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4Square.com on Auction at NameJet

Elliot Silver
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7

The domain name 4Square.com is coming up for sale on NameJet, and with some active bidding, the price is already over $1,200. It appears that this is a private auction rather than a drop, as the expiration date is September of 2012.

In order to bid on this domain name, a backorder needs to be placed by 11pm Eastern tonight. With well over 100 bidders right now, it will likely sell for significantly more than its current bid.

According to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, the term “4square” has over 18,000 global exact match searches, while the more popular “foursquare” has over 500,000 global exact match searches.

While at first glance, it might seem like a big legal risk for someone in light of the popular Foursquare brand, the popular Four Square game was in existence far before the location-based social networking company was created.

At what price do you think this name will sell? My guess would be between $15,000-20,000.

Enom Adds .CO Domains to Cart

Elliot Silver
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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.

Video Explains How Escrow Process Works

Elliot Silver
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Escrow.com posted a video on its Facebook page that explains how the escrow process works. Surprisingly, I’ve had to explain the process to a number of buyers and sellers, so this might be a good video to use as a reference if are working with someone that hasn’t used an escrow service before.

I previously posted some links to articles about the strong reputation of Escrow.com, which can be used to allay any fears someone has about doing a high dollar transaction. I think this video and other educational material from the company could be beneficial for you to read and send to buyers or sellers.

One thing I immediately noticed when viewing the video is that a new Escrow.com logo and color scheme are used, and you can also see the Escrow.com this on the company’s YouTube page. I like the colors, and I look forward to seeing an updated Escrow.com website.

Digimedia Launches “The Div” to Promote Web Innovation and Creativity

Elliot Silver
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I read some good news from Scott Day and Jay Chapman of Digimedia that I want to share with you. The company has launched a non-profit foundation called The Div, which will help to promote web innovation and creativity online in its home state of Oklahoma.

According to the news release on the newly formed non-profit’s website,

“The brainchild of Oklahoma’s most innovative and passionate entrepreneurs, Cory Miller, of iThemes Media LLC; Scott Day and Jay Chapman at Digimedia.com L.P., have launched The Div, Inc. to offer a tech community hub dedicated to web-based innovation, creativity and training for a better Oklahoma.

The name “Div” comes from the web programming term “<[div]>” which is the starting point for a container of elements. The Div is one of the trio’s initial efforts to build a startup technology culture in Oklahoma that brings jobs and revenue to their native state.”

The Div will host workshops, special events, and classes, have a library full of resources for tech innovators, and be a great source of information for people in the tech space in the state of Oklahoma.

It’s always nice to see successful people giving back.

Smart Real Estate Marketing in Palm Beach

Elliot Silver
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7

Over the past couple of years, there’s an amazing home I’ve watched being built in Palm Beach, and I’ve always wondered about who owns it and lives there. The home sits across the street from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, and it’s on the Intracoastal waterway. It’s unbelievably beautiful, although it’s difficult to see the entire home through its gates and high hedges.

I decided to Google the address (1220 South Ocean Blvd) to see if I could find out more information about the home. Lo and behold, the home was mentioned in Business Week in its article about the Most Expensive New Homes for 2010. The house is currently for sale for $84,000,000 and it’s being marketed by the Corcoran Group.

The #1 listing on Google for a search of the address is 1220southocean.com. The Whois database lists a David Creps as the owner, and according to a LinkedIn page, Mr. Creps works for the Corcoran  Group.

Using the home address as the domain name for the marketing website is a very smart move. Many homes here have names like Casa del Sud or Sans Souci, and it’s probably easier to remember an address when you’re passing than to search for the name of a home, which may not be as visible as the address.

Secret Contest: 25,000th Comment

Elliot Silver
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A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that my blog was coming close to receiving its 25,000th comment and I wanted to do something fun when that happened. I didn’t want to broadcast this because it would likely encourage superfluous comments, and I didn’t want that to happen.

I had a “secret contest” on my blog that only I knew about. I decided that the person who made the 25,000th comment would receive something that I use every day and couldn’t be a domain investor without. The winner will receive a one year paid membership to DomainTools (Standard), courtesy of me (disclosure: I am paying for this and not getting a discount).

This membership includes the following tools:

The winner is a person who has commented regularly on my blog who uses the nickname “Poor Uncle.” I’ve sent him an email and will coordinate with DomainTools to set him up with the account. It might take a few days to get going because I am on vacation, but I will connect with Susan and Monica at DomainTools to make it happen ASAP.

I really want to thank you all for visiting my blog and contributing with your comments. I believe a blog is only as good as its readers’ contributions, and I really appreciate your making my blog a much more interesting place to read and learn.

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