Here's the The Lowdown
from DN Journal,
updated daily
to
fill you in on the latest buzz going around the domain name industry.
The Lowdown is
compiled by DN Journal Editor & Publisher Ron
Jackson.
Open
Registration at Everyday Prices Just Hours Away for .CO
Domains - Also in the News: Sedo, Rick Schwartz, ICANN
and Canada's Rick Silver
The
general public can start registering .CO domains at everyday prices starting Tuesday
(July 20) at 11
registrars that have been selected
to offer the newly re-launched extension. Each
registrar will set their own retail price but it
look like most will fall in the $25-$30 range.
.CO
is officially Colombia's country code but
that nation decided to open the TLD for global
use, allowing individual registrants to take
advantage of the fact that "co" is a
popular abbreviation for a number of terms, with
"company" being the one I think of
first.
There
are several other items to bring you up
to date on today . A couple
of weeks ago we told you
about a new format for the SedoPro
Forum that is transforming what had
been an annual conference for Sedo's
best clients into a "World Tour"
that will take it to a number of cities
in the months ahead. At the time we
noted Sedo planned to put up more
details on a dedicated website,
including registration and hotel
information. That site
is
now online at SedoProWorldTour.com.
The invitation only conference series
starts in Boston (home of Sedo's
U.S. headquarters) with a two-day
event August 31-September 1.
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
conference co-founder Rick
Schwartz is reporting another big
generic domain sale - Punchbowl.com - a
name he sent to Punchbowl Software Inc.
for an undisclosed sum. Though this sale was
subject to an NDA, knowing Rick it is unlikely
he let the name go for less than six figures (he
rarely lets any name go for less than
that).
ICANNhas
some important public comment
deadlines coming up. An issue that
is of special concern to domain owners
is an proposal to change the domain
transfer process. The idea is
to enhance security and reduce hijacking
but many believe the initiative could disrupt
the aftermarket by allowing a seller
to undo a transfer months
after it has been completed.
Fabulous.com
Operations Manager Peter Stevenson
posted
a comment
today that nicely sums up what is at
stake (thanks to George Kirikos
for the link to this). The deadline for
making your voice heard on this is Sunday
July 25. You can post
your comment here.
Another
deadline for public comment on a
Registrant Rights Charter and
Improvements to the Registrar
Accreditation Agreement is coming up
July 30. For more background on this
issue you can read the comment
posted by Mr. Kirikos here.
You can post
your opinion here.
Silver
rules an online empire
built on his nation's relatively
unheralded country code
extension - .ca - an
extension that most others
routinely overlooked. While
there is no doubt that .coms
still rule the Internet roost, ccTLDs
have been coming on like gangbusters
over the past couple of
years, making Silver's bet on
top tier generic .ca domains
look smarter with each passing
day.
The
new cover story will take you
through the entire journey that
led Silver to where he is
today –
a
trip that began when he became
the first member of his family
born on Canadian soil after his
parents had barely escaped the
Holocaust. I think you will find
his story to be fascinating on
both a personal and a business
level. Hope you enjoy reading it
as much as I did writing
it.
We need your help to keep giving
domainers The
Lowdown, so please email [email protected]with any interesting information you might have. If possible,
include the source of your information so we can check it out (for
example a URL if you read it in a forum or on a site
elsewhere).
