Home Blog Page 1179

Enom Adds .CO Domains to Cart

Elliot Silver
-
21

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
-
3

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
-
2

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
-
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
-
21

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.

On Third Anniversary, .ME Has Over Half a Million Registrations

Elliot Silver
-
8

In celebration of its third anniversary, the .ME Registry sent out a press release to share some insight about the number of .ME domain names registered, its rate of growth, and usage around the world.

At the present time, there are over 530,000 .ME domain names registered, and the owners of these domain names reside in more than 200 countries. Over 50% of the .ME registrations are owned by people in the US, which I also find to be interesting. From July 2010 to July 2011, the Registry saw a 27% growth rate, which is three times the average, according to Verisign.

I didn’t realize how strong the growth rate for .ME was, but these numbers are impressive. I don’t believe I currently own .ME domain names, but I am going to see how they’re doing on the aftermarket to  gauge  whether it would be a worthwhile investment. Happy anniversary to the Registry..

If you own .ME domain names (and want to share some of your insight), how have you been doing with them in terms of ROI?

Press Release::

Podgorica, Montenegro – July 20, 2011 – It’s been three years since the .ME Registry first launched open registrations of the Montenegrin country code Top Level Domain on July 17, 2008. “In that time, the dot-ME domain has transitioned from one country’s Web identity to the most effective personal domain name extension in the world,” says Predrag Lesic, Executive Director of the .ME Registry. “Dot-ME has truly ‘gone global,’ having registered more than 530,000 domains in 200 countries.”

Given the popular use of the word “me” in America, it may not be much of surprise to learn more than half (52.92%) of .ME registrations are based the United States; another 7.68% were originated by users in the United Kingdom. 3.82% were registered in Germany, 3.81% in Canada, and 3.63% in Japan.

But, it is the percentage of .ME growth quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year that proves the domain is a consistent top choice among persons and companies looking to be sure their web address stands out from the crowd. During the Registry’s last fiscal year (July 2010-June 2011), the registration of .ME domains grew by 27%; which, according to VeriSign’s May 2011 Domain Name Industry Brief (pdf), is more than three times the average industry increase during the report’s measured 12-month period (7.9%).

“While every Internet entrepreneur knows it takes time to build quality content behind any domain name, after only three years, there are many innovative online destinations and services with dot-ME extensions,” adds Lesic.

One of those truly innovative online destinations is Internet celebrity and Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons’ popular video blog, BobParsons.Me. “My blog discusses topics I find interesting, so dot-Me makes sense,” says Parsons. “The great thing about dot-Me is it gives individuals, many of which are business people, a place to register domain names for websites that communicate their personal ideas and interests.”

Some of the most catchy and popular .ME domains include Formspring.Me, a site which allows anyone on the Web to ask you questions and provides a platform to answer them; About.Me, an easy-to-build customized personal webpage considered so innovative the start-up site was acquired by AOL from the founding venture capitalists just a week after its launch; and Blog.Me, the South Korean blogging platform with more than 27 million users.

.ME has also become extraordinarily popular recently for its value in the world of mobile apps and as a URL shortener for some of the world’s biggest companies, such as WordPress (WP.Me), Facebook (FB.Me), Yahoo (ME.Me), VKontakte (VK.Me) and Time Magazine (TI.Me).

“Some might argue that dot-ME has put the young country of Montenegro in a worldwide spotlight,” notes Lesic. “We certainly are proud of dot-ME’s international presence and of the Registry’s accomplishments in successfully marketing the domain for its value, simplicity and brand presence online.”

For additional examples and articles about the many clever uses of .ME, visit http://www.domain.me/blog and to learn more about the .ME Registry, visit www.Domain.Me.

1...1,1781,1791,180...1,573Page 1,179 of 1,573