I just received the following promotion from GoldKey.com via email. I’ve always liked Goldkey, although I’ve got my names mostly at SedoPro now (I went there when they accepted me into the Pro system). But, I think I’m going to give some names a shot at GoldKey.com again with all these changes they’ve listed.

You too, should think about at least setting up an account and try out a few names. To do so, go to GoldKey.com. It’s pretty simple to get going with them.

To Our Valued Customers:

We are pleased to announce that on March 1 we are launching a major upgrade to GoldKey.com that features many of the options and features you’ve requested, including:

· Setting your domain names to 1-click results or 2-click landers at your discretion

· Placing your own custom logo for the top of your sites

· Uploading your own main photo image for lander pages

· Testing up to four of your own keywords in rotation for auto-optimization of landers, and

· Customizing landers with up to 21 of your own hand-selected keywords.

In addition, we’ve added several new template layouts and now offer almost 500 themes, from Amish Country to Hip-Hop. Combined with our 70 color schemes, we now offer more than 300,000 variations of pages available to maximize the experience for users of your sites.

Also as part of this major launch, we are also changing our upstream feed provider of CPC advertisements to further maximize the revenue potential of your traffic. As a result, you’ll notice slight changes to our templates recommended by our new feed partner to further clarify to users what they can expect when they click or search. Revenue reports from our provider are scheduled to arrive in our systems by 1 p.m. ET, so expect them to show shortly after processing on our end.

We are excited about these upgrades, many of which came from your ongoing comments and suggestions. Further updates are in store - for example, we’re acting on your requests to return simple report data to the first page you reach upon login, and receive more e-mail reports. Please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and as always, contact us if you have any questions or need assistance.

Technorati Tags: domain, domain name, goldkey, sedo, afternic, PPC, parking

On November 26th, I finally had to go public on NamePros.com with my bitching about Sedo’s policy of placing negotiation comments “under review” until the next business day (which is often three calendar days). I had bugged many Sedo employees about this for the last year privately, and I only got polite excuses on how they didn’t want anyone to get hurt feelings with insensitive remarks.

So, I began the thread called Sedo Comments “Under Review” Sucks! . This thread finally brought in a Sedo rep, but even with the pleas from Namepros members, they held their ground. Well, about a week or two ago I started noticing that my comments were going through. I could actually conduct business during U.S. nights and weekends!

Here’s the initial post of the thread:

Listen Sedo, I’m a big customer of yours. I have 4,000 names there, I’ve sold about $30,000 of names from your site in the last year. So I think I’ve earned the right to say this for the tenth time publicly,

YOUR REVIEW OF COMMENTS SUCKS!!!

It really does.

I’ve been waiting three days wondering what a bidder is telling me in their comments with the bid. I have no idea. Who knows?

I know last week one evening I placed a comment with a bid that might have been instructive to the other party, but instead of waiting until the comment was reviewed, they canceled the transaction. What if I had said “hey, I’ll give you the .net and ,org and .info for this price too”? I’ve done thatbefore and had the thread canceled. The other party never knew.

This is so stupid, Sedo. I’ve told you over and over to get rid of this. No one likes it. What are you afraid of? Someone might call me poopy pants or something and hurt my feelings? Oh, I know, someone might send off their email to me, to get around the 10% fee. Most people are not like that. And if they wanted to, the contact info is easily found in the Whois record.

I know you only have 35 hours in European work week to think this over. But think! No one likes this. Get rid of it immediately please. We could be losing sales, so you could be losing commissions. In fact, I’m ceratin you are.

Anyone else agree?

Today, I was alerted that others on Namepros were talking about how their comments are going through now too. Until now, I had no idea if it were just me, just a certain level of user, or everyone. Sounds like everyone.

So, hooray for us! And even if Sedo has no clue yet, hooray for them as they will make more money by not losing sales due to miscommunication and time delays.

Now, guys, let’s not screw this up. Be nice in your comments.

Technorati Tags: domain, domain name, sedo, sedo.com

Buzzster.com is at auction at Sedo with a starting bid of only $500! It ends Tuesday, Dec/05/06 06:00 PM EST. This is a very hot name with incredible branding potential. Think of the possbilities. Think of the buzz!

BuzzTracker sold for $23,000 this year.
RealBuzz.com solf for $16,260 last year.
MediaBuzz.com sold for $3,000 this year.
MBuzz.com sold for $1900 this year.
Plus, lots of names with the word buzz in them in the mid to high hundreds.

And what about all the great sites that end in “ster?” Blogster.com sold for $100,000 last year!

You can place your bid here.

Technorati Tags: domain, domain names, auction, buzz, trends

The .cc domain has quietly been getting some attention lately. Good names are getting snapped up and prices are rising. Let me clarify that: sales prices on the very best names are rising, and asking prices on average dictionary names are rising with unrealistic expectations by sellers who will have to adjust to reality.

Why .cc? It’s doesn’t “feel” associated with any country or territory, so it’s “feels” in the same category as a com. It has a snappy sound to it. It’s easy to remember. The pricing is a bit more, than a com, but depending on coupons, I get them from $15 - 18 at Godaddy. Anyone can register one.

Is it a risk? Of course, it is. Only you can decide if it’s an investment risk you’ll want to take. I’m taking it.

But, I’m running at the mouth here. The purpose of this post was to tell you about a new site called Speculator.cc. It’s a forum where CC enthusiasts come together to discuss the .cc market. In addition, the always ready-to-share owner, Jennifer, lists ready-to-register .cc names each day. Some of them are pretty damn good too.

There is also a subforum where members can showcase their cc portfolios. You can see my names here.

So, go visit Jennifer’s forum, Speculator.cc

If you haven’t read it yet, read DNJournal’s article on the State of the Domain Industry. It’s a great article and a critical read for any domain investor.

The introduction of the article:

In our first State of the Industry survey of domain business experts a year ago, our panel predicted a phenomenal year in 2005. Their global forecast for the industry was right on the money as were many of their predictions regarding specific issues and events. Considering their track record we have been chomping at the bit to round up the channel’s best and brightest once again to get their insight into the events and trends of 2005 and more importantly, what they expect for the New Year ahead.

You will hear from a blue ribbon group of 20 experts that include key executives from the leading companies in the registration, PPC, aftermarket sales, drop catching and domain development sectors, as well as leading industry attorneys, trade show organizers and the people whose broad shoulders carry those mentioned above - domain name owners.

Technorati Tags: internet, domain, domain name

If you’ve been thinking about getting into the new .eu Top Level Domain (TLD), there’s a FAQ you can read on the subject here.

Technorati Tags: internet, domain, domain name, eu

Much anticipated Google Base went live today. Essentially, it is a free, publicly searchable database to which you can add nearly any item you wish. The official Google Blog will give you an introduction to it.

I got on this morning and gave it a shot. It’s incredibly easy to use. I entered “items” for most categories of domain name I have. And, I also added into the Articles category our most popular article, Domain Name Mispronouncings.

You can see one of my listings by searching Google Base (not Google web) for “Music Related Domain Names.” If you click on the title link, you’ll be taken to my music-related domain names web page. I was allowed to enter a description, in which I entered all the domain names in the category, but only the first 150 or so words actually show up in the listing and there is no way to click to read it all. So, make sure that the web page you linked to the item has everything you need on it.

By they way, I have some “Base” domain names on my Technology page. And no, Base is not trademarked by Google.

As people learn more about using Google Base for domain names, please post your comments here.

Technorati Tags: domain, domain name, google, google base, base, internet, database

I came across a press release today entitled Domain Name Sale Offers Chance in Guinness Book of World Records and had to share it with you. What a crack up!

I don’t know if Andres Kello is delusional, is just having fun, or if he’s just not too bright and thinks he’s going to actually pull off his plan. He’s selling his domain name, TheRecordBreakingDomain.com, for $7,500,000.01, one penny more than the current record. What is the value of this 23-letter domain name with no keyword value? Nearly priceless, apparently! Why? Because if you agree to pay him that much you will then own the most expensive domain name ever sold. You then be famous! You’ll be in the Guinness Book of World Records and the world will beat a path to the TheRecordBreakingDomain.com web site! Right.

But hey, if you have an extra seven and a half million laying around, or can convince your banker that this is a great investment, give Andres a call at 310-928-3100.

If you’d like to be more certain to make the record books, pay me a penny more at $7,500,000.02 and I’ll sell you TheWorldsBiggestDomainInvestingIdiot.com.

But, he’s really not so selfish. He’s going to give $400,000 to charity and $2,000,000 to his “supporters.” What a guy.

Domain Name Sale Offers Chance in Guinness Book of World Records

TheRecordBreakingDomain.com is selling its domain name for a new Guinness Book of World Records record to create potential publicity for the future owner.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) November 15, 2005 — A domain name buyer has the opportunity to make headlines across the globe and secure a potential spot in the world’s all-time best selling book, the Guinness Book of World Records.

TheRecordBreakingDomain.com is selling its domain name for $7,500,001, a new world record. The current record-holder, business.com, has received a staggering amount of free publicity and continues to get exposure simply because it holds the world-record. The media hype created from the sale could well be worth the millions paid for it.

A Purdue University study found that adopting domain names increases the stock price of firms. “This dot-com effect produces cumulative abnormal returns … of 125 percent,” the study reported.

One of the reasons for the value of domain names is that even without advertising or marketing, they attract visitors. Furthermore, they are extremely easy for potential customers to remember, increasing the probability that they become repeat customers or regular visitors.

One of the most basic ways to appear more professional online and to establish trust is to purchase a domain name. This produces a website’s own online brand and can create credibility and the right image for the company.

By attaining the record in the Guinness Book of World Records, TheRecordBreakingDomain.com will become one of the most recognized and easily-remembered names on the Internet.

“The fact of the matter is big ideas with self-fulfilling publicity generate a lot of traffic on the internet,” said Andres Kello, owner of TheRecordBreakingDomain.com. “There is no ad catchier than a record-breaking one.”

About TheRecordBreakingDomain.com (www.TheRecordBreakingDomain.com)
TheRecordBreakingDomain.com is a site aimed at breaking a world record. Andres Kello, a 25-year-old entrepreneur, is also offering a massive $2 million giveaway to get people from all walks of life and across the globe to support the record attempt and give the TheRecordBreakingDomain.com the traffic and publicity it needs to attract an interested buyer who can eventually break the Guinness Book of World Records record for most expensive domain name.

Contact:
Andres Kello
www.TheRecordBreakingDomain.com
310-928-3100

Technorati Tags: internet, domain, domain name, charity

Google Base is almost upon us and the “Base” domains are being picked up rapidly. Some who were quicker than I just beat me to some good ones! If you don’t yet know what Google Base is, you better get up to speed on all the rumors right away, because it’s going to be big, really big. To find blog articles tagged with “Base” use this Technorati link:

http://technorati.com/tag/base

Here’s what I’ve purchased so far:

BaseAdvice.com
BaseApps.com
BaseBasics.com
BaseExpert.com
BaseExperts.com
BaseGuru.com
BaseInsider.com
BaseListings.com
BaseManual.com
BaseRiches.com
BaseSelling.com
BaseSense.com
BaseSales.com
BaseTags.com
BestofBase.com
MygBase.com

Technorati Tags: base, google, google base, internet, domain, domain name

Is changing one letter in a trademarked word an infringement? Would a site called Microloft.info infringe on the Microsoft mark? Apparently the Church of Scientology thinks so. Or maybe they are simply not interested in any more bad press than they are already getting with Tom Cruise as their motor-mouth spokesman.

From the Newsday.com article, Mock them using another name:

Some things just aren’t funny — at least to the Church of Scientology.

A New Zealand-based website that says it is devoted to “exposing Tom Cruise’s moronic behavior in his relentless crusade to promote the Church of Scientology” has been ordered by church lawyers to stop using the domain name www.scienTOMogy.info.

The reason: Web surfers might confuse it with the real thing.

The site states that it has no connection with the Church of Scientologists and offers a link to the Scientology home page. Then it post links to a series of videos of Cruise talking about Scientology, including a sci-fi video parody of the actor’s infamous May television appearance on “Oprah,” in which he appears to electrocute her.

“The site is purely satirical and is for entertainment, and consists of links to other sites — it contains no fact nor claims to do so and is completely non-commercial,” the website said.

The creator of the website could not be reached by press time Tuesday. Church of Scientology attorney Helena Kobrin, a partner in Moxon & Kobrin law firm, said the letter was intended to protect the Scientology name.

“You can’t use someone else’s trademarks to promote your own agenda,” Kobrin said, adding that organizations routinely defend the integrity of their trademarks and copyrights. “Changing one letter is the trick of the infringer to try to get around the law, but the law makes it very clear that you can’t do that.”

The scienTOMogy.info website has posted an exchange with Moxon & Kobrin lawyer Ava M. Paquette, which began in September, in which Paquette warned that the Church of Scientology owns the trademark to the word Scientology.

“The fact that you have changed one letter (’m’ instead of ‘l’) does not protect you from trademark infringement,” Paquette wrote before pointing out that infringing on a trademark could lead to a $100,000 fine. Paquette then demanded that the domain name be transferred to the Church of Scientology.

The website responded that it was using the name legally.

The letter isn’t the first time Scientology lawyers have claimed that websites had violated its trademark. San Francisco anti-Scientology activist Kristi Wachter received a similar letter from Kobrin four years ago after she registered the domain name www.truthaboutscientology.com.

Wachter said Tuesday that, after an exchange of letters, the Scientology lawyers appeared to drop the issue. But a few weeks ago, she said, her Web host was forced to temporarily remove more than 600 pages from her site after Scientology lawyers accused her of copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Act. When no formal legal challenge was filed after four weeks, the pages were restored.

“I decided not to spend any further time on it because I decided she was just trying to intimidate me, or distract me,” Wachter said.

Here’s a thought: if Tom Cruise would think before he speaks, the website might never have existed.

Technorati Tags: internet, domain, domain name, trademark, tom cruise, scientology