Domain Name Journal - located at DNJournal.com - is the domain industry's premier trade publication. This award winning online magazine features industry news and information that is updated on a daily basis. http://www.dnjournal.com/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 3 Jul 2009 18:30:00 -0400 Fri, 3 Jul 2009 18:21:36 -0400 FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.2.9) http://www.feedforall.com http://www.dnjournal.com/images/ronjackson-50x71.jpg http://www.dnjournal.com/ Domain industry news and information updated daily. 50 71 Monday is the last day you can lodge a protest with ICANN that may keep over-reaching trademark interests from helping themselves to your domains in the future. Also, for your holiday weekend enjoyment, hundreds of previously unseen photos from T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Amsterdam and Silicon Valley. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/07-03-09.htm 2CD0A89B-A6AF-4CA1-A1D2-D9DFDE6EF305 Fri, 3 Jul 2009 18:21:36 -0400 Domain sales results from the just concluded 2nd quarter of 2009 are in and they aren't pretty. The total dollar volume of sales reported to us in 2Q-2009 fell 25% from the previous quarter. A big part of the decline came from a pullback at the ultra high end of the market. Median prices were down less than 5%. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/07-02-09.htm 35C0695A-D6CF-4DCF-B65A-0AEA0AE992F0 Thu, 2 Jul 2009 18:49:35 -0400 A publicly traded American corporation has changed their name and moved from their .com website to the .us version of their new name. Here's why. Plus, NameJet announces they will be the exclusive auction provider for the .cm land rush and they're taking free pre-applications for domain names now. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/07-01-09.htm 681B31AC-22FD-486B-BB70-6C8A3B208A95 Wed, 1 Jul 2009 19:55:16 -0400 After taking a breather last week, six-figure sales returned this week with a $500,000 blockbuster and a $100,000 sidekick. The non .com global TLDs, who have been eclipsed by the boom in ccTLD sales this year, also had something to celebrate thanks to the biggest .net sale so far in 2009. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/07-08-09.htm 6B23BE49-0752-4248-A32B-06456E062C18 Wed, 1 Jul 2009 13:13:22 -0400 The owners of Oakville.com have developed a custom platform they plan to use to build out approximately 100 fully automated city guide web sites. Oakville.com was first off the assembly line and the popular site is extending its reach by helping to market the PGA's Canadian Open that is coming to Oakville July 20. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-30-09.htm A12D58E5-0CA6-4BD5-A7F3-870F531EC47A Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:43:08 -0400 .US fans have often said that America's country code is a "sleeping giant." The current global ccTLD boom, recent .us sightings on TV and at the airport, plus the millions of pages from .us business sites that have been indexed by Google indicate the extension might be starting to stir from its slumber. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-29-09.htm EC97A4D8-B714-4374-92D6-3C6BA341728D Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:19:36 -0400 The company behind most versions of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference website that you have seen in recent years announced a major expansion for their domain development and audio/video services firm. Also today - ICANN makes it official - Rod Beckstrom is their new CEO. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-26-09.htm 3F068CF2-93B8-4243-B4D6-1194D86970FA Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:25:48 -0400 The Associated Press is reporting that the former chief of U.S. cyber security is the leading candidate to become the next CEO of ICANN, replacing Dr. Paul Twomey. Meanwhile, an ICANN VP confirms they want to change the UDRP rules in favor of a URS that would drastically reduce your rights. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-25-09.htm C71A55E0-76A7-4C56-AAAD-310C54C99EA5 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:40:53 -0400 For the second day in a row, a major entity in the geodomain space has announced a major development partnership deal involving a generic keyword domain. This time it is the Castello Brothers (PalmSprings.com, Nashville.com, etc.) who are joining forces with LZ Domains to build out Suntan.com. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-24-09.htm E465B7AD-EDC2-450C-8BEB-C558971323B8 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:23:48 -0400 After a quartet of six-figure sales last week, the aftermarket downshifted a gear this week with the mid-level drawing the biggest crowd. We saw a larger group of five-figure sales than usual and also witnessed the continuing strength of ccTLDs as country codes took 6 of the first 10 spots on our weekly Top 20 chart. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/06-30-09.htm 4358E65D-584E-43AE-B61F-775C8B8BF67D Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:52:38 -0400 He is best known for his developed geodomains but thanks to new partnership deals, Skip Hoagland is ready to break new ground with his top tier generic keyword domains including Fishing.com and Shooting.com. I found him in Argentina today and got more details on his latest deals. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-23-09.htm EF578213-E216-4ECE-87B1-7207E7C8A51C Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:09:59 -0400 Domain Roundtable was the 6th major conference in the past 6 months. Could there possibly be anything new left to talk about ? Were there any new faces left to see? Could DRT's new owner come up with any surprises that would make them stand out in the conference crowd? The answers are in DN Journal's show review. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2009/domain-roundtable-review.htm E5D5C5E8-15D0-4217-8E35-D744D7389E93 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:37:18 -0400 The 35th public ICANN meeting is underway in Sydney, Australia and the agenda includes several critical issues for domain owners. ICA Legal Counsel Phil Corwin is at the meeting looking out for registrant's interests. You can see what he has to say about what is going on there in a video interview from Sydney. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-22-09.htm 94E3386D-6F35-4075-9C3F-6C76B3DF6842 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:09:45 -0400 Country code fans have three more reasons to party down this week. ccTLDs, including the biggest country code sale of the year at $266,000, swept the first three positions on DN Journal's new all-extension Top 20 sales chart. All three ccTLDs smashed the six-figure barrier as did the 4th ranked .com domain. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/06-23-09.htm 0B1AD5EC-310B-4666-8615-0A0D4CD6B6FD Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:34:07 -0400 Here is Ron Jackson's view of the new T.R.A.F.F.I.C. alliance between Rick Latona, Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu. Despite the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression and an already crowded conference calendar these guys are going to DOUBLE the number of shows they run next year. Are they nuts!? http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-18-09.htm 140222B4-D04F-4A05-A0F0-D54BA9E96BE6 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:37:19 -0400 Today in the Lowdown at DNJournal.com: Exclusive photos and highlights from the closing day (and night) of the 2009 Domain Roundtable conference in Washington, D.C. See why someone had a knife at Ron Jackson's throat during the farewell party! http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-17-09.htm A995623B-4D8E-4CFD-B3F1-266F569212C3 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:17:13 -0400 Today in the Lowdown at DNournal.com: Photos and highlights from Monday and Tuesday events at the 2009 Domain Roundtable conference in Washington, D.C. including a look ahead to the live domain auction and show closing party that will brings down the curtain tonight. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-16-09.htm D03D8DC3-2886-4AF5-8418-E8604D900B97 Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:12:45 -0400 Today in the Lowdown at DNJournal.com. Photos and highlights from the Domain Roundtable conference that opened Sunday night in Washington, D.C. The show continues through Wednesday and you can keep up to date on all of the major happenings through our daily posts in this column. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-15-09.htm 00C4D13D-DECB-4267-B930-BD79DD9ADA03 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:44:12 -0400 The new June Cover Story is out at DNJournal.com. It is a detailed account of the biggest coming out party ever held for country code domains. It happened just over a week ago when RickLatona.com staged the first T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference ever held in Europe - one devoted entirely to ccTLDs. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2009/june.htm 5B13DF1B-E7DE-47D5-9219-801C53800724 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:32:49 -0400 Our post mortem on the real estate related domain auction that flamed out Thursday in San Francisco - here's what went wrong. Plus, how a local newspaper's mistake-riddled account of the sale helped deal another blow to the declining prestige of traditional media. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-12-09.htm 93A40BAA-FAB7-4C63-AB47-085AD6ED618B Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:30:27 -0400 Today in the Lowdown at DN Journal: The Domain Roundtable conference gets under in Washington D.C. less than 72 hours from now - here's what is in store. Plus, NameMedia makes a couple of key personnel moves and a group hoping to land a new .nyc extension gets a big endorsement from a New York City icon. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-11-09.htm C34F9D22-59E8-4EEB-B1BC-53BE5DCE1065 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:01:40 -0400 A heavily advertised auction of geo-targeted real estate domains will be held Thursday in San Francisco - but will buyers show up? (There will be no online bidding). Meanwhile, the ICA warns ICANN could become "an unaccountable Internet regulator." We thought they already were but it could get even worse. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-10-09.htm E2FA2806-D442-4D5C-9237-3FF72FF31B04 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:57:28 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. This week's hit parade is led by a pair of domains that cracked the million dollar mark - only the 4th and 5th domains to reach the 7-figure level so far in 2009. Seven ccTLDs made the all extension leader board as the country codes continue to rock. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/06-16-09.htm 81F518E2-8D8F-4BF8-9718-B186B9882CCC Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:00:26 -0400 Today in the Lowdown at DN Journal: Domain industry people in the news including geodomain giant Skip Hoagland, the long-time face of Fabulous.com - Dan Warner, Sedo's Simonetta Batteiger, globetrotting entrepreneur Gregg McNair and the best negotiator in the business, Rick Schwartz. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-09-09.htm 6A43F6E8-C783-482C-BD9B-13FC3C03E3F8 Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:43:01 -0400 With a successful show in Amsterdam now behind them, T.R.A.F.F.I.C. organizers slash early bird prices for their next event - T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York. Meanwhile, Domain Roundtable is set to open their latest conference in Washington, D.C. Sunday night and their agenda could give the ICA a much needed boost. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-08-09.htm 0EBF6DB7-453B-4655-B6C9-08BF8CBCCF86 Mon, 8 Jun 2009 20:59:30 -0400 Today in DN Journal's Lowdown: Photos and highlights from the closing night party at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference in Amsterdam and Thursday's live domain auction there. Plus post-show visits Friday to the Anne Frank House and the Rijksmuseum (home of Rembrandt's greatest work). http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-05-09.htm FF06378B-0B5F-4241-A337-BED81AE20731 Fri, 5 Jun 2009 16:53:27 -0400 Today in the Lowdown at DNJournal.com: Photos and highlights from the final day at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference in Amsterdam, including RickLatona.com's live auction where DiamondRings.com changed hands for €162,000 ($230,179). http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-04-09.htm BE4817E2-BD04-4CE9-8456-F41800155D34 Thu, 4 Jun 2009 12:25:17 -0400 Today in DN Journal's Lowdown: Photos and highlights from Wednesday's schedule at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference in Amsterdam, including the keynote address from Dr. Kevin Ham. There's also a scene from the Tuesday night dinner at the historic West Indies House where plans for New York City were laid out in the 1600s. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-03-09.htm AB231C02-7EA5-482B-9BE2-64EE92B3B03B Wed, 3 Jun 2009 12:07:04 -0400 DN Journal has just posted photos and highlights from the the first full day of business at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference in Amsterdam. The schedule included a close look at seven leading country codes, advice from five major ccTLD portfolio holders and the always popular speed networking event. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-02-09.htm 14A3A393-EE6F-4F1B-BA04-84B317C18655 Tue, 2 Jun 2009 12:20:53 -0400 Today in the Lowdown at DN Journal: our first report from Amsterdam where the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference gets underway tonight with a dinner at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel. We will have daily updates from the show where business begins Tuesday morning and continues through Thursday night. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-01-09.htm 86885811-5B77-47C2-905B-87EFAA2DAB59 Mon, 1 Jun 2009 10:07:20 -0400 Jay Westerdal has set up a new website to post developments in the ongoing lawsuit filed by Thought Convergence against Westerdal and other shareholders in his former company, Name Intelligence, Inc. TC bought Name Intelligence, Inc. for $16 million in May 2008 but the deal soon went sour. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-29-09.htm 76801D0A-6D5A-4BCB-A10F-61633B53EBC9 Fri, 29 May 2009 19:43:10 -0400 Sales from the two live domain auctions at last month's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley conference started closing in large numbers this week to dominate our latest weekly sales chart. One of those broke the six-figure barrier to top the leader board. That name also ranks among the 15 highest sales reported so far this year. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/06-02-09.htm F683C99A-62A6-456E-8201-028A771505B5 Fri, 29 May 2009 13:35:01 -0400 Thought Convergence, the organizers of the Domain Roundtable conference coming up June 14-17 in Washington, D.C. will provide time during the show's live domain auction to sell domains donated to support the Internet Commerce Association. Donations are now being sought for the June 16th sale. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-28-09.htm CE654D63-6BE9-4A10-B02F-2EBEC939CE35 Thu, 28 May 2009 19:21:47 -0400 Sedo's latest GreatDomains premium domain auction ends Thursday afternoon at 1pm (U.S. Eastern time) with 80.com and CD.net among the names going on the block. Also, the AfternicDLS expands the reach of their domain sales platform through a strategic partnership with Trademark Express. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-27-09.htm 892BE63A-52D5-4F32-BF60-1ABDF5A51C39 Tue, 26 May 2009 11:31:26 -0400 German domainer Markus Schnermann is the picture of good health: physical, mental, financial - you name it - he is at the top of his game. Domainers in his homeland often refer to Schnermann as a "superstar." Heady stuff - especially for someone whose parents were once told they would have to care for him for the rest of his life. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2009/may.htm 4153106F-D8FD-4F85-B151-FAC38DD3DE6E Mon, 25 May 2009 21:10:21 -0400 DN Journal's latest monthly newsletter features an exclusive interview with RickLatona.com President David Clements previewing the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference coming up June 1-4 in Amsterdam. This will be the first T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference ever staged in Europe. http://www.dnjournal.com/newsletters/2009/may.htm B29395EF-2228-4BFB-B3C9-A916348570B7 Sat, 23 May 2009 19:38:09 -0400 Ron and Diana Jackson kicked off the long Memorial Day Weekend enjoying a visit from a domain industry friend and his family who were traveling through their neck of the woods. Meet their special guests and find out why the Jacksons will spend the rest of the holiday weekend unpacking boxes and moving furniture. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-22-09.htm CBFB17FF-FEA3-4542-8680-53DB4116C194 Fri, 22 May 2009 20:32:14 -0400 Attendees at next month's Domain Roundtable Conference in Washington, D.C. will see two industry heavyweights, BuyDomains Co-Founder Michael Mann and Rob Monster (Monster Venture Partners), on a domain conference panel for the first time. The Castello Brothers will join them to complete an all-star lineup. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-21-09.htm C7A18947-18A8-44FB-A4DC-E79F12101177 Thu, 21 May 2009 21:03:04 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. The high end of the market returned this week with the biggest non .com global TLD sale of the year - a .org domain that commanded a cool $100,000. We also saw the year’s third highest country code sale, a German .de domain that attracted over $82,000. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/05-26-09.htm 2496FE51-370B-47DC-BF6D-ACEBB5CDF782 Wed, 20 May 2009 23:56:07 -0400 Today in DN Journal's Lowdown: Sedo begins a month-long auction binge on Thursday, the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference coming up June 1-4 in Amsterdam releases an updated schedule and the .PRO registry signs up to sponsor next month's ICANN Meeting in Sydney, Australia. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-20-09.htm CB8AAB22-B4C6-47EE-8EF2-1ACCB93D53CA Wed, 20 May 2009 15:48:57 -0400 The AfternicDLS has expanded its reach thanks to a new registrar partner, Directnic.com, NameJet will auction off 15 premium .me domains next month and, if you are good with words, a new contest at PremiumDomains.com could earn you $1,000. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-14-09.htm 74E6E9A4-8856-4073-B4AC-8F581F3BD72F Thu, 14 May 2009 20:41:06 -0400 While we believe that employment matters should be dealt with internally rather than in a public discourse, we feel compelled to address the misstatements by Jay Westerdal that were quoted today on various public forums. http://www.dnjournal.com/lowdown.htm 98507201-6C93-4B93-9E3F-8C277EE306FF Wed, 13 May 2009 22:40:52 -0400 A search of court records shows that Thought Convergence filed suit against Jay Westerdal, his father and other parties on May 1. http://www.dnjournal.com/lowdown.htm 7143F134-A640-408F-905A-DA899C8B37A5 Wed, 13 May 2009 21:32:15 -0400 The price tag on the #1 domain on DN Journal's new weekly sales chart is the lowest we have seen for a chart topper in quite some time. Though the high end was missing in action, the low to mid range of the market (favored by small to medium sized businesses) continued along on its merry way. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/05-19-09.htm 86A9869B-EE2B-41EB-B3FC-674D6F7DF64B Wed, 13 May 2009 20:49:45 -0400 Jay Westerdal, who sold his company, Name Intelligence, LLC (which included DomainTools.com and the Domain Roundtable conference), has been dismissed by the buyers, Thought Convergence (operators of TrafficZ.com and Aftermarket.com). http://www.dnjournal.com/lowdown.htm 6A300C81-DB29-46F5-8971-A00B43BFFBDA Wed, 13 May 2009 17:27:49 -0400 Dr. Kevin Ham's Reinvent Technology is making a bold move toward becoming a major player in the convergence of TV and the Internet. In a bid to become a global leader in interactive media, Reinvent has just appointed the man who launched Oprah Winfrey's TV talk show to a newly created Executive Senior VP position. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-13-09.htm D08C9DB7-36DD-4895-BC74-85FA0328CFAC Tue, 12 May 2009 23:56:33 -0400 The 15th show in the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference series was staged April 27-30 in the Silicon Valley. Co-Founders Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu had a tough act to follow because their 2006 show in the same location helped launch a boom in the domain business. Here's what went down in the valley this time. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2009/traffic-silicon-valley-review.htm E24E2F76-B512-4074-A4A8-56B2F4264DB1 Tue, 12 May 2009 21:15:08 -0400 In any case, it looks like 2009 will at least be "The Year of New Domain Monetization Initiatives." The flood of alternatives to domain parking continued today with word that Strata Services has acquired PPX, a technology platform that allows domains owners to use multiple monetization methods on every domain. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-12-09.htm F3C788A2-35BF-4982-BCC0-20C49F2B096B Tue, 12 May 2009 12:31:14 -0400 Ron Sheridan is back in the saddle again. Less than 3 months after the legendary director of business development left his post at DomainSponsor, Sheridan has joined Octane360, a new L.A. based company that believes its platform will revolutionize the domain monetization business. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-11-09.htm 5535CEE5-9DFF-4AF5-A97E-E2A8AED02BC9 Mon, 11 May 2009 15:34:21 -0400 The annual GeoDomain Expo, staged by Associated Cities, has a history of presenting exceptionally high value events despite charging the lowest registration fee of any major domain conference. Even so, it looked like it would take a miracle to maintain their lofty standards at the 2009 show in San Diego. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2009/geodomain-expo-review.htm FA45F464-B4A5-46F8-AD53-B544A8BDD24E Sat, 9 May 2009 22:08:18 -0400 Domain sales in the 1st quarter of 2009 rebounded sharply from a dismal showing in the closing quarter of 2008. DN Journal sales data, collected from the leading sales venues across the industry, showed a double digit jump from 4Q-2008 as bargain hunters and small business start-up buyers brought the market back to life. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-08-09.htm A522249D-529B-4E41-AB2A-823512D9A0DE Fri, 8 May 2009 17:41:03 -0400 In a coup for the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference coming up in Amsterdam June 1-4, show promoter Rick Latona has landed Dr. Kevin ("The Man Who Owns the Internet") Ham as the keynote speaker. Here's why attendees are in for a real treat. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-07-09.htm CA9EE6BB-A428-47E1-B235-3D67C63247DB Thu, 7 May 2009 17:27:02 -0400 In another sign of the times, Atlanta.com is making a bold attempt to lure writers, reporters and managers away from the city's once powerful but now rapidly declining local newspaper. Atlanta.com owner Skip Hoagland is using a revenue sharing model to attract journalists who are looking for a lifejacket.. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-06-09.htm 62B0125D-D01E-488C-86C4-A526A2DF3CA4 Wed, 6 May 2009 20:09:31 -0400 After a week off for T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley, DN Journal has published a double length domain sales report that will bring you completely up to date on all sales reported since our last column two weeks ago. .Coms and ccTLDs dominate the all extension leader board while .net gives the non .com gTLDs a presence. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/05-12-09.htm 00B5F826-9723-41CB-87BC-45FDD254EDF0 Wed, 6 May 2009 13:42:34 -0400 Mike "Zappy" Zapolin has opened the doors at InternetWarrior.com where the widely respected domain investor/developer is offering his guide to web success. Also, a new YouTube video from T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley unveils what the man on the street thinks about domain names. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-05-09.htm 4953E8AA-5440-4A04-911E-FD8689C4CF1E Tue, 5 May 2009 17:22:32 -0400 YouTube spotlights Skenzo/Directi Co-Founder Divyank Turakhia in two videos from the Ad.com auction he won with a $1.4 million bid last week at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley conference. Meanwhile three major extended online auctions are headed to the finish line this week. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-04-09.htm 83624E9C-E3EE-464A-A6E7-2D8D63C96BA0 Mon, 4 May 2009 20:24:31 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. Sedo was firing on all cylinders this week, sweeping the first five spots on our new Top 20 sales chart with a six-figure sale leading their charge. A .net and a .info each earned spots in the first five & the ccTLDs continued to show strength, taking four chart entries. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/04-28-09.htm D89693B6-C0E4-47F8-9298-075CBA8C0289 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:10:11 -0400 A small business start-up boom continues to gain steam in the midst of the recession as laid off employees decide to try working for themselves. The trend is boosting low to mid-range sales in the domain aftermarket, even though the high end continues to lag. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-21-09.htm 6E9D9239-2F84-4F9C-95D3-E155E4F54F9B Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:20:15 -0400 With the severe downturn in the general economy this might not seem like the best time to open a new business but that hasn't stopped a trio of veteran domainers from starting up three new companies this month. Plus, a San Francisco group announces plans to pursue a .radio extension. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-20-09.htm E802D4F9-03C3-487F-81FA-C84CB1DB7D81 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:10:24 -0400 Is "Twittersquatting" the new Cybersquatting? Pingdom.com says it is and they have some interesting facts to back up their case. Elsewhere the ICA files a Friend of the Court brief in the Kentucky domain seizure case. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-17-09.htm 32C38267-CD21-4574-AF23-B372C3B4053D Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:48:29 -0400 The Internet is the ONLY media platform expected to see a growth in ad revenues this year. Everyone knows newspapers have become basket cases but new data shows magazines are taking a fierce beating too. Declines in ad revenue in the first quarter of 2009 were mind boggling in every magazine category. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-16-09.htm 0EF2DA4B-5ED4-40BF-8586-A57A3683C685 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:47:38 -0400 The keynote speaker has been selected for the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley conference coming up April 27-30 in Santa Clara, California. He is Scott Klososky, a man who has been growing technology companies for more than 20 years, including one he just sold for $115 million. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-15-09-2.htm B98185E8-70F4-43EF-B023-EC60F824BC08 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:00:57 -0400 GoDaddy is being sued for alleged cybersquatting in their domain parking program. Ubid, Inc. filed the suit in a U.S. District Court, asserting that GoDaddy is diverting Internet traffic to deceptive parked domains in violation of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-15-09.htm AFB54BA8-49BE-452B-B7E5-93C6FD7631BE Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:18:53 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. Last month Richard Gabriel sold Auction.com for $1.7 million in the year's third biggest domain sale to date. Gabriel is back on our weekly Top 20 chart this week, but this time as the buyer of the week’s most expensive domain. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/04-21-09.htm E30D57FD-5CA2-4994-8A78-C78229AAA03A Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:39:25 -0400 The complete catalog for Moniker's live and extended online domain auctions at this month's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley conference has been released showing over 5,500 domains scheduled to go on the block. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-14-09.htm 7B236446-7CBE-4F3F-B01F-0FF535BCA9F0 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:40:24 -0400 Last month we wrote about seeing a nice uptick in domain sales to small business end users. The new issue of Time Magazine confirmed that something is going on in an article titled "The New Internet Start-Up Boom." Many who have lost jobs in the recession are starting businesses of their own on the web. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-13-09.htm 1E6D8DBF-4571-4F99-815D-A7B842860A7A Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:40:39 -0400 DN Journal's new Cover Story profiles domain attorney & T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Co-Founder Howard Neu. As a talented singer, actor and interviewer Neu has appeared on radio, TV, stage & in movies. He has also been a judge, mayor and political campaign manager! So how did he wind up in this industry? http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2009/april.htm 6E9B7E06-69ED-46B7-B738-C1AD9CA63746 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:06:04 -0400 Physicians.com changes hands for $250,000. Plus, hot water continues to rise around ICANN's plan to flood the Internet with an unlimited number of new extensions. The International Olympic Committee tells ICANN they may sue for damages & public commentary indicates an Internet community backlash is brewing. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-10-09.htm F8CEAFF5-30F5-4259-B3DE-38770F480E78 Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:46:29 -0400 A new study underscores the value of generic domain names, especially with respect to using them to improve results from search engine advertising campaigns. It shows that ads featuring a generic domain name produce up to 105% more clicks than identical ads using non-generic domains. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-09-09.htm 00FD5C1B-2954-4278-A5DE-1AE09C7080CE Thu, 9 Apr 2009 14:51:48 -0400 The 2009 Associated Cities GeoDomain Expo will be staged in San Diego April 23-25. To get the inside scoop on what will be happening at this month's show, we hooked up with AC Executive Director Patrick Carleton and Acting Chairman of the Board, AC Co-Founder Dan Pulcrano, for an exclusive interview. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2009/geodomain-expo-preview.htm 9E4A5712-27B2-4F0E-9424-8521D3D8499F Thu, 9 Apr 2009 13:16:31 -0400 ICANN's plan to flood the Internet with an unlimited number of new global domain extensions continues to be a hot topic. Following Tuesday's piece in USA Today, the Industry Standard weighed in Wednesday with an article headlined "Latest Plan for Domain Names is as Doomed as .coop and .mobi." http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-08-09.htm B0EDDAEA-F45D-4E46-9B88-2BAC79416681 Wed, 8 Apr 2009 19:34:33 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. For the first time since early February, no 6-figure domain sales were reported. However there were hundreds of four & five figure sales, the range favored by the small business end users that are the most active buyers in today's aftermarket. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/04-14-09.htm D603E63C-CCFE-4E76-8748-FAE545BEB816 Wed, 8 Apr 2009 10:52:41 -0400 A new USA Today article was published today about ICANN's plans to roll out an unlimited number of new global TLD's within the next year. DN Journal's Ron Jackson was interviewed for that story and he comments on why he shares the serious reservations the global business community has about the plan to flood the Internet with new extensions. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-07-09.htm F8AC01BE-2E47-4865-9264-8B767E9D7117 Tue, 7 Apr 2009 13:30:59 -0400 Australia's Ed Keay-Smith has released a new interview in his popular podcast series at OzDomainer.com. DN Journal Editor & Publisher Ron Jackson was Ed's guest for a wide ranging show that touched on today's best domain investment opportunities, best places to sell names, ccTLDs & other timely topics. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-06-09.htm 57D89F97-4FBB-4F07-B0A7-3C2337178713 Mon, 6 Apr 2009 14:53:38 -0400 The Domain Roundtable Conference, coming up June 14-17 in Washington D.C., has announced the agenda for the first major domain show in the Nation's Capital. Roundtable will take advantage of the Washington location to call in experts who can fill domainers in on potential legislative threats to their rights. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-03-09.htm 400F80CB-E373-4BCB-82F8-65314CD57B44 Fri, 3 Apr 2009 17:28:45 -0400 Today in DN Journal's Lowdown: The popular CEO of Fabulous.com's parent company, Dark Blue Sea, is stepping down...T.R.A.F.F.I.C. has released the preliminary agenda for this month's conference in the Silicon Valley...and Friday is the last day to get the early bird discount for the GeoDomain Expo. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-02-09.htm 6D5CBDB1-F1C2-4508-91C8-63DAD012264A Thu, 2 Apr 2009 19:29:28 -0400 Today in DN Journal's Lowdown: A Bido charity auction raises over $2,000 for an endangered animal shelter...Domain Madness introduced a promising new concept & banked over $136,000 in their live auction Tuesday...and the GeoDomain Expo releases a promising agenda for this month's show in San Diego. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-01-09.htm 5135F6FB-EB51-4A66-A28D-B0E0870EFDC7 Wed, 1 Apr 2009 15:06:15 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. A $300,000 sale that ranks among the year’s ten biggest headlines our new Top 20 chart with a second six-figure blockbuster in the #2 slot. The latter domain, a ccTLD representing Spain, ranks as the year’s 2nd biggest country code sale. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/04-07-09.htm EFA4A3E8-9330-4BCC-B4C7-1FBAC39839BA Wed, 1 Apr 2009 00:38:09 -0400 Both of Chicago's daily newspapers are now in bankruptcy after the Sun Times files for court protection...You can now view videos of the seminars from January's DOMAINfest Global conference online at no charge...plus some other notes about upcoming events. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-31-09.htm 684FD351-496C-4351-BAE3-68D2B074B5E9 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:08:55 -0400 DN Journal's latest monthly newsletter features a conversation with Rick Schwartz that reveals what is in store for the upcoming T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in Silicon Valley as well as Schwartz's views on the future of domain monetization, live auctions & the domain industry itself. http://www.dnjournal.com/newsletters/2009/march.htm BA077AC5-A35E-4FA3-9EFF-3D9BBD7AE8E5 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:50:08 -0400 In the last big economic downturn domainers like Frank Schilling and Kevin Ham made their fortunes by buying up assets few others wanted. Could history repeat itself in the current slump? Rick Schwartz predicts some domainers will indeed hit it big, but the new fortunes will come from something other than domains! http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-30-09.htm A58F41EB-46D2-4D54-8DEB-32E7C74859C9 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:13:55 -0400 The theme for next month's GeoDomain Expo in San Diego will be "Freefall! (How to Monetize the Collapse of Traditional Media)." A stunning new report on revenue declines in the newspaper industry underscores the timeliness of the Expo's theme and the huge opportunity opening up for geodomain owners. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-27-09.htm FF799589-5B2B-4DAF-8241-326618EC3BF9 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:19:00 -0400 A sizeable community of domainers has taken over a corner at Twitter.com, the increasingly popular social network based on microblogging. For those who have heard about it but still don't know what all of the fuss is about, we'll tell you where you can find everything you always wanted to know about Twitter. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-26-09.htm 2A572D90-46DB-4CA2-ADA3-EA9C75FC99A3 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:48:51 -0400 The rapidly growing domain mass development sector that we wrote about in our current Cover Story got another new player today (and more are on the way). Also, Bido.com has announced a major format change. .Com will no longer be the only extension you will see at the auction site. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-25-09.htm 0ACAD1FB-8C91-45A9-BCDD-AB2311961C16 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:34:38 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. Our latest Top 20 Chart is led by the year’s third biggest sale to date and the country codes continued to show tremendous strength placing eight names on the all extension leader board. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/03-31-09.htm FF29DFC3-1A21-410C-BA7A-3984ABA50D35 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:05:33 -0400 The new .tel extension opened for public registration today...Rick Schwartz will appear on a live web broadcast tonight...ICA Legal Counsel Phil Corwin calls attention to some new threats domain owners need to aware of...Kevin Ham's new son...and still another newspaper print edition meets the Grim Reaper. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-24-09.htm 7E0F37FD-20B0-46E3-A2EE-CDAC98A9A73F Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:41:01 -0400 This industry attracts more good-hearted people than any I've ever been a part of. Another example of that came this past weekend when a group of domainers banded together to try to save an animal rescue facility in Arizona. The effort is ongoing and will culminate in a big charity auction April 1. Here's how you can help. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-23-09.htm E4A655DA-56CC-47AE-AE8E-8E1DB157F1F1 Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:54:55 -0400 Domain name owners have long dreamed of a day when it would be possible to affordably develop their names en masse. That day is here, but there are still many questions, #1 being "will mass produced mini-sites produce more revenue than parking does?" DN Journal's new Cover Story has some answers. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2009/march.htm DE8DC3D9-3728-4A6C-AA98-78D904DAACF4 Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:52:33 -0400 Disagreements among leaders at Associated Cities (operators of the GeoDomain Expo) broke into public view last week and put the status of the show in doubt. Today we learned that a key new agreement between the AC owners has finally put their issues to rest and charted a new path for the influential group. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-20-09.htm 4E5D0222-229E-4354-A998-98A5C6AB6C1E Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:55:57 -0400 The past couple of days I've talked about improving sales in the domain aftermarket this month. Maybe it is just the coming of spring, nature's time for rebirth after a long winter, but I feel the buzz of activity in almost every corner of the industry this month (would someone please wake PPC up!). Here's what I'm talking about.... http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-19-09.htm FD9C0752-8ACD-4BFD-99D2-BA3177BFEE8B Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:50:58 -0400 Is that a ray of light we see at the end of the tunnel or a train coming our way? Things are looking brighter in the aftermarket this month and even 7-figure sales have reappeared (with another reportedly in the works). It could well be a false start, but there are a lot worse places to wait out the recession than here. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-18-09.htm 0726035F-266D-47EB-9E15-7B052B2BE696 Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:05:10 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DN Journal (this one actually covers two weeks since we were away on vacation last week). Maybe we should go away more often. The market has boomed in March and even the high end has come back to life. 3 of the year's 4 biggest sales headline this report. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/03-24-09.htm E34CEAAC-B861-40FE-8816-25A18CB54C0E Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:51:21 -0400 Six months ago it looked like the financial world was ending. Now I'm having my best month ever and a lot of the revenue is coming from a surprising source. My alternate extension domains (like .us, .biz and .info) are finally enjoying their day in the aftermarket sun. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-17-09.htm A5D20A5D-21F7-48F7-88EB-BEEFF9FB5C6B Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:36:21 -0400 The decision is in - after several days of uncertainty due to boardroom bickering, Associated Cities confirms the 2009 GeoDomain Expo will go on as scheduled April 23-25 at the Catamaran Resort & Spa in San Diego. We have the first look at the show's theme and agenda. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-16-09-2.htm 307D11A9-D128-4878-9FF0-C20748633518 Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:08:56 -0400 Tuesday will be a landmark day in the media world (and an important one for the domain business as well). The Seattle Post-Intelligencer will print its last newspaper before becoming the first daily newspaper in American to print online only. We'll tell you why this could favorably impact your bottom line. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-16-09.htm 1DEEA2E0-0081-4F61-9F49-5E682C5BC002 Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:12:33 -0400 In an update to a story we posted earlier today, we now expect the remaining board members at Associated Cities to vote Monday to proceed with next month's show in San Diego. After six board members resigned there were still issues between those who remained, but it appears those have been resolved. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-15-09-3.htm 16889067-0F69-4D43-97C5-2F54C80A8B55 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:49:34 -0400 I just returned from spring vacation visit to one of America's most history rich and picturesque cities, Charleston, South Carolina. The first thing I noticed when we reached the Palmetto State was a new domain name on South Carolina license plates - one that makes you immediately wonder "what were they thinking!" http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-15-09-2.htm 8C4CB8BB-6198-419A-84FC-F74E37EE98E7 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:21:28 -0400 An official statement on the status of next month's GeoDomain Expo may be delayed until the attorney for show organizer Associated Cities weighs in on who has final authority. Board members disagree over whether the show will be held or not and three members, including the chairperson, have now resigned. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-15-09.htm 97A4EF71-37A3-467E-BCFB-024364FB3135 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:49:24 -0400 Associated Cities Co-Founder Josh Metnick says an official statement regarding the status of next month's GeoDomain Expo is planned for release Sunday. Metnick declares the show will go on, but others within the AC hierarchy have told us otherwise this week. Will the powers that be get on the same page? http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-14-09.htm BAD26729-93E4-41B5-97C5-E08037D3EF54 Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:57:54 -0400 The transfer of Toys.com to Toys R Us looks to have been completed over the weekend. That $5.1 million sale is the biggest of 2009 to date. Sedo will also add a blockbuster to our next chart after completing a sale for more than $450K. Elsewhere, Rick Latona has launched a new domain forum for ccTLDS. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-09-09.htm AD66BAC2-1BBB-46CE-8BAB-A83A5B4D2A16 Mon, 9 Mar 2009 14:49:06 -0400 DN Journal's latest monthly newsletter has comments from executives at Sedo, Parked.com and Neustar on the outlook for domain investments in 2009 and beyond. http://www.dnjournal.com/newsletters/2009/february.htm 077337A7-0143-4E68-BBDC-B5FD60E7DB53 Sun, 8 Mar 2009 18:28:12 -0400 It has been a week of highs and lows for veteran domain investor Marc Ostrofsky. He had dinner with actor/comedian Robin Williams just days before Williams had to cancel his concert tour yesterday to undergo emergency heart surgery. That bad news came a day after Ostrofsky had attended funeral services for his mother. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-06-09.htm 094F2865-649E-4FE4-9EFD-C3B809EB984E Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:11:50 -0500 The $5.1 million sale of Toys.com to ToyRUS last Friday continues to draw mainstream media attention to domain names. Yesterday it was The BBC, today it is ABC News. I was interviewed for both stories and have some comments on how the media spotlight is helping raise domain awareness on Main Street. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-05-09.htm 1308F669-14FC-4C12-8332-AC43275AF06B Thu, 5 Mar 2009 15:28:04 -0500 The BBC has issued a report on the domain aftermarket and the recent $5.1 million sale of Toys.com in a bankruptcy auction. Have .co.uk prices really been cut in half by the current recession? We don't think so and we explain why. Also Live Current reports selling two more domains for a total of $1.65 million. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-04-09.htm B53FA7BB-DA84-4F07-BB64-CB7C9DBE3411 Wed, 4 Mar 2009 15:25:21 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. This week a German country code domain flattened the competition in all extensions with a big six-figure sale at Sedo. The next two names on our Top 20 chart were both sold for a second time with one doubling in price from the last time it changed hands and the other jumping 28%. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/03-10-09.htm 9C637CB9-EFEA-4100-9DB7-10D3E7C77414 Wed, 4 Mar 2009 12:24:50 -0500 In DN Journal's Lowdown today: Registration opens for the 2009 GeoDomain Expo in San Diego, Sedo's no reserve online domain auction is winding down just as plans are announced for a premium .me auction there later this month and the AfternicDLS announces two new initiatives coming this spring. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-03-09.htm 6BDCD207-84D8-40CF-901C-7254CE6BE5BB Tue, 3 Mar 2009 16:13:44 -0500 When someone tells me they are thinking of starting a new domain conference I tell them "think of something else!" But when Modern Domainer told me last year that they were going to put on a new show during Mardi Gras in New Orleans I started looking for a flight. Here's what really went down at Domainer Mardi Gras. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2009/domainer-mardi-gras-2009-review.htm 0483CB10-8C02-4471-B8E8-D3F46F4A04FE Mon, 2 Mar 2009 19:25:45 -0500 ICANN President and CEO Dr. Paul Twomey today announced that he will leave the organization after his contract expires this year. The announcement came on the opening day of the current ICANN meeting in Mexico City. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/03-02-09.htm B889ADCA-A9E2-4933-AD5C-3D83F4D921BC Mon, 2 Mar 2009 11:53:31 -0500 More evidence that domain owners are in the right place at the right time. A new report from the Kelsey Group predicts that money spent on local advertising online will soar 129% over the next five years while local ad spending in traditional media (newspapers, radio, TV, etc.) will decline another 20% over the same period. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-27-09.htm 6BCD8E16-D8E1-47F9-BDA2-EC794CB2A97A Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:04:32 -0500 The operator of the .info registry, Afilias, has released a detailed new report on the progress the first "new" global TLD has made since its introduction 8 years ago. Also, a team of domainers is celebrating an upset win over a previously unbeaten team in India's prestigious Mumbai Corporate Cricket Championship. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-26-09.htm F0045E44-260B-4443-A465-658DAE2A289A Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:35:21 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. The high end of the market stirred from its slumber this week with three of the year’s six highest sales reported over the past 7 days. Those sales totaled more than $700,000. Our new all extension Top 20 chart features 16 .coms, 3 ccTLDs and a .net. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/03-03-09.htm 5A4B3147-E384-48AE-89AF-63A6524B61C5 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:12:44 -0500 New research from comScore shows the recession is driving a huge wave of new traffic to search terms related to financial matters, traffic that adds value to related generic domain names. Also today, some notes on Sedo's acquisition of RevenueDirect and Aftermarket.com's Domainer Mardi Gras online auction. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-25-09.htm 0DE416DA-F684-48DF-9DBB-AD76A3A74F20 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:57:47 -0500 We are en route back home to Florida after stops in New Orleans and Ohio. Some things you need to know while we are making the trip; our weekly domain sales report will be pushed back one day due to our travel commitments and while we are in the air today, news may come of a major domain industry acquisition. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-24-09.htm CB8F12E3-C1FD-453E-BE52-0778DEBF9CBE Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:44:20 -0500 The first Domainer Mardi Gras conference closed Saturday. We have photos and highlights from the final day in New Orleans where attendees enjoyed brunch at a restaurant founded in 1832 before heading to an afternoon domain auction where Voodoo.com conjured up a $300,000 sale. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-23-09.htm 8E0A24FD-5844-49E7-B46E-43EAB7F7CCE6 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:47:48 -0500 Here is a link to DN Journal's Friday photos and highlights from the Domainer Mardi Gras conference in New Orleans - a day featuring the keynote address from author/politician Tim Burns, a full round of seminars and a raucous Bourbon Street balcony party after the sun went down. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-21-09.htm 7A896F26-6E61-40D4-8DE9-F77828A10A8D Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:15:29 -0500 We have photos and highlights from the opening day of the Domainer Mardi Gras conference in New Orleans Thursday - everything from the opening cocktail hour to a messy but marvelous New Orleans crawfish boil and eye-popping Mardi Gras parades along St. Charles Avenue. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-20-09.htm 56F302E0-9911-4741-8723-A0A695CE899D Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:51:09 -0500 Verisign's latest quarterly Domain Name Industry Brief, covering the 4th quarter of 2008, is now out and it showed another big jump in worldwide domain registrations from the previous year. Total registrations in all extensions rose 16% to 177 million, with country codes rising even faster - up 22% to 71.1 million. We take a closer look at the numbers. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-18-09.htm DEA2E318-AB01-4945-B0CF-AF66E5D114DE Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:48:05 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com.The report is headlined by the second biggest domain sale reported so far this year, one that weighed in at over $380,000.Our new all extension Top 20 Chart includes 14 .coms, four country code domains and a pair of .nets. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/02-24-09.htm A19475AF-5036-4FFB-AA02-24A86D13E69D Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:48:06 -0500 Final preparations are underway for the Domainer Mardi Gras Conference that opens in New Orleans Thursday at 5pm (U.S. Central Time). Aftermarket.com, who will stage a live domain auction at the show Saturday afternoon, just posted their catalog for the event - one that reflects a strategy to emphasize quality over quantity. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-17-09.htm 664291EE-44B4-4D9A-A252-02F8825D77C7 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:10:41 -0500 New research shows there is a great opportunity for domain owners to profit from a huge untapped pool of small business end users. Only 44% of the small businesses surveyed have websites. The rest are completely missing the 63% of consumers who check the web first when looking for local products & services. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-16-09.htm 87E25BEC-D3DD-42DA-9793-3F6D9E39E254 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:21:58 -0500 The February Cover Story is out at DN Journal. It is the story of Ron Sheridan, the highly regarded Business Development Director at DomainSponsor who just left that position. As Frank Schilling told us, "Ron’s fingerprints are on every facet of the modern domain industry." Orphaned at 7, here is how Sheridan soared to the top in our industry. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2009/february.htm F66C45D2-3BE3-4FC5-A43E-E2EC37A0887B Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:55:36 -0500 Bido.com is set to make a comeback next week. The one-name-a-day auction platform debuted early last year but went dark due to repeated technical snafus. The company plans to load upcoming auctions into their system Monday (Feb. 16) with the first auction to begin Thursday (Feb.19). http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-13-09.htm 2A66182A-2BBA-4F36-8BA4-8B2D5DAE2B0C Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:33:29 -0500 Though Yahoo spurned Microsoft's offer to buy the company last year (and subsequent overtures to buy just Yahoo's search business) it is starting to look like Microsoft intends to get Yahoo's search expertise one employee at a time if necessary. For the third time in the last 90 days Microsoft has lured a top executive away from Yahoo. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-12-09.htm CC25118A-7956-46B1-86DF-5F6F98F4597C Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:38:12 -0500 Massive wildfires are raging through Australia's Victoria state destroying lives and property. Victoria is home to many well-known domainers. One of them, personal friend Michael Gilmour, is appealing for help with an effort to speed relief to people who have lost everything. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-11-09.htm 3C69A6D2-AF86-4A28-BA7E-BD06A3E7D62E Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:00:53 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. A pair of strong country code domains headed the .coms off at the pass to lead this week's all extension Top 20 domain chart. RT.TV sits at the pinnacle after a strong $62,500 sale. The .com response began with a $35,000 sale of a three-letter .domain http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/02-17-09.htm 9CB91121-D935-4461-86DF-ABFD4681237A Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:57:17 -0500 That is the improbable leap that Apple Computer Co-Founder Steve Wozniak is about to make. Fresh off his appearance as the keynote speaker at the big domain conference January 28th, Wozniak is joining the cast for ABC-TV's next season of their hit ball room dancing show that debuts March 9th. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-10-09.htm 15A785ED-2468-48F2-86FA-933E461EC0EB Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:46:59 -0500 Sedo has announced its first No Reserve online domain auction will be held February 26 - March 5. It can be hard to get sellers to put good domains in a no reserve sale, but Sedo's clout has attracted names like Deposits.com, Wait.net and Ran.co.uk. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-09-09.htm CF338281-5923-4065-8913-BE67DB008B6E Mon, 9 Feb 2009 16:21:35 -0500 DN Journal has just published its comprehensive review of last week's DOMAINfest Global 2009 Conference in Hollywood, California. Packed with previously unreleased show photos (many from the spectacular Playboy Mansion Party) and loads of inside conference info, this is an article you won't want to miss. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2009/domainfest-global-2009-review.htm A51C29F2-6349-4350-8C47-4116B5DFF418 Sun, 8 Feb 2009 18:04:50 -0500 The latest addition to the domain conference line-up, Domainer Mardi Gras, will run for the first time February 19-21 at the Westin Canal Place Hotel in New Orleans. DN Journal's new monthly newsletter details how show organizers plan to stand out in the conference crowd. http://www.dnjournal.com/newsletters/2009/january.htm E15A157E-88C2-4E10-851B-C370742E1F09 Sat, 7 Feb 2009 10:15:25 -0500 A new survey of top media and advertising execs says the decline of ad spending and the rise of smartphones are the most disruptive forces in media today. The decimation of old media through bankruptcies and closures was a close third. As a domain owner, we'll tell you why all of this matters to you. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-06-09.htm 98C17409-20EE-4F88-84B3-F2C969407793 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 16:11:02 -0500 Today in DN Journal's Lowdown - an inside report from an under the radar bankruptcy auction where Toys.com closed at $1.25 million Wednesday. A multi-name lot went for over $2 million in the 16-hour event in Wilmington, Delaware but no sales will be final until creditors of The Parent Company approve the bids made. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-05-09.htm 88CB13C6-6505-4483-BA21-C15053C00FC4 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 18:13:22 -0500 Sedo has just issued a fascinating study of the 2008 domain aftermarket. Some of the surprises included more .info domains being sold than .orgs and a 40% jump in dollar volume for sales of America's often overlooked .us country code. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-04-09.htm D5C6E536-6AC7-4629-9044-BB8376BD8EF4 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:45:38 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. There was one blockbuster sale but high ticket transactions continue to be rare as the general economy continues to struggle through a severe recession. Still, solid four and low five-figure sales, mostly to end users, produced hundreds of new sales. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/02-10-09.htm C3DF693E-FB72-418E-A4B7-71DF5A3EB2B4 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 13:32:42 -0500 Another new TLD land rush has just gotten underway but most domainers are likely to sit this one out. The new .tel has some ease-of-use features that technophobic end users will appreciate but lack of monetization and development options are likely to limit its appeal to domain investors. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-03-09.htm EE10D82C-082D-4709-B956-6043CF7A9A68 Tue, 3 Feb 2009 17:57:05 -0500 After successfully completing a two-year quest to throw a party for domainers at the Playboy Mansion (accomplished last week at DOMAINfest Global), DomainSponsor's legendary Director of Business Development, Ron Sheridan, is moving on. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-02-09.htm 9AC97733-9C47-4890-88CA-68C6EE045548 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 19:15:55 -0500 With the DOMAINfest Global Conference running this week in Hollywood, California, we're on the road again! We have some notes on that event as well as who was named keynote speaker for next month's Domainer Mardi Gras in New Orleans and what is on tap for the first ever European T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Conference coming to Amsterdam in June. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-26-09.htm F153CE5D-B630-4008-8D49-F9E6A7C139AF Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:57:06 -0500 Dr. Kevin Ham's Reinvent Technology and the company's domain parking service provider, HitFarm.com, are planning to open a new office in Dubai. Dr. Ham and Dr. Chris Hartnett, who serves on Reinvent's Board of Directors, just returned from Dubai and Dr. Hartnett filled us in on their trip to the Middle East. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-23-09.htm 1534AD26-03B1-4DC2-B6E6-AEAEE5F9F1BA Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:33:21 -0500 Michael Collins has resigned as Executive Director of the Internet Commerce Association in order to work on transitioning a retail business he owns from brick and mortar to the Internet. Collins delivered the news in an email to ICA members. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-22-09-2.htm B1DBB8B5-0220-4962-9E09-7D405230AA7E Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:38:55 -0500 In the first major domain company acquisition of 2009, Ask Sponsored Listings (operators of Ask.com), a division of Barry Diller's IAC internet empire, has acquired Sendori.com. Sendori operates an innovative exchange that pairs domain owners directly with advertisers who buy their direct navigation traffic. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-22-09.htm 0019CA85-0733-48C5-98AA-956344886968 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:01:00 -0500 The acquisition of a well-known domain industry company is about to be announced, DOMAINfest Global releases the final agenda for their conference which runs next week in Hollywood, California and the daughter of a well-known domainer is featured in an exclusive Huffington Post interview. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-21-09.htm 5D845E26-0C54-4F26-BD7C-13B5EF9BF7DD Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:34:38 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. Continuing a trend we saw develop in 2008, high end domain sales remain few and far between while small business end users dominate aftermarket activity with four-figure and low five-figure purchases. All reported sales were well under the $50,000 mark http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/01-27-09.htm 5EA8DE11-9447-4B0F-A30C-026B2EABF276 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:28:43 -0500 The Kentucky Court of Appeals has overturned a local judge's controversial order that 141 gambling related domain names be turned over to the state. The appeals court ruled that the lower court was wrong in claiming that the domains were "gambling devices" that are illegal under Kentucky law. Michael Berkens has been on top of this story from the start and has more details on his blog. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-20-09.htm 7C8C4BEF-AB9A-4DDB-8F69-45C3819165DC Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:35:36 -0500 Parked.com introduced a new account management system today. In the past each client had just an account rep. In the new system every customer gets an entire Account Management Team with each team including an account manager, a domain optimizer and a "developer". http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-19-09.htm ADF2DFEB-8085-4DDD-86AA-291FE41BD2FB Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:11:44 -0500 DN Journal's annual State of the Industry Cover Story has just been published. After 4 years of robust growth the domain business hit stormy weather in 2008. To make sense of what happened and get predictions on where we are headed in 2009 we called on 15 top industry leaders for our 5th annual report. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2009/january.htm 2ADCAFBA-359C-4D38-A5F1-7C4DCA5F79EB Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:22:34 -0500 While no one likes to see domain industry layoffs, there is an upside for start up companies and existing firms with holes to fill and budgets to fill them. Some very knowledgeable, experienced industry pros are becoming available for the first time in years. One of them is likely to be the perfect person to complete your team. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-16-09.htm 7C67AE69-B483-428F-AE7E-2D1B0066F65C Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:17:59 -0500 Oversee.net, the parent company of three of the best-known brands in the domain industry, DomainSponsor, Moniker and SnapNames, announced that they are laying off 18% of their workforce, including some at the management level. The cuts come on the heels of a previous 10% workforce reduction last August. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-15-09.htm 70A3B2E6-F18A-4AB6-AE80-7F1C5C4A1291 Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:02:13 -0500 GoDaddy's TDNAM aftermarket domain auction site has a new name - it's now GoDaddy Auctions. In a related note, GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons describes his typical workday in a new magazine interview. Also today, America's .US ccTLD gets a nice plug from a popular TV actress. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-14-09.htm 7B53C1EC-6DE0-4285-A9DA-DB95E2D08490 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:17:03 -0500 After two weeks that were shortened by major holidays, the domain aftermarket just logged its first full week of 2009. Ironically, while sales held up surprisingly well over the holiday season, a lot of buyers seem to have gone on vacation while everyone else was returning to work this week. We have all of the reported sales industry wide. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/01-20-09.htm D9E2496D-2AFD-47B3-B675-08CDE049BEB2 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:38:43 -0500 In DN Journal's Lowdown today: New Yahoo CEO brings hope of a stronger competitor to Google, free videos of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under seminars go online and a press release touting an alleged multi-million dollar sale of a .travel domain fails the "smell test" among veteran domainers. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-13-09.htm 1858DB78-3EA7-40B3-BA2F-04F24A8F6CF7 Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:07:41 -0500 The old system of media gatekeepers deciding who can report the news and what news will be published is being washed away once and for all. With a domain name and hosting account anyone can operate a media platform that reaches every corner of the globe. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-12-09.htm 4588199D-8865-4F66-933E-271E679DD18A Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:31:46 -0500 A new article in Inc. Magazine profiles PlentyOfFish.com founder Markus Frind who, working by himself, developed and runs a site that generates $10 million a year and pays him a $5 million annual salary. Frind is no workaholic either - most days his work is done in under an hour. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-10-09.htm E9D82B62-3BE7-4B54-9735-5984D57C2B69 Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:51:10 -0500 With a story called "End Times" (in the latest issue of The Atlantic), writer Michael Hirschorn has penned the best article we've seen to date about the passing away of newspapers (the New York Times in particular) and what the new king of journalism - online - is going to look like. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-07-09.htm F6C191E4-E768-4C8B-A2BE-B1AEB7C37095 Wed, 7 Jan 2009 18:16:08 -0500 Sedo wound up sweeping the top three spots on DN Journal's new weekly Top 20 chart and piled up 10 of the 20 chart entries. Their list included a $167,500 .com sale and a $57,000 German country code sale, one of eight ccTLDs on the all extension leader board as the country codes got 2009 off to a great start. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/01-13-09.htm F8C63B40-3A81-47CF-8BC1-434F942AE7DA Wed, 7 Jan 2009 00:09:42 -0500 Directi/Skenzo continues to defy the recession as the red hot India-based company just landed on Deloitte & Touche's prestigious list of the 500 Fastest Growing Tech Companies in Asia for the 4th consecutive year. The brothers who founded the company,Bhavin and Divyank Turakhia say they are just getting started! http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-06-09.htm 7A2C689B-1F7C-4A0D-A3E7-43C70200B691 Tue, 6 Jan 2009 16:50:28 -0500 Despite the recession many marketers are planning to increase their spending in several areas online. Content creation will be one of the big winners in 2009 as advertisers invest in their own content for use on social media platforms, blogs and microsites, as well as in newsletters, email campaigns and online video. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-05-09.htm 1DD9F055-A65B-426E-8643-4E13DD983DE6 Mon, 5 Jan 2009 17:51:38 -0500 The success of many domain and website owners is based on online ad spending. While ad budgets in general will be slashed in 2009, most experts agree that one medium will grow while the others all decline. A new article in BusinessWeek Magazine explains "Why Online Ads Are Weathering the Recession." http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/01-02-09.htm F49417E1-D91D-4C4A-BB52-EF2DA99DBCD3 Fri, 2 Jan 2009 18:05:06 -0500 DN Journal's latest free newsletter is being emailed to opt-in subscribers today. With the close of the 2008 domain sales season yesterday, this month's letter breaks down the final sales data for the year just ended and identifies pockets of strength and weakness in the current aftermarket. http://www.dnjournal.com/newsletters/2008/november-december.htm 6BC6C0E1-E57C-4511-AF54-B0CE646627DE Thu, 1 Jan 2009 15:24:22 -0500 The Internet has passed newspapers and now trails only TV as the most popular source for news according to a new report from the respected Pew Research Center. In just the past year, the web's mindshare among news consumers soared from 24% to 40%. Pew says the web is also rapidly overtaking TV and has already caught up among those under 30. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-31-08.htm 5DF702EC-9E40-4D89-89E9-B5B7B862B0EA Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:05:52 -0500 The final weekly domain sales report for 2008 is now out at DNJournal.com. Moniker closed a $275,000 sale that took the lead position on our new Top 20 chart and the AfternicDLS weighed in with a solid 6-figure sale of their own to claim the runner-up spot. Sedo had the most overall chart entries sweeping 12 of the 20 positions. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales01-06-09.htm 0D68B083-D107-4AE5-89D7-BAECACFFF5A6 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:03:57 -0500 A new analysis of WIPO cases shows that the number of domain disputes has doubled over the past five years. The reasons are being debated but one of our expert commentators predicted it was coming several years ago. We have his explanation of why it was bound to happen. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-30-08.htm 891679E6-8B0B-4625-BB8C-AC2C3269A93C Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:06:28 -0500 Yet another institution from traditional media, the venerable comic strip, is looking to the web for salvation as its current distribution platform, the daily newspaper, continues to crumble. A great generic domain name, Comics.com, is playing a key role in this drama. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-29-08.htm 37BC762B-9EE0-4C53-9161-A4F8840875D8 Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:06:43 -0500 The geodomain industry's premier event will be moving to the West Coast in 2009 for a spring time conference that will close the weekend before the next T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference opens in Silicon Valley. This will allow California visitors to take in two major events in the same week. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-26-08.htm B7F5DF86-A1C4-4C8A-ADC2-29D3841CE362 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:43:57 -0500 Verizon wins the biggest cybersquatting judgment ever - more than $33 million in a suit against registrar OnlineNic.com. Our take on why, even though Verizon was right to sue, this is also a case of the pot calling the kettle black http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-24-08-2.htm 8C93A906-48D3-4A5D-823F-43769757B49D Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 -0500 Name Media has decided to pull their planned IPO offering citing market conditions. The Massachusetts-based domain conglomerate (parent company of BuyDomains, the AfternicDLS and several parking services), originally filed for a $172.5 million IPO in November 2007. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-24-08.htm 17CA80CE-49D3-475B-90C4-051FE1A0225C Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:28:31 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. In contrast to retailers who are suffering through a dismal Christmas season domain sellers had a banner week with five names cracking the six-figure barrier. The first three names on our new Top 20 chart banked a total of $1 million. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales12-30-08.htm D15616FF-94F3-47DD-972D-25E9E4F862F1 Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:26:31 -0500 Do you know what the first .Com domain ever registered was? PC World magazine took us back in time with a new article published this week that runs down the 100 oldest .com domain names on the Internet. It all started in 1985 when no one could have guessed how valuable domains would eventually become. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-23-08.htm BE8DD1FE-4DE5-4290-A9B6-9A097F2F01DB Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:32:08 -0500 Veteran domain investor Mike "Zappy" Zapolin of the Internet Real Estate Group met Israeli President Shimon Peres last week when Zappy was in Tel Aviv to speak at a major business conference. While there Zapolin underlined the value of good domain names in an interview with Globes Magazine. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-22-08.htm B7907A07-6E6C-4F0D-B0B0-BF94CDE38455 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:29:16 -0500 The new December Cover Story is out at DNJournal.com. The plunge in parking revenue over the past year has left many domain owners looking for lifejackets. Warren Royal found his by developing Bobbleheads.com and Shreveport.com. No longer dependent on Google or Yahoo, Royal's destiny is now in his own hands. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2008/december.htm 7B8AEA9C-F8E1-4BEF-A2B2-AE87911DEA3A Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:12:15 -0500 ICANN's plan to roll out an unlimited number of new global domain extensions starting next year has hit a major roadblock. The U.S. Government has joined the growing chorus of stakeholders expressing reservations about the wisdom of flooding the market with new gTLDs. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-19-08.htm AE2ACC15-4125-4F37-A6F6-D181113BE47A Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:50:02 -0500 GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons invited a critic of his company, Andrew Allemann of DomainNameWire.com, to be on his GoDaddy Radio show Thursday. In case you missed it, their sparring match is now available for replay. We have a link to the show and our take on the program. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-18-08.htm BA27E8A7-382F-425D-A245-B474464A198F Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:32:53 -0500 A huge batch of completed sales from Sedo's GreatDomains.com premium auction site dominate the new weekly domain sales chart at DN Journal. We have expanded the all extension leader board from 20 to 40 positions to make room for all of those high end sales as well as solid results from some of the everyday venues, http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales12-23-08.htm 35171A60-8040-4C51-B9CF-801C1FB8D24A Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:33:54 -0500 GoDaddy celebrated a 42% jump in sales this year by throwing a spectacular $2 million holiday party for its employees. TDNAM auction customers can celebrate too. Starting bids on high traffic domains have been rolled back in response to a whistle blowing blogger who will be on GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons' radio show today. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-17-08.htm B799EEE1-B3C2-4DE3-B08D-F573432F8172 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:39:44 -0500 A powerful trade association representing thousands of famous brands has called on ICANN to halt its plans to roll out an unlimited number of new gTLDS in 2009. The Internet Commerce Association also weighed in on the matter in a letter to ICANN's Board of Directors. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-16-08.htm 1CCB529F-7039-4D1D-B6F9-402569875F94 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:31:59 -0500 Google put a dark cloud over the heads of domain parking companies when they went into direct competition with their partners - but there may be a silver lining in that cloud for the PPC providers. Also today, the Domainer Mardi Gras conference chooses a live auction provider for their February 21 sale. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-15-08.htm 5D2E0955-D37F-48E6-B804-CB92278B3C29 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:34:56 -0500 Anyone in North America (and eventually the world) who wants to park a domain can now go directly to Google and bypass the parking companies. Does that mean they are history? Here is our take plus comments from Rick Schwartz on this potentially game changing development. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-12-08.htm 7E6CC25D-574B-44FD-931A-48D3B6D22B61 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:38:21 -0500 The ongoing migration of ad money to the web played a major role in the Tribune Company's stunning bankruptcy this week. One commentator observed that once offered a better and much lower cost Internet alternative newspaper advertisers abandon ship. "The notion that the local newspaper will always be there - no matter what - is no more." http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-11-08.htm 5C979500-9180-44E3-9883-DB2841252A6B Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:40:40 -0500 The advertising industry's top forecasters are predicting that online advertising will keep growing at a healthy clip next year and, in terms if growth, will blow away everything else in 2009, rising at more than twice the rate of its nearest competitor. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-10-08.htm E276AD40-C96C-4E3C-B423-3B8215334F55 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:20:56 -0500 Domain buyers were busy last week, ringing up three six-figure sales including one of the ten biggest country code sales of 2008. That was one of seven ccTLDs to make DN Journal's all extension Top 20. .Com led the way with a $300,000 sale and the world’s most popular extension went on to take a dozen entries overall. .Mobi also scored with a $44,000 sale. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales12-16-08.htm 9448C918-E5BE-40CB-8B7B-B51F86846D3C Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:09:19 -0500 Those going to the DOMAINfest Global conference in Hollywood, California January 27-30 will be treated to a trip to Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion. The show's official farewell party will be staged there January 29 in conjunction with a fundraising event for autism. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-09-08.htm EA83ADD3-3041-4424-85AC-A9EA8582DA4E Tue, 9 Dec 2008 14:35:51 -0500 Brothers Michael and David Castello (who were the subject of a popular DN Journal Cover Story two years ago this month) will be the featured guests on a free webinar tonight at 9pm (U.S. Eastern Time). They'll talk about how they have successfully developed some of the web's best .com geo and generic domain names. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-08-08.htm 3BDD0E61-400B-4FEA-8ADF-AEA0B26E87AE Mon, 8 Dec 2008 14:59:15 -0500 Tis the season to be jolly - unless you are victimized by one of several domain hijackers currently operating in the shadows of the Internet. One apparently based in the Ukraine temporarily took down the world's largest online bill paying service and another operating out of Iran stole hundreds of premium domains. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-05-08.htm 9093BC0B-9E4A-43E7-BC01-5C3D2C2F1383 Fri, 5 Dec 2008 17:36:09 -0500 New reports from Verisign in the U.S. and Nominet in the UK show total domain name registrations continue to expand but the growth rate is slowing down (country codes are outperforming the rest of the registration market). We also have the latest on plans for next month's DOMAINfest Global conference in Hollywood. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-04-08.htm 005EA8E8-4FE9-4FE3-BFC1-094998AB0202 Thu, 4 Dec 2008 16:39:36 -0500 After award winning work at Richmond.com, Jon Lumpkin has left to join Skip Hoagland's Domains New Media where he will help build a new site on Alexandria.com. The project will serve two cities that share the same name. Lumpkin will work on Alexandria, Virginia while Gastón Piarrette develops a corresponding site for Alexandria, Egypt. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-03-08.htm 8C22FEA8-6911-4131-8F25-DCC8BCBEA53A Wed, 3 Dec 2008 16:36:08 -0500 Though the long Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S. shortened the work week to just three days for most Americans a string of completed live auction sales filled DN Journal's weekly Top 20 chart with some solid numbers. A pair of $150,000 sales from Rick Latona's live auction in Australia led the pack. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales12-09-08.htm 7BB5304B-EA53-49EB-8516-199129654846 Wed, 3 Dec 2008 00:05:39 -0500 Are Fishkin's comments counter intuitive? Not really. The web is the most efficient business platform in the world and thus the one best suited to help business owners survive the economic downturn.Like domain names, SEO can provide a lot of bang for the buck at a time when businesses have to make every dollar count. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-02-08.htm 4993AC99-4D23-486E-91AE-77CC27251CE7 Tue, 2 Dec 2008 17:08:43 -0500 Today in the Lowdown: An introduction to our new comprehensive review of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under conference in Australia, domainer Stephen Webb's Internet radio website WeAreRadio.com makes news in South Carolina and .TV partners eNom and Verisign renew their vows. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-01-08.htm E648098A-73D3-4B86-BE04-152AAC5F168F Mon, 1 Dec 2008 16:36:51 -0500 DN Journal has published its comprehensive review of the first T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference ever held outside the United States. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under, ably staged by Fabulous.com, attracted domain owners from around the world to Australia's scenic Gold Coast. We have photos and inside show info you won't find anywhere else. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2008/traffic-down-under-review.htm B629F4D7-1828-4549-86DD-147177E142A1 Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:31:02 -0500 Here is still another reason to be thankful this weekend - the continuing growth of the online advertising market. Despite the meltdown in the general economy, online search ad spending isl expected to set another new record next year. In this economy how many other sectors are expecting a near double digit rate of growth in 2009? http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-28-08.htm 789CE213-90AF-47D1-BA67-330F72EC6D5B Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:14:30 -0500 Over the past few days, we've given you an inside view of domain events in Australia and on the French Riviera. Today it is on to Egypt where Directi sister companies Skenzo and LogicBoxes took delegates at this month's ICANN meeting in Cairo on an "Egyptian Odyssey" that included stops at the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-26-08.htm 7690ACBF-86CA-4BA4-9D02-8068D793857E Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:15:49 -0500 Country code domains turned in the strongest performance we have seen since starting our weekly domain sales report over five years ago. The biggest ccTLD sale of the year led a country code charge that gave ccTLDs 12 of the 20 positions on our latest Top 20 sales chart. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales12-02-08.htm FCE57E55-E64F-4895-A38A-823083A18290 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:45:30 -0500 Photos from the 3rd Annual SedoPro Partner Forum held on the French Riviera make us wish we could have been there. A fabulous waterfront hotel, yacht racing, casino night and a chauffeured antique car tour of the Riviera were just a few of the experiences enjoyed by attendees from around the world. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-25-08.htm 971A0C95-2160-4AA8-A7F7-C9D35B507B6E Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:07:01 -0500 We're back from the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under conference in Australia with some additional notes and photos from a fabulous show staged by, appropriately enough, Fabulous.com. You will want to check out company exec Michael Robertson's new mohawk as well as his close encounter with a kangaroo. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-24-08.htm 31414FD0-A763-45D1-9827-EE64D418E3DB Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:35:48 -0500 I'll be spending the entire weekend flying to Australia to cover next week's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under conference for you. I posted some show notes before heading out and also details on a well deserved promotion for Oversee.net's Jeff Kupietzky who has been named company President. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-14-08.htm 14022C00-6564-414A-A42B-8208B53214CE Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:56:25 -0500 Domain development is attracting more and more domain owners who are looking for ways to offset their PPC revenue declines. Well-known domainers Page Howe, Andrew Allemann and partners Ari Goldberger & Larry Fischer have all rolled out new websites. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-13-08.htm 3962BB6D-3691-4CFC-B11F-058EECFFD5A4 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:18:32 -0500 In 2003 Australian entrepreneur Michael Gilmour found himself broke after losing a fortune overnight. He took his last $100 and bought a domain name. Five short years later Gilmour is one of the most successful people in this industry. In DN Journal's November Cover Story we'll tell you how he made it happen. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2008/november.htm 463B115F-18C8-43EC-87D8-19525044DCD0 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:52:07 -0500 George Kirikos, a veteran domainer and long-time ICANN observer, has spotted language in new gTLD contracts that could pave the way for Verisign to charge domain owners anything they want for .com and .net registrations or renewals - with prices depending on what Verisign decides individual domains are worth. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-12-08.htm 4DE1E802-12EC-47A2-B917-F1CBF288669D Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:12:55 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. Four big six-figure sales, totaling well over a million dollars, lead the new Top 20 chart. There was a lot of variety on the all extension Big Board with six non .com global TLDs and four country code domains joining 13 .coms on the leader board. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales11-18-08.htm 54FC59ED-F1F8-4253-B613-897C0EA45189 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:22:21 -0500 Forecasters are predicting a bad Christmas season for retailers with one exception - online sales are expected to easily surpass last year. In another win for the web, the editor of our local newspaper, following another round of layoffs, admits that many print publications now have to play second fiddle to their websites. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-11-08.htm 941C1CE1-74DB-4EA7-9224-A36652B52FC5 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:03:57 -0500 DN Journal's next weekly domain sales report (due out tomorrow night) is shaping up as a strong one, especially after two big six-figure sales were just closed at Sedo today. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-10-08-2.htm E17D78D0-E9C8-45B1-B202-04B6AFD3F76C Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:38:24 -0500 "If you do SEO for a living, you will be out of business or irrelevant in 3 years" according to Lijit Networks exec Micah Baldwin. A lot of domain owners who want to develop their names have been thinking about SEO but on his LearnToDuck.com blog Baldwin says there is a better way to go. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-10-08.htm 0131DD51-EFD2-4F0B-A59C-72198ACC3488 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:24:49 -0500 The business pages are filled with bad news but here is some positive information for domain owners to mull over this weekend. Veteran online advertising exec Joe Apprendi has seen it all and he says online publishers will fare far better than others in the current recession. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-07-08.htm B95B85C9-5605-42E5-AB2B-F54F137D21FA Fri, 7 Nov 2008 18:50:27 -0500 The Internet Commerce Association has responded to a press release issued yesterday by the Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) that erroneously portrayed cybersquatting as a criminal offense. We have the full text of ICA Executive Director Michael Collins's comments setting the record straight and detailing basic trademark principles you need to know. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-06-08.htm 90E87F99-AF9F-4D02-96A1-4DE91053FA51 Thu, 6 Nov 2008 16:56:55 -0500 DN Journal's latest monthly newsletter breaks down 3Q-2008 domain sales to see what the numbers reveal about the health of the aftermarket. Plus, more info and photos from Kevin Ham and Chris Hartnett's adventures at Harvard Business School. http://www.dnjournal.com/newsletters/2008/september-october.htm 9881B3C0-425E-4410-AC3E-2053A2B5D8CE Wed, 5 Nov 2008 17:54:44 -0500 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. Another big wave of completed live auction sales from the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference dominates this week's domain sales chart. Moniker swept the top three spots and four .me domains crashed the all extension leader board. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales11-11-08.htm 5BCE11DA-2A6E-44A6-9335-2A220BB6C4E7 Tue, 4 Nov 2008 23:35:10 -0500 Today in The Lowdown at DNJournal.com: The scoop on why social networking site GeoDomainer.com has been inaccessible the past two weeks, details on a big .mobi auction starting tomorrow at Sedo and the reason why Afilias VP/CTO Ram Mohan was appointed to a special position on ICANN's Board of Directors. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-04-08.htm 896F2E8F-6389-4EB5-93BC-10DF11841D9A Tue, 4 Nov 2008 14:22:12 -0500 Doctors Kevin Ham and Chris Hartnett have become Harvard Business School graduates after completing the school's intensely demanding Advanced Management Program. Also, our take on Media General's purchase of Richmond.com. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-03-08.htm 265A5AE4-0C63-418B-8B3F-E408E50CEFD5 Mon, 3 Nov 2008 15:00:06 -0500 BoycottKentucky.com is asking domain owners to call the office of Kentucky governor Steve Beshear en masse today to express their displeasure with his attempt to take over 141 gambling related domain names through a highly controversial claim that the state has jurisdiction over those names. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-31-08.htm E561AE7B-742B-49DC-876C-391198B1BC52 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:00:20 -0400 The U.S. presidential election won't be held until Tuesday but thousands of web surfers have been casting their votes in online polls for weeks now. We'll tell you about a couple you can participate in and a little about our experiences voting for real this morning (our state is one of 31 that allows early voting). http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-30-08.htm 85C1223B-66E2-465F-9BE3-2372F2BA7F20 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:01:34 -0400 Lizzy Grant, the daughter of veteran domainer Rob Grant, is making a splash in the music business. Lizzy has just released her first record (available on iTunes) and also has a new video out that is creating quite a buzz in the music blogosphere. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-29-08.htm E09C764E-03A9-4A67-8B82-2839FF2BDB72 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:11:29 -0400 The new weekly DNJournal.com domain sales report is out with four six-figure sales and a flood of completed live auction sales leading the aftermarket hit parade. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales11-04-08.htm C83E07EA-9DA6-4533-B490-79F157EEB2B4 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:49:44 -0400 Ari Bayme, is taking over as CEO at Movie Times, Inc., a company that owns a portfolio of several thousand movie related domain names and operates the popular entertainment portal MovieTimes.com. Chairman Dan Pulcrano (a giant in the geodomain space) stepped out of the CEO role to make way for Bayme. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-28-08.htm D18EF1C8-6BF5-4C56-9FFB-F7B5318FD2C5 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:44:35 -0400 We're on the first leg of a one-week vacation trip but before heading out we added an exclusive new Photo Gallery to our T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York coverage. We also posted a preview article that let's you know what to expect from next month's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under conference in Australia. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-19-08.htm 2F1524E7-9090-4B3B-8CE8-E2DF28B5DE41 Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:41:17 -0400 The T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference heads overseas for the first time November 18-20 when Fabulous.com hosts the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under conference on Australia's famed Gold Coast. To get the inside scoop on this event, we talked with Fab execs Dan Warner and Michael Robertson. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2008/traffic-down-under-preview.htm 2A6F9D0E-E076-4C63-BD8D-1B6C621E684F Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:35:00 -0400 Internet Real Estate Group President Andrew Miller and CEO Mike "Zappy" Zappolin were among the Harvard Business School graduates who got to meet luminaries like Bill Gates and Meg Whitman at last weekend's Global Business Summit marking the 100th Anniversary of the HBS. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-17-08.htm E08B0546-75B4-4CFB-B2EB-A87D5D56B02A Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:23:57 -0400 Bulletin from DNJournal.com http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-16-08-3.htm B85B0377-31BC-4022-8958-7756F3E1959F Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:45:02 -0400 Reinvent Technology CEO Dr. Kevin Ham, who was the subject of DN Journal's May 2008 Cover Story, has been named winner of the Pacific Region's prestigious Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Technology category. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-16-08-2.htm 85350666-0FF4-4B7D-B8D2-3CFC3626AD31 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:42:10 -0400 The DOMAINfest Global 2009 conference coming up in January has scored a major coup by landing Apple Computer Co-Founder Steve Wosniak as their keynote speaker. The show, sponsored by Oversee.net's domain monetization unit, DomainSponsor, will be staged January 28-30 in Hollywood, California. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-16-08.htm B7CCFA0F-A5E0-4F1C-BA9C-4D4E46FBBAED Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:09:37 -0400 In a new column today, USA Today business columnist Gladys Edmunds told her readers that NOW is the time to get a domain name and build a website to promote your company. A web address allows you to generate extra sales by making your product or service available around the globe and with the economy bogged down that added reach is more important than ever. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-15-08.htm 9069931F-A02F-446B-A072-D4B174CDED9B Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:22:20 -0400 The domain aftermarket got back on track this week with a solid outing led by one of the year’s five biggest country code sales at an eye-popping $300,000. A second six-figure transaction was booked as the first wave of completed live auction sales from last month’s T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference was reported by RickLatona.com. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales10-21-08.htm D20A1645-3713-4207-8ED2-2AE3040E9982 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:30:24 -0400 Big city geodomain owners will be facing some tough new competition as NBC-TV begins converting their local station websites into broad based city portals complete with new geo-oriented domain names like NBCNewYork.com and NBCChicago.com. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-14-08.htm 841999FD-844A-4170-B124-49C32F474252 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:42:28 -0400 Fabulous.com has announced a charity live domain auction to benefit the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) will be held November 19th during the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under conference that Fab will be hosting on Australia's Gold Coast. Rick Latona Auctions will conduct the fund raising sale. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-13-08.htm 36E77D46-665A-465E-8F97-4545A860510D Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:29:51 -0400 Domain registration rates around the world continue to grow at a double digit pace. A new report from the Latin American region says total registration soared nearly 18% in the past year with Brazil and Argentina leading the growth spurt. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-10-08.htm 25E8213A-FC47-4069-A551-5CAF8F4156D9 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:41:23 -0400 Two key members of the award-winning Branson.com team have left to help Skip Hoagland develop his portfolio of prime U.S. and International geodomains. Their first joint project will focus on turning Portland.com into the premier portal to Portland, Oregon. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-09-08.htm E0CEF125-070B-4369-948B-C57440049871 Thu, 9 Oct 2008 14:20:34 -0400 DN Journal has exclusive photos from the MeetDomainers conference held in Cracow, Poland last weekend - including a live domain auction that saw some .pl (Polish ccTLD) domains fetch nice prices. Also - the ICA summarizes yesterday's Kentucky court hearing on gambling domains. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-08-08.htm C6652CA4-5490-4B4F-B95C-01957AC1862B Wed, 8 Oct 2008 14:55:27 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. This wound up being the weakest week of the year. There are two likely reasons for that, one being the meltdown in the general economy and the other being the fact that nearly $5 million worth of domains were sold at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference week before last, drawing a load of money out of the market at once. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales10-14-08.htm 75B045A4-0D2A-4DED-9D99-2B828AAC7B46 Wed, 8 Oct 2008 09:17:20 -0400 The Kentucky hearing into that state's attempt to confiscate 141 gambling related domain names was held today with the judge deciding he would need 7 days to consider the issues before announcing a decision. We have a link to a blow by blow account of today's hearing. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-07-08.htm 7E61F11F-0B4A-4604-9E56-0CFAA5EBE985 Tue, 7 Oct 2008 13:30:12 -0400 The Internet Commerce Association is in Kentucky today, protesting that state's attempt to confiscate 141 domain names from their rightful owners. Elsewhere, Forbes Magazine says the current credit crunch could accelerate the slide of newspapers into oblivion. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-06-08.htm A9FE3B39-6D53-438A-9E4D-C02C224F7620 Mon, 6 Oct 2008 16:49:02 -0400 The new October Cover Story is out at DNJournal.com. Our comprehensive review of the 2008 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference explores why show goers felt so optimistic at a time when the financial world at large was (and still is) on the edge of disaster. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2008/october.htm 37576261-48DF-4315-B74E-99F753B0D900 Mon, 6 Oct 2008 02:33:08 -0400 Moniker has released the results from their T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York online auction. Coupled with their two live auctions in the Big Apple, Moniker wound up booking close to $4 million in domain sales. Also, a new trade association for Canadian domain owners is set to launch Oct. 7. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-03-08.htm E5EE422F-9C3F-4111-85DD-219A5B2D69B9 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 13:24:10 -0400 Former Domain Roundtable producer Stephen Douglas has settled a lawsuit against Name Intelligence, the company behind the 2007 conference he directed, and its CEO Jay Westerdal. Elsewhere, NameMedia announces a further expansion of their AfternicDLS domain aftermarket platform. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-02-08.htm C1F45252-7ECD-4485-B2DA-8E145872F248 Thu, 2 Oct 2008 10:55:03 -0400 Some of the .mobi registry's best domains, including cellphones.mobi, games.mobi, blackjack.mobi, doctors.mobi, quotes.mobi and xxx.mobi will be auctioned off by Sedo on November 5. The registry says winners will be required to have a developed site online within 9 months of transfer. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/10-01-08.htm E78286EC-B19A-44AD-9AA5-E446635774F4 Wed, 1 Oct 2008 18:05:07 -0400 We were away covering the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference last week so our usual weekly domain sales report was delayed until today when we published an expanded double length report that will bring you up to date on all reported sales since our last column Sept. 16. A million dollar sale tops the list. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales10-07-08.htm 8D1052E8-EF78-4AA4-B5EE-10702F2F2D3B Wed, 1 Oct 2008 12:19:22 -0400 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York is over but two more domain conferences will get underway outside the U.S. over the next 7 days. We have details on those events in Poland and Canada (both of which will include live domain auctions) as well as info on a pair of online auctions worth taking a look at. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-30-08.htm F0987BFE-EC65-4354-88CB-3562612F0A64 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:08:42 -0400 Sedo has just completed the first seven-figure domain sale since the first quarter of this year - moving Invest.com for $1,015,000 through their GreatDomains premium auction site. The news come from Sedo's Kate Donahue who is preparing for some big changes in her life. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-29-08.htm D4C2B545-FC06-4626-9AE5-89130D240440 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:59:14 -0400 Organizers of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference completed their 12th successful run this morning in New York City. We have photos and highlights from the past 24 hours, including presentation of the annual T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Awards last night and also clue you in on show plans for 2009 and beyond. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-26-08.htm AAEAD56E-6481-42B2-BD7C-3EC405E65A54 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:26:59 -0400 Here are DN Journal's photos and highlights from the first full day of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in New York Wednesday, including two live auctions, Barbara Corcoran's well-received keynote speech and TrafficZ's official show party that ran into the wee hours of the morning. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-25-08.htm 4028935D-8959-4582-BB2D-78FC55DCC6BB Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:26:58 -0400 The T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference got underway last night. DN Journal has some photos and highlights from the opening activities and a look ahead at today's agenda for the first full day of the event. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-24-08.htm DBBDC4DF-0E1D-4986-89D3-E972526703BE Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:24:43 -0400 Here's a rundown of what's on tap for day 1 at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Tuesday and some notes on why this conference is shaping up to be an especially interesting one. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-22-08.htm 19288761-C856-40D4-AF02-AFFAF2B57D31 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:55:27 -0400 Between the latest premium domain auction currently underway online at Sedo's GreatDomains and the quartet of live auctions coming up at next week's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in New York, a remarkable number of high quality domain names could change hands over the next seven days. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-19-08.htm BD7E706B-80F7-4F4E-8D38-FAECDA45A1D1 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:09:52 -0400 Research firm Borrell Associates has added their voice to the chorus that believes .com city domain names are superbly positioned to one day succeed local newspapers, radio and TV stations as the preferred media platform in their respective communities. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-18-08.htm BBAA43FC-6E2E-431E-891D-0917BA36E97C Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:50:10 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. We saw a 2-letter .com change hands for $500,000 in one of the year’s 10 biggest sales as well as a country code deal that ranks as the year's 6th biggest ccTLD sale, GeoDomains also had a strong presence on the Top 20 chart. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales09-23-08.htm 4E255AE1-BB99-417E-B2EC-DE46C5CF5D92 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:58:38 -0400 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York is just seven days away. We run down some of the anticipated highlights as show organizers promise to shake things up in the Big Apple. There's also more information on the Mardi Gras conference coming to New Orleans in February. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-16-08.htm B87648C7-D74C-41B0-84C1-50A3865F6689 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:49:51 -0400 Divyank Turakhia gives new meaning to the term "meteoric rise." As a 16-year-old high school student in 1998, he co-founded the Directi Group with a $600 investment (a seed that sprouted a global conglomerate that is believed to be worth over $300 million today).Turakhia explains how he did it in DN Journal's new September Cover Story. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2008/september.htm EDE39083-E7C1-464A-8D6E-7E7940DCD960 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:37:16 -0400 California real estate loan broker and domain investor Daniel Negari has been named one of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs by BusinessWeek magazine. The public will choose five finalists that will be announced at the end of this month. We'll tell you how to cast a vote for the 22-year-old whiz kid. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-15-08.htm 8A8B63CF-E1A1-4ED0-B38A-61C7CB0C8207 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:55:55 -0400 Every two years Pew Research releases a definitive survey showing where the public goes for news and information. The first report since 2006 is out and it has some stunning data that underscores why a tsunami of ad dollars will continue to flood the web and help underpin domain values. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-12-08.htm FE30C644-1D26-4428-8919-EB0D21B79B5E Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:08:56 -0400 Another owner of a top generic domain name has taken his asset to another level by teaming up with a partner that brought site development, capital and business relationship expertise to the table. The end result, just two months later, is a potential category killing website. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-11-08.htm B1ED5B5A-243D-4B7F-90E9-247E015C8ABD Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:19:34 -0400 The domain aftermarket continues to hold strong despite the downturn in the general economy and falling PPC revenues in the domain industry. Sedo CEO Tim Schumacher said, "We have seen increased participation each month, a higher percentage of domains sold and higher average sale prices, and this latest auction will build on our success." http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-10-08.htm 9D87A367-AF4B-42C6-B414-653C08F8DAC9 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:56:45 -0400 It was another solid outing for the domain aftermarket with a trio of six-figure sales leading this week's DN Journal sales report.. One of those, a two-word .com, rang up $325,000 to rank among the 20 biggest sales reported so far in 2008. Three country code domains qualified for the all extension leader board as did an IDN and a pair of .nets. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales09-16-08.htm CF17F68A-E5C1-4402-8A00-1CA6D88CA134 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:23:35 -0400 Internet Commerce Association Co-Founder Rick Schwartz announced his resignation from the domain industry trade group today. ICA independent board member Ron Jackson comments on the departure and where the organization stands now. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-09-08.htm 1A8C36C5-B253-4606-8394-14F08FFCBE50 Tue, 9 Sep 2008 13:26:29 -0400 If at first you don't succeed - relaunch. That is what the .Pro registry did today, hoping to lure buyers in with lower prices. Elsewhere Bido.com is out of the live auction line-up for this month's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in New York, a mobile-centric conference is coming to San Jose and Skip Hoagland scores a coup with Cairo.com. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-08-08.htm D8E91A8B-DA2B-4DAE-A1DA-4A01FE869134 Mon, 8 Sep 2008 15:52:50 -0400 In the kind of local gathering that will become more common as the domain industry continues to grow, Parked.com brought Florida domain owners together for a dinner party Thursday night in Tampa. Here are some DN Journal photos and notes from the event. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-05-08.htm 7F58AB27-54D6-4DC0-B997-FFB109E880AB Fri, 5 Sep 2008 15:52:04 -0400 Verisign has released their latest quarterly Domain Name Industry Brief covering the second quarter of 2008. The new report shows demand for domain names continuing to surge at double digit rates. We have the key numbers from the latest brief. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-04-08.htm CDE509FD-BE61-4AB6-8A39-7DB2F51452E4 Thu, 4 Sep 2008 13:35:24 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. A six-figure sale at SnapNames led the hit parade and headlined a new all-extension Top 20 chart that saw a pair of country code domains among the top ten. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales09-09-08.htm F0D9E334-E5AF-41E7-BC2C-469302126E03 Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:11:14 -0400 Is the world ready for still another domain conference - especially one that will be staged on just four weeks notice? Before you run screaming for the exits, hear me out. This one will be staged in an underserved location and led by industry veteran Frank Michlick http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-03-08.htm 46F870DC-CAD5-44B3-9761-9F7EC7F357A4 Wed, 3 Sep 2008 15:29:51 -0400 David Kesmodel had to overcome a string of obstacles to get "The Domain Game" into print. He tells DN Journal how he managed to keep the book alive after the original publisher bailed out, what he would do differently if he had a second chance and what the domain industry can do to clean up its image. http://www.dnjournal.com/articles/people/domaingame.htm C7A75FFB-74A3-4E44-9937-939D704ED414 Mon, 1 Sep 2008 15:17:29 -0400 As Hurricane Gustav is slicing through Louisiana today, an Intercosmos Media Group team including Parked.com CEO Sig Solares is currently in New Orleans where they are posting storm information on a live blog at GustavBloggers.com. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/09-01-08.htm A3B4015D-E4B2-43C5-9BBD-BCCC465D2EEB Mon, 1 Sep 2008 09:34:42 -0400 Rick Schwartz is on the warpath. In an exclusive interview for our new August newsletter previewing the Sept. 23-26 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in New York, Schwartz laid into cyber squatters, PPC companies, registrars and even "show fatigue". Find out why he has taken off the gloves. http://www.dnjournal.com/newsletters/2008/august.htm A54EFABC-0ADC-421F-ABF0-5B1F93DA0D75 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:39:36 -0400 A prominent newspaper columnist has abruptly quit because he said sports journalism has become "entirely a website business." Jay Mariotti, who also appears on ESPN, said of the sinking newspaper industry ship, "I don't want to go down with it.'' http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-29-08.htm DA888F3D-F24A-4310-9BCF-FDACDA32B434 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:50:17 -0400 A new feature in Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 8, (released in beta yesterday) could spell trouble for their arch-rival Google. Here how "InPrivate Browsing" could short circuit Google's plan to get even bigger through display advertising. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-28-08.htm 2F33BF02-B456-4587-96DA-4695EA79F4DE Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:28:52 -0400 Two of the best-known figures in the domain industry are heading back to college this fall even though they both already hold doctorate degrees. Here's our exclusive report on Harvard's new BMOCs (Big Men On Campus). http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-27-08b.htm 920C36E2-B5E7-4D1E-BB30-73D7F1416EFA Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:50:06 -0400 Two well-known domain companies have filled key executive positions by naming new Vice Presidents. Stephen Douglas joins WhyPark.com as VP of Business Development and Sam Nunez moves from Oversee.net to Sedo to become VP of Product Management. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-27-08.htm 95C21115-3D54-4B04-8780-0D341E12481C Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:37:02 -0400 The usual summer doldrums were sent packing again this week as a quartet of huge six-figure sales led another banner outing for the domain aftermarket. Two of those transactions rank among the ten biggest sales of the year, weighing in at $800,000 and $579,900 respectively. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales09-02-08.htm B4175A7D-644C-46A5-9986-58DE0422688D Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:10:28 -0400 Some old friends who are worried about their jobs disappearing have been asking me if there are still opportunities to make a living with domain names or on the Internet at large. This is what I told them... http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-26-08.htm B3AA2950-10B2-460C-B1C5-7F9104664495 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:16:37 -0400 First it was newspapers, then magazines, then TV. Now it's radio singing the declining ad revenue blues - but there is one bright spot on that industry's latest report card - rapid growth online. With all branches of traditional media declining, only the Internet continues to enjoy double digit growth rates. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-25-08.htm F993E6D6-68FD-4F64-B143-F0B5FCAA66A0 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:23:03 -0400 A week after ordering it, my iPhone 3G showed up today. Here are some initial thoughts on whether or not this is the .mobi killer some claim it will be. Also, the agenda is posted for T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under and an upcoming charity domain auction looks like a win win event for everyone involved. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-22-08.htm C6DA47B8-59CF-4360-A7BF-605D3A451A71 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:25:42 -0400 In today's tardy Lowdown post Moniker's latest live auction fails to stir an SEO crowd, we spend a day at a local car lot and Page Howe takes over administration of an interesting geo domain sales letter. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-21-08.htm 89C90C51-60A7-43EF-966C-3834FAEFAB6F Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:45:41 -0400 A second straight day of technical snafus has led Bido.com to pull the plug on the online auction service for the time being. Elsewhere Name.com will start offering 800,000 AfternicDLS domains to their customers. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-20-08.htm C5B18BD2-6888-44B5-8C0F-7F227F10BDF6 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:28:31 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com and it is a jaw-dropper. We saw a half-dozen six-figure sales this week and all of those domains were purchased by the same person. In fact the Aspen, Colorado based buyer wound up spending over $1.1 million on a total of 11 domains for a cryptic new project his company is working on. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales08-26-08.htm 1D9CAFA5-2807-49B4-BF7E-4556E6E1D69F Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:36:03 -0400 Rick Latona, one of the world's most successful .com investors, spends a lot of time traveling around the globe. While hopping from one country to another he has been seeing ccTLDs and IDNs blossom before his eyes. Latona doesn't miss many boats - did he really miss one here? http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-19-08.htm 4DBD8065-2BE3-4177-95CA-1C54C1EBD29D Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:07:40 -0400 One of the world's leading domain companies, Oversee.net, reduced its workforce by 10% Friday. Oversee VP Mason Cole spoke with us about the tough decision to lay off team members. http://www.dnjournal.com/lowdown.htm E1189A2E-3962-4E21-A0E6-05C385251BF1 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:04:25 -0400 Sendori.com has come up with an innovative domain monetization system that bypasses Google and Yahoo by allowing advertisers to bid directly on traffic from high quality domain names. Since the traffic is sent straight to the advertiser's site, they pay for every visitor, not just the ones that click through. http://www.dnjournal.com/articles/companies/sendori.htm C3D27C9A-7AD5-4F1E-897B-1E4FA85477AF Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:19:51 -0400 Attorney John Berryhill has foiled another reverse hijacking attempt, perpetrated this time by a Swiss company that makes Beech-Nut foods. They tried to use the WIPO process to steal the domain Hero.com from its rightful owner. Here's our take of the bungled heist. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-15-08.htm E160D01D-95E0-41F6-A981-029626B828CF Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:58:53 -0400 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York is just five weeks away and the promotional drumbeat is starting to build. Show sponsor TrafficZ is offering their customers two free nights at the conference hotel. Meanwhile Moniker has given a sneak peak at some of the top names being considered for their live domain auction at the show. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-14-08.htm E47F9126-3DFA-4FF9-9E16-4902F46E108D Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:18:21 -0400 In four short years Page Howe has become the poster boy for the amazing things that are possible in this business. This is the previously untold story of how Howe discovered domains and went on to become one of the industry's key players. Get the story in DN Journal's new August Cover Story. http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2008/august.htm BA7C4BBF-75CE-4AA3-93E0-B23CFB9ABA37 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:21:10 -0400 "A a struggle of epic proportions." After laying off 36 more people, that's how the publisher of a local newspaper owned by the New York Times described their battle to survive in a media world increasingly dominated by the Internet. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-13-08.htm BFED5CF4-6CA4-478B-A847-912224288AC1 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:08:24 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. One of the largest three-word domain sales we’ve ever seen took the #1 spot on our Top 20 chart after changing hands for $260,000. Another six-figure blockbuster from the geodomain category passed the $150,000 mark. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales08-19-08.htm 93EBD9AB-1A65-4F17-AFA4-1A0D8615D324 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:53:12 -0400 As the foundations of traditional media continue to crumble, print magazines are the latest to find their necks in a noose. A new report covering the first half of 2008 showed big declines in both circulation and ad pages in nearly all subject categories. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-12-08.htm 3085D453-8E3B-4D25-AFDB-573FB3A67A15 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:38:46 -0400 Forbes.com writer Charlie Foster just posted a new article about the domain business and he says it became the top-ranked story on the influential business news website today. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-11-08.htm A40F630C-38E8-41D4-A918-E69D74E8969D Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:19:00 -0400 The general economy is sputtering but the media industry continues to be among the fastest growing industrial sectors in America. Better yet, a new study says the biggest waves within the media business are all breaking in favor of those of us who operate online. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-07-08.htm 54D0E787-616A-4A9E-B967-F2912F15E93C Thu, 7 Aug 2008 19:47:29 -0400 August is shaping up as one of the busiest months ever for domain auction activity. You will need several scorecards to keep up with the action and we have links to where you can find them. Also today, Sedo announces a plan to help build wells in drought stricken Ethiopia. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-06-08.htm 0528BC50-9712-4C42-91A5-A2595D8CFFAA Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:16:14 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. The top domain is a Dutch country code name that ranks among the 12 biggest ccTLD sales so far in 2008. The new all extension Top 20 has 14 .coms and a pair of country codes with the final four openings divided evenly between a .net, a .org, a .info and a .mobi. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales08-12-08.htm 550EA825-EF88-4F8F-ACD6-08F126EED803 Tue, 5 Aug 2008 23:23:15 -0400 The 2009 Domain Roundtable conference will be held in Washington, D.C. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel June 14-17. This will be the first Roundtable on the east coast and the first staged by new owner Thought Convergence. We will tell you why it's a smart move. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-05-08.htm 4E39DF65-62A3-49CD-BCF6-AC5B90C7F399 Mon, 4 Aug 2008 23:09:47 -0400 As PPC revenues continue to sink, solutions to improve domain monetization are springing up from within the domain community. Portfolio Help from Bido.com and a quick and easy domain development plan from AEIOU.com are tackling the problem from different angles. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-04-08.htm 5A9D153A-507C-402F-85A9-30B845193C60 Mon, 4 Aug 2008 17:31:35 -0400 Entrepreneur Magazine has published a very nice article on the domain business by Laura Tiffany titled Imminent Domaining. The piece does a nice job of explaining this industry to the magazine's audience of serial entrepreneurs - a group that is always looking for new opportunities. http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/businessideas/article195880.html DC87FB4F-A216-451E-A9F4-1653246286A8 Sun, 3 Aug 2008 09:34:16 -0400 With the rise of domain name values in recent years people who would like to separate domain owners from their assets without paying fair market value for them are coming out of the woodwork. Even generic names are increasingly at risk. In our latest monthly newsletter, attorney Brett Lewis details a disturbing trend. http://www.dnjournal.com/newsletters/2008/july.htm 59746E7C-E2DA-4791-A842-2BF1E149BD59 Sat, 2 Aug 2008 19:14:51 -0400 If you are ready to tackle developing one or more of your domain names, Stoney deGeyter has written a concise new series of articles called "Seven Building Blocks of a Destination Website" that will help you craft a winning game plan. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/08-01-08.htm E6087FAD-F203-4115-BF5C-5A6AFDD2B554 Fri, 1 Aug 2008 18:43:12 -0400 The United States has made clear that it has no intention of giving up oversight of the Internet's Domain Name System and they let ICANN know that was the case in a letter sent to the oversight body Wednesday. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-31-08.htm 94D50A58-E636-4FB1-9998-BAC26F3804C6 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:26:45 -0400 The next traditional ad medium likely to be slain by the Internet is the Yellow Pages according to research firm Borrell Associates. "Over the next five years, we are expecting 39% of the ad spending on print yellow pages to vanish," Borrell reports.They also predict video will be the #1 online ad format by 2012. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-30-08.htm 27C42492-45BB-471A-ADDF-FC870831EEA7 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:33:26 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com. The top dog this week was a one-word .com domain that attracted close to a quarter of a million dollars in one of the year’s 20 biggest sales. Country codes also fared well again, taking four spots on the all extension leader board. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales08-05-08.htm 57338E9E-FC3C-4F4E-9468-9BAD34D06119 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:02:47 -0400 Effective Friday (August 1), Matt Bentley is leaving his post as Chief Strategy Officer at Sedo. In his 6 years with the company Bentley has compiled an exceptionally impressive record of success. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-29-08.htm D8511184-C469-46EF-9D94-FD7F87FB5736 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:35:21 -0400 When I returned home from the GeoDomain Expo my home computer refused to start. Needing a quick replacement but finding nothing but plastic junk in the big box stores I set about building my own. Here's what's under the hood now. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-28-08.htm 347399E3-9827-403B-8C54-C7B69C0AA73A Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:54:36 -0400 MySpace.com is wildly popular but Peter Chernin, the President of parent company News Corp, says ads on the site don't generate the kind of money they should. He thinks video and mobile may be the key to ramping up their (and your) website revenue. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-25-08.htm E1046048-8A6E-4795-851C-789802A35AE5 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:01:19 -0400 Drop Wizard Gordon Martin is back in the saddle. After closing his popular drop catching service in 2004 he quietly switched his focus from .com to country code domains and now he has rolled out a new business centered entirely around ccTLDs. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-24-08.htm 52D2D9C6-A311-4EBA-BE78-699D583F05A7 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:45:38 -0400 Buyer Brad Geisen, the founder of Foreclosure.com, plans to roll out a revolutionary new real estate marketplace on Property.com in 2009. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-23-08-2.htm E1F9E335-2D07-4AEA-97B7-CA03CDDC84E3 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:12:56 -0400 .ME is the country code for Montenegro but when the extension was relaunched in a new disguise last week half of the registrants came from the U.S. See more early .ME stats at DNJournal.com. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-23-08.htm 2276ECD6-C90A-451C-998B-DB2987E1A4F6 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:41:42 -0400 6-figure .org sales are rare but this week TWO of them hit the top of the chart. It was also a huge week for the country codes as seven ccTLD domains made the all extension Top 20. The country code charge was led by TWO big French ccTLD sales, http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales07-29-08.htm 79FA3D03-52EB-40FE-8470-D874B297813B Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:28:27 -0400 Our local daily continues its anorexic decline. Meanwhile another major publication hopes to survive with a new model that will debut tomorrow. As the future unfolds geo domain owners may be in the catbird seat. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-22-08.htm DA9A3974-F48C-4EBF-B698-91C3ED020027 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:38:05 -0400 Major congratulations go out today to long-time domain investor Howard Hoffman (who also operates PPCIncome.com). In addition to his domain endeavors Hoffman owns a fast-growing bottled water company that distributes an oxygenated spring water called O2Cool. Mariel Hemingway discovered it, loved it and now she wants to help Howard make sure the world hears about it. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-21-08.htm 976CE370-CC97-4BCC-83A1-70F4A6D6D524 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:38:28 -0400 DN Journal's comprehensive review of the 2008 GeoDomain Expo in Chicago has just been published. We have behind the scenes details and dozens of photos from the landmark event that you won't find anywhere else. http://www.dnjournal.com/events/2008/geodomainexpo.htm 5007590A-E21F-4E3F-963E-333D00767363 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:21:58 -0400 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York sells a fourth live domain auction seat for their September conference to Bido.com, the domain business heats up in Brazil, .pro gets ready to relaunch and a fish tale from the latest domainer's outing in the Adirondacks. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-18-08.htm 0FA54767-D558-4F04-878E-8F722E015FE4 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:24:19 -0400 Moniker.com has always been the only live auction provider at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conferences but the show's organizers have decided to let up to five auctioneers set up shop at the next show in New York City Sept. 23-26. The third spot was taken today by RickLatona.com who chose to Go Big rather than Go Home. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-17-08-2.htm 0B4F339C-C348-4C3B-8C69-75358EAFB314 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:09:43 -0400 Registration of .ME domains opened to the public today but a lot of potential registrants are crying "woe is me" after paying for domains at GoDaddy only to learn later that someone else got the names they thought they had purchased. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-17-08.htm C0B16B8C-3476-4BB0-8966-36107258F617 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:02:08 -0400 DN Journal has compiled and released the latest domain sales data for the first two quarters of 2008. We give you the facts and figures on how the domain market has been faring at a time when the general economy is in disarray. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-16-08.htm 499F2F8E-E663-4E41-B075-4D911EFE7CEE Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:02:10 -0400 The new weekly domain sales report is out at DNJournal.com and once again it was a solid week for the aftermarket. A trio of six-figure sales included one that ranks among the year's 12 biggest sales. There was also a major deal in the country code category that ranks among the ten biggest ccTLD sales so far in 2008. http://www.dnjournal.com/domainsales.htm E6CCB906-7D5F-409B-A3F6-BE21EA215A29 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:46:09 -0400 For the third time in 15 months, the highest valued .us domain to date - Video.us - is up for grabs. The two previous owners had the name stripped from them by the registry for WhoIs or Nexus violations. Will the third time be the charm for this star-crossed domain? http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-15-08.htm 2DAC5F2F-F380-43AC-B216-5829D6EEF6FB Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:02:29 -0400 The 2008 GeoDomain Expo closed in Chicago Saturday (July 12) with a 12-hour day packed with big events. It opened with a morning session featuring stories from five geodomain pioneers and also included Moniker's live domain auction and the 2008 GeoDomain Awards dinner. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-13-08-2.htm 77D2498C-8A5B-4BF5-964C-7BFDF62BF579 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:15:09 -0400 Parked.com and Modern Domainer Magazine will sponsor a show in New Orleans during Mardi Gras week February 19-21, 2009. Parked.com and Modern Domainer share New Orleans roots though Parked.com moved most of their operations to Tampa, Florida (also our home base) after Hurricane Katrina. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/07-13-08.htm 67B03B5A-B04F-432B-9F6E-94055AE1400F Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:15:10 -0400