One of the more popular web 2.0ish website branding ideas from startups is to use domain hacks. Many companies do this in lieu of the standard "web 2.0" creative names that reside on .com, most likely because even these domain names aren't available to hand register.

In case you aren't aware, a "domain hack" is a domain name that uses the ccTLD extension as part of the branding instead of .com.  For example. the url shortening company known as Bitly operates primarily on Bit.LY, using the .LY extension, which is overseen by the government of Libya.  Smartly, the company also owns Bitly.com in the event of consumer confusion.

Francois Carrillo, the owner of Domaining.com, has recently launched DomainHacks.com as a marketplace to buy and sell domain hack domain names.  This comes on the heels of other marketplace and website launches, including NumericDomains.com, CAX.com, and Flipping.CO, which have both launched in the last several months.

Carrillo's network of domain investing investing websites is impressive, and it → Read More

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 → Read More