

More information about Sunrise B is available on the ICM Registry website.

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