What Domain Would you Ask Santa For?

It’s the holiday season. It’s a time many gather with family and friends. It is also a time when gifts are exchanged and wishes for the New Year are made.

Like a little kid, I enjoy giving and receiving presents. Two of my favorite gifts were to my sons. The gifts were their first name in a domain name (.com for one, .org for the other). My oldest, who is going on college interviews, has had a number of people from different schools comment very positively on his email address.

This season if I had to ask for a gift, it would be Larry.com, however I know it is not possible as it is owned by a Larry, who is a domainer and also a great guy.

If you had to ask Santa for a domain, what would it be? Would it be a domain or a new TLD?

Afternic Weekly Sales keeps hitting $600K

Afternic Sales has been pretty steady this quarter. $600,000 in sales with about 400 names selling last week. Nice buys include upholsterers.com for $4,000.00, firstserve.com $3,000.00 and davefitzgerald.com $488.00. Why davefitzgerald.com? This was probably bought by someone of the same name. The fact that you can buy your domain in .com at for only $488 is amazing. No other person of the same name, and there are many, will ever be able to get that name. Years ago when names did not get registered as quickly as today, I told my brother on a Friday that he should get his name in a .com since it was available. He said i’ll let you know on Monday. Over the weekend someone else took it. Congrats again to David Fitzgerald.

Here is the complete list:

Domain Price
BestPennyStocks.com $20,000.00
vgmail.com $10,000.00
footballhero.com $9,900.00
OnlinePawnshops.com $8,000.00
digitisers.com $7,155.00
ipps.com $7,000.00
RedColor.com $7,000.00
KidsSocks.com $6,000.00
PlayKitchen.com $6,000.00
cybernest.com $5,500.00
foodvillage.com $5,500.00
farai.com $5,400.00
brain-damage.com $5,188.00
enterpriseproducts.com $5,188.00
respon.com $5,088.00
credittime.com $5,000.00
gunclub.com $5,000.00
velvetrose.com $5,000.00
seniorcentral.com $4,970.00
zizio.com $4,888.00
powerhousepartners.com $4,388.00
subcom.com $4,000.00
upholsterers.com $4,000.00
nooke.com $3,988.00
acierta.com $3,950.44
chiefofstaff.com $3,788.00
gtsy.com $3,713.00
rooftopsolutions.com $3,600.00
krassen.com $3,441.00
bloodomen.com $3,388.00
podem.com $3,188.00
firstserve.com $3,000.00
interculture.com $3,000.00
jousting.com $3,000.00
superbasket.com $3,000.00
TreadmillComparison.com $3,000.00
lifefunds.com $2,988.00
verrano.com $2,888.00
gettingdown.com $2,800.00
golffootwear.com $2,788.00
lovejunky.com $2,788.00
administrativeassistants.com $2,700.00
totallean.com $2,688.00
caregiversnetwork.com $2,599.00
ageisjustanumber.com $2,588.00
getsource.com $2,588.00
natti.com $2,588.00
secretcupid.com $2,588.00
learn2surf.com $2,570.00
golfworkout.com $2,538.00
organicteeshirts.com $2,488.00
cyberset.com $2,400.00
natural-remedies.com $2,388.00
superwebs.com $2,300.00
contourenergy.com $2,230.00
copsupply.com $2,188.00
terraexpo.com $2,188.00
tfionline.com $2,188.00
healthcareconference.com $2,100.00
vegasarea.com $2,100.00
propagandafilms.com $2,088.00
vinoargentino.com $2,030.00
testanalysts.com $2,021.00
clubmaster.com $2,000.00
enhancedvoice.com $2,000.00
escaperoute.com $2,000.00
esum.com $2,000.00
happy-endings.com $2,000.00
juxtaposition.com $2,000.00
networkin.com $2,000.00
pofusa.com $2,000.00
root1.com $2,000.00
starapple.com $2,000.00
TreadmillComparisons.com $2,000.00
ahiddentreasure.com $1,988.00
beautifulnature.com $1,988.00
filealawsuit.com $1,950.00
authenticators.com $1,900.00
bungalowpark.com $1,888.00
leaguezone.com $1,888.00
unitedcoffee.com $1,888.00
superdesigners.com $1,850.00
budgetvet.com $1,790.07
artisticframes.com $1,788.00
broadwaylistings.com $1,788.00
cashpilot.com $1,788.00
hydrapure.com $1,788.00
womanadvice.com $1,788.00
siliconcrystal.com $1,750.00
yoga4kids.com $1,750.00
thedeadbeats.com $1,735.00
digitalcarbon.com $1,700.00
glass4u.com $1,700.00
southfloridaattorney.com $1,695.00
beautyenhancement.com $1,688.00
comforttalk.com $1,688.00
seniorsinglesdating.com $1,688.00
thebidder.com $1,688.00
columbuskia.com $1,650.00
waterheatersrus.com $1,650.00
steelcastings.com $1,644.00
newdirt.com $1,600.00
growthbydesign.com $1,590.00
qualitycuttingtools.com $1,588.00
tractorsandmore.com $1,588.00
worldwideadvantage.com $1,588.00
huum.com $1,545.00
bikenow.com $1,501.00
allstateselfstorage.com $1,500.00
assetquest.com $1,500.00
centerx.com $1,500.00
collegedrive.com $1,500.00
fastpress.com $1,500.00
hothousedesign.com $1,500.00
protrim.com $1,500.00
selectgames.com $1,500.00
superlifeinsurance.com $1,500.00
thearabiangulf.com $1,500.00
thereckless.com $1,500.00
wellsrealestate.com $1,500.00
yournightlife.com $1,500.00
villaestrella.com $1,485.00
yangji.com $1,464.00
lareverie.com $1,439.00
beatprostatecancer.com $1,435.00
localimage.com $1,426.00
gecltd.com $1,400.00
webdesignmanchester.com $1,400.00
employeebenefitslaw.com $1,388.00
librielettronici.com $1,388.00
renaissancefund.com $1,388.00
vintageinteriors.com $1,388.00
wine4all.com $1,388.00
balancedenergy.com $1,350.00
veryspecial.com $1,350.00
EON-IT.com $1,300.00
membersmarket.com $1,300.00
printinguk.com $1,300.00
efimova.com $1,288.00
emergencyfirstaidkit.com $1,288.00
expertcollisionrepair.com $1,288.00
infrastructurerepair.com $1,288.00
overfortyfitness.com $1,288.00
privatepersonaltraining.com $1,288.00
churchaudio.com $1,250.00
texasmicro.com $1,250.00
studentsection.com $1,220.00
bestelectronic.com $1,200.00
bridenetwork.com $1,200.00
cfocentral.com $1,200.00
cufflinkstore.com $1,200.00
handyco.com $1,200.00
mymeters.com $1,200.00
nextdaycoffee.com $1,200.00
poshpizza.com $1,200.00
schutzhundsport.com $1,191.00
mobile-security.com $1,180.00
smallbizbenefits.com $1,159.00
supplyconnection.com $1,100.00
voicematters.com $1,100.00
veryhigh.com $1,088.00
wickedwishes.com $1,060.00
apluspayroll.com $1,000.00
baskan.com $1,000.00
bavariatours.com $1,000.00
bioshake.com $1,000.00
camsolutions.com $1,000.00
coachbustravel.com $1,000.00
codeguard.com $1,000.00
colonialchurch.com $1,000.00
creativewaves.com $1,000.00
ecosci.com $1,000.00
enviroreport.com $1,000.00
finishedwood.com $1,000.00
greendive.com $1,000.00
localstrategy.com $1,000.00
microinspector.com $1,000.00
onthesafeside.com $1,000.00
rapidshipping.com $1,000.00
theoptimumgroup.com $1,000.00
trackie.com $1,000.00
trendroom.com $1,000.00
warstuff.com $1,000.00
backprofessional.com $988.00
backservices.com $988.00
backtotheusa.com $988.00
trip-journal.com $988.00
carpenteronline.com $954.00
countdownto.com $950.00
popagency.com $950.00
salecycle.com $925.00
backstageparty.com $900.00
exportshowroom.com $900.00
nursinghomereview.com $900.00
onlinebusinesshub.com $900.00
SASHAROSE.com $900.00
patkenny.com $898.00
2675.com $888.00
backtoschoolsports.com $888.00
downundermusic.com $888.00
fellowshipfoundation.com $888.00
giveitashot.com $888.00
guidedlife.com $888.00
orbitalmobile.com $888.00
planettomorrow.com $888.00
rapidwash.com $888.00
tastysandwiches.com $888.00
bblovers.com $880.00
buildatoy.com $850.00
PartnersInParenting.com $850.00
pngexpeditions.com $850.00
metropolitano.com $825.00
tickersearch.com $821.00
milkmakers.com $801.50
grillplus.com $800.00
healthwarriors.com $800.00
hubcreative.com $800.00
lifttheveil.com $800.00
MEDIVO.com $800.00
protectyourproperty.com $800.00
southeasternpackaging.com $800.00
stadiuminfo.com $800.00
stonefountain.com $800.00
superiorwaste.com $800.00
supermercati.com $800.00
VISAGIVE.com $800.00
gymology.com $799.20
backstreetsalon.com $788.00
baldfacts.com $788.00
baldmanaudio.com $788.00
glory-usa.com $788.00
golfcustomized.com $788.00
homesecuritysystemreviews.com $788.00
employeediscrimination.com $750.00
JASHOW.com $750.00
orlandopainting.com $750.00
procurementportal.com $750.00
jigsaw-puzzles.com $708.00
cimtronic.com $700.00
driverdispatch.com $700.00
filmini.com $700.00
incubateurs.com $700.00
winevest.com $700.00
aaacoffee.com $688.00
aandsservices.com $688.00
backtoschoolparty.com $688.00
continentalmarine.com $688.00
familyfiction.com $688.00
feedbackmarketing.com $688.00
internationaltest.com $688.00
localsuccess.com $688.00
peacematters.com $688.00
piranhasystems.com $688.00
snowtemp.com $688.00
teamsave.com $688.00
theroadtoindependence.com $688.00
wonderfulwear.com $688.00
recordsweb.com $680.00
medmarketresearch.com $662.00
conservativecongress.com $654.31
smilekansascity.com $650.00
celebritycontent.com $619.00
BaCony.com $604.00
caribbeantraveler.com $600.00
frenchcandy.com $600.00
restaurantdata.com $600.00
backtalkbirds.com $588.00
livinginchicago.com $588.00
ruggripper.com $588.00
synergysuites.com $588.00
datathink.com $550.00
towelsupply.com $550.00
trueconviction.com $550.00
4925.com $504.00
7141.com $504.00
bellydanceshopping.com $504.00
1zc.com $500.00
amazingwork.com $500.00
anotherology.com $500.00
courageousconversations.com $500.00
cycleprotection.com $500.00
discounthunter.com $500.00
elizabethcohen.com $500.00
fabulousat50.com $500.00
foodstrade.com $500.00
HealthFuel.com $500.00
islanddesigns.com $500.00
leahthompson.com $500.00
mindswitch.com $500.00
preferredkids.com $500.00
protectyourlife.com $500.00
secretsofbusiness.com $500.00
simplytracking.com $500.00
talkingthewalk.com $500.00
vipreward.com $500.00
waterproofingservice.com $500.00
davefitzgerald.com $488.00
gtanetworks.com $488.00
optimumoutput.com $488.00
drakephoto.com $450.00
accessneworleans.com $400.00
blackscience.com $400.00
NutriDoc.com $400.00
pacificdrain.com $400.00
heartfarm.com $388.00
keepitroyal.com $388.00
medicalmarketingresearch.com $388.00
suzannecohen.com $388.00
fofun.com $359.00
dgadgets.com $350.00
moringaoleifera.com $350.00
tondar.com $350.00

alt TLD’s

Domain Price
thehills.org $3,688.00
meltwater.net $3,188.00
operation.net $2,800.00
irelandhotels.org $2,700.00
seniordating.net $2,541.00
malpracticelawyers.net $2,488.00
banque.org $2,200.00
marlo.net $2,088.00
9999.net $2,030.00
magicbus.net $2,000.00
christmassongs.net $2,000.00
scratch.net $1,988.00
cvip.org $1,888.00
digischool.net $1,688.00
vegasguide.net $1,600.00
avo.net $1,600.00
fishon.net $1,500.00
careercentral.net $1,500.00
opengate.net $1,400.00
mypleasure.net $1,388.00
medicalcodingschools.net $1,300.00
i-create.net $1,288.00
muzzleloader.net $1,288.00
sociable.net $1,250.00
statz.net $1,200.00
unihome.net $1,191.00
womensclothes.net $1,188.00
subcom.net $1,000.00
emuoil.net $1,000.00
myme.net $1,000.00
myhair.net $995.00
brasilien.org $988.00
theinsideedge.net $988.00
bookoo.net $888.00
dolore.org $888.00
izum.net $821.00
erpconsulting.net $800.00
buildingindustry.org $800.00
womensclothing.org $800.00
completefinancial.net $788.00
personalbankruptcy.net $750.00
insidevegas.net $750.00
fantasydraft.net $750.00
etpm.org $727.00
airfilter.org $708.00
dood.org $700.00
gettingdown.net $688.00
design3.net $688.00
partnershipforhealth.net $688.00
safeweightloss.net $688.00
esum.net $675.00
urlaubbuchen.net $650.00
gastroenteritis.org $588.00
godonlyknows.org $550.00
ceramiche.net $550.00
swimgoggles.net $516.00
realoptions.net $500.00
villagevet.net $500.00
leost.net $500.00
videocamere.net $500.00
navigatori.net $500.00
successmedia.net $500.00
bluedesign.org $488.00
medicalresidency.org $488.00
godonlyknows.net $450.00
traduttore.net $450.00
cosmetici.net $450.00
educationleaders.org $425.00
piante.net $400.00
bambole.net $400.00
louisvillerealestate.org $399.00
utle.net $388.00
christbaumschmuck.net $388.00
cgge.net $388.00
hclr.net $388.00
forpetsonly.net $388.00
uhss.org $388.00
dern.org $388.00
lvor.net $388.00
igou.net $388.00
nuxe.org $35.00

Are you addicted to Facebook ? Go to Facebook for Help.

This mornings NY Times has an article on people that spend too much time on Facebook. Users spend over 10 billion minutes on Facebook each day. Actually they are addicted to it. It is no different than being addicted to drugs or alcohol. Excessive use can affect sleep, grades and off line social activities. I googled this and found a support group for people that use Facebook too much. Where was this support group? It was on Facebook.

Green Monday Sales hit records and 75K story of GreenMonday.com

A few ago that I read about “Green Monday”. Green Monday is the 2nd Monday in December. It was named so by Ebay because it produced the most online revenue of the holiday season.

A few years earlier, I had hear about Black friday. Black Friday is the friday after Thanksgiving. Many retail stores have amazing one day deals to bring the customer into their stores, initially to their brick and mortar stores, but now also online stores. The term had grown from no searches to one of the most heavily searched terms of the holiday season. The domain BlackFriday.com was owned by a major Direct Navigation firm. I knew it would be hopeless to try and buy it from them.

I noticed one day that the domain GreenMonday.com was about to drop. At the time, the term Green Monday was in its infancy and I had to assume that the term had no searches. I entered the snapnames auction and thought that it would go for just a few thousand dollars. Needless to say it went for much more. There were just a few bidders on the auction. It became evident that one other bidder really wanted this name. It was a slow auction with the party pushing up the domain name the minimum amount with each bid. As it hit $ 30,000, I started to think what if this term does not take off, would I be wasting all this money? At $50,000, I started to wonder who I was bidding against. It turns out later that they were thinking the same thing as me. Was it a real bidder? Was it ebay since they coined the term? At $60,000, I said I’ll do one more bid. I also said that at $61,000, $ 62,000 $63,000 and so on. At around $75,000 I lost my internet connection. By the time I came back online the auction was over. How far would have I went, I had the number $125,000 in my head. What do I think would have happened if it went above that number? I probably would have said “one more time”

Read This Or You May Get A Virus

According To Mcafee, 36.7% of all .cm sites are used to for phishing and spam activities or to serve up a virus. Interesting, .com was number 2 on the list at 32.3%, up from 5.3% last year.

Here are the top 10 riskiest tld’s to visit:

1 – cameroon .CM 36.7%
2 – Commercial .COM 32.3%
3 – Peoples Republic of China .CN 23.4%
4 – Samoa WS 17.8%
5 – Information – .INFO 17.8%
6 – Philippines PH 13.1%
7 – Network .NET 5.8%
8 – Former Soviet Union SU 5.2%
9 – Russia RU 4.6%
10 – Singapore SG 4.6%

VeriSign To Increase .Com And .Net Pricing

What goes up, must come down. That is true in most cases however, not so with the monopoly known as Verisign.
Verisign keeps the master list for .com and .net domains. The planed increase will be 7% to $7.34 for .com and 9.9% to $ 4.65. Guess what else went up? Their stock. It’s shares jumped 9.9% to $24.25 in after hours trading on the announcement.

DomainFest 2010 Announces Agends and Speakers

Domainfest listed it speakers and agenda. It’s an impressive list. They seem to get it. They have seminars run by domain owners, Seo experts, VC’s and other notables.

Email from Oversee.

– Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh Will Keynote –
– Judges Selected for PITCHfest and LAUNCHfest Contests –
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — DomainSponsor®, the domain monetization division of Oversee.net® and organizer of the DOMAINfest Global® conference, has unveiled a new agenda format for DOMAINfest Global 2010, featuring rich sessions, structured networking, innovative contests, top speakers and fun social events. The fourth annual event takes place January 26-28, 2010 in Santa Monica, Calif.
PITCHfest and LAUNCHfest Contests
The PITCHfest contest will uncover new, innovative products or services designed to enhance the value of parked or developed domain names by driving increased traffic and revenue. The prize – the DOMAINfest Global 2010 PITCHfest Service Innovator trophy – will be awarded for the idea with the most creativity, viability, originality, and revenue potential. Individuals or businesses interested in entering the PITCHfest competition can find contest rules and an online submission form at http://www.domainfest.com/PITCHfest. Judges for the contest include:
Frank Schilling is founder and Managing Director of Name Administration, Inc. (NAMedia.com), a Caribbean based company which owns hundreds of thousands of high-quality generic .com domains. Frank is one of the world’s most respected domain name investors who years ago was among the first to recognize the valuable role that domain names would play at the center of all Internet commerce.
Adam Rioux is the co-founder and CEO of OCTANE360, a technology-driven, marketing firm focused on revolutionizing the way businesses capture targeted traffic online. Adam is an Internet marketing and advertising veteran with experience that dates back to the mid-1990s.
Ron Sheridan, Oversee.net’s first employee, ran the company’s business development efforts until early 2009. In 2002, Ron launched and expanded DomainSponsor.com, the domain industry’s largest domain-parking platform. In 2006, he created what has become the largest domain industry trade show, DOMAINfest. Ron is an advisor to Oversee.net as well as advisor to and investor in Aboutus.
The LAUNCHfest contest will reward the most innovative and viable plan for building an online business around one of ten undeveloped, premium domain names made available by Oversee.net. The LAUNCHfest winner will have the opportunity to develop a business at the domain, subject to a pre-determined lease arrangement. Individuals or businesses interested in submitting an entry into the LAUNCHfest competition can find contest rules and an online submission form at http://www.domainfest.com/LAUNCHfest. Judges include:
David Liu is Managing Director in the Media Investment Banking Group at Jefferies & Company Inc. David leads the firm’s practice in the Digital Media and Internet sector and covers digital media & Internet technology companies. He has completed over 50 transactions with Jefferies and has worked with clients in Asia and Europe.
Douglas McPherson is Managing Director of the New Ventures Group and General Counsel at Idealab. Prior to joining Idealab, he served as Chief Legal Officer and Vice President, Business Development for Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch and its predecessor company, CitySearch.
Richard Morganstern has over thirty-five years of business, legal and finance experience. Richard is the former President and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Tech Coast Angels (LA network) whose members are the leading source of angel funding and guidance for early stage, high growth companies in Southern California. He was the former Managing Partner of a Beverly Hills-based intellectual property and business litigation and counseling law firm.
Eric Liaw is a Vice President at Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV), a firm he joined in 2003. Eric is primarily focused on investing in the Internet sector and has been involved with multiple TCV investments, including Adknowledge, Altiris, eHarmony, Fandango, GMI, Intelligent Beauty, Netflix, TechTarget, Tiny Prints, Webroot and Zillow, among others.
DOMAINfest Agenda
The theme of the DOMAINfest Global 2010 conference is Domain Names: Overlooked. Underutilized. Essential to Online Marketing Success. The session and discussions will focus on how domain names, the real-estate of the Internet, can and should be an integral part of every company’s online marketing and brand development plans. The richness of the content and expertise of the speakers offer an unprecedented opportunity to learn. And, with speakers and attendees coming from a variety of online marketing and business segments outside of the domain industry, there is sure to be a rich exchange of ideas before, during, and after each session. Agenda items and speakers include:
Turning Killer Domain Names into Killer Websites
Expert panelists will present examples of developed websites that lead their niches in attracting end-users and generating revenue. They will decode key elements that make websites great, providing a list of best practices for website projects.
Howard Wyner became one of the first online discount fragrance retailers in 1997. He has 15 years of experience in the fragrance business and has become an expert in Internet marketing. His company, Scentiments.com, began in a garage and today is No. 376 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.
Rick Waters, the CEO and owner of Webcast 1, Inc., a web media company offering full service web development, web video production and SEO services via its network of brands including Webcast1.com, Logodesigners.com and SearchWiz.com.
Brian Gilbert serves as the Director of Portfolio Growth for Thomason Management, Inc., which manages premium domain portfolios, including Innovation HQ, Inc., the owner of Earth.com, MortgageCalculator.com, Grants.com, and Unemployment.com, plus many more premium names. Brian has an extensive IT background and education with the Unites States Air Force and the National Park Service.
Domain Names: How Prime Internet Real Estate Builds SEO and SEM Success
Domain names are often an overlooked but essential element of maximizing both organic and paid-search traffic. Our panel of specialists share real-life examples of how the right Internet real estate can make a big difference in SEO and SEM results.
Bruce Clay is President of Bruce Clay, Inc. Since 1996, he has been a recognized leader in the Internet Business Consulting arena and is a popular speaker at conferences including Search Engine Strategies, PubCon, adtech, and Search Marketing Expo.
Danny Sullivan is Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land and a leading search engine expert and journalist. He has written about search for nearly 15 years.
Melodie Tao is a marketing coach and social media strategist who educates and inspires business owners and entrepreneurs to optimize the potential of their online presence in order to strengthen customer relationships, build strong communities and become a trusted authority in their industry.
Richard Jalichandra is a veteran Internet executive whose media experience includes leadership roles across the media spectrum as a client, at an agency, as a publisher, and with an advertising network. Currently, he is the President and CEO of Technorati Media, the largest blog and social media ad network.
Dan Ho is the General Manager of Domains for Adknowledge, one of the largest privately-owned ad networks in the United States. In this role, Dan oversees day-to-day operations of domain monetization and traffic quality. Prior to Adknowledge, Dan was part of Yahoo’s Domain Channel team, where he worked on keyword optimization and international scalability.
New gTLDs: Bonanza or Bust?
Will potentially new global top-level domains like eco or .younameit provide powerful online marketing and branding opportunities? Our diverse panel of experts provides a range of perspectives to help you better prepare for the coming of the new gTLDs.
Jon Nevett is President of Domain Dimensions, LLC, who consults on various domain name issues, including advising clients interested in applying for new top-level domains. Most recently, Jon served as Senior Vice President for Policy at Network Solutions.
Ken Hansen has over 20 years of Internet and telecommunications sales, marketing, and business development experience. Ken played a key role in Neustar’s entry into the domain name registry business in the early and mid-2000s, including the awards of .BIZ by ICANN and .US by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Full agenda and speaker information is available at www.domainfest.com/agenda.
Keynote Speaker–Tony Hsieh
Tony Hsieh will be the keynote speaker. The Zappos CEO is one of the most respected and successful business innovators in the new economy. Founded in 1999 on the basis of new approaches to marketing, human resource management and customer service, Zappos grew to a $1 billion-a-year (Gross Sales) online retailer. A 35-year-old Harvard graduate, he has been developing innovative business approaches since the height of the first Internet era. Hsieh built the Web advertising company LinkExchange into a multi-million dollar enterprise before selling it to Microsoft for $265 million in 1998. Zappos recently purchased Clothes.com for $4.9 million, again signaling his understanding of the connection between Internet real estate, marketing and brand power.
Structured Networking
This year’s conference will once again offer Structured Networking sessions. Each session will involve casual, free-flowing discussions around a specified topic. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to ask subject matter experts and fellow DOMAINfest attendees for advice and opinions on important industry issues. Topics of discussion will include legal issues, buying and selling domain names, SEO/SEM and domain names, website development tips, and ccTLDs.
Generation Rescue Fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion
The fundraising event for Jenny McCarthy’s autism organization, Generation Rescue, will take place on January 28, 2010 at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Hosted by DomainSponsor, guests at this fundraising event at the Playboy Mansion will be able to purchase raffle tickets for great prizes with all proceeds going to Generation Rescue.
Networking Dinner Party
The DOMAINfest Networking Dinner Party for attendees at the Getty Center is scheduled for Wednesday, January 27, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Guests will have exclusive access to the West Pavilion and its collection of important works of art, as well as to the Special Exhibition Pavilion. To facilitate networking and fun, the DOMAINfest party at the Getty will feature a sketching competition and a mystery art quest that involves unlocking a secret code using clues related to art work on display in the West Pavilion. Prizes will be awarded.
Moniker Auctions
This year’s Moniker Live Auctions at DOMAINfest will include the Moniker Low & No Reserve Domain Auction with simultaneous live and online bidding on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. PST and the Moniker Premium Domain Auction with simultaneous live and online bidding on Thursday, January 28, 2010 from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. PST. The Moniker Extended Premium Auction with online bidding only will be held from Thursday, January 28, 2010 to Thursday, February 4, 2010. For Moniker Auction details, including how to bid remotely, please visit: http://www.domainfest.com/auction.
Discounted Registration Information
Registration, which includes all sessions, meals and official parties, is available at the discounted rate of $1,095 per guest through December 24. After that, the rate will be $1,195 per guest from December 25-January 24. The on-site per guest fee will be $1,295. For details, go to http://www.domainfest.com/register.
About DOMAINfest
Founded and hosted by DomainSponsor, the domain monetization division of Oversee.net, the DOMAINfest® conference brings domain industry and Internet professionals together to learn, network, and do business. Attendees will include online advertising experts, domain publishers, domain monetization experts, SEO and SEM specialists, website developers, online marketers, ad or affiliate network suppliers, search advertising providers, venture capitalists, bankers and trademark/legal advisors. Visit http://www.domainfest.com to review the agenda and register for DOMAINfest Global 2010.
About Oversee.net
Oversee.net® is the leader in Internet real estate, specializing in monetizing, registering, selling and developing domain names. The company provides an array of managed services to domain investors, corporations, and individuals across more than ten million web sites. Oversee owns one of the largest portfolios of domain names in the world. The company’s unique optimized technology connects consumers and advertisers with highly relevant advertisements. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company’s core brands include DomainSponsor®, SnapNames®, Moniker® and LowFares.com(TM). To learn more, please visit www.oversee.net.

Reverse Domain Hijacking Ruled In Rain.com UDRP

In what turned out to be the right decision, the National Arbitration Forum ruled Media Rain LLC engaged in Reverse Domain Hijacking in their attempt to win the generic name Rain.com. They had claimed that Verio was not using it for any business activity, however that panel noted:

that passive holding of a domain name, without more, does not establish bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii). Moreover, the evidence before the Panel shows use of the domain name since 1997 in connection with webhosting services. The Panel approves what was said in the case of e-Duction, Inc. v. Zuccarini WIPO Case No. D2000-1369:

“In the ordinary case, a business adopting a new mark in today’s world must take the Internet as it finds it. If someone else has already registered a domain name identical or confusingly similar to the proposed new mark, that domain name will be unavailable to the business unless it negotiates a transfer. This is true even if the registrant is in other respects behaving badly, as Respondent is in this case.

On this record, the Panel finds that Respondent was not aware of Complainant’s not-yet extant mark at the time he registered the domain name. Accordingly, Respondent’s registration of the domain name can not have been in bad faith.”

This Panel finds that when Respondent registered the domain name, Complainant had no trade mark rights. The Panel finds that Complainant was not in existence at that time. There is no evidence to show earlier use of the trademark by a predecessor-in-interest to Complainant. In short, there is no suggestion in the evidence before the Panel that Complainant or its trademark could have been within Respondent’s contemplation at the time the disputed domain name was registered.

Accordingly, Panel finds that registration of the domain name was not in bad faith within the meaning of the Policy even if subsequent use of the domain name could be said to have been in bad faith, a matter on which Panel is not required to make a finding.”

The Panel finds that Complainant has failed to establish what is required of it under Policy.

Along with the decision, the Verio asked the panel to find Reverse Hijacking. Reverse Hikjacking means that the party starting the UDRP is “using the Policy in bad faith to attempt to deprive a registered domain-name holder of a domain name.” The panel this to be so.

Disney Adds To Their Domain Name Collection

Disney registered 11 domains yesterday, all of which are dot com’s. While they may not be used in the near future, It gives you an idea of some of the area’s that Disney might be heading to. The names include:

DISNEYDIGITALLOCKER.COM
WATCHDISNEYONLINE.COM
MYDISNEYMOVIESONLINE.COM
DISNEYLOCKER.COM
DISNEYONLINEMOVIES.COM
DISNEYPLAYER.COM
MYDISNEYONLINEMOVIES.COM
DISNEYSTUDIOMOVIES.COM
DISNEYVAULTONLINE.COM
MYDISNEYVAULT.COM
WALTDISNEYMOVIESONLINE.COM

Landing Page Seminar Today At 1PM EST by Ion Interactive

i just received this invitation to attend a Webinar from a company I met at adtech. It sounds interesting and will list the registration info below

TODAY, December 16th at 1 PM ET f new webinar, “Landing Page Optimization for 2010”. This webinar will cover the latest landing page strategies and tactics to drive up your conversion rate & transform your online marketing results this new year.
This webinar will include:
A jam-packed 60 minutes to get you ready for the new year
The top 10 hottest trends for landing pages
How to align your organization’s 2010 business goals with your landing page program
And much more!
Don’t miss out. Resolve to transform your online marketing results in 2010. Register Now