Yesterday afternoon, I posted some information about the upcoming launch of .XXX domain names with insight provided by ICM Registry Chairman and CEO Stuart Lawley. I am curious if you plan to purchase any .XXX domain names for development or investment purposes.
As with many other gTLDs that are anticipated, I will likely purchase a few as investments.
My wife received an email from Seamless Web today announcing that the company has undergone a small but important name change. Instead of SeamlessWeb, the name the company has used since 1999, the company is now known as Seamless, and it is using Seamless.com for its website.
According to Whois records, it appears that Seamless.com was acquired around October of 2010. The domain name had previously been privately registered, but on October 7, the registrant became Ryan Scott. According to a profile on LinkedIn, Ryan Scott is the Vice President of Marketing at Seamless.com.
On its website, the company discusses why it made this smart change:
“When SeamlessWeb was founded in 1999, the dot-com bubble was nearing its peak and the word “web” was on the tip of everyone’s tongues. No wonder we thought it was such a good addition to our name! And with the iPhone and mobile apps many years away, we kind of had a point. The web ruled the day and we made ordering food online a seamless process. Simple enough, right?
Well, times change and technology does too. The days of people accessing the Internet from one computer in one location are long since gone as a plethora of devices from the iPad to smartphones to even televisions have completely changed the way that people interact with the Internet. One thing that hasn’t changed? Consumers always want a seamless and consistent experience, allowing them to enjoy a great service no matter how they access it.
That brings us to where we are today. We make online and mobile food delivery and pickup ordering fun and easy for everyone, everywhere. And the future of ordering is beyond the web, which is something we’ve already seen with our mobile apps (now 14% of all orders and growing fast!) and will continue to see in the coming weeks, months, and years. Recognizing that, we’ve decided to embrace these exciting times and take a cue from how you, our highly valued members, often refer to us: we’re dropping the “web” from our name. Seamless is now the present and the future of food ordering.”
I personally think it is a smart move to re-brand and it was good foresight to acquire the domain name. I am sure there’s an interesting story behind how they were able to buy it, since it had a private registration dating back to 2005. I searched but could not find a sales price disclosed anywhere.
Web.com made news less than a year ago when the company acquired Register.com for $135 million. I just received a press release announcing another major domain name registrar acquisition in the works: Network Solutions. The company is set to pay $405 million in cash plus stock, pending shareholder and regulatory approval.
According to the release below: “upon the closing Web.com will pay Network Solutions $405 million in cash and issue 18 million shares of Web.com common stock, in addition to refinancing existing net debt of Network Solutions and paying certain fees.”
At the present time, the NetSol is privately owned by General Atlantic LLC, a growth equity firm. The release also stated that “the transaction, which is subject to Web.com shareholder approval as well as customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2011. At the close, General Atlantic and other current Network Solutions shareholders are expected to own approximately 37% of Web.com.”
According to Webhosting.info, Network Solutions reportedly has 6,313,988 domain names under management, and it is ranked the fourth largest domain registrar. Register.com reportedly has 2,362,587, and it’s the tenth largest domain registrar. Combined, this would be enough to move into the third spot, just ahead of Tucows.
Press Release:
JACKSONVILLE, FL and HERNDON, VA – August 3, 2011 – Web.com (Nasdaq: WWWW), a leading provider of internet services and online marketing solutions for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and privately-held Network Solutions, a leading provider of website services, online marketing and global domain name registration focused on the needs of SMBs, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for Web.com to acquire Network Solutions.
The transaction will create a leading end-to-end online solutions company with a clear path to $500 million in non-GAAP revenues as it focuses on providing web services to SMBs, a market estimated to be larger than $19 billion. Web.com believes its combined company will be positioned to deliver non-GAAP revenue growth in the low teens, with non-GAAP earnings per share and unlevered free cash flow growth in the mid-teens to 20 percent range over the next three to four years as revenue and cost synergies are realized. In particular, under current debt pricing terms, the transaction is expected to be at least 20 percent accretive to the $1.22 per share current First Call consensus estimate for 2012, with significantly greater accretion in 2013.
Under the terms of the agreement, upon the closing Web.com will pay Network Solutions $405 million in cash and issue 18 million shares of Web.com common stock, in addition to refinancing existing net debt of Network Solutions and paying certain fees. Network Solutions is currently majority owned by General Atlantic LLC, a leading global growth equity firm.
“This transaction represents a unique opportunity to dramatically expand our scale, add further momentum to Web.com’s already improving top line growth, and further expand our market share as the nationally recognized go-to provider of online marketing solutions specifically tailored to small and medium-sized businesses,” said David Brown, Chairman and CEO of Web.com. “Our integration strategy will be similar to our successful acquisition of Register.com, and we will be in a strong position to cross-sell and up-sell our services to Network Solutions’ approximately two million retail customers and hundreds of thousands of wholesale customers. We believe this combination will provide significant long-term shareholder value as we grow our business, capitalize on synergies, improve our margins and generate substantial cash flow to invest greater resources in growth and branding initiatives.”
“The acquisition of Network Solutions immediately delivers enormous scale to Web.com and better enables us to capitalize on the significant shift from traditional marketing channels to online marketing as mass adoption by SMB’s continues. Small and mid-sized businesses are increasingly looking to leverage the growing adoption of online local search, social media and mobile devices to grow, and they need cost-and time-efficient help. No other company has the combination of products, services and experience to help small and medium businesses as effectively as Web.com. Our combined organization will have far greater resources to market our end-to-end suite of solutions, in addition to using the power of a national brand for the first time in our history,” Mr. Brown continued.
Anton Levy, a Managing Director of global growth equity firm General Atlantic, the principal stakeholder in Network Solutions, said, “As growth investors, we are very excited to participate alongside other Web.com stockholders in its exciting strategy to be the web services and online marketing resource for SMBs. With this transaction, Web.com wins the race to scale, which is critically important at this moment in the shift to online marketing by small and medium-sized businesses.”
Tim Kelly, CEO of Network Solutions, stated, “Network Solutions has been a pioneer in this industry for nearly 30 years. We are very excited to combine our expertise, resources, customers and award winning customer service with Web.com. Our combined company will have tremendous know-how and a broad portfolio of online marketing, web services, social media and mobile solutions to help small businesses grow in the increasingly connected online world. For Network Solutions and Web.com, we will be positioned to capitalize on the more than $19 billion online services market for small and medium businesses in ways that neither company could do efficiently on a standalone basis.”
The transaction, which is subject to Web.com shareholder approval as well as customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2011. At the close, General Atlantic and other current Network Solutions shareholders are expected to own approximately 37% of Web.com. In addition, as part of the acquisition agreement, Mr. Levy will join the Web.com board of directors.
Creates a market leader focused on small to mid-sized businesses
The combination of Web.com and Network Solutions will create a single company anticipated to have pro forma, combined non-GAAP revenue in the mid-$450 million range for 2011 and pro forma adjusted EBITDA of at least $120 million for 2011 before cost synergies and transaction expenses.
In addition, as of June 30, 2011, the pro forma combined company has:
–Approximately 3 million paying subscribers
–More than 9 million domains under management
–More than 1,900 employees worldwide
Both Web.com and Network Solutions utilize a high volume, multi-channel customer acquisition strategy that includes call centers, online and direct marketing, as well as distribution partners. Each markets a broad suite of solutions that include domain name services, web services, online marketing, eCommerce and other related solutions designed and delivered specifically for small and mid-sized businesses. With the infusion of Network Solutions’ two million retail customers and hundreds of thousands of wholesale customers, Web.com will have a tremendous opportunity to cross-sell and up-sell its online marketing, Facebook, mobile and web services offerings. In addition, Web.com’s current approximately one million subscribers will be offered a number of Network Solutions products and services that are complementary to Web.com’s product suite.
Yesterday afternoon, I had the chance to speak with Stuart Lawley, Chairman and CEO of the ICM Registry, the company that manages the .XXX domain registry. I wanted to see where the company is at with regards to the upcoming launch, and he was kind enough to provide some information and insight.
The company is currently counting down until the Sunrise A and B period, which begin on September 7 and runs through the end of October. Sunrise A will give trademark holders in the adult community the opportunity to secure their trademark .XXX domain names. They can also attempt to secure their .XXX names if they own a corresponding domain name in another tld. For instance, the owner of FootFetish.com can claim FootFetish.XXX during this period.
Sunrise B is similar and takes place at the same time as Sunrise A, but it is the period for non-adult companies to claim trademark names for the Registry to not give out to others. For instance, Disney can put a claim onto Disney trademarks so nobody can purchase Disney.XXX or other disney trademarks. The interesting thing will be if an unrelated entity, such as someone with the last name Disney, claims Disney.XXX in Sunrise A. That could pose a predicament.
If there are multiple parties interested in particular domain names, they will be auctioned to the highest bidder, with all auctions going through Pool.
From November 8 – 25, there will be the landrush period, where people can place their orders for .XXX domain names that haven’t been claimed or that aren’t reserved by the ICM Registry. If names have multiple bidders, they will be auctioned via Pool.
According to Lawley, 635,000 unique names had been requested when there was the opportunity to request them via non-binding means. I know this isn’t entirely accurate, but it’s indicative of the demand. Lawley went out on a limb to predict that 300-500,000 .XXX domain names will be registered in the first year.
Similar to the .CO Registry’s Founders Program, ICM Registry has done the same for .XXX. The period for requests has since passed, and the Registry awarded a number of domain names to publishers who get the name(s) for free but must put up a website ASAP. Some of these (likely not safe for work) include the following:
The Registry is taking some unique measures with their domain registrations. All domain names will have the McAfee Secure Service enabled, protecting visitors from viruses and other malware. Ordinarily, this tool costs over $300, but it’s being given away for free to all registrants for all .XXX domain names.
In addition to this, Lawley explained that search engines like Google and Yahoo don’t do a fantastic job of helping searchers find adult websites. The Registry is going to set up a unique adult search engine with some of its reserved domain names like Porn.XXX and Sex.XXX and will use those as search portals searching through the .XXX websites. Since all .XXX names will have the McAfee protection, they are saying it’s now a safe way to search for adult content online.
Lawley mentioned that the few .XXX names that they put on the root (like Sex.XXX) generated hundreds of thousands of unique visits when they were tested for 48 hours in April. It’s interesting that people were already exploring .XXX via type-in before the extension had even been fully launched.
The ICM Registry team has an experienced management team running the registry, and it will be interesting to see how they market .XXX domain names. I am told they are a key sponsor of the upcoming TRAFFIC conference, and I am sure the party they plan will be noteworthy. The Registry also plans to exhibit at adult shows and conferences as well.
If you have an interest in learning more about Lawley and hearing more about the launch, you should tune in to Webmaster Radio this afternoon at 5pm EST for Victor Pitts’ interview.
I read an article on the Afternic blog that had a pretty interesting stat. According to the company, “sales on Afternic’s Domain Listing Service (DLS) are up 94% for the first half of 2011—an encouraging statistic to domain sellers looking to generate cash from their portfolios.”
Afternic closed close to three quarters of a million dollars in domain sales last week (sales that can be publicly disclosed). With that being said, 7 of the 10 highest sales of the last week were via the DLS platform, owned by people or companies not associated with NameMedia. I know there were many people that complained that they felt Afternic focused on in-house sales over DLS sales, but it looks like the data is showing that this is changing.
Below are the publicly disclosed sales above $1,000:
famo.us $25,000.00
imusica.com $18,500.00
adonis.com $14,000.00
vvm.net $9,600.00
ESJ.org $8,800.00
healthgate.com $8,500.00
internationalhotels.com $8,500.00
acecasino.com $8,000.00
shippingservice.com $7,870.00
bikes2u.com $6,200.00
brandsusa.com $6,000.00
CAPITALRAISING.com $5,850.00
medtrust.com $5,500.00
securityassessment.com $5,400.00
lighthouseloans.com $5,250.00
inmateinfo.com $5,000.00
thegreenknight.com $4,888.00
betteranswer.com $4,400.00
pwie.com $4,388.00
ssat.net $4,370.00
ultravioletlights.com $4,255.00
innovativepublishing.com $4,210.00
locu.com $4,100.00
createyoursite.com $4,000.00
elizabethstreet.com $4,000.00
healthq.com $4,000.00
limos4u.com $3,988.00
ibnalhaytham.com $3,934.00
ibnalhaytham.net $3,933.00
ibnalhaytham.org $3,933.00
promovideos.com $3,850.00
reachmarketing.com $3,800.00
personaldriver.com $3,788.00
TrainPasses.com $3,750.00
ultimatesuccess.com $3,750.00
pacificnetworks.com $3,688.00
paydaycity.com $3,677.00
pryd.com $3,661.00
heartforchildren.com $3,388.00
m-l-s.com $3,388.00
yourshield.com $3,388.00
brilliantwomen.com $3,188.00
corporategraffiti.com $3,188.00
limo4u.com $3,188.00
pottypal.com $3,188.00
teleoncology.com $3,188.00
xhail.com $3,188.00
yengo.com $3,188.00
studioshare.com $3,100.00
disasterready.org $3,088.00
panelheater.com $3,088.00
taskeasy.com $3,088.00
365news.com $3,000.00
basta.org $3,000.00
broadbandinternet.org $3,000.00
gigi.org $3,000.00
justfurniture.com $3,000.00
moneyhub.net $3,000.00
newwordorder.com $3,000.00
pricesheet.com $3,000.00
treasurefinders.com $3,000.00
intropro.com $2,888.00
247domains.com $2,750.00
kachelmann.com $2,733.55
entertainmentexperience.com $2,710.00
grantsmanship.org $2,700.00
mailinglistservices.com $2,700.00
MapleCross.com $2,695.00
adresleri.com $2,691.00
myheartsdesire.com $2,688.00
industrialconsulting.com $2,600.00
optimalmedia.com $2,600.00
younghearts.com $2,600.00
americanmovieclub.com $2,588.00
gardenpalace.com $2,588.00
pmhllc.com $2,588.00
withyou.org $2,588.00
ebourse.com $2,530.00
capower.com $2,520.00
BURNCENTERS.com $2,500.00
funnyfamily.com $2,500.00
revenew.com $2,500.00
thelatino.com $2,500.00
bestheating.com $2,455.00
warriorfood.com $2,420.00
allnaturalskincare.com $2,388.55
0balancetransfer.net $2,388.00
mastermentor.com $2,388.00
rapiddial.com $2,388.00
carboncounter.org $2,300.00
evote.net $2,300.00
uniqueenterprises.com $2,300.00
voicelinx.com $2,300.00
iex.net $2,250.00
studentfurniture.com $2,250.00
talktab.com $2,250.00
studentscene.com $2,210.00
soulbook.com $2,208.00
aerotechnics.com $2,200.00
quotesplus.com $2,200.00
senchi.com $2,200.00
uniteme.com $2,200.00
wanteddeadoralive.net $2,200.00
bingounited.com $2,188.00
healthmain.com $2,188.00
respiratoryplus.com $2,188.00
teachcast.com $2,188.00
wildflorida.org $2,142.00
mountainboarding.com $2,130.00
outdoorsmagazine.com $2,130.00
pbainc.com $2,120.00
albumawards.com $2,088.00
attractiondesign.com $2,088.00
chineseway.com $2,088.00
lapcare.com $2,088.00
localware.com $2,088.00
webfore.com $2,088.00
authenticnutrition.com $2,000.00
autonow.net $2,000.00
bugbed.com $2,000.00
cashregister.org $2,000.00
cdmasters.com $2,000.00
dataclassification.com $2,000.00
energypros.com $2,000.00
familyproperties.com $2,000.00
housefarm.com $2,000.00
moistskin.com $2,000.00
scienceinstitute.com $2,000.00
startarot.com $2,000.00
supplylist.com $2,000.00
taxlevy.com $2,000.00
tecmobile.com $2,000.00
texasagriculture.com $2,000.00
Tunely.com $2,000.00
volunteerconnect.com $2,000.00
wonderglove.com $2,000.00
PrimeHq.com $1,995.00
britishimports.net $1,988.00
investmentinsights.com $1,988.00
iowaroofing.com $1,988.00
agrotourism.com $1,959.00
chesterdog.com $1,941.20
beautyjuice.com $1,928.55
FineMOVIES.com $1,900.00
psri.org $1,900.00
sellluxury.com $1,900.00
SocialEducation.com $1,900.00
voteworks.com $1,900.00
DataWarden.com $1,895.00
FatSpecial.com $1,895.00
TripDating.com $1,895.00
faceandskin.com $1,888.00
firme.net $1,888.00
retailnation.com $1,888.00
thehouseofgrace.com $1,888.00
eTractors.com $1,845.00
ememos.com $1,800.00
TECHJR.com $1,800.00
ustick.com $1,800.00
visier.com $1,800.00
completehorsecare.com $1,788.00
iloveveggies.com $1,788.00
profitshub.com $1,788.00
safemailer.com $1,788.00
thechineseway.com $1,788.00
professionalperformance.com $1,775.00
healthrankings.com $1,750.00
rxresearch.com $1,750.00
bodytouch.com $1,700.00
carmella.net $1,700.00
discount-insurance.com $1,700.00
futureharvest.com $1,700.00
islandproducts.com $1,700.00
multicourse.com $1,700.00
selavi.com $1,700.00
SensoryIntelligence.com $1,695.00
dynamicstuff.com $1,688.00
fundinglogic.com $1,688.00
masonrysaver.com $1,688.00
outreachcare.com $1,688.00
pizzachallenge.com $1,688.00
wallaces.com $1,650.00
joestravel.com $1,612.00
advancealert.com $1,600.00
faredge.com $1,600.00
livevysledky.com $1,600.00
CaringSupport.com $1,595.00
charityresources.com $1,588.00
kalpana.net $1,588.00
saveoncars.net $1,588.00
threeingredients.com $1,588.00
smartrelay.com $1,582.00
buycoolers.com $1,520.00
gamecommerce.com $1,519.00
buildyourteam.com $1,500.00
canadianmining.com $1,500.00
celec.com $1,500.00
coralvista.com $1,500.00
csur.org $1,500.00
fabledesigns.com $1,500.00
GETINQUICK.com $1,500.00
giftbar.com $1,500.00
globaldiving.com $1,500.00
handmadeleather.com $1,500.00
helpcorner.com $1,500.00
mach4.net $1,500.00
murrayhomes.com $1,500.00
ncqc.com $1,500.00
nitroelements.com $1,500.00
openyoureyes.org $1,500.00
personalfinancialmanagement.com $1,500.00
puttman.com $1,500.00
quercia.net $1,500.00
southernworld.com $1,500.00
usascreen.com $1,500.00
UsaScreen.com $1,500.00
xfashion.com $1,500.00
lifesciencepartners.com $1,488.00
ourclimate.org $1,488.00
royaltea.net $1,488.00
chinmay.com $1,461.00
londonbynight.com $1,450.00
ecoguard.org $1,434.00
aimconsulting.com $1,416.00
blueltd.com $1,400.00
choicethreads.com $1,400.00
committofit.com $1,400.00
FileJungle.com $1,400.00
icatcher.org $1,400.00
mommymakeover.org $1,400.00
musliminfo.com $1,400.00
officedating.com $1,400.00
massageassociation.com $1,388.00
networkconsultant.net $1,388.00
saveonmedical.com $1,388.00
successineducation.com $1,388.00
tattoomaster.com $1,350.00
thegrillmaster.com $1,350.00
lightfixturedepot.com $1,341.00
rideforthecure.com $1,322.00
archentertainment.com $1,300.00
boxer.us $1,300.00
humanclay.com $1,300.00
onlinebsnprograms.net $1,300.00
opendreams.com $1,300.00
thecupcakebakery.com $1,300.00
thinktesting.com $1,300.00
AIS.info $1,297.00
techrock.com $1,290.00
medsaving.com $1,288.00
myintuition.com $1,288.00
personaltrainingplus.com $1,280.00
weddingfavours.net $1,277.00
pizzadelivery.org $1,256.00
abiqua.com $1,250.00
savoryliving.com $1,250.00
sharmin.com $1,250.00
volokhconspiracy.com $1,250.00
alternativeinvestors.com $1,249.00
productprotector.com $1,239.00
directgolfstore.com $1,227.00
whsnet.com $1,221.00
adaffinity.com $1,200.00
advancedwastesystems.com $1,200.00
livefirst.com $1,200.00
schooladmission.com $1,200.00
surprisecards.com $1,200.00
then-and-now.com $1,200.00
winnerswin.com $1,200.00
KnowSomething.com $1,195.00
bestonlinebrokerage.com $1,188.00
happydogshop.com $1,188.00
heateddebate.com $1,188.00
thelearninglab.com $1,180.00
waaa.org $1,161.00
academicexperts.com $1,100.00
BIKESUPERSTORE.com $1,100.00
chatr.net $1,100.00
chinabrokers.com $1,100.00
partyforce.com $1,100.00
smartwatch.net $1,100.00
societee.com $1,100.00
deadmeat.net $1,088.00
internationalcomedyclub.com $1,088.00
internationallumber.com $1,088.00
tenantlandlord.com $1,088.00
123WAN.com $1,050.00
tutoringsolution.com $1,027.00
funtika.com $1,008.55
alphamail.net $1,000.00
amplifiertubes.com $1,000.00
castcrew.com $1,000.00
ccoins.com $1,000.00
connectlink.com $1,000.00
diamondenterprise.com $1,000.00
dietetique.net $1,000.00
dreamcharters.com $1,000.00
GayWeddingHawaii.com $1,000.00
heroesanddemons.com $1,000.00
jthinc.com $1,000.00
learnaboutmortgages.com $1,000.00
magicfountains.com $1,000.00
mattressgallery.net $1,000.00
mdprofile.com $1,000.00
nonpaint.com $1,000.00
passovercandy.com $1,000.00
perfectcredit.net $1,000.00
plantshop.net $1,000.00
primewholesale.com $1,000.00
PrimeWholesale.com $1,000.00
princestreet.com $1,000.00
pro-fx.com $1,000.00
pubandbar.com $1,000.00
sandalo.com $1,000.00
scientificinvesting.com $1,000.00
sms-services.com $1,000.00
staffoptions.com $1,000.00
stand-strong.com $1,000.00
steamcoil.com $1,000.00
thenightflight.com $1,000.00
thepause.com $1,000.00
transhost.com $1,000.00
tvbestsellers.com $1,000.00
WARRENG.com $1,000.00
I was honored to win the best domain blog award at last year’s TRAFFIC conference. It was cool to be selected by people in the domain business for this award. Rick Schwartz just announced that he is seeking nominations for the 2011 TRAFFIC Awards. The award ceremony will take place at the Ft. Lauderdale Ritz Carlton on Tuesday, October 18, 2011.
Nominations (and the reason for the nomination) should be sent to trafficawards@earthlink.net, and the nomination period closes this Friday (August 5th) at 6pm. Once all nominations are received, the final ballot will be sent out for people to vote for award winners.
You may nominate people in the following categories:
BEST NEW MONETIZING SOLUTION
I nominate ___________________________________________
Because _________________________________________
BEST OVERALL DOMAIN SOLUTION
I nominate ___________________________________________
Because _________________________________________
THE “WE GET IT” AWARD
I nominate __________________________________________
Because _________________________________________
DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR
I nominate ________________________________________
Because _________________________________________
BEST DOMAIN BLOG
I nominate _______________________________________
Because _______________________________________
SPONSOR OF THE YEAR
I nominate ____________________________________
Because ______________________________________
DOMAINER OF THE YEAR
I nominate ____________________________________
Because ______________________________________
DOMAIN HALL OF FAME
The following have already been inducted to the DOMAIN HALL OF FAME: MONTE CAHN, RICK LATONA, RICK SCHWARTZ, RON JACKSON, MIKE BERKENS, DAVID CASTELLO, MICHAEL CASTELLO, FRANK SHILLING, YUN YI, SCOTT DAY, SAHAR SARID
I nominate _____________________________________
Because _______________________________________
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