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Summer Doldrums

Elliot Silver
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Lately, domain sellers always seem to be asking each other if others are experiencing a slow down. I haven’t had a bad year, especially considering last year was my worst year by far, but this summer has been pretty slow in terms of domain sale.

From my perspective, it seems that many domain investors aren’t investing as much as they have previously invested in the aftermarket. A number of my clients are in more of a hold mode right now, presumably waiting out this economic storm. This has caused a slow down in my business, and as a result, I am buying less after market domain names. It’s a trickle down effect.

End user companies are still buying domain names as their needs necessitate. Because these needs are demand-based, it is more difficult to close domain sales. It also seems that deals that do close are taking much more time to complete, likely a result of tighter spending.

Because many companies need to spend their entire marketing budget before year-end in order to justify the same (or an increased budget) for the following year, we may see an increase in activity in a month or two. That may be wishful thinking 🙂

In the meantime, I am continuing to build out the websites that I have and continue to market those sites that are operational. Bahamas.co is nearly ready to launch, and I am excited about these prospects.

What have you been seeing in the domain sales market lately?

.CO Domains Subject to UDRP

Elliot Silver
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28

I read an “Open Letter to .CO Registrants” posted on the .CO Registry website by Eduardo Santoyo, Vice President & ccTLD Manager for the Registry. I think any domain owner who bought .CO domain names should have a look at the letter to know where the Registry stands when it comes to trademark infringement.

Some of the key points discussed in this letter include:

  • .CO domain names are subject to UDRP
  • When you buy a .CO domain name, you must represent and warrant that you aren’t doing so to infringe on the rights of another company (whether you are bidding on a domain name or hand registering it)
  • .CO Registry will not give any refunds if a name is taken via UDRP or other legal action
  • Domain owners are responsible for doing their own due diligence

Most domain investors know the ramifications pertaining to registering trademark infringing domain names, but some people don’t. I received an email last week from someone who told me she registered several .CO domain names of Fortune 500 companies that didn’t think to register them on their own. She asked how she could sell them. I told her I had no idea but referred her to my Domain Lawyer article for references.

It’s good to see the Registry post an article like this, and it will certainly be interesting to see how many UDRP cases are filed and how soon until that begins. My bet is that there will be quite a lot, especially when a strong aftermarket develops.

QuinStreet Paid $35.6 Million for Insurance.com

Elliot Silver
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QuinStreet announces purchase price of $35.6 million for Insurance.com in earnings call

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew Allemann reported that QuinStreet was the buyer of Insurance.com, although the price was not revealed at the time of the news release.   In today’s Second Quarter earnings call with analysts and investors, the company reported that it paid $35,600,000 for Insurance.com. Although this includes the content, I believe the domain name was the primary asset that was acquired, and the content is good for search engine rankings.

A replay of today’s conference call will be available at 8pm EST until August 16, 2010. You can access the recording by calling (800) 406-7325 in the US and Canada, or by calling 1-303-590-3030 elsewhere in the world.   Use passcode 4328774 to access the call. In October of 2009, QuinStreet paid $16 million for Insure.com.

When I worked in one of the direct marketing groups at AIG, our group had millions of dollars to invest, and I recommended that we look into Insurance.com.   My thought was we could offer the insurance products we had access to (accident and health insurance products) while “selling” the other leads to other divisions for products we didn’t have (such as auto insurance).

Ultimately, an investment was made in other infrastructure and the Insurance.com acquisition was never really explored. My group was small-ish for AIG (9 figures in annual revenue), and it hadn’t really used the Internet for sales when I was there, so it would have been a considerable risk.

LenDale White Posts Tim Tebow Haircut Picture & Advertises Parked Domain Name

Elliot Silver
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Picture of Tim Tebow Haircut
Tim Tebow haircut photo from Twitpic: (http://twitpic.com/2ckyyv)

One of the funniest photos making the rounds on Twitter and the Internet during the past few days is a photo of the new Tim Tebow haircut, which was distributed by LenDale White, running back for the Denver Broncos. As many football fans know, NFL rookies are subject to minor hazing rituals (like carrying veterans’ pads, bringing water, and other ridicule) during football training camp.

Tim Tebow, popular former Florida Gators quarterback and Broncos’ rookie, is no different than any other rookie when it comes to pranks and hazing. Known for his deep religious beliefs, Tebow was given a hilarious Friar Tuck-esque haircut last week by his veteran teammates. LenDale White then posted the photo on his Twitter page using Twitpic, and it was seen by thousands of fans who follow White and others.

After checking out White’s Twitter page and seeing the picture, I went to visit the url being prominently advertised by White on his Twitter page. Surprisingly, the LenDaleWhite.com website resolves to a default parking page with PPC links rather than a Lendale White fan page. There’s also a link on the page that says “This domain may be for sale.”

From the looks of his Twitter presence, LenDale White does a pretty good job of marketing himself. However, he needs to do a better job of looking after his website.

Spread Your News to the Domain Industry via Press Release

Elliot Silver
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Although I don’t consider myself a journalist by any stretch, I do like to write articles about news and industry updates that pertain to domain investors. The impetus for some of my articles are press releases that contain valuable insight directly from companies in the industry.

I get a lot of press releases, but I hardly post any of them or any articles about them. Most of the press releases I receive are either over-hyped, poorly written, or don’t really give enough value to a broad audience.   I like posting articles about news, but it really should be news rather than hype.

If your company operates in the domain space and has news that will impact domain investors – or you feel that an upcoming event would be of interest to domain investors, please add me to your press release distribution. I can’t guarantee that your news will be posted, but it doesn’t hurt to add me.

Here are a few tips to getting your Press Release published:

  • Include the payoff/benefit in the opening paragraph or title – and in the email in which the press release is attached
  • Make sure it reads well and isn’t filled with grammar or spelling errors
  • Do not over hype what you are offering (there shouldn’t be exclamation points)
  • Send your press release to me before it hits the wires
  • Include your contact information for follow-up questions

Dear IREIT, Is Anybody Home? Does Anyone Work There Any More?

Elliot Silver
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About 10 days ago, I posted an article about Internet REIT’s new website, DomainMarketplace.com.   I had received an email from Lisa Box who is VP of Sales at IREIT announcing the newly launched domain sales website.

Actually, that last sentence should read “was VP of Sales at IREIT.”   Apparently, Lisa no longer works at the company, as I found out when I tried to send her an email with an offer on two domain names I am interested in buying. According to her updated LinkedIn profile, Lisa is now Senior Director of Sales at Oversee.net (congrats to both).

When the email to Lisa bounced back to me, I sent another email to a second contact I have at the company who handled a couple of sales for me several months ago. That email also bounced back to me as undeliverable.   I finally sent an email to the email address on the website, and that also bounced back as undeliverable.

I made an offer directly on the website for one name, and I would like to buy a second domain name at the asking price, but I don’t know who to contact and I never heard back about the first offer. At this point, I don’t trust that my credit card will even be processed if I place my order online, so I am not going to place an order. I called their phone number, and of course I got a voicemail prompt.

So my question is… Does anyone work at IREIT anymore? If so, perhaps someone can be in touch so we can do some business.

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