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Rick Latona: “We’ve been working on a secret project”

Elliot Silver
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10

Haven’t heard much from Rick Latona or anyone from his company recently, but it looks like that was quite intentional. This morning I received an email announcing that his company is brokering OE.com. According to Rick, the purchase price is $225,000 but offers will be considered.

More importantly is that he revealed that his company is currently (and has been) operating in stealth mode for the last few months, hence the radio silence on Latonas.com. In today’s email, Rick explained his public absence in this way:

“Now let’s talk about what my company has been working on. Oh wait, I can’t do that. Our domain business is actually in stealth mode right now. We’ve been working on a secret project that is quietly taking off. 2011 is going to be a banner year for my company. I wish I could tell you all about it but I can’t. I will say only one thing. If you operate a parking company and we haven’t talked about business in the past 2 week, please contact me.

What I can tell you is that auctioning domains, tradeshows, etc are the least of our priorities. You won’t be hearing much from us for some time but we will still be bringing occasional premium domains to the market like oe.com.”

I’ve also been wondering what Rick’s been up to, and I figured he was re-grouping and working on something big. He previously hinted at something, and I have a guess about what it is, but I will keep it private.

I am glad to hear Rick’s business is adapting and maturing, and I think that his news will be interesting to domain investors once it’s released.

i.CO Auction Canceled by Registry

Elliot Silver
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20

.CO RegistryMoniker/Snapnames was scheduled to hold an auction for i.CO from Februrary 3-10, and I expected the sale to be significant, especially with a reported minimum bid of $100,000. I still expect i.CO to sell for a lot of money, but it looks like that is not going to happen in the very near future.

According to Lori Anne Wardi’s  post on the .CO Registry blog, the i.CO auction has been canceled. Apparently, the demand has been significant, with “well over a hundred businesses expressing different level of interest in the domain name.” As a result,  the .CO Registry has decided to scrap the auction format and work with Moniker/Snapnames to find a buyer for this domain name.

I think this was probably a very good strategic move. If the .CO Registry and Moniker/Snapnames think they can hammer out a better deal in private – or without the confines of an auction, then that’s what they need to do.

As a domain investor, I am a bit disappointment. I had hoped to really see what the market would yield for this domain name, as I believe it would be a good indicator of the strength of .CO investments, especially if a large company purchased it.

The wait for another .CO auction to  gauge  the health of the premium domain name aftermarket won’t be too long, as Sedo’s auction will take place February 10-17.

Go Daddy Releases First 2011 Super Bowl Commercial Clip & Reveals .CO Commercial to Air in First Half

Elliot Silver
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14

Godaddy Super Bowl CommercialMore details about Go Daddy’s Super Bowl commercials have been revealed, and the company has released a clip of its approved Super Bowl commercial called “The Contract.” This commercial is expected to air during the second half of the Super Bowl.

The .CO-focused Super Bowl commercial will air during the first half of the game. The ad is expected to feature  a new Go Daddy .CO Girl, although the company has not revealed who the Girl will be.  I have been informed that current Go Daddy Girls, Jillian Michaels and Danica Patrick, will also appear in this commercial.

Go Daddy’s Super Bowl commercials always bring a lot of attention to the domain registrar, and I think it’s a good thing for domain investors.

Sedo Great Domains Auction Ending in an Hour

Elliot Silver
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5

There are some very good domain names up for auction in Sedo’s GreatDomains featured auction, which ends in under an hour. Many of the domain names have met reserve prices and will sell.

My favorites include the following (with current bids as of posting):

  • GasStation.com $7,500 high bid
  • RDH.com 6,800 GBP high bid
  • InternetBrowser.com $1,500 high bid
  • Pathology.com $8,200 high bid
  • Trillion.com – $9,000 high bid
  • UnderPressure.com – $905 high bid
  • IRACalculator.com – $4,100 high bid

Trump Tavern on the Green?

Elliot Silver
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3

Tavern on the Green in Central Park

It seems that Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have their eyes set on re-developing and re-opening the famous Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park, which closed back on new years day 2010.

The company appears to have gone so far as to secure the domain name TrumpTavernOnTheGreen.com, in the event the city awards him the right to re-build the shuttered restaurant. The domain name was registered in February of 2009, and it’s registered at Go Daddy to the Trump Organization.

A New York Post article this morning reports that Trump has apparently reached a deal with a labor union that represents former employees, and that is a key component to anyone opening the restaurant.

Although Mr. Trump mentioned that he doesn’t intend to add “Trump” to the name of the restaurant, the domain name that was secured by his company appears to indicate otherwise (or at least it’s a defensive registration).

It is a bit surprising that the domain name was originally registered by the company back in 2009 though, since development rights had been awarded to Dean Poll, operator of another well-known Central Park restaurant, The Boathouse.

Incidentally, the Trump Organization also appears to own the domain name, TrumpOnTheGreen.com, although I can’t imagine the restaurant being know as “Trump on the Green.”

Seeking 3 Letter .COM Names

Elliot Silver
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41

I have a buyer that is interested in acquiring 3 letter com domain names priced at $10,000 or below. If you have domain names that meet his requirements below, please submit them as comments.

Please keep in mind that domain names must meet ALL requirements (ie He won’t care if you have a great 3 letter .net or 3 letter word .org):

  • 3 letters (Hint: a number is not a letter)
  • .COM
  • Price is $10,000 or under (it’s nice for you if yours are priced higher, but he doesn’t really care)
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