The .ME land rush begins tomorrow (June 6). In case you haven't heard, .me, which is Montenegro's country code, is now being marketed globally as a general purpose extension 

(much like ccTLDs .ws and .cc before it). Montenegro signed a deal with an independent company that is operating the new .me registry and touting the domains as being perfect for personal use. Their slogan is .Me is about You! 

To take part in the land rush you need to apply for the names you want with one of the accredited .me registrars. In the land rush period different parties may submit applications for the same domain name. At the end of the land rush June 26, if there is only one 

application for a domain name, the domain name will be awarded to that applicant. If two or more parties apply for a domain name, those parties will enter an auction to determine who wins the domain name. Open registration of .me domain will begin July 17. .Me will be pricey. The registry requires a two-year initial registration and most registrars are charging around $50 a year during land rush and $25 a year when open registration begins.

...and last but not least, SnapNames.com will continue to be the exclusive auction source for expired domains from Register.com. The two companies announced renewal of their contract today. Register.com CEO Larry Kutscher said “SnapNames was the first company to offer an organized aftermarket platform for buying and selling domain names. It consistently provides excellent service to its partners and customers and has a great reputation for transparency and performance. Because of these factors, we wanted to continue that productive relationship.”
(Posted June 5, 2008)