|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
|
New
Developments at NameMedia, T.R.A.F.F.I.C., Boxcar.com
and DomainTools.com Join Continuing Illness
Investigation in the News
|
After
spending most of the past two weeks
focused
on the outbreak of illnesses that followed this
month's DOMAINfest
Global conference, we have some
catching up to do on other recent industry
developments. The illness story isn't over yet
as public health officials are continuing to
conduct lab tests to determine
exactly what caused close to 200 conference
attendees to fall ill. I understand they are
using blood and urine specimens taken from
patients to grow cultures that will help
them identify the source of the illnesses (this
is a slow process which is why we haven't gotten
any definitive answers yet). While the medical
professionals continue their work we will turn
our attention back to business until they have
some new information that we can pass along to
you.
|
|
For
starters we want to join in welcoming a key new
members to the executive team at NameMedia.
Mark Haseltine has joined the company as
its Chief Technical Officer. Haseltine
is an engineering innovator, with more than 20
years experience working on search, content, CRM
and e-commerce solutions for Internet pioneers
like Alta Vista to tech giants like Oracle.
Most recently he served as Vice President of
Engineering at Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG),
a professional services firm that he helped to
grow from start-up to an organization with
operations in more than 20 countries.
NameMedia
CEO Kelly Conlin said, "Mark’s
background—developing innovative e-commerce,
content and search solutions that drive
revenue—is ideally suited to NameMedia’s
mission of building the world’s best trading
platform for domains, allowing domain owners the
opportunity to realize the full value of their
‘digital real estate’ by listing their name
on the equivalent of the ‘MLS’ for
domain names—NameMedia’s Domain Listing
Service."
|
Mark
Haseltine
Chief Technical Officer, NameMedia |
|
Haseltine
said, “With
more than 200 million registered domain
names to date—and the prospect of many more
domain name extensions—this is an ideal time
to be building the industry’s pre-eminent
trading platform. Just as the market for real
estate or financial instruments have depended on
trusted exchanges for their growth, the market
for this essential asset of the Internet—domain
names—will benefit from a global,
networked platform.”
|
|
Haseltine
will be responsible for technology leadership at
NameMedia’s domain marketplace, Afternic.com,
its SMB-focused sales site, BuyDomains.com,
its domain name development platform, SmartName.com,
and its network of niche websites. These sites
service customers in more than 100 countries
around the globe, supported by a partner network
that includes the world’s top domain name
resellers.
|
|
Elsewhere,
it looks like the live domain auction
business is in for some major changes -
at least in the big sales staged at T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
conferences, starting with the next one October
16-19 at the Ritz Carlton on Florida's
Fort Lauderdale Beach. In a
post on his blog late last
week, T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Co-Founder Rick
Schwartz outlined a new auction plan
that he and partner Howard Neu
are currently refining. It would include
an attempt to keep less attractive
domains out of their auctions by
charging a listing fee that could range
from $500-$2,500 per name.
depending on the value of the domain. |
|
The
plan has sparked a lively
conversation in the comments section
of the post, so if you plan to
participate in future live auctions at
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. it would be a good idea
to look
at their concept and let the
organizers know (through your own
comments) whether you agree or disagree
with their plans for what would be a revolutionary
new direction for live domain
auctions.
|
The
online auction space is not
standing still either. Mike
Fiol's Boxcar.com
has rolled out several
significant changes over the
past few weeks, including the
introduction of live auction
capability. If you haven't
been there since we profiled
Mike and the Boxcar platform in
our December
2010 newsletter, you
will also notice that auctions
now run in real time and that
the entire site has been given a
redesign. |
|
|
|
Speaking
of revamped sites,
industry institution DomainTools.com
has rolled out a new and
improved website. The
company said, "The
goal of the revamped
site was to create a
more user-friendly
experience for all
visitors while offering more
customized, flexible
membership and service
options. We listened
to feedback from our
core user groups and
analyzed usage patterns,
breaking things down to
create a membership
system reflective of
activities that provide
the most value to
members across the
board. For those who
kept suggesting a |
|
universal
utility bar, it’s now
ever present on the
website. For those who
wanted the ability to
only buy Hosting
History or some
other service, now you
can. For those that
demand more insight into
account usage, you can
have it." |
|
|
|
|
(Posted Feb.
21, 2011)
|
|
|
For
all current Lowdown posts - Go
Here
|
|
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).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home
Domain Sales
YTD Sales Charts
Latest
News The Lowdown
Articles
Legal Matters Dear Domey
Letters
to Editor Resources
Classified Ads
Archive
About Us |
|
|
|
|
