netRocket, an online bookmark scheduling service recently passed the 100,000 bookmarks milestone. This is huge considering the company recently went live. The upward growth is sure to continue as the amount of information and information sources on the Internet grows. The company made news at last month’s DomainFest domain auction by paying over $300,000 for the domain name Bookmarks.com. netRocket’s service is perfect for domain investors looking to track expired domain auctions and other time-sensitive bookmarks.
Congratulations to the team at netRocket for reaching this great milestone!
Before You Develop Domain Names
If you are like many other domain investors, you probably have quite a few domain names with an idea of how to develop each of them – or a thought about what type of website each could become. As mentioned on this blog and on other blogs, development is difficult. If you are strongly thinking about developing (and not just contemplating), I would like to offer a few suggestions to help you decide which name(s) to develop and how to plan it out.
1) Review your portfolio and identify your best domain name – either the category killer name or a great niche name. Determine whether you think this name is worth spending between $5,000 – $100,000+ for a functioning website (depending on how well-functioning you want it). IMO, to spend money to develop a domain name, you either need a great new idea for your website to attract visitors or your domain name is the category killer name that people type-in expecting to find information on the subject. Honestly, if you don’t have either, you probably shouldn’t spend a lot of money developing the name. Don’t fret – just spend the extra money to buy one of these names instead of 500 fresh registrations!
2) Write an outline of how you see the finished product.
Domain Industry Making News
The domain industry has made the news again this week, this time with an article appearing in Investors Business Daily (found on CNN). With the domain industry maintaining its strength, mainstream news outlets are taking notice and beginning to cover the industry. These positive articles discuss how the industry is becoming more mainstream, which will continue to make venture capital companies more comfortable when investing millions of dollars.
Here are a few other recent articles that have appeared in mainstream press:
Christian Science Monitor
The Telegraph (UK)
International Herald Tribune
While much of the world’s economic systems are going through tumultuous times, the domain industry appears to be strong. The continued success and growth of the industry is leading to greater focus as it’s becoming an alternative to traditional investing vehicles. As more venture capital firms invest in the domain space, I believe we will see similar articles in the mainstream press. With the domain industry becoming less secretive, the fruits the industry bears may become even more lucrative.
Moniker Inks Another Multi Million Dollar Deal
As reported on DNN, Moniker recently closed a $4 million deal for the domain name Bored.com and all associated content to JW Media. The company paid an additional $500,000 for a portfolio of 170 undisclosed websites. With over 2 million monthly visitors, Bored.com has a strong returning visitor base, which will help the buyer earn a return on its investment.
This marks the second multi-million dollar private deal that Moniker helped close in 2008.



