Seven Mile

Elliot blogs about the 3 letter .com realm.

http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/12/10/b-king-on-three-letter-com-sales/

***FS*** There are only 17,576 3 letters in .com ..  This piece probably explains which a have gotten scores of spam sales offers for my three letter and 3 number domains over the past few days.
Google reduces the importance of sub domains in it’s ranking system.

Excerpt: “As eBay and others have aggressively used subdomains to dominate branded AND unbranded search results, and Google has improved their sitelinks technology, any relevancy gain by treating subdomains as a separate site will be going away. Google is going to start  treating subdomains like subfolders, and limit the number of results from any site to just two.” http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007120823/google-changing-handling-of-sub-domains/#more-1905

***FS*** Enjoy getting google traffic.  Don’t rely on it as the primarily source for traffic for your website/business. The best traffic is the traffic tha Google wants to “buy”  and that traffic comes from generic type-in traffic producing domain names.

Microsoft introduces free Live.in email addresses to Indians.

http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007120817/microsoft-india-introduces-new-livein-e-mail-domain/

***FS***  I think many more folks would run email on their own proprietary domains (for email) if they understood how to go about it.  There is a knowlege gap where getting email or getting a domain is not simple enough for regular folks.  Domain values will have their next dramatic leg-up when an intermediary comes along that makes the registration, management and renewal of names and email easier for the average person…  and once that application “takes off” in a significant mainstream way. Perhaps a mechanism that allows anyone to get an email on anyone else’s name or pays a fee for each email account to the name-holder.

Josh: Elliot Silver takes some of Jay W’s advice…

.. and thanks him for it. Elliot bought an existing site that google didn’t include in it’s results.  By following Jay’s advice, his name was reincluded, now appears as the #1 listing, and he’s getting additional traffic.  Even the experts learn something from time-to-time. There’s alot of learning from each other going on in the domain/development realm. http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/12/08/thank-you-jay/

More from Elliot:  Honesty and integrity critical when doing business in the domain realm.  To be fair it’s critical everywhere http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/12/08/domain-industry-lesson-1/

Sahar opens his blog wider,

..and hopes to spark discussions and learning in his new area call “Debates”. http://www.conceptualist.com/category/debates/

***FS***  Another great idea from Sahar

79.1 percent of marketers plan to increase their online budgets for 2008.

No surprise here, but good to see nonetheless.

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071207/FREE/71207006

ParkingWhois.com

Smart idea that’s in beta.  Tells you if a domain is parked or not, and where.  Problem is i tried 5 examples.  Two worked, and the other 3 said the domain is not parked,.. and it is.  It was a bit slow on a couple of the searches.  They need to make it more accurate or this service won’t get used.

Music business in Japan sees 1% rise in sales

…industry observers attribute this to mobile music downloads. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/7130596.stm

ConsumerReports.org

…Paid subscriptions, no ads.  3 million viewers who pay for web access. 4.5 million who buy the print vrsion. 208 million in revenue and operating margin of 28 million. http://www.news.com/Success-without-ads/2100-1038_3-6222063.html?tag=nefd.top

***FS***  Only 13% margins..  Sounds low for a publishing outfit. 

Ad company installs tracking capabilities at the ISP level.

SP’s hold alot of power.  With great ower comes great responsibility.. Without great responsibility, comes great regulation. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071209.wsniff1209/BNStory/Technology/home

“The Ultimate Domain Name Guide”

I think it’s from 2006.  It’s relevant today.

The headline is over the top.  That said, it’s a good overview, especially for people just getting started.  The writer, Sebastian Robinson, thinks that the right domain name is critical for your business. Excerpt: “Domain names have become more than just an address on the web. Today they can make or break a business.”

Josh says:  I don’t think a domain name can make a business. (Unless your business is buying and selling domains, or parking names that have type in traffic.)   But, i agree with the basic sentiment that having the right name / domain name is important, if not very important.  The writer is mistaken that the .XXX extension has been granted. http://www.micromart.co.uk/features/article/default.aspx?id=22516

   http://www.thedomains.com/2007/12/08/domains-are-cheap/

This piece deserves to be set apart from the Linkfest..  Berkins has that “oh-my-gosh” moment and realizes how cheap domain names are when viewed against overpriced pieces of modern-art. Art hangs on a wall and costs you money..  Domains activate on the Web and “make you money”. To be fair..  the art market is held-up by inflation and aspration..  returns are made via the sale of pieces to a richer buyer or greater fool..  Domains often contain revenue streams in the form of traffic which help pay for the up-front acquisition cost..  Art typically doesn’t ..  unless it’s a Monet and you lease it to a museum.

I know many of us have experienced the same epiphany about the value of domain names relative to other real-world items..  This one is just the latest but is very poignant.

Give it a few years .. people will start to figure out that perhaps less than 10 million domain names have any generic or descriptive value to anyone. When that concept becomes widely accepted you’ll see an even greater appreciation in the values of those names.  Get them while you still can.

Everyone is Doing It

http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/12/07/everybodys-doing-it/

***FS*** Investing in domain names that is

Domain Valuations : Chris Stewart

Domain Value (DV)=Traffic Value (TV)+Brand Value
(BV)+Utility Value (UV)+Discretionary Value (DiV) : Part 1
http://marketforlemons.com/?p=5

Via.com sells for 157,000.

(scroll down.) http://www.domainstate.com/showthread.php3?s=bf857a50211d7889c72645f54b38beb6&threadid=84867  Great name to build on.  Good price for buyer (fully valued for name-investor), esp if they are going to develop.  Via would be a good name  for a search engine or some kind of portal.  Lot of other possibilities.  Has meaning in multiple languages.

 From Danno:

AfternicDLS Member Sells UI.com for $275K (nice story)

http://afternicdlsblog.com/2007/12/07/afternic-success-story-uicom-sells-for-275k/

 ***FS***  Still sooo much untapped opportunity in the name business for those who care to try. 

iREIT leaves the ICA

(Scroll down at the link.)
http://dnjournal.com/newsletters/2007/november.htm

***FS***  It was really more Bob Martin who was behind iReit’s participation in the ICA..  with Bob gone it’s no surprise the group dropped out.

Sedo.com now shows that invest.com sold for $ 1,015,000.

http://www.greatdomains.com/auction/auction_history.php?language=us&auction_id=21998&tracked=&partnerid=32392  Josh says :  I think the buyer got a good deal. You can buy a parking spot in Central London for  $50,000 - $90,000 and in some cases you’ll pay considerable monthly fees on it.  And to go with your parking space, you can buy this 3 bedroom, 3 bedroom flat for $13,000,000. http://www.findaproperty.com/displayprop.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&pid=059058&agentid=07711
Renewal fee each year on invest.com: $ 7.50 . Taxes and maintenance costs on your $13,000,000 flat in London: Priceless.

***FS***  Agree with J’man’s logic but as a wildcat investor (me) who has to front the 1mm,  the carrying charge is about 70k a year.. so I’d say the name’s fully valued from an invetor’s perspective.

Considerable controversy around the sale of Music.mobi.

Excerpt: “Constantine Giorgio Roussos thought he was the winner of Music.mobi in yesterday’s.mobi auction at Sedo. He bid $66,000. The auction ended and he received an automated invoice from Sedo. He then received a  “personal” e-mail from a Sedo employee (which also may have been automated). But then something happened. Sedo extended the auction due to a server slowdown in the final minutes of the auction.” The name was then sold to someone else who bid $616,000.  http://domainnamewire.com/2007/12/07/musicmobi-winner-vows-lawsuit-against-sedo/

***FS*** This is the classic fight over nothing.  Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a publicity stunt.

Opportunity Cost of Lost Opportunities.

Interesting article by Elliot Silver.  Sometimes you “overpay” now, and benefit later.  Perhaps you never overpaid in the first place. http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/12/07/opportunity-cost-of-lost-opportunities/

***FS***  Historically speaking, if the name was generic and got type-in-traffic, it was very hard to loose money in the domain biz..  the market has consistently caught up to your overpayment..  That won’t go on forever tho.

Light of Logic Creeping Through

New York Times David Pogue blasts companies that have chosen wierd and hard to remember company names.He points out plenty of hard to remember names. Trulia and Zillow are two better examples than “Fark” which is witty enough.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/technology/personaltech/06pogue-email.html?ex=1354683600&en=e08b6ea2e4dad1dd&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Danno Sends Related

Seussical-Sounding Web Site Names

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/the-dr-seuss-jumble-naming-web-sites/?hp 

***FS*** Nice to see people having that..  “hayyy… waita minute.  “  moment of logic setting in.  Most Web2 names are awful.

Eric Litman becomes Managing Director of WashingtonVC.

http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007120709/eric-litman-becomes-managing-director-of-washingtonvc/#more-1890

***FS***  Congrats Eric.

Where’s the money?

Excerpt: “”The venture (capital) industry is headed into a wall. All the best companies are being sold,” Deninger said. “For seven straight years, the number of companies going public has declined. That means the number of (prospective) buyers is also declining. Eventually, the VCs will have fewer companies that they can sell their companies to.”"  http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9830529-7.html?tag=nefd.blgs

***FS*** Blame SarbOx man ..  People are getting sloppy overpaying for nothing and the good stuff never sees the light of day..  Irony: Rules meant to protect investors only serve to make the rich richer and give said investors fewer opportunities.

Invest.com bid up to 431k at Auction

auction is still live. 4 hours to go, as of 10 a.m. EST. Friday, Dec 6, 07  Reserve is 200,000 - 499,999. http://www.greatdomains.com/auction/auction_detail.php?language=us&auction_id=21998&tracked=&partnerid=32392

***FS***  Great name..  This is fully valued from a wildcat-return investor’s perspective.

Which domain extensions have increased in value the fastest. 

Between 2004 - 2007. http://www.domainbits.com/increase-value All the data:  http://www.domainbits.com/data

***FS***Summary:  Buy .com’s

Whizzbang: Where to buy domains.

http://www.whizzbangsblog.com/content/view/335/86/

***FS*** still find deals on SEDO.com,  Afternic.com and GreatDomains.com

Verisign states that 146 million domain names registered across all TLD’s.

12 million in the last quarter. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2007/dailyposts/12-05-07.htm Josh

***FS***  Most of the 12mm new names were discovered through tasting ..  and (very very important) only 5-10% of all 146mm names are worth anything whatsoever.. to any more than one distinctive entity.  That means there are just 7 - 14 million investment grade names available to the world.. How many do you own?

Alvaro Albarracin goes on a .mobi speculation shopping spree.

http://www.conceptualist.com/2007/12/06/alvaro-albarracin-breaks-dotmobi-sales-record/

MUSIC.MOBI = USD 616K
GAMES.MOBI = USD 401K
SPORTS.MOBI = USD 101K
MOVIES.MOBI = USD 82K
PHOTOS.MOBI = USD 51K
VIDEOS.MOBI = USD 51K

Alvaro says “I am not planning on developing these names,  I am planing on selling these sometime in the near  future.” .. 

***FS***Sell Alvaro ..  run like the wind and sell.  This man will be joining Dr. Van Neeste in the land of irrelevance shortly

Pubcon coverage.  Domaining.

Effective Domain name strategies  http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/015575.html

***FS***  These are good beginnings..  bet that a handful of folks had the light-bulb domaining moment.. 

Domains and trademarks.

Clark Walton, Esq. - Domain Name Law http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/015574.html

***FS***  Synopsis of presentation provides interesting insight into lawyer’s thinking, tactics.. Most domainers I know don’t run from lawyers.. They have lawyers too  :)  In 7 years I’ve found that you are more likely to be challenged by an over-reaching lawyer on a legitimate registration that you are to be backed into a corner over a name you really shouldn’t own.

Bruce Clay’s take on Richard Rosenblatt’s keynote

http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/archives/2007/12/keynote_address.html

***FS***  I like Richard Rosenblatt..  He’s a one in ten million character..  One of the most charismatic people I have ever drank Patron with / met.

Pubcon coverage links above via Sahar.

http://www.conceptualist.com/2007/12/06/pubcon-coverage-effective-domaining-strategies/

***FS***  Thanks Sahar!

Domain industry events listed.  Til May 2008.

http://www.domainnews.com/industry-events/

***FS***Nice summary to bookmark on DomainNews.com

Domain Truffles.

Josh says: Michael Berkens talks about domains as commodities and collectibles.  As well, he highlights the notion of quality by briefly discussing buying oil paintings at a flea market as compared to going to Art Basel in Miami, where 500 million dollars worth of art is expected to sell in just 4 days. He likes truffles, too.  Btw, Michael, it was a dog and not a pig that found the giant truffle that recently sold at auction in Macau. http://www.thedomains.com/2007/12/05/domain-truffles-2/

***FS***Berkens is an attorney turned domainer..  He has great insight into the value proposition that meaningful generic names represent.  Love the truffle analogy Mike.

Moniker Pubcon auction results.

Monte continues to move auctions outside of the  domain investment community.  That’s a good thing. http://www.domainstate.com/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=84850
GrandPa.com - $55,000
FamilyServices.com - $45,000
MortgageRates.org — $17,000
BlindDating.com — $14,000
ComputerDiscounts.com - $10,000
More sales results of other names here: http://www.domainnamenews.com/events/moniker-pubcon-2007-auction-results/1328#more-1328

Tips for finding brandable domain names. 

by Bill Eisenmann.
Excerpt: “”Not everyone is looking for keyword rich, generic domain names. Many Internet startups are looking for a simple, catchy name or phrase to build their online identity around. Brandable, web 2.0 style domain names have gained popularity in recent years mostly due to the explosion of social-networking sites. http://availabledomainnames.com/2007/tips-for-finding-brandable-domain-names/

***FS***  Everybody wants traffic..  Everybody..  Whether they say it or not..  whether they know it or not..  nobody wakes up in the morning, says “I want to start a website that nobody will visit”.  Nothing happens on the Internet without traffic.  Generic keyword style domain names get a primer-level of organic type in traffic for nothing more than the keyword weight or gravity of the name itself.  Those are the “catchy”, “brandable” and “cool-sounding” names which constitute the 5-10% of all names registered which are worth anything at all..  Those are the names you want.

Domain Tools Auction

Jay responds to auction criticisms, reduces after auction pricing reduction for names that don’t sell to 10% reduction from previously stated 20% reduction, and drops his commission to 9 % from 10%. http://blog.domaintools.com/2007/12/auction-rules/

Joshsays: Read the post for more details and other info.  One of the things that Jay says is they they will do alot of pre auction promotion, to generate interest.  Thing is, the cut off date for name submissions is Christmas eve, and the auction is on January 3rd.  ?. Jay retains exclusive rights to sell the domain for 60 days after the auction.

***FS***  It’s his sandbox..  and he needs some kind of tool to discourage off-block sales after auction close.  Understand the sellers POV too tho.

Facebook bows to pressure about Beacon Ads.

Allows users to turn them off completely.  How many will turn it off?  Choice. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9051119&intsrc=hm_ts_head
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/12/05/2114247.shtml

***FS***  Josh Quitner was unfairly silenced on this..  It’s Facebook who deserved the slap-down IMO.  http://valleywag.com/tech/media/facebooks-foolish-foes-330424.php

Nokia to continue to invest in online services

.. to add value to their phones. http://www.news.com/Nokia-sets-eyes-on-Internet-to-support-handsets/2100-1039_3-6221589.html?tag=nefd.top

***FS***  Nokia is in trouble long-term..  They don’t have the software..  Anyone can make hardware.

Police the Minority, Ignore Bigger Problem

 http://www.out-law.com/default.aspx?page=8738

***FS*** Out-law.com means well but can’t see the forest for the trees here.  An IP “expert” proposes a “Domain police force” to tackle cybersquatting.  Yeah..  that will stop all that stolen traffic..  sure it will bub.  Most “traffic” that gets incorrectly plumbed or stolen on the internet, does so at the portals and error pages, not on domains..  You can police domains, making individual registrants the whipping boy, but that doesn’t stop traffic intended for your site from being stolen in the browser or on portal sites..  John MacKenzie:  try typing out-law.dom or .xom or .cpm in your browser and tell me what your eyeballs see.  Who created that page? Why didn’t the browser correct you and send you to ‘your’ site?  The total amount of traffic taken to the right of the dot, far and away eclipses all traffic taken by cybersquatters.

Google.cm 

Redirecting traffic to new social network perfspot.com ..  type the name www.google.cm get a page that reports “the offering you are looking for can not be found”  (or something to thst effect) .. then *poof* get flopped over to http://www.perfspot.com/join.asp?p=80247&t=CD579

The Power of One Good Name

Courtesy of Bryan:  http://www.pehub.com/wordpress/?p=1782 Mainly this part: “”First up is 1-800-Diapers, or www.diapers.com, a baby products ecommerce company that has raised $7 million in Series B funding, according to a regulatory filing.”"

WeldingRobots.com sells for $50,000.

Very tight focus on this baby.  I’m picturing those robotic welders in car assembly plants.  I would imagine they are quite expensive to buy or lease. http://insidedomaining.blogspot.com/2007/12/domain-name-weldingrobotscom-50000-sold.html

***FS***  Speciallized domains are often the most valuable for that reason

Domainers Magazine

…to offer access to online version of mag for free in Jan 2008. http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/12/04/domainers-magazine-anniversary-gift/  the mag : http://DomainersMagazine.com/

***FS***  I think it’s only natural for a business publication about digital topics to be in digital form
Miriam Ellis writes that Homestead.com will not allow you to point your domain name that you purchased from them to a different hosting company.  She lists 12 tips for those planning to use a template-site-building company. Based on this archaic restriction, I would Never
register a domain name thru Homestead.com. http://www.searchengineguide.com/miriam-ellis/homesteadcom-your-domain-name-with-strin.php 

iPhone has .09 percent of Web usage.

Josh says: Not bad, considering that the iphone has only been around 6 months.  It beats usage stats of Windows CE, Danger’s Sidekick and the Symbian S60 smartphone. http://valleywag.com/tech/stats/iphone-has-009-percent-of-web-usage-++-yes-thats-a-lot-329413.php

***FS***  This is a huge! a fraction of a percentage may not blow your hair back but this is a new device! It’s gotten this quick share because iphone allows you to easily and intuitively navigate using a real browser, keyboard and .com domains.  Give it time..  this thing will grow like the ipod.

Rumour:  FTC will approve Google’s Doubleclick

acquisition: http://valleywag.com/tech/acquisitions/ftc-to-approve-google+doubleclick-merger-this-week-329393.php

***FS***  A monopoly is born

Rumour: Li Ka-shing Foundation buys Facebook stake.

Invests 60 mil based on 15 billion value.  Gets 0.4 percent share. http://www.news.com/Source-Li-Ka-shing-Foundation-buys-Facebook-stake/2100-1030_3-6221258.html?tag=nefd.top

***FS***  Good for Li ..  not so good for me..  I wouldn’t invest in this co.

Related from Javier:

“”A couple of weeks ago we were taking about Facebook, and how it may all cool down pretty soon. You may find interesting this detailed article (not mine) that exposes 15 reasons why Facebook is not worth 15 billion: http://mashable.com/2007/12/03/facebook-15-billion/ ”"

Which tld should bite the dust?

http://www.domainersgazette.com/the-dot-what-tld-deathmatch/ 

***FS*** Domainer’s Gazette runs a refreshing poll ..  Should serve as excellent guidance to newbies.

Parking Transparency 

Whizzbang sets out a roadmap for Standards and Transparency for parking companies.

***FS*** I think true transparency is a pipedream absent some kind of leverage on the upstreams.  Nothing begets nothing tho,  so kudos to MG for writing.http://www.whizzbangsblog.com/content/view/333/1/

Elliot Silver interviews Jeremy Padawer.

***FS*** Jeremy is a legacy domainer I remember Chernoff mentioning the guy in the “way early” days ..  today Padawer has a very full time job in the toy industry, and also is quite serious about domain names. He’s been investing in geo names over the last six months. memphis.org, scottsdale.org, rye.com, abilene.org, tempe.org, and others. Josh says: Jeremy is sometimes very funny and outrageous. http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/12/03/5-with-jeremy-padawer/

Madison Avenue’s Fear Of Domain Names.

By Stephen Douglas. “The truth of it is that Madison Avenue doesn’t want domains to compete with their abilities as an ad agency and undercut their client’s ad budget. pure and simple.” http://www.successclick.com/madison-avenues-fear-of-domain-names_2007_12_02/

***FS***  I personally think it’s less fear and more ambivalence or lack of understanding..  Most individual names get very little upfront traffic.  We live in an immediate gratification society.. One name 100 visits a day, nothing to get excited about ..  One name plus 12 months building to 10,000 visits a day..  that’s exciting, but it’s also uncertain and far off. Hence,  nothing to get fired-up about on Madison Ave.

Why some early stage startups fail.

***FS***  Valuable lessons here .. Written by someone at UnionSquareVentures.com. Excerpt: “”So it’s pretty clear to me that most venture backed investments don’t fail because the business plan was flawed. In my experience at least 2/3 of all business plans we back are flawed. Most venture backed investments fail because the venture capital is used to scale the business before the correct business plan is discovered. That scale/burn rate becomes the cancer that kills the business…. Regardless of whether you have taken venture capital or not, capital efficiency and bootstrapping are critical values. You must keep your burn rate low until you can show without a shadow of a doubt that you have a business model that works, can be operated profitably and is ready to be scaled. Then and only then should you step on the gas.”" http://www.unionsquareventures.com/2007/11/why_early_stage.html 

.NL Dutch Sedo Auction results.

Prices in Euros:
veiling.nl   ? 46.000
gezondheidszorg.nl   ? 16.500
luik.be   ? 3.500
kerstdagen.nl ? 3.250
hotelgids.nl ? 2.250
(not sure what currency that symbol is.) http://www.domainnews.com/aftermarket/2007120100/sedo-dutch-domain-auction-first-results/

Typo patrol

Someone is doing some pretty comprehensive research in the typo realm. http://www.domaindetectives.net/

Geo Leverage

Stu Maloff uses Geo targetted domains to help build his basketball camp business.  e.g. NewYorkBasketball.com http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2007/dailyposts/12-01-07.htm 

Sport.biz goes for $14,000.

http://insidedomaining.blogspot.com/2007/12/sportbiz-trades-for-10000-euro.html  Josh says: In my opinion, the value of certain strong or very strong single keyword domain names in some of the less popular extensions will continue to rise in value in the long run. One of the obvious reasons is that these kinds of words in .com are simply entirely out of reach for the vast majority of domain investors and people planning to build websites. Some will say that one should go for a two word .com with Sport or Sports in it.  Makes sense.  Some will say that the one word major keyword in a less popular extension is more important to their branding approach.  Makes sense. Personally, i’m not a fan of the way .biz looks or the meaning it has.  Sports.biz would have been much stronger than Sport.biz.The new owner of this domain should also get SportBiz.com, if they haven’t already.

***FS***  I much prefer names like these..  sportsworld.com sportsweb.com ..  certain think names plus ‘world’, ‘web’, ‘net’, ‘biz’ have a generic value and resonance simply because they make sense as generics but have a brandable quality about them. Would rather own those as a .com than own a further afield ext.

Microsoft buys Webfives:

Excerpt: “”The move comes just days after Microsoft took part in a panel discussion on the types of companies it would look to acquire. Managing Director Mark Wolfram had indicated that the Entertainment and Devices area might be ripe for an acquisition.”" http://www.news.com/beyond-binary/8301-13860_3-9827802-56.html?tag=nefd.top

QR Codes. (Quick Response)

QR codes were originally developed by Tokyo-based Denso Wave Inc. and are common in Japan. When published in print form - on billboards, transit ads, vehicles or other media - consumers can then take pictures of the images and have them converted to links, phone numbers or other advertising messages. “The basic function is to eliminate typing and allow you to take a code off paper media and any media that’s printable and transfer it to an electronic form,” said Greg Hayden, chief technology officer for Toronto-based Luna, which is in talks with Canadian carriers - which it will not name - in hopes of making the technology available to Canadian businesses. http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/Departmental-and-End-User-Computing/de822e9f-d9c7-49d1-97d2-be7f4d946767.html If i understand this correctly, one could use a symbol or image for one’s domain name, and this could be converted into the actual URL, when a cell phone or PDA user takes a photo of it.  If true, some very interesting possibilities could transpire around this!  This is whatcha call a good idea.

Six Apart sells Live Journal to Sup, a Russian media company.

Be careful how you treat your content contributers. http://valleywag.com/tech/livejournal/six-apart-exiles-its-troublesome-child-to-russia-329031.php

WIPO coming to Canada?

*** From October 17, 2007
http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007113022/the-wipo-is-coming-to-canada/#more-1828
http://www.slyck.com/story1601_Canada_to_Strengthen_Intellectual_Property_Throne_Speech

***FS***  .ca registrants take warning.. WIPO proceedings in general favor the complainant. In no other business do you loose the rights to your property for running afoul of a civil reglation..  it’s par for the course in the domain biz…  for now. 

Sahar gets it on with cars.

http://www.conceptualist.com/2007/12/01/weekend-getway-with-south-florida-toys/

***FS***  Nice to see you enjoying life bro..  It’s short

Tia Gives Some Tips/Tools

http://www.tiawood.com/news/internet-news/free-411-and-other-handy-google-experiments-for-doma.html

***FS***  Some neat tools and assorted domaining good-stuff  ..  Thanks Tia!~

Tia Wood asks:

“”Frank, after looking at a thread at DNF titled “Why Domains cost what they do…Your Reasoning?”, I don’t feel anyone has hit the nail on the head. To me, why domains cost the what they do has largely to do with reverse branding: the ability to reverse brand a word for a company instead of a company for a word. The same goes for branding words for individuals or organizations, etc. But the value lies within reverse brandability, correct? Which brings in a higher quality of consistent and valuable traffic. What’s your take on it?”"

***FS*** I often hear secondary-market domain sales and names referred to as “powerful” or “expensive”. Not all domains are powerful of course..  And why exactly are the powerful ones considered powerful?  Well..  As I’ve explained previously if you buy a good, meaningful, generic domain which garners some measure of organic type-in traffic for nothing more than the keyword weight of the name itself;  you essentially have a storefront with guaranteed visitors coming into your door and strolling past the merchandise.  Typing in a domain isn’t necessarily like a good storefront in a high traffic location,  it’s more like the gift shop at the end of a theme park ride that you have to pass through to leave the ride.  Only these visitors aren’t looking for the street..  they have self qualified the topic they seek by typing that particular domain name. In the real world you have to pay to lease the space, put in lease-hold improvements, etc, etc.  On the Internet, window-dressing is cheap..  the storefront and improvements which bring the visitors in “are the name”.

People often tell me domains are “”soooo expensive”"… They ask:  ”Why would I pay $10,000 or $20,000 or $50,000 for a great name when I can make up another name for less?!?” 

   Well if you buy a name like the one described above with organic,  generic-intent type-in type-in traffic; 10, 20 or 50 thousand dollars is not a lot of money.  Years ago I worked in marketing consumer electronics and we purchased full page magazine ad-space in “gamer” magazines for $15,000 for the month..  That’s one side of one page, for one-month… and that didn’t include artwork.  It was just to build nebulous concepts like “mind-share” with the gaming public.  You can’t put mindshare in the bank folks.  Had we bought a great domain for $15,000 (and we could have gotten gaming.com or games.com for $15000 back then) we would have gotten millions of yearly visitors forever;  for nothing more than the price of the renewal fees.

   The other dynamic at-play is scarcity.  With 100 million domain names registered how can they be seen as scarce? Well most registered domain-names are either “terrible” in quality or are specific to a certain branded product or service.  On any given day, a random slice of the name-space expires for non-payment. 15,000, 20,000, 25000 names expire each day.  I have watched these expiring name lists every day, for the better part of a decade.  These lists are a virtual “boulevard of broken dreams” ..  names which people bought with great hope, only to allow them to slip away after they had some emotional change of heart or after they forgot to renew them. 90-95% of these expiring names are complete and total crap.  You could make-up better names in the unregistered available pool.

The remaining 5-10% are names which could have some traffic or some value to more than one person.  Names which could be called meaningful, powerful or generic. That’s 5-10 million domain names globally.  It doesn’t take a mathematician to determine that there are just not enough great names to go around.  It’s not possible for every person or company to have even one “good” registration.  That shortage of supply and global demand keeps prices high…  and will for years to come.  In fact if the examples above show anything, it’s that great domain names are “still” cheap.

Guy.com

Sells for 1 million. 3 letter .com’s with good/great useable meaning are rare. Another compelling week for reported sales. .Net and .Org are the steady climbers. From:  DN journal weekly domain sale reports.http://dnjournal.com/domainsales.htm 

***FS***  I remember men.com selling for 1mm couple of years back.. Men.com is 100X better than Guy.com ..  There’s the domain biz in a nutshell.

Classmates.com filing for IPO.

http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007112804/classmatescom-filing-for-ipo/ 

***FS***  50 million signups and 3 million paid users like the name or don’t care what it’s called. Many folks aren’t crazy about it (the name).

Revenue domains. 

What should you pay?  : Whizzbang.  http://www.whizzbangsblog.com/content/view/328/1/  Gilmour keeps ‘em coming. Here he gives rough
estimates as to what he thinks revenue domains are worth, purely based on the rev, and not the potential brand value of the name.  He wades into potentially TM infringing names territory and different types of non infringing generics.

***FS***  I remember Rick Schwartz offering $8 per unique per month back in the early days ..  or maybe it was per week..  Anyway,  what a long way we’ve come.  Expect other investors to start paying closer attention to this stuff after the Name Media IPO.

Dell vs. Florida Registrars.

http://blog.domaintools.com/2007/11/dell-vs-florida-registrars/  Josh says: Domain tasting or testing is not inherently a bad thing.  It depends on how it’s used.  Example: If you are setting up a blog or a start up company and are trying to figure out what name to use, you might brainstorm 50-100 different names, or more.  Considering how blisteringly fast names are being registered, I don’t see anything inherently wrong with registering those names ASAP, and then deleting those you don’t want during the 5 day taste/test period.  Having a small charge for doing so seems reasonable to me.  There’s a difference between the bathwater and the baby.

***FS*** I’m inclined to agree …  this is a different issue though..  second hand chatter alleges kiting obvious marks between registrars, large scale tasting and keeping deliberate TM’s without screening.. etc.  Haven’t read the whole complaint,  but this is a big action.  Here’s to hoping for a peaceful and amicable settlement that makes the space better.

Elliot offers up to $50,000 for a US city .com domain;

population should be 50,000 or higher.   (”city”.com,  nothing else.)

http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/11/27/wanted-us-city-com-domain-name/

***FS*** It wasn’t that long ago that one could have probably got a name like this for much less.  Is this a bubble price, or reflective of the importance of the Geo space?  Josh says the latter.  (It’s worth noting that he’s a big fan of geo and thinks geo is very compelling.) I’m a big Geo fan too..  but some of this is just related to inflation..  We live in a world awash in US Dollars. Some of that “money supply”/liquidity phenomenon is making itself felt in in the domain business,  although it’s a lot less than in other sectors.

WeAreSanDiego.com sold to San Diego Union-Tribune.

Seller is Stephen Webb. http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007112723/san-diego-union-tribune-purchases-wearesandiegocom/ Some folks mocked Stephen Webb when he recently launched IamDomainNames.com.  He’s now leasing IamSeattle.com to the Seattle Space Needle folks. He just may have struck a likeable little vein here. Congrats to Stephen!  As an aside..  I see the day when the flurry of derals like this (domainers selling names to traditional media) is so thick and wide that it no longer can be reported in detail like this.
 

Brookstone.com offers realtime 3d store walkthrus.

(Uses Kinset.) http://kinset.com/brookstone.php  Many web spaces/sites in the future may be realtime 3D.  The smart ones will continue to offer 2D as well as 3D.  The viewer will decide what they are in the mood for.  Currently, most realtime 3d on the web still has that cartoonish look. In 2-5 years, full blown photo realistic/cinema realistic 3D will be here on off the shelf desktops and laptops. 

Josh says: ”"I’ve been waiting for this for over 20 years.  I’m old.”"    ***FS*** You and me both bub.

Valleywag: Scripps to sell Shopzilla.

They paid 525 million.  They want 525 million. http://valleywag.com/tech/shopzilla/scripps-to-sell-its-search-engine-327209.php 

***FS*** I go to So Cal with my family at Christmas and Scrips has educational institutions and charitable stuff going on all-over San Diego.  It’s a good thing Scripps has a lot of money ..  they bought a bag of smoke when they bought Shopzilla and they are now trying to find another party to hold that bag.  You should have bought domain names folks because:

A) You would have an asset with burn-down value

B) You would have made money on that asset

C)  That asset would pay you dividends without the moving parts of thousands of staff  ..  and.. *drum-roll* 

D)  You probably wouldn’t be Selling that kind of asset.  I should really charge for this info…  sheesh.

RentYourSoul.com

Start up company guy wants to rent your soul for a week.  Swears he’s not the devil.  Will give you 10 bucks and donate 10 bucks to a charity of your choice, selected from his list. http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9824150-7.html?tag=nefd.only 

***FS***  Anything that gets people giving is a good thing.  I read this story and donated $1000 online to World Vision.  You should give too..  Because if you read this far down my linkfest, you’re probably a serious domainer and are making a pretty good living..  You’re blessed..  Count yourself lucky and pay something forward today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_(yacht)

   Floating/Anchored 5-700 feet offshore.. right in front of the Ritz Carlton here in Cayman.. I can see it right out my office window..   This is a seriously impressive ship. Second biggest yacht in the world (2nd biggest privately owned yacht, 6th overall if you count ‘royal’ yachts) Cost a rumored $200mm (back when the dollar was worth something..  figure 500mm today).  Hard to believe a boat like this is worth more than a good domain portfolio..  There’s domain upside for you folks.  Although, domain portfolios don’t come with regulation basketball courts or helicopters onboard..  Looks like he could land 2 choppers on that back pad alone if he wanted.

Russ Horowitz of Marchex mentioned flying aboard Paul’s 767, watching sportcenter on plasmas back in the late 90’s, before plasmas were available in every Walmart. You gotta know Paul has hot and cold running good stuff on board that boat. ;) 

Pop over for a drink Paul, or send the tender and I’ll pop over there. 

 Andy sends Powepoint link…  copy and paste this into your browser address bar … bring a change of underwear ..  it’s good to be Paul Allen:

http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/octopus.ppt

Godaddy

Go Daddy asks how to improve their signature auctions:  Elliot puts his mind to work and posts up a three point plan. http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/11/27/godaddy-tell-us-how-to-improve-signature-auctions/
 

Domain Speculation Pointers.

http://www.elliotsblog.com/index.php/2007/11/26/domain-speculation-pointers/

***FS*** Elliot goes into depth.  Focus of this article is brand spanking new registrations. I thought all good names were already taken? :)  Everything but new vernacular is gon gone gone. Then again..  reading the 1950’s era popular Mechanics at a family member’s house shows how much language changes..  and how much it stay’s the same.  Fad’s come and go, trends stay with us and big generic words/phrases will be with us forever.  It’s your job Mr. Domainer to understand the difference. That’s where the money comes from.
 

Total Names Registered

There are more than 96 million “active” domain names on
the Net. http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007112714/domain-counts-and-ip-statistics/

***FS***  all but 5-7% are total crap or only have value to a sole distinctive entity.  That’s why domains are scarce.  Rubber hits the road here
 

Domain Gospel

Sahar points to Domink Mueller evangelizing to non domainers about domain names.  http://www.conceptualist.com/2007/11/26/economic-101-the-domain-version/

***FS*** Sometimes when I evangelize the space it can be self serving in the sense that the more folks who know about the space the more it helps my portfolio..  But if you look at it honestly..  pumping the space doesn’t help individual names that much..  There is something instinctively rewarding about being altruistic, helping another person, giving back and making a friend.
 

Diamonds Domains are Forever

Sahar compares the marketing of diamonds to the potential marketing of domains. http://www.conceptualist.com/2007/11/26/a-domain-or/

***FS***  This is a great analogy..  grading of domains is subtle.. little one character diffeences can amount to millions of dollars in price swings per name, just like diamonds.  Difference is that we don’t ‘need’ diamonds so much..  A bad economy and we’re going lower quality stones or CZ..  Own some of the 5-7 million domains that mean anything whatsoever and it’s a totally different ballgame.  We “need” those.
 

Sell!!

Affiliate.us gets 120,000 Euro bid at sedo auction. Has met it’s reserve. Zimbabwe.com at 130,000.  Has met it’s reserve. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/11/26/affiliateus-gets-eur-120000-bid/

***FS*** Be interesting to see if the Affiliate.us bidder is legit. Sell all day long at that dollar.  Zimbabwe.com is fair value.. IMO  ..  might still have some headroom but not for wildcat returns.

I Thought I bought This Name

Holiday domains.  SaintNick.com up for auction on Nov 29/07. http://www.domainnamenews.com/domain-sales/tis-the-season-to-buy-a-holiday-domain-name/1314

***FS***  Really!.. verno?
 

Country Code Domains

.BB redelegated to Barbados gov. Had been under management with the local office of Cable and Wireless. http://www.domainnews.com/icann/2007112622/icann-voted-to-redelegate-bb-to-the-government-of-barbados/

***FS***  Two consecutive characters might be easier to type, but they look funny and doesn’t sound right for the Country…  I live in Cayman where the Country code is .KY and so many people confuse us with Kentucky USA.  I think if country codes sounded like the Country (.CAY .BAR) they would sell way better, more people would use them.

China Rising

ICANN release 6 week IDNwili Report of user stats. Includes % share of use based on language. Highest is Chinese at 40.76 % share. http://blog.icann.org/?p=239

***FS*** A billion Chinese can’t be wrong

Do Evil.

Google stock share hits 666, and Sahar has some fun. http://www.conceptualist.com/2007/11/26/do-evil/

***FS***  Saw this yesterday..  had lots of fun with it..  What are the odds that it closes at exactly that to the penny anyway?  Would have been even weirder with 66 cents.
 

G-Storage

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119612660573504716.html?mod=hps_us_whats_news

***FS***  Throw enough stuff at the wall and something’s bound to stick.
 

‘Real’ Human People

Dotster offers live SEO consultations with “real” humans. http://www.domaininformer.com/news/news/071127Dotster.html

***FS***  Aaron Wall should offer “Extreme-VIP”  SEO  phone consultations at $20 a minute  ..  nice sideline
 

Cartoonist pokes Facebook.

http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/004355.html

***FS***  This is just funny.  Sometimes when the masses are ‘unsure’ or ‘listless’, those masses can be easily led astray..  true in life..  true for Facebook.

   “”Hi,

No one will ever own a 100% of anything on the Internet…unless you, me, and everyone else in the world are nothing more than ‘lambs’…aka…sheep.

Lots of really,really,really…smart people here…so I do not think anyone here is a lamb or sheep at heart…far from it.

The fact Google owns 63.whatever of search right now…is one of the most ‘backwards’ things…I have ever seen in my lifetime.

The ‘sheep’ un-knowingly conceded Internet search and now the ’sheep’ are supposed to ‘concede’…the other 37.whatever to them?!

In the endless universe we call the Internet…Google sets up ONE door to it…and thats it?… We all need to walk through it for the rest of our lives?

  Training Day (the movie):

“To PROTECT the sheep…you have to kill the moth%$##$ wolf”

Google is the “wolf” and me and you and the rest of cyberland are the “sheep”.

Killing the ‘wolf’ now might be out of the question…because the ’sheep’ have given him to much power…Why?…no shepherd.

But,

‘Wounding him’…would still be a multi-billion dollar yearly Internet search business adding billions of dollars of value to domain names…on top of what they are worth now.

Yahoo/MS/Apple/Att/GE/Verizon/…will never solve the HUGE ‘imbalance’ that currently exist in Internet search.

The only one(s) that will solve it….are Domain Portfolio Owners Along with SEO/Search engine/marketing experts…with some good old fashion common sense.

Google is always going to have a huge chunk of Internet search…but their ‘chunk’ should be less than 40%…at its highest.

The ’sheep’ have a bit of work to do over the next few months and years.

I know everyone says…Google has ALL the traffic…(this can change in a ‘blink of an eye’)

Heres an analogy from another movie:

Field Of Dreams:

“Build it and they will come”

Google is nothing more than a cool corn field with ‘NO baseball field’

Heres a thought…

How about a cooler corn field…WITH a baseball field? ( this annaology most poignant for folks hypnotized by the siren call of the shallowest [ie. Facebook]

Can’t you just see all the car headlights (visitors) driving down the road to it?

I Can.

IMHO…as always…lol

Best,
Dan

BTW: I know this post is a bit ‘dramatic’…but for ‘the love of mankind’…fight the ‘wolf’ with all your heart and soul…lol”"

There are two ways to get liquidity from domain names..  If you have a good search-term style domain with type-in traffic, you can sell that traffic (like owning a cow and selling the milk) or you can sell the name itself (sell the cow).

In the final analysis all investors want to know they have the ability to liquidate their investment. If the ongoing credit market crisis has shown us anything, it’s that there is no reason to invest money in an instrument (CDO, repackaged mortgage etc) or domain name if there is no way to sell it for a profit in a timely fashion; or to sell the revenue producing stream that the investment produces.

I was noodling around on the net this morning thinking about how to get a better stream of return visitors to my network of sites..  My first thought was to strike a partnership with an existing media house like Viacom or Fox.. 

Years ago I remember some UK domainers who secured a news-feed with “Moreover” streaming relevant news to each domain name.  So I thought about how cool it would be if FOX or Viacom could supply some sort of all encompassing media feed..  Type in TravelChina.comand get info from NewsCorp media outlets, Magazines, the NewYork Post, Myspace etc etc all relating to the keyword “travel” “China” or both.. as well as links to relevant movies and columns relating to the travel genre… Newscorp would get a steady stream of traffic coming through to their network,  I get some flat rate payment for each visitor and the ability to expand return visitors as the positive experience reinforces user behavior. That visitors have found a site worthy of their attention.

Then I got to thinking about ultimate liquidity..  What is the best way to sell domain names? Lots of folks sell domains on the Internet but does the quest for a great name really begin there?  Years ago when I was in my 20’s I worked for a video game accessory manufacturer..  I traveled to all the electronic retailer corporate offices around America trying to get them to allocate shelf space to our little line of products.  I would visit individual retail stores in cities all across the US and was struck by the amount of physical space these items took up, the amount of energy required to ship/unpack boxes and the mechanics involved in getting inventory to the shelf ..all for such a little amount of profit.  Making 50 bucks on a boxed video-game joystick is nothing compared to making thousands of dollars on a domain name..  and there are no products to ship with a name..  Print a piece of paper for the customer and they’ve got their name.

So this morning I had to wonder why no domain-registrar (Register.com, Godaddy, Network Solutions) or secondary-marketplace (Fabulous, Name Media, SEDO) has tried to place Domain Sales Kiosks in the Staples, Office Depots or Fedex/Kinkos of America?  People looking to start a business invariably make a pit-stop at one of these locations.  Imagine a small computer terminal kiosk with a printer (that prints fancy name ownership certificates) …and sales reps trained to sell secondary market domain registrations to explain the value proposition of buying a name for a few thousand dollars as opposed to registration price.

I think each store could sell several registrations a day..  and with the right margin/bonus structures, could generate thousands of dollars per store each month..  all while providing instant liquidity to longtail (lower traffic) domain portfolios.

I put the idea out there to see if somebody runs with it.  If nobody does,  this is one I’d consider trying myself.

  Omar writes (from the bay area):

“”Frank,

It’s brutal out there.  A few days ago my company put an ad for a Personal Assistant.   We expected about 50 applicants.

Imagine our surprise when we received over 350, all from local candidates.  So I did some thinking about why this happened….

I think the subprime meltdown is having a trickledown effect.  Many companies in the real estate industry are laying off people.   In addition, with home values plummeting in many areas people are having difficulty making mortgage payments, especially if they had a variable rate.

On a more personal note, I have a friend who lost all his savings due to the housing meltdown.  I’m reminded of when I moved to Silicon Valley just as the Internet bubble burst.   The Valley was in the worst recession in several decades.  There was blood on the streets.  I remember people moving out, companies going bankrupt, and the stock market crashing.

I think we’re really lucky to be in a business with such strong fundamentals.  So far even in recessions the industry has moved forward.  

We’re blessed :)  Here’s to a continued prosperous future!!! 

Of course we always risk having our own bubble, lol, but let’s hope that doesn’t happen.  Too many smart people in the industry right now.   IMHO

Best,

Omar”"

***FS*** Omar sends three related links:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/11/26/101232838/

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_48/b4060001.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_top+story

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1470530620070314?src=031407_1316_DOUBLEFEATURE_mortgage_troubles
 

Venture capital meets Reality web tv.

http://www.youbethevc.com/

Winners gets funding and support from Google, WPP, GrandCentral, Pownce and Slide, plus others.

The death of e-mail.  by Chad Lorenz

http://www.slate.com/id/2177969/fr/flyout

Ten years later, e-mail is looking obsolete. According to a 2005 Pew study, almost half of Web-using teenagers prefer to chat with friends via instant messaging rather than e-mail. Last year, comScore reported that teen e-mail use was down 8 percent, compared with a 6 percent increase
in e-mailing for users of all ages. As mobile phones and sites like Twitter and Facebook have become more popular, those old Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts increasingly lie dormant.

***FS*** Hotmail, Yahoomail are probably slowing down because those platforms (YHOO and MSFT) are pushing their proprietary messenger services over harder to control mail.. Mail allows for outsiders (spammers) to more easily contact those clients within the MSFT/YHOO walled garden.  I think the death of eamil is wayyyyyyy over-rated..  Nobody in their right mind running a business would direct users to an instant messenger in order to conduct commerce.. Well - tech-savy drug dealers on roller skates in central park might.  But real businesses have a website..  and an email account which matches that site..  When those kids grow up and enter the workforce, they’ll get an email account which they’ll check religiously..  Next.

http://www.nysun.com/article/66382

Quote here: “”Governor Spitzer of New York announced yesterday that his state will start collecting taxes on Internet sales made in New York, even if the etailer has no physical presence in the State. Whose to blame for this? It’s the affiliate programs. NY is saying that these affiliates are the equivalent of having an instate salesperson. Many domainers make their living from these affiliate programs. It is quite possible that the affiliate programs might be shut down or limited, especially in states that this law is enacted.”"

  ***FS*** eBusiness makes location history ..The real winner here are the Mailboxes etc operators in New Jersey.

http://www.wrevenue.com/2007/11/14/dabbling-in-domaining/

   Quote:  “”I was at a dinner party the other night when a friend started asking me if I knew anything about domaining. Here was a guy that works in a “real job” and knows nothing about Internet marketing, but he told me that he registered 10 domain names and had listed them on Sedo. When did mainstream folks start speculating in domain names? In any case, I was impressed that he managed to do what he did, even though he hasn’t yet made any money at it.”"

***FS*** Love reading slice of life stuff like this on other blogs because it gives a real temperature of the potential of the market and an indication of future name market direction.

Dominik Mueller sends story:

   “”Imagine an advertising world where… spending on interactive, one-to-one advertising formats surpasses traditional, one-to-many advertising vehicles, and a significant share of ad space is sold through auctions and exchanges. Advertisers know who viewed and acted on an ad, and pay based on real impact rather than estimated “impressions.” Consumers self-select which ads they watch and share preferred ads with peers. User-generated advertising is as prevalent (and appealing) as agency-created spots.

Based on IBM global surveys of more than 2,400 consumers and 80 advertising experts, we see four change drivers shifting control within the industry.”

Press release:
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/22570.wss

Complete report:
http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/media/doc/content/resource/business/2898468111.html

Newspapers having to close down due to readers and advertising dollars migrating to the Internet, time spent watching TV decreases while time spent on the Internet increases… Clear signs of a changing business and advertising world. Nothing new to domainers and online marketers, but the fact that this report has been published by IBM should help spread the message.”"

Quote: “”When a major network turned down Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick’s pilot, they took “Quarterlife” to the Internet…”"

   Something big happened today while everybody was looking the other way.. http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1573861&vid=187641 This 3 minute clip is must-see TV for every domainer.. Think about your own shows and your ability to drive traffic to those shows using your “other” names.

Exciting times.

Related:  INTEL chip to speed high-definition video via Internet:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7085480.stm

  A CEO resigning.. Investor sentiment turning against it..  Big mortgage related losses announced and more to come, a nervous financial world.  Those of you who’ve read the comments on my recent investment club post/thread understand my concern relating to publicly traded financial stocks.

 Gabe writes tonight:

“”Hey Frank,

Looks like Citigroup made a big move and acquired Mortgage.com.  If you look at the site you can clearly tell that it’s a CitiMortgage site, but for some reason the whois still has the same registered owner: ABN AMRO MORTGAGE GROUP, INC

Not sure if official ownership has yet to change hands of if there is some sort of lease agreement - whatever the case, CitiMortgage is taking advantage of a huge amount of type-in traffic.

Keep up the good work on the blog - very informative as always!

Thanks,

Gabe”"

   ***FS***  Like the butterfly that flaps its wings and starts a hurricane a world away, this is potentially huge for Citigroup.  One simple little name that will be shared virally and typed in organically day after day, month after month, year after year. I understand the power of great domain names.. and I understand the domain name’s “place in the world” vs. one of the biggest companies in the world - but look at this commonsensically.. How much lower would C’s worst 2009 trading day be “without” the compound effect of an incredibly valuable generic domain name like this.  This name is going to force millions of mortgage leads right to Citi’s front door..  It’s like owning the front door to every bank in the land relating to the search-term “mortgages” ..  My family has typed this name in repeatedly over the years..  so has yours whether they can remember or care to admit it or not.  Prince Al-Walid bin Talal got lucky on this one. He doesn’t yet know it..  If managed correctly, the power of Mortgage.com is going to secure and ensure that his investment in Citigroup is more of a success than it could have been without this incredibly powerful domain name.

Great way to round out a challenging week.  Thanks Gabe.

1.   80 percent of US adults now go online.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN0559828420071106?feedType=RSS&feedName=internetNews&rpc=22&sp=true  

2.   Dead Tree News readership continues to fall. Plus, newspapers now including web stats in circulation numbers. No doubt that many people are getting their news from the websites of those same companies that are still printing on paper.

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN0529857620071105?feedType=RSS&feedName=internetNews&rpc=22&sp=true

   PCs losing their relevance in Japan.  Both for desktops and laptops. Overall PC shipments in Japan have fallen for five  consecutive quarters, the first ever drawn-out decline in PC sales in a key market, according to IDC. The trend shows no signs of letting up: In the second quarter of 2007, desktops fell 4.8 percent and laptops 3.1 percent.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071104/japan_bye_bye_pcs.html?.v=2

You could argue that a lack of IDN’s have led to less Japan-language websites…  so more traffic is flowing to portals like Yahoo in Japan. Portals have a greater percentage of Internet traffic so there’s a greater incentive to create browsing experiences for telco platforms, phones, game consoles and web-appliances. Also, seems like much of this flows back to the fact that Japan is a more conformist, inwardly looking culture. Fewer Japanese are venturing out of the portal’s bounds to test/explore… and if I can access the portal on my Nintendo Wii ..  who needs a PC?