domain name blues
a lot of my new clients recently have had to rethink their domain names. it seems that the internet is overly populated that decent domain names are hard to find nowadays. or is it?
cybersquatting
as i mentioned in the other day, this is the practice of occupying a domain name in the hopes of reselling it in the future for a bigger price tag. pipboy.com. enough said.
all your identites are belong to us
i really don’t know how to call this variant but i’ve come across this several times already: several dudes out there go out and register domain names based on family names or company names. then, they offer e-mail or sub-domain hosting at a non-marxist price. check out net-identity.com. lolz, i frown upon such practice for now, but i have to admit, i admire their business plan.
typosquatting
this is when people register domain names that are spelled or typed like another domain name. for example, wal-mart and walll-mart
what’s in it for these typosquatters? if they’re not selling the domains for a bigger price, then they’re offering it as a service where pay-per-click advertisers can dump their ads. every time that someone clicks an ad from their typosquatted sites, they earn!
domain kiting
and the most recent form of domain name hogging is what bob parsons, godaddy’s big daddy, calls domain kiting. it seems that some registrars allow a 5-day trial period for domain names. that is, one can register a domain name and return it on the 5th day to get a full refund. over the course of the five days, a simple website full of pay-per-click ads are setup. and like typosquatting, these websites earn when users click on these ads. all for the low and affordable price of zero dollar$.
with all these forms of domain name hogging, it’s getting harder and harder to come up with a cool and easy to remember domain name.
if there’s anything that startups must also consider when formulating their business plans, it’s a stricter brand management regimen. in the end, it’s all about having a name that stands out and is descriptive of your business. not like any domain name that other dudes out there can also think of.
