Domain Investing News, Strategy & Tips

Private Whois on Domains in Auction

Elliot Silver

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August 12, 2009

I just noticed a smart move that is being made by Moniker and wanted to share it with you. I listed another batch of domain names for sale on Snapnames a couple of days ago. I logged in to my account, and I didn’t recognize one of the domain names that had received a bid. Fearful that I mis-listed a domain name I didn’t own, I did a Whois lookup, which is quicker than logging in to my Moniker account.

I was immediately concerned when I saw that the registration was private. I rarely privatize my domain names, and I have private Whois for just a few that I prefer not to be spammed about (no, this domain name and website are not for sale!). I immediately logged in to my account, and sure enough, the domain name was in my account (phewwww)! It also indicated that I had not selected the Privacy Shield option.

I went back to the Whois check and I noticed the listing said “Pending Auction” and “Moniker Privacy Services.” This is a smart move to prevent unscrupulous individuals from contacting domain owners and attempting to usurp the auction process.

One suggestion I have for Moniker is to add a link to the auction somewhere. Although many Whois lookup services won’t be willing to link to a competitor’s auction, there’s nothing they can do if the Admin Name is “Pending Auction: http://www.snapnames.com/domainauction123.php.” This will allow people who search for a domain name to see where the auction is. At the very least, they should change the Registrant to “Snapnames.com Pending Auction.”

Use Caution When Responding to Domain Inquiries

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August 10, 2009

10

Every day, people receive inquires on their domain names. People ask if specific domain names are for sale and some make offers while others ask the domain owner at what price he would sell the domain name. Now more than ever, it’s important to carefully consider how you respond to domain inquiries. Andrew reported on the OpenDental.com UDRP today, and the panel had one startling opinion:

“Complainant offered to buy the disputed domain name from Respondent for $500-$5000. Respondent’s engagement with Complainant in these offers and counter-offers is evidence of bad faith registration and use.”

So there you have it. If someone inquires about your domain name and you engage in offers and counter offers, you could put the domain name at risk. In my opinion, this is a crock!

Everything I own is for sale at the right price. If someone came to my apartment and asked to buy it, of course I would tell him that I’d sell it for the right price. If he offered me double the book value because he really wanted it, I would sell it ASAP and rent another apartment while my wife finishes graduate school. I am not looking to sell it and don’t want to sell it, but if he was making offers that made it worthwhile, I would consider it, despite the inconvenience it would cause.

Likewise, I would sell my domain names and websites for the right price. I don’t wish to sell any of my geodomain names right now, but I am trying to build a business to make money. If that involves selling my business and domain name for a considerable profit, sure I would consider selling it. I don’t see how negotiating the sale of a domain name or a business implies bad faith ownership of it.

I really think that the OpenDental.com decision is poor, and the language in its findings sets a very bad example that domain owners need to consider. Fortunately, one decision doesn’t necessarily mean others will follow, but it sure should be noted for the next time you receive an offer to sell a domain name.

Internet.com Network Sold for $18 Million

Elliot Silver

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August 10, 2009

2

Internet.com Sold for $18 Million Publicly traded WebMediaBrands, Inc. reported the sale of its Internet.com division for $18,000,000 to QuinStreet, Inc, in an all cash deal that is pending approval from the WMB board of directors. The Internet.com Network is comprised of many different brands focusing on developers, IT, Internet news, personal technology and small business.

Internet.com brands that are also presumably included in the deal are BlackberryGuide.com, InternetNews.com, DatabaseJournal.com, WebDeveloper.com, JavaScript.com, Developer.com, and many others. Each of these brands operates on its own website under the Internet.com umbrella.

According to AboutUs.org, QuinStreet is “an online performance marketing company helps businesses target their would-be customer audiences by using its proprietary technologies and media reach to generate sales leads.” Owning the Internet.com brand will enable the company to continue expand its online presence, reaching the estimated 15 million unique visitors who visit the Internet.com Network. Owning the Internet.com brand will be a powerful marketing tool.

WebMediaBrands will continue to operate MediaBistro and the Graphics.com Network, among other brands.

Create New Revenue Opportunities

Elliot Silver

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August 8, 2009

9

When I was evaluating my geo-websites, I realized that I could have great traffic and content, but based on my advertising placements and opportunities, unless my prices were sky-high, I would never be able to turn them into self-sustaining businesses. I have 6 banners on the top bar of home page, and they rotate throughout the site. Additionally, I charge for job listings and I use a hotel affiliate for reservations. Although I have signed-on a few local advertisers in the last few weeks, the revenue is still fairly small compared to my other ventures.

Over the past couple of days, I’ve looked at each section of my website with an eye on increasing the revenue. After comparing some of my sections (such as the restaurant section), I realized I need to look at each area as a completely separate revenue generating opportunity. By doing this, I created the first iteration of the Lowell Restaurants Guide, and I am rapidly working on iteration #2 (well, my designer is).

Comparing my website to a garden, I had been tending to it as a whole – just watering the entire garden to make sure everything received enough hydration. Instead of doing this, I am now tending to each individual plant, making sure each gets specific nutrients to stay healthy and grow as large as possible.

I am not looking to maximize the revenue on my geo websites yet. I am looking to create opportunities for the future. I am building the brands locally and I am opening up advertising opportunities. Watching Shaun in Kelowna has really inspired me to look at ways to build these into bigger businesses. Each day, I am working towards achieving this goal, and I will soon share more of my business vision for my geodomain holdings.

My Next Venture – Is it Crap?

Domain Industry News

Elliot Silver

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August 8, 2009

14

There’s nothing like starting out on a new venture that is going to be huge. This is really going to leave a mark on the world. Since leaving my corporate job, I’ve been looking for a project that will leave me satisfied. I thought I had that with my developed geodomain names, but alas, these are nothing compared to my newest project, which has really moved me.

I know this may make me the butt of your jokes, and some of you may pooh-pooh this idea, but I do – do not care that you may think it stinks. This has been brewing for months, but I feel like its finally ready to be released.

Together with the help of a few friends, I am set to push out FecalPhotos.com, a website dedicated to crappy photos and all sorts of shit like that. A friend of mine owns RateMyShit.com, and I think these two ventures go hand in hand. I will soon travel to the bowels of this country to meet with him in New Jersey, and hopefully we can work together on a successful venture.

Yes… I am shitting you. This foul idea was brewed up over a few beers and I decided to post it (in poor taste). Enjoy your weekend and be safe.

Do Sports Teams Get Domain Names?

Elliot Silver

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August 7, 2009

6

I want to examine whether American professional sports teams seem to value generic domain names for their websites. Surprisingly, there are a whole host of sports teams that do not own the exact keyword .com domain name of their brand, even though they are losing a considerable amount of traffic as a result. I searched NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL team websites, and I found that National Basketball Association teams own the most team name.com domain names, and National Hockey League teams owns the least.

Since most sports team names are very generic, they are expensive to acquire. However, losing ticket sales and team memorabilia/collectibles revenue (or having to pay a commission for them) should be incentive enough to spend the money to buy these domain names, as evidenced by the purchase of Bobcats.com by the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats last year.

By nature, American Internet users seem to default to the .com domain name when looking for a specific brand, and that holds true for sports teams. This can be witnessed by examining the public stats of generic sports domain names during the season. For example, Dolphins.com seems to spike at the beginning of the football season and then in the middle, even though the Miami Dolphins didn’t own the domain name until a recent UDRP filing that was Suspended.

It’s interesting to note that it doesn’t appear that the league or team values have anything to do with the acquisition of generic .com domain names. The Dallas Cowboys are one of the three most valuable American professional sports franchises. Yet they weren’t willing to pay $275,000 for their generic .com domain name when it was up for auction (which is a story in and of itself).

According to reports in Forbes Magazine, the approximate combined value of teams in each league were: NFL: $30.6 billion, MLB: $14.5 billion, NBA: $11.4 billion, and NHL: $6.6 billion. This doesn’t parallel the % of teams that own their own .com domain name, although the least valuable league does own the least amount of .com domain names.

Percentage of teams that own their .com team name:
NBA: 76.7%
MLB: 73.3%
NFL: 53.1%
NHL: 26.7%

National Hockey League Teams – Do they own team name .com?
Buffalo Sabres Yes
Carolina Hurricanes No
Colorado Avalanche No
Columbus Blue Jackets No
Dallas Stars No
Detroit Red Wings No
Edmonton Oilers No
Florida Panthers No
Los Angeles Kings No
Minnesota Wild Yes
Montreal Canadiens Yes
Nashville Predators No
New Jersey Devils No
New York Islanders No
New York Rangers No
Ottawa Senators Yes
Philadelphia Flyers No
Phoenix Coyotes No
Pittsburgh Penguins No
San Jose Sharks No
St. Louis Blues No
Tampa Bay Lightning No
Toronto Maple Leafs Yes
Vancouver Canucks Yes
Washington Capitals No

National Basketball League Teams – Do they own team name .com?
Atlanta Hawks Yes
Boston Celtics Yes
Charlotte Bobcats Yes
Chicago Bulls Yes
Cleveland Cavaliers No
Dallas Mavericks No
Denver Nuggets Yes
Detroit Pistons Yes
Golden State Warriors Yes
Houston Rockets Yes
Indians Pacers Yes
LA Clippers Yes
LA Lakers Yes
Memphis Grizzlies Yes
Miami Heat Yes
Milwaukee Bucks Yes
Minnesota Timberwolves Yes
New Jersey Nets No
New Orleans Hornets Yes
New York Knicks Yes
Oklahoma City Thunder No
Orlando Magic No
Philadelphia 76ers Yes
Phoenix Suns Yes
Portland Trail Blazers Yes
Sacramento Kings Yes
San Antonio Spurs Yes
Toronto Raptors Yes
Utah Jazz No
Washington Wizards No

National Football League Teams – Do they own team name .com?
Arizona Cardinals No
Atlanta Falcons No
Baltimore Ravens No
Buffalo Bills No
Carolina Panthers Yes
Chicago Bears No
Cincinnati Bengals Yes
Cleveland Browns No
Dallas Cowboys No
Denver Broncos No
Detroit Lions No
Green Bay Packers Yes
Houston Texans No
Indianapolis Colts Yes
Jacksonville Jaguars Yes
Kansas City Chiefs No
Miami Dolphins Yes
Minnesota Vikings Yes
New England Patriots Yes
New Orleans Saints No
New York Giants Yes
New York Jets No
Oakland Raiders Yes
Philadelphia Eagles No
Pittsburgh Steelers Yes
San Diego Chargers Yes
San Francisco 49ers Yes
Seattle Seahawks Yes
St Louis Rams Yes
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Yes
Tennessee Titans No
Washington Redskins Yes

Major League Baseball Teams – Do they own team name .com?
Arizona Diamondbacks Yes
Atlanta Braves Yes
Baltimore Orioles Yes
Boston Red Sox Yes
Chicago Cubs Yes
Chicago White Sox Yes
Cincinnati Reds Yes
Cleveland Indians Yes
Colorado Rockies No
Detroit Tigers Yes
Florida Marlins Yes
Houston Astros Yes
Kansas City Royals Yes
Los Angeles Angels No
Los Angeles Dodgers Yes
Milwaukee Brewers Yes
Minnesota Twins No
New York Mets Yes
New York Yankees Yes
Oakland Athletics No
Philadelphia Phillies Yes
Pittsburgh Pirates Yes
San Diego Padres Yes
San Francisco Giants No
Seattle Mariners Yes
St. Louis Cardinals No
Tampa Bay Rays No
Texas Rangers No
Toronto Blue Jays Yes
Washington Nationals Yes

DomainInvesting.com

Private Whois on Domains in Auction

Use Caution When Responding to Domain Inquiries

Internet.com Network Sold for $18 Million

Create New Revenue Opportunities

My Next Venture – Is it Crap?

Do Sports Teams Get Domain Names?

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