March 9th, 2010
Mike
Spain’s .ES extension was originally introduced in 1988 but was only recently open for unrestricted registration as of 2005. Nic.es heads Spains domain registry and there are several registrars approved to sell .es domains. I know that 101domain.com offers a good price for .es at only $35/year.
Similar to many other countries in Europe, .es is heavily used within Spain by its local businesses, etc. Since 2005, many domainers have seen .es as a solid investment and some utilize the extension for domain hacks like beach.es.
The extension has made its mark in the reseller arena with some notable sales over the last year, here are a few of the top .es sales since Jan 2009, courtesy of DNJournal.com:
Motor.es $113,050
AntiVirus.es $63,325
Apuestas.com.es $55,770
Travestis.es $22,350
Portatiles.es $22,350
I expect that by the end of 2010 there will be at least one or two more six figure .es sales. I see more and more domainers investing in this ccTLD, a good .es marketplace I should mention is DonSubasta.com.
March 5th, 2010
Mike
Today I thought I would look back and post a small handful of my domains sales to see what they have become a week, a month, six months or years later. I always find it interesting to see how a domain I sold is being utilized. It was amusing finding a couple domains that I sold over a year ago that are available to register today. Sales prices undisclosed, enjoy the list!
domain/current use/sales venue
ImageFloat.com – developed – forum
NewLockers.com – redirects to BuyUsedLockers.com 
– email
HardBlue.com – parked – forum
DropScanner.com – parked – auction
Installs.org – redirects to Installs.com – email
FlightInstructor.tv – parked – forum
Noun.info – parked – forum
PokerState.com – redirects to probets.com gambling site – auction
SocialParlor.com – parked – email
Fats.us – parked – forum
DoyleBrunson.com – developed – email
SafeBio.com – parked – email
HugeDots.com – available – auction
PoolHall.us – parked – forum
March 2nd, 2010
Mike
The other day I was looking at some traffic data via google.com/analytics from a couple of my blog sites including NameTalent.com, I noticed that visitors from Facebook spend the the most amount of time (average) on my sites. It’s not too surprising that my social circle ends up clicking more of my pages, links and reading more than one article while visiting. The type of visitor that spends the second most amount of time on my sites are those that come from forums or other blogs.
This little trend reminded me of an e-mail newsletter I received this weekend, it suggested that facebook is a powerful business tool and has opportunities galore for those there with a purpose This is very true, which is why I have started to be-friend many people on FB that I have never met in person. I have already created business partners with contacts from facebook, also it is a good way to let your friends know about your business and services… Although, sometimes it’s not always best to mix those two things, which is why like to keep my wall from looking like a link farm to my sites.
March 2nd, 2010
Mike
I only realized this site existed because they SPAM my blog posts with carefully written comments that look like they are relavant from the wp dashboard. The first couple sentences do not contain the spam link yet, but once you read the entire comment you know right away you’ve been spammed.
I decided to check out their service anyway because they tout domain naming contests and other web service related contests that award cash prizes. Even though they started off on the wrong foot with me, I signed up because I saw a couple domain naming contests that I thought I could win with with a quick entry or two. I spent about 10 minutes entering two domain naming contests. If one of my suggestions is chosen, I could win up to $50 or $75 per name. The site seems legit, with several members posting contests (some repeat) and a handful of active contestants entering domain naming contests. The minimum you can start a domain naming contest for is $35 USD. I have not yet completed a transaction there so I cannot verify the integrity of the site or it’s members. If you have any info, please feel free to share with a comment.
One thing struck me odd about their domain naming contests, you must choose to make the entries private. This lets anyone see suggested names in contests that are not private entry, on top of that there is a box showing the availability and a check box for you to register it through their registrar if you want to buy it! That seems a little underhanded as well, host a naming contest and then encourage the participants to buy a name that is suggested in the contest … LOL. There are many good names suggested in the contests that were completed.. Here are a couple winning entries (available domains that contest holders chose) and the amount $$ awarded over the last few days: HerbOasis.com $50 (contest – herbal site name) Zublio.com $75 (contest – brandable, online regtrations site) MeshLoop.com $125 (contest – social media site) WalletSave.com $100 (contest – bargain hunting site).
I decided to write about SquadHelp.com not because they paid me or I want to promote a site that spams us domain bloggers (I’ve seen their spam get thru some domain blogs) but because I see an opportunity for domainers who have a little extra time to make a some money with these contests, oh and there are some good available domain suggestions to browse through too 
It seems like they are really finding people interested in starting a domain naming contest for upwards of $100 on a regular basis which is good for our industry. If anyone has info (good or bad) about SquadHelp.com share with us please.
February 25th, 2010
Mike
Even though the Godaddy interface make me want to poke my eyes out at least once a day, I still believe in the registrar and keep about half my portfolio there. To keep their customer base happy, Godaddy always has a bunch of promo codes floating around to use at checkout for $$ savings. Below is a compilation of a few going around this week. I was especially happy today when I saw the .biz renewal code for $7.67, saves about 50% from the standard renewal rate.
Limited Time Promo Code
Register or transfer any available .COM, .US, .MOBI, .BIZ, .NET, .ORG, .CA, .CO.UK and .IN domain for just $0.99!* Code = BUY2010 Only credit card (not paypal), one per account
Register .COM
goazginto1
$7.17
yhkw105a
$7.17
Renew .COM
DNF5
$7.57 for 1
$7.17 for 6 or more
tvspecial
$7.47
Register .NET
cjctld749
$7.67
Renew .NET
GDBB776
$7.68
SCAM14
$7.67
Register .ORG
cjctld749
$7.67
Renew .ORG
SCAM14
$7.67
gdbb776
$7.68
Register .INFO
No Code – Promo
$1.17
Renew .INFO
gdbb776
$7.17
Register .BIZ
No Code – Promo
$6.17
Renew .BIZ
SCAM14
$7.67
Register .US
cjcPRESDAY
$5.69
February 24th, 2010
Mike
Germany’s .de country code top level domain was originally created in 1986, the (de) make up the first two letters in their country’s name (Deutschland). In the mid-late 1980’s, a name server service was created by the Informatikrechner-Betriebsgruppe in Dortmund, Germany. In 1994, a German University became interested and ran the registry until it was realized that .de domain names were going to be in demand. The number of registrations jumped from 1,000 – 20,000 from 1994-1996. It wasn’t until 1996 when DENIC of Germany was officially headquartered in Frankfurt after it had been taken over by several cooperative societies that helped provide infrastructure and growth to the system.
The .de extension is the second most registered ccTLD behind only .cn of China. I don’t know the exact number of domains .de carries right now, however at the tail end of 2009 there we well over 13 million .de domains registered. .De is very deeply engrained in Germany’s culture they are the most common extension used by far for German sites. Many domain investors gain confidence by seeing how well .de domain sales have done over the last few year. Below are a few .de sales from the most recent DNJournal report (sales prices rounded to nearest figure):
Ringe.de $41k
Musik-Base.de $35k
Jag.de $8k
Codes.de $7k
Abowelt.de $6k
MyWein.de $6k
Already this year there has been two six figure sales in the .de realm – Website.de sold for $140k and Free-sms.de sold for $162k. Of course, the highest reported sale .de sale is Shopping.de which went for $2.8 million in 2008, also breaking the million dollar barrier was Kredit.de which sold in 2008 for $1.2 million. Will this be the year that we see another multi-million dollar .de sale? I think yes, will be tough to beat the $2.8 million, but I predict there will be a handful in the seven figure range. Interested in registering some .de domain names? My sponsor, 101domain.com has a very reasonable rate to register .de at $17.95/year.
Sources: DnJournal.com, DENIC.de
February 22nd, 2010
Mike
Andrei over at SiteMile.com gave me a copy of his Wordpress Auction Plugin 1.0 to try out on a project and review. You can see the nice auctions this plugin produces, I installed the plugin to a new WP site DotComFarm.com. The script allows WP admins and subscribers (if you choose) to add nice, functional auction style sales to the sidebar of Wordpress sites.
This is a very stable plugin and it worked fine with all three themes that I tested it out with. Once you install and activate the Wordpress Auction Plugin, you will see the auction plug-in control panel in the left sidebar of your WP dashboard. From the control panel you can manage and add auctions, customize your auction inputs and create/distribute credits. Be sure that your auction widget is activated within the widget control panel in your WP dashboard as well or your auctions will not appear on your site.
I am very impressed with how easy it is to add/modify auctions and distribute credits using this plugin. The actual auctions look very sleek and professional as you can add pictures and a BIN price to your auctions if you choose. This tool works perfectly for selling domain names on your own site! Only registered users are allowed to bid on or add auctions, you can create and distribute credits easily to your members once they register (subscribe) to your WP blog. As of now the script does not handle the paypal payments between users for products, so once an auction is closed (or purchased at BIN) you have to arrange payment, transfer (shipping), etc.. via information you collect when bidders register. Andrei just released version 1.1 this morning with some extra features, same low price!
-= Wordpress Auction Plugin 1.1 Official Homepage =-
If you purchase this plugin, be sure to mention you found it here As well, find your way to DotComFarm.com and register for the dcf Available Domain Names Newsletter and receive your first 50 free credits! You’ll be able to bid/list auctions and even advertise your names in our newsletter with your credits.
February 19th, 2010
Mike
Earlier this week it was reported that National A-1 sold the domain name Poker.org via Sedo brokerage for $1 million USD. This shatters the highest ever .org sale which was previously $198,000 for the domain engineering.org. The purchaser, PokerCompany.com said this in a press release: “Poker.org is an integral part of our growth strategy, and will provide great dividends now and into the future..” PokerCompany.com is a online poker super affiliate, which means they work with the biggest gaming sites online, driving them thousands of new real money players each month through their gaming portals. PokerCompany also has several category killers domain names like blackjack.org, craps.net, rakeback.org and loyalty.net. Each of these sites are tailored to drive affiliate leads to one of the gaming sites that advertise with PokerCompany. Once the transfer is complete and PokerCompany.com is in possession of poker.org I am almost expecting to see a cookie cutter site on it that looks just like blackjack.org and craps.net.
Whether Poker.org will pay for itself and convert millions of dollars of affiliate revenue for PokerCompany.com is a question we will probably never know the answer to. Do I think it was a good acquisition for PokerCompany.com? Not really, mostly because I think they could have spent a tenth of that on a great .com with targeted traffic, etc. Unless they are going to do some major rebranding around this new acquisition the purchase price was hefty, but I am very happy for the implications and press it brings the domain sector. Word of this sale being talked about in almost every major poker publication, this is good press for the domain industry for two reasons. First, obviously the press sheds more light on domain names and extensions other than .com being a valuable asset. Secondly, most poker players are entrepreneurs at heart. I know several professional poker players that are into domaining and I think that we will see more poker players find interest in domain investing when they hear of this kind of sale.
February 17th, 2010
Mike
ICANN recently collaborated with the University of Chicago on a small study with the purpose of checking the accuracy of whois records. “An Internationally representative sample” drew 1419 domain names from the top five tlds (com net org info and biz) for the study. The results did not come as much of a surprise to me since most people that I know who use domain names (outside the domaining world) choose to pay for whois privacy for one reason or another.
Results from the study indicate only 23% of the domains passed all three criteria: deliverable address, name linked to domain/address, and registrant confirmed ownership. Approximately 48% of domains in the study were cited as minimal/limited failure and were missing one of the three whois criteria. 21% of the domains in the study were missing two vital components of their whois info marking them as substantial failures and the remaining (approx) 8% of domains in the study fully failed, meeting none of the whois criteria.
Honestly, I think this is a good study but the domain sample was too small. I’m afraid that only drawing 1419 names out of some 114 million registered (com, net, org, info, biz) wont give a very accurate representation of what’s really going on. However, the public will digest and even accept some of these numbers as fact. Already, journalists are spinning the findings of this study to the public in a way that makes the whois system look like a complete failure – example.
My opinion is that domain registrants should be required to share valid information with their registrar. Beyond that, if a registrant wants whois privacy that is their discretion, I don’t use it but I certainly like having the option to. I know that in recent years ICANN and domain registrars have been working together using email verification to try and cut down on registrants using false whois info.
February 15th, 2010
Mike
I’ve enjoying watching the Winter Olympics as winter sports are my favorite, I can’t wait for the medal rounds of the snowboarding events. Of course, I got curious and started checking to see what kinds Winter Olympic sports domains were available to hand reg. Not too surprisingly, I found some pretty good ones.. so enjoy! I’ve got my eye on one or two of these, haven’t pulled the trigger yet though.. Let me know if you found one worth registering.
AlpineSkiing.biz
Bobsledding.biz/.tv
Bobsled.biz/.tv
Luge.in
NordicCombined.us/.info
MensDownhill.com
WomensDownhill.com
FreestyleSkiing.us/.info/.tv
NordicSkiing.info
ShortTrackSpeedSkating.net/.us
SnowboardCross.org/.us/.tv
Ice-Hockey.tv
FigureSkating.in/.ws
WinterBiathlon.net/.info
ParallelGiantSlalom.com
GiantSlalom.net/.org
VancouverGold.net (com, info, mobi, org, tv taken)
also…
SapphirePendants.us
DiamondPendant.biz
GoldPendants.biz
GoldPendant.tv
Installs.tv
HandmadeSoaps.us
