I've listened in to several domain auctions over the last year or so. Even if you didn't have the list of domains it could be a lively and entertaining experience. Last night's auction, however, was terrible. It wasn't the domains that were up for sale that caused problems but the total lack of interest expressed by those present. Adam and others have gone into the reasons … [Read more...] about The Dead Auction – Moniker Auction at Affiliate Summit
Kieren McCarthy on Sex.com, ICANN and the domain industry
Kieren McCarthy was interviewed by Monte Cahn on Webmasterradio a couple of weeks ago. It's well worth listening to (mp3) Kieren talks about his book on the sex.com battle, his role in ICANN and gives some very interesting insights into the domain industry. You may not agree with everything he says, but you can't deny that it's a fascinating interview. … [Read more...] about Kieren McCarthy on Sex.com, ICANN and the domain industry
co.uk passes 6 million domains
In the last week Nominet has reported that the six millionth domain has been registered. For a ccTLD that's an impressive figure by any estimation. Detailed stats are available on their site It would be interesting to see what percentage of registrants are UK based, as the registry has an open policy (the registrant class wouldn't work too well for this) EDIT: This post has … [Read more...] about co.uk passes 6 million domains
IEDR Clarifies Policies
The IEDR have updated and clarified some of the policy documentation on their website. While the policies themselves remain unchanged the more detailed text helps remove some of the ambiguity and subjectivity. … [Read more...] about IEDR Clarifies Policies
Dublin.mobi – Will They Take it?
Caroline Greer has announced that 650 .mobi city names will be made available towards the end of August. The full list may be seen here (PDF) and includes dublin.mobi Local authorities will be able to make use of the domains, unlike what happened with so many city / place names in the .eu namespace: These names have been held back from general registration until now to … [Read more...] about Dublin.mobi – Will They Take it?
Apple Pays Over The Odds For Iphone.com
Before you launch a new product or service it makes sense to check the domains. If you don't own them, then maybe you can acquire them before your product launch. Apple obviously didn't think that one through .... Iphone.com has been registered for over a decade, but they didn't think to contact its owner prior to announcing their new product. End result? They didn't get the … [Read more...] about Apple Pays Over The Odds For Iphone.com
ICANN San Juan – New gTLD Frustration
The ICANN meeting in San Juan drew to a close yesterday. As can be expected ICANN released a number of press releases and statements and these are now being scrutinised by the domain industry. Bret Fausett, for example, is not overly impressed with Paul Twomey's statement on new gTLDs: ICANN's President Paul Twomey has declared that ICANN's new gTLD policy is "on … [Read more...] about ICANN San Juan – New gTLD Frustration
IANA Revamped
IANA are in the process of revamping their website. The current site is functional, though it's got that 90's look and feel :) The new site, however, is much more attractive and modern (in every sense!) According to their press release: The redesign offers a cleaner looking and more navigable website. As well, the upgrade will allow new functions to be added to the site … [Read more...] about IANA Revamped
Digg Style Site For Domain Industry Launches
Via Michael Gilmour comes news of a new "digg style" site for the domain / domainer industry - DNHour.com This could be very big or a complete damp squid - it will all depend on the takeup in the community. The site seems to be using Pligg, which is an open source PHP/MySQL script for managing Digg clones. The name isn't that catchy and doesn't really lend itself to the … [Read more...] about Digg Style Site For Domain Industry Launches
ICANN Dropping Fees?
According to a post on Jay Westerdal's blog ICANN are to drop their fees per domain later this year. The announced reduction will be from 22 cents (US) to 20 cents (US) per domain. Unfortunately, as mentioned previously, the registries will be upping their prices later this year, so while ICANN maybe cutting the cost on one side someone else is increasing it on another NB: … [Read more...] about ICANN Dropping Fees?