Home Blog Page 1291

Names I’ve Recently Purchased

Elliot Silver
-
43

As I’ve done in the past, I want to share several of my recent domain purchases. The intent isn’t to show-off or sell these domain names, but rather to give you an idea of what types of names I have been buying. As you can see, I am still buying city/town .com domain names and product/service names, too.

Although I am sure some people will reply with comments to post their domain names (fine with me), I do recommend that some people who are here to learn about the business take the time to figure out why I buy certain names rather than use this as an opportunity to try and sell their names.

If you post names, keep in mind that others have the opportunity to offer comments and/or criticism.

Plainview.com – private acquisition (already sold)
EastLongmeadow.com – private acquisition (already sold)
Douglaston.com – private acquisition (already sold)
EastMeadow.com – private acquisition
DraperyHardware.com – Namejet (already sold)
DetoxCleanser.com – Snapnames (already sold)
TattooStarterKits.com – Namejet
ChandlerLandscaper.com – hand registration
Sextionary.com – forum acquisition
CloudConsultant.com – Snapnames
RingtoneSites.com – Snapnames
BumperProtectors.com – Snapnames
BikeAmsterdam.com – Snapnames
BikeSydney.com – hand registration
CollegeDormRoom.com – Namejet
SonomaValleyTour.com – hand registration

Moniker Auction at Epik Conference

Elliot Silver
-
1

Epik Domain Conference and Auction

Rob Monster and his Epik team will be holding its first Developer Conference in Seattle September 15-17, 2010. You can learn more about the conference on the Epik website. I haven’t decided if I am going to attend, but it looks like it will be a good conference for people who have been developing, and it certainly promises to bring something different to the domain conference scene.

In conjunction with this conference, Moniker will be running a live auction presumably using the Snapnames platform. Epik is now accepting auction submissions, but domain names must meet at least one of the following requirements to be considered:

  • Is a com with an appraised value of $25,000 or more on Appraise.Epik.com
  • Is a .net with an appraised value of $5,000 or more on Appraise.Epik.com
  • Is .co, .co.uk, .tv., info, or ,org with at least 5,000 exact matches
  • Is currently getting at least 100 monthly unique visitors.
  • Is currently earning at least $50 in monthly revenue
  • Is in the top 5 positions on Google for the exact match term.

There will be 100 domain names listed for sale in the live auction, and the silent auction will consist of 200 additional domain names. Adult and trademark domain names will not be considered for inclusion in this auction.

Visit Epik.com for more information about the conference and auction.

Saturday Afternoon Updates

Elliot Silver
-
9

This week was extraordinarily busy for the mid-summer. I feel like a lot of things were accomplished and there were quite a few big news stories. Here are a few updates and some advice for domain development and sales.

  • I received several emails from people letting me know they bought a .CO domain name (or many), and now they want advice on what to do with them. I hate writing multiple email replies with the same content, so I will just post it here: “It’s really a wait and see game to see how the aftermarket develops.” It’s like that commercial with an art auction where the winning bidder says, “I’d now like to sell this piece of art I just won.”   There will be an aftermarket, but I don’t have much of an idea about what pricing will be like nor do I know for sure whether they will become valuable or when they will be desired by end users.
  • Similarly, I saw that Francois has expanded his domain investment reach and launched Flipping.co, a website dedicated to .CO domain sales. If you feel the need to cash out now and/or test the waters, that could be a good place to list your names for sale. Knowing Francois’ MO, he will market the hell out of that site in the very near future.
  • Speaking of MO (modus operandi), Mike Sullivan and Brian Null from MO.com interviewed me last week. People frequently ask me about my background, and I hope this interview will answer any questions you may have. Additionally, there are some great entrepreneur interviews on MO.com as well. Brian Null is the owner of MO.com and former owner of GolfCourses.com, and Mike Sullivan is the blogger behind SullysBlog.com.
  • I was watching a baseball game the other night when I saw an advertisement for a pet food company appear behind the batter on the green screen, and it made me think of something I don’t always consider. When using affiliate banner advertisements on websites, it’ smart to coordinate them with national advertising campaigns. I have been using 1800Flowers campaigns coordinated with their ads on tv – especially during the holidays. They may not pay as much as other affiliates for example, but consumers will presumably be more apt to buy with a brand they know and trust.

Bloggers Beware: Lift Content and You May be Sued by Copyright Owner

Elliot Silver
-
27

Every day, I see pingbacks to articles I write from websites I’ve never heard of that seem to be made for Adsense news aggregators. Most seem to focus on a specific topic, and because that topic was discussed in my article, the site poached all or part of my article for their benefit.

Although I have yet to file a lawsuit, I have sent plenty of takedown notices to frequent violators and their hosting companies (I bet this article will get picked up because “hosting companies” is a popular term for content thieves). Similar to my situation are newspapers and websites that post daily articles written by professional journalists. This content is often “borrowed” or used by bloggers and other websites without permission. According to an article today in Wired.com, there’s a new company that aims to make money from these copyright violations.

A Las Vegas company called Righthaven apparently has been filing lawsuits for its clients whose rights they believe were violated under US Copyright Laws by content thieves and poachers. The penalties for Copyright Act violations are pretty severe, and many bloggers and websites may prefer to settle them without going to court to save time, stress, and money. With millions of potential targets, this could conceivably be a high-yielding endeavor for the company.

Content providers and publishers need to do as much as they can to protect their content, and lawsuits are a way to show that the copyright owner is serious and isn’t going to mess around. For bloggers and journalists who quote articles and attribute the source of those quotes, it may be a bit dicey if you get caught up in one of these lawsuits.

It’s important that bloggers and writers know the copyright law and be sure to follow it. I know there are plenty of people who think they’re safe posting all or part of an article as long as they link back to the source, but this certainly seems to be a false sense of security.

Announcing Geographic .CO Acquisition

Elliot Silver
-
29

I’ve been excited about this for the past few days, and I needed to make sure a few things were in place before announcing it. After reviewing my Founder’s Program application for a web development project, the .CO Registry has awarded my company the geographic domain name Bahamas.CO. I love the Bahamas and I plan to visit sometime this winter, and I will be back there again in March for Domain Roundtable.

Under the agreement with the Registry, I will need to launch a website on this domain name within the next few weeks, and I’ve already set the wheels in motion. I started a logo design contest on 99Designs today, and I will be working with my developer to build a beta website, hoping to launch the second week in August after he returns from a trip to NYC.

Press Release is below:

Silver Internet Ventures, LLC Commits To Building A Web Presence On The New .CO Domain

Joins Growing Ranks of People and Businesses Getting a Fresh Start on the Internet with a truly global, recognizable and credible domain name

JULY 22, 2010 – Silver Internet Ventures, LLC a web development company with experience developing geographic domain names, today announced that it has secured the domain Bahamas.CO and will be expanding its geographic web presence online. Silver Internet Ventures’ new Bahamas.CO website will be launched in mid-August.

Until now, Silver Internet Ventures has focused solely on US city .com domain names, owning and operating Lowell.com and Burbank.com. Bahamas.CO will be the company’s first major international geographic website, and the company will build a travel portal for people looking to learn about the islands of the Bahamas and the fun things to do in the Bahamas.

“I am very happy we were able to work with the .CO Registry to acquire Bahamas.CO,” said Elliot Silver of Silver Internet Ventures. “This is a huge opportunity to build a great website as others build their brands on .CO. I love the Bahamas, visited last year, and I can’t wait to get started on the Bahamas.CO website. These are exciting times, and with the recognition of .CO around the world, I am confident this is going to be a wise investment.”

Silver Internet Ventures, LLC joins the growing ranks of organizations and individuals who have already committed to the new .CO domain, including major global brands and Fortune 500 companies such as BMW, Cartier, Facebook, Google, Hilton, Overstock, Panasonic, and innovative media companies and startups like Twitter, Politico, Angel List, Challenge.co, and more.

With the .com domain running out of viable names, corporations, brands, web developers, agencies, entrepreneurs and others are turning to the new .CO domain as a way to enhance their existing Web presence or to get a fresh start with a global, recognizable and credible domain that better meets their business or branding needs.

“Whether you run a start-up, a small business, or a multi-billion-dollar corporation, you need a meaningful, memorable digital brand that tells people who you are and what you’re all about,” said Juan Diego Calle, chief executive officer of .CO Internet.   “Thanks to forward-thinking companies like Silver Internet Ventures, the .CO movement is gaining tremendous momentum, and we’re very excited to help create new online branding opportunities that the world has not seen since the Internet was first born.”

About Silver Internet Ventures, LLC

Silver Internet Ventures, LLC is a privately held online media company founded in 2008 by Elliot Silver. Websites owned by Silver Internet Ventures are located on category defining domain names that offer a platform for local companies to promote their brands online to a highly targeted audience. The company owns and operates Lowell.com, Burbank.com, TropicalBirds.com, and Dreidel.com.

About .CO Internet S.A.S.

.CO Internet S.A.S. is the Registry Operator for the .CO top-level domain.   .CO Internet was formed by a strategic venture between Arcelandia S.A, and Neustar, Inc. (NYSE: NSR). The .CO domain offers individuals and businesses a truly global, recognizable and credible option in branding their online presence. Thanks to leading-edge technology, enhanced security and unprecedented rights protections for brand owners, the .CO domain is poised to become the world’s next premier web address. For additional information, please visit www.COinternet.co.

Media Contacts:
Eric Sokolsky, Sparkpr for .CO Internet S.A.S., +1.908.288.7201, eric@sparkpr.com
Donna Burke, Sparkpr for .CO Internet S.A.A, 1.415.321.1862, donna@sparkpr.com
Lori Anne Wardi, Director of Marketing for .CO Internet S.A.S, +1.917.838.6743, lori@COinternet.co
Elliot Silver, Silver Internet Ventures, LLC, pr@silverinternetventures.com

======
Photo credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11149039@N04/2376885496/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theactionitems/3956453149
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sm3287/218475309/

Use Your Analytics Data to Buy Domains

Elliot Silver
-
6

One of the neat things about owning domain names with websites that get a good amount of traffic is the ability to analyze traffic data, especially the traffic that comes from search engines. Google Analytics is a great tool to see what information people are searching for in Google and Yahoo, and where they visit on your site.

This data can also be a great way to find domain names that you may want to register to take advantage of the search engine traffic. Instead of looking at the GAKT data, you can see the “real data” from your own experience, and since the traffic landed on your site, there’s a good chance you already know the field/vertical.

Yesterday afternoon, I was looking through my search data, and around 68% of the daily traffic was from Google. I dug deeper, and I noticed that a lot of traffic was coming from variations searches for the name of a concert tour that was coming through Lowell. I quickly searched to see if anyone owned the domain name, and it was a huge domain company that picked it up a few months ago, likely after noticing the same trends.

Although the term may not exactly be generic, it’s likely it will earn far more than the cost of the name, and of course if this is done over a huge amount of domain names, the overall risk is mitigated and a business decision can be made.

However, you can also do this for non-trademarked search terms. For example, if I see that I am getting a lot of traffic for “Lowell fireworks,” it might be a good idea to buy the .com and either forward it to the fourth of July page or build a one page site with info about fireworks every year and back link to the main site. It would be cheap to host, easy to build, and as the exact match domain name, it would probably rank pretty high. This could be beneficial to your domain name.

Whether you opt to park, redirect, or use for backlinks, the domain names you find via analytics data could be very valuable to your company.

1...1,2901,2911,292...1,573Page 1,291 of 1,573