Today is the last day you can vote for the Domainers Choice Awards that will be handed out during the DOMAINfest Global conference in Hollywood, California Jan. 21-23. Anyone can 

vote and help select winners in 15 different industry categories. The balloting began with dozens of nominees in those categories before the field was cut to the top three vote getters in each category December 16. The Domainers Choice Awards were developed by veteran domainer Donna Mahony and Sally Letzer to provide a universally accessible platform for recognizing  industry excellence.

On this final day of 2007 we also want to wish 

everyone a Happy New Year and send along our hope that you will all enjoy your best year ever in 2008! We'll take New Year's Day off tomorrow but look forward to seeing you back here Wednesday.
(Posted Dec. 31, 2007)

DomainTools.com has released the preliminary inventory list for their online domain auction that culminates on Thursday, January 3. This is the same company that staged a 

successful live auction at the Domain Roundtable conference in Seattle in August. You can start bidding in the auction Monday (Dec. 31) but the lots won't start closing until 11am U.S. Pacific Time (2pm Eastern) on Thursday. Each lot will close one after another - the same format used for live auctions at the various conferences. DomainTools said the auction should take about 90 minutes for all lots to close. To bid you will need to have or create a DomainTools.com account and put a credit card on file. More information is available here. 

The Castello brothers, Michael and David (who were featured in our December 2006 Cover Story) have continually urged domain owners to develop their best properties, or partner with

Michael & David Castello
Castello Brothers Internet Network

people who can develop those properties, if they want to take control of their own financial futures. They continue to practice what they preach and are about to officially announce a major partnership between their Castello Cities Internet Network (CCIN) and WorldGolf.com to build the world's largest golf geodomain network. 

WorldGolf.com's extensive network already includes popular golf geodomain sites LasVegasGolf.com, OrlandoGolf.com and HiltonHeadGolf.com to name just a few. CCIN will bring at least a dozen of their golf geodomains into the WorldGolf.com network including names like LosAngelesGolf.com, NewOrleansGolf.com and SanFranciscoGolf.com. 

"By developing the geographic golf domain names 

currently held by CCIN and including those as part of the WorldGolf.com network, we will significantly strengthen our position as the most visited online brands for golf and travel in the world," said Will McIntosh, CEO of WorldGolf.com. "Partnering with visionaries like Michael and David Castello represents a unique opportunity for our organization."

For the first time, pure-play Web companies have the biggest share of the local online ad market. That news from the Wall Street Journal marks a truly stunning changing of the guard. 

Citing data from media research firm Borrell Associates, the WSJ reported "In 2007, Internet companies had a 43.7% share of the $8.5 billion local online-ad market, while newspaper companies had a 33.4% share, Just three years ago, newspapers had 44.1% of the local online-ad market. Directories such as the Yellow Pages have 10.1% and local television outlets 9.3%. Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates, said "Newspapers are tied too closely to defending their print products and have not seen the Internet as an innovative and competitive tool to go out and 

compete." As the newspapers continue to fiddle while Rome burns, web companies such as Google and Local.com as well as many privately owned geodomain based websites are growing rapidly because they have made it cheap and easy for local companies to take out ads. 
(Posted Dec. 26, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-26-07.htm

Like most other businesses we are winding things down today in anticipation of Christmas Eve and tomorrow's Christmas Day festivities. Diana and I are looking forward to the traditional gathering of family members here in Florida tomorrow. I have dropped a few hints that I would like to see a six-figure domain under the Christmas Tree but I'm not holding my breath on that one! We wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and your best year ever in 2008! There is one timely link I would like to share with you that goes to a very clever domain lover's take off  on the traditional 12 Days of Christmas theme that was put together by the folks at registrar Rebel.com. Enjoy and we will see you back here Wednesday.
(Posted Dec. 24, 2007) 

Verizon has settled their widely publicized cybersquatting lawsuit against iREIT out of court according to a report at FoxBusiness.com today. Fox said "Verizon and Internet REIT today 

announced the amicable resolution of the lawsuit filed by several Verizon companies against Internet REIT claiming violations of the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. The settlement between the parties includes a monetary payment to Verizon and the issuance of a permanent injunction prohibiting Internet REIT from registering, trafficking in, or using, as a registrant, any domain name that is identical or confusingly similar to the Verizon trademarks. Additional details regarding the resolution of the case are confidential."

So ends an embarassing chapter for iREIT that resulted in most of their top level managers departing the company. It should be noted that Verizon is not exactly Snow White in this drama either. As we noted in a December 8th post, Verizon currently monetizes typos of countless trademarked company names themselves by redirecting customers of their internet service to Verizon's own landing pages that are filled with ads related to mistyped words entered in the browser. 
(Posted Dec. 21, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-21b-07.htm

Bido.com, a new domain company that has just been formed by four people many of you already know well, is preparing to bow in the first quarter of 2008. I happen to be one of

the four partners, along with Sahar Sarid, Darren Cleveland and Jeff Bhavnanie, a widely respected trio of entrepreneurs who have built the Recall Media Group into a rapidly rising star in the domain business. 

This is my first major venture outside the media corner of the industry. I had no plans to get involved in anything else but when Sahar presented his vision for this multi-faceted business I found his novel ideas for a broad

range of new and improved domain services to be too much to resist. The first pillar of the new company will be unveiled soon, with subsequent services to be rolled out as the business plan unfolds. For competitive reasons we don’t want to telegraph what is coming but we think Bido.com will bring a fresh twist to the market that will help domain owners make more money. 

Aside from the opportunity to work with three great guys I have come to know and respect, the best part of this project for me will be the opportunity to bring you an unprecedented inside look at the building of a new domain conglomerate from the ground up. I am keeping notes on what we are doing each step along the way and will use those to write a series of articles that I believe will be highly educational for everyone (including me) that has an interest in developing a business. 

DN Journal will mark its 5th anniversary on January 1st. Producing this publication has been and will continue to be something I truly love to do, but it is no longer a start up. As a long time entrepreneur, I love the challenge of trying to create something from nothing and Bido.com will give me a chance to get on the field one more time. For entrepreneurs the game itself is often more invigorating and exciting than the final score. Whatever happens I think the journey will be a blast and I’m looking forward to sharing this adventure with you as we go forward.
(Posted Dec. 21, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-21-07.htm

Domisfera.com, a domain blog based in Spain, published an interesting in-depth interview with T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference co-cofounder Rick Schwartz this week. Schwartz never hesitates 

to say what is on his mind and he remains true to form in this interview while commenting on a wide range of subjects including IDNs, .tv and .mobi domains and how much longer the bull market for domains is likely to continue, just to name a few. 

On the often contentious topic of whether or not certain non .com extensions will turn out to be good investments Schwartz went to great pains to emphasize that this is something only the market can decide - not individual domain owners arguing among themselves about the merits of various extensions. In fact, Schwartz made the point three times during the interview. In one of those passages he said "Time will tell and the market will decide. Not you, not me, not some .tv promoter."

Rick Schwartz
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Co-Founder

(Editor's note: you can safely substitute any other non .com extension for .tv here - that extension was just one of several Schwartz referred to in repeatedly making his point throughout the article). "The market decides and that is what so few really understand. It is about READING the market. Anticipating the market. Understanding the market. Not trying to FORCE the market. Things happen when they are ready to happen. Not before, not after. When the MARKET is ready," Schwartz said.
(Posted Dec. 20, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-20-07.htm

NameMedia's Afternic.com debuted a major expansion to its domain aftermarket sales program today when the doors were opened on a new expiring domains auction service. 

Afternic Auctions will build on the already popular AfternicDLS platform where domain owners list their own names for sale. The new service will offer an exclusive list of expiring domains from Afternic partner Melbourne IT, one of the world's five largest registrars. That 

puts Afternic in direct competition with other expiring names auction houses like SnapNames.com, NameJet.com, TDNAM.com and others. 

Pete Lamson, Senior VP and General Manager of NameMedia’s marketplace said, "We are pleased to further enhance our marketplace by operating exclusive, daily domain name auctions. The Afternic Auction platform, backed by Afternic’s personalized service and flexible bidding options, gives domain buyers another source of premium domain names.” You can review auction rules, search domains available through Afternic Auctions or download an inventory list at their site. 
(Posted Dec. 19, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-19-07.htm

The final round of voting for the 1st Annual Domainers Choice Awards is now underway. Preliminary balloting began late last month with dozens of people and companies nominated 

across 15 different industry categories. The field has now been cut to the top three vote getters in each category with the winners to be determined from among those finalists when voting ends December 31.  The results will be announced and the awards handed out during the DOMAINfest Global Conference in Hollywood, California January 21-23. Anyone can vote in this competition by visiting the DCA site to cast a ballot. The Domainers Choice Awards were developed by veteran domainer Donna Mahony (who was featured in our 

February 2005 Cover Story) and Sally Letzer to give everyone in the industry an equal opportunity to recognize excellence in individual and corporate achievement. 
(Posted Dec. 18, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-18-07.htm

Never Mind! That's what Sedo and the .Mobi registry have told those who bid in their latest .mobi premium domain auction that ended in chaos December 5 when Sedo's servers 

crashed in the closing minutes of the online event. Amid threats of a lawsuit from at least one disgruntled bidder, Sedo and the registry have decided to take a mulligan by voiding the entire auction and what could have been several record-breaking .mobi sales including Music.mobi ($616,000) and Games.obi  

($401,500). Sedo said a do-over auction will begin January 23. Of course this has made a lot of people who won domains in the first auction unhappy campers. Condolences to all involved as everyone loses in a situation like this including the auction participants whose time was wasted and hopes dashed and the sale organizers who got a black eye from the system breakdown.
(Posted Dec. 18, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-18a-07.htm

A charity domain auction for Grassroots.org will be held during the DOMAINfest Global Conference in Hollywood, California January 22 and 23. Grassroots founder Michael Mann 

is among those who are donating some premium domains for the event. It is a chance to make a difference and also receive a year end tax deduction so everybody wins. Grassroots.org supports a broad range of charities (over 1,000 in all) by providing them with critical technological services at no cost. You  can donate domain names by emailing domain-auction @ grassroots.org. 100% of the proceeds will go to Grassroots.org.

(Posted Dec. 18, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-18b-07.htm

In case I forget, remind to never travel to Ohio in December again! I should have known better as I grew up there, but after 35 years in Florida you tend to forget things like snow and ice. Just got back from a pre-holiday visit to friends and family in the frozen north and we got

caught smack dab in the middle of the major winter storm that went through the Midwest over the weekend. Our flight home was delayed for several hours while the plane we were waiting for in Columbus was stuck in Chicago where more than 200 flights were cancelled Saturday. We finally made it out though and I have never been happier to be back home. Today I have to thaw out and catch back up on what has been happening in the domain world while we were away. A few days out of the saddle (especially in snow, sleet and freezing rain) has been more than enough for me. Glad my job is located online - the weather is never bad on the web! 
(Posted Dec. 17, 2007)

An updated advertising sales forecast has just been released by ZenithOptimedia and once again the Internet comes out smelling like a rose while some traditional forms of media, especially newspapers, simply come out smelling. The Center for Media Research posted

details from the report today and noted "The forecasts for internet advertising have been revised upwards. The report now forecasts 29.9% growth this year (up from 28.6% forecast three months ago) and 85% growth between 2006 and 2009 (up from 82%). Online video and local search are the new, fast-growing segments, but display, classified and the rest of search are still growing rapidly as well. Internet advertising is expected to account for 9.5% of all expenditure in 2009, fractionally up from the 9.4% forecast three months ago.

The outlook for TV is also very good with that medium's 2008 market share expected to rise to an all-time record high of 38.2%. Print media will not be so fortunate. The CMR report said "Newspapers are suffering the most from the depredations of the internet, which is better at delivering timely news and is an efficient substitute for newspaper classifieds. The study expects newspapers' share of world ad expenditure to fall from 29.0% in 2006 to 26.2% in 2009.
(Posted Dec. 11, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-11-07.htm

Given how important domain conferences have been to the growth of our industry I found Mark Simon's article today at MediaPost's SearchInsider (free subscription required to read) to be of special interest. Simon wrote about his experiences at the recently concluded Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago and unlike the major shows we've seen thus far

in the domain field, Simon had a lot of issues with the SES event.  What I found interesting about this column was how a strong show in a closely related field could run into problems - some self inflicted like scheduling the show in Chicago in December and some out of their control such as an overabundance of other SEM shows. 

Simon wrote "you’ll forgive me for wondering whether the whole idea behind SES Chicago is to give the industry a hellish endurance test. After all, who but the few, the proud, and the totally search-obsessed would be willing to run the gamut of massively delayed flights, subzero Chicago winds, and crushing traffic jams  

"Hellish endurance test" is not the kind of 
review a trade show wants to receive.

to attend this thing?" He went on to talk about problems with keynote speakers, the show's focus, high cost ($1,895 registration fee plus airfare and hotels) and the surplus of shows devoted to search. 

With three major general interest conference promotions in our space (T.R.A.F.F.I.C., DOMAINfest and Domain Roundtable) I've noted in the past how important is is for each to bring something unique and valuable to the table to keep showgoers from overdosing on what has become a heavy show schedule. So far they have done that as each has managed to establish their own identity. Reading about SES Chicago shows you what can go wrong though and serves as a cautionary tale for the domain space. The conferences we have are invaluable so I hope they will all continue to succeed. Their job in a now crowded marketplace is not easy and the promoters really have to stay on top of their games to keep interest up. I personally think they are all up to the task but SES shows how critical it is to consistently deliver the goods if you want people to keep coming back. 
(Posted Dec. 10, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-10-07.htm

What's good for the goose apparently is not good for the gander. When I moved a few months ago I took advantage of the opportunity to sign up for Verizon's fiber optic Internet and TV 

service that is currently available in only a few locations around the U.S.  Imagine my surprise while surfing the web via my new ISP to see typographical errors I entered in the browser return Verizon landing pages that are used to monetize typos of countless trademarked company names. This is the same Verizon that has sued a number of

domain owners for doing the same thing with Verizon's trademarks - but now Verizon characterizes their own monetization of other's trademarks as a "customer service"! Go figure. This is a classic case of two wrongs not making a right. 

defending their rights against over-reaching trademark claims and outright reverse hijacking attempts. While I have no issue with companies vigorously defending their legitimate trademark interests, I do have a problem with those who are trying to undermine all professional domain owners in an effort to further their own agendas. This is why I support the Internet Commerce Association's efforts to counter attacks on the domain industry at large.

As I wrote in our current monthly newsletter to opt-in subscribers, "As domain names have become more valuable, opponents are looking for any way they can to separate domain investors from their assets. That includes getting both UDRP procedures and laws changed to make it easier to take domains away from their current owners, including generic domains they have no right to. The only way to fight this disturbing trend is to band together and support an organization that can effectively counter these moves. That takes significant resources and to date, the ICA is the only viable organization that has formed to fill that role." 
(Posted Dec. 8, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-08-07.htm

.Mobi mania appears to be in full bloom. Sedo's latest premium .mobi auction ended yesterday with some absolutely astonishing winning bids. The previous high sale of a .mobi domain was Flowers.mobi at $200,000 a year ago. If the names in the Sedo auction are paid 

for that record will be obliterated. Music.mobi closed at $616,000, Games.mobi at $401,500, Sports.mobi at $101,000 and Movies.mobi at $82,000. The same bidder, Alvaro Albarracin, apparently took all four of those domains, along with Videos.mobi and Photos.mobi at $51,000 

each. Sahar Sarid has some interesting background on Albarracin on his Conceptualist.com blog. On his own blog, Albarracin said "I am not planning on developing these names, I am planning on selling these sometime in the near future." So the names were apparently purchased as a pure speculative play. That's obviously a lot of money to gamble on a new extension that may never reach critical mass. Of course, if it does catch on these are great keywords that dovetail nicely with mobile platforms. The question is, at these prices, what are the odds the names can be resold for a profit in the "near future" as Albarracin says he would like to do?

VeriSign released their 3rd quarter 2007 Domain Name Industry Brief today. The company (which operates the .com and .net registries) reported that 12 million new domain names were

registered over the past quarter, boosting the total number of domain name registrations worldwide to 146 million across all Top Level Domain names (TLDs). That’s a 31% increase over the same quarter last year.

Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs) showed a 38% increase over the same quarter last year with China's .cn seeing the largest growth at 20% and Russia's .ru seeing the second greatest growth at 12% above the same quarter last year. .cn is now the 4th largest extension in the world, trailing only .com, Germany's .de and .net. Great Britain's .uk is now 5th.
(Posted Dec. 5, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-05-07.htm

The official agenda for the 2008 DOMAINfest Global Conference, coming up Jan. 21-23, 2008 in Hollywood, California was posted on the show's website today. This conference will 

feature a new dual-track format that will have seminars for new domain investors running concurrently with a series of seminars for those who are already experienced in the space. This show will also feature two keynote speakers. Adventurer Peter Hillary will be heard Monday afternoon (Jan. 21) and best selling author John Batelle will be featured 

Wednesday morning (Jan. 23).  In another new twist a live auction - the debut of SnapNames Live - will be held every afternoon during the three day event.
(Posted Dec. 5, 2007)

If a new domain name is on your Christmas wish list there is certainly no shortage of places to shop, especially if you enjoy the excitement of a live auction. Moniker's live auction at the

Pubcon Conference in Las Vegas gets underway tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 5) at 6pm U.S. Eastern time (3pm Pacific). They are also running a silent auction in conjunction with the event that will continue to Dec. 13.  Sedo.com's latest premium .mobi domain auction that began last week will be closing tomorrow and the company's combined November/December GreatDomains auction concludes Thursday (Dec. 6).

Elsewhere, DomainTools.com just announced they will conduct an online-only live auction starting Jan. 3, 2008 at 11am Pacific time.  These are the same folks who conducted a successful live auction at the Domain Roundtable conference in Seattle this past summer. They are accepting submissions for the January event

now. Submissions are also currently being accepted for the first SnapNames Live auction that will be held at the DOMAINfest Global Conference in Hollywood, California Jan. 22-23, 2008. The submission deadline for that event is December 11.

Live auctions have become the primary venue for high dollar domain sales. Over the past 3 months, 27 of the 50 highest domain sales reported to us were made at live auction events, including seven of the ten biggest sales. 
(Posted Dec. 4, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-04-07.htm

The numbers are out for consumer spending online Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving Day), November 26. The Center for Media Research reported the results from 

ComScore, Inc. earlier today showing Cyber Monday spending soared to $733 million this year, a 21% jump over the $610 million spent on the same day last year. That is also an 84% increase over the average daily spending  total for the four week preceding Cyber Monday, which is believed to be the biggest online spending day of the year. ComScore Chairman, Gian Fulgoni, said "Cyber Monday represents the first significant spike in online holiday spending activity. With $733 million in sales, it's the first time a single day of online retail spending has broken the $700 million threshold.

Some other notable findings from the comScore report for Cyber Monday 2007 include:

• The number of online buyers was up 38% compared to Cyber Monday 2006, while the average dollars spent per buyer was down 12%. The decline in dollars per buyer may be due to two factors - deeper and broader price discounts offered by online merchants this year and the fact that "new Cyber Monday buyers" tended to spend less online than returning buyers.
  

• 44% of all Internet users on Cyber Monday shopped online (i.e. visited an online retail site or used a comparison shopping engine)
  

• 60% of dollars spent online on Cyber Monday came from work computers, with the balance coming from home and university computers

(Posted Dec. 3, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-03-07.htm

Veteran domain investors know that having keyword domains that define a product or service can give businesses a huge head start in building a successful business and rising above the competition. I recently got a note from Stu Maloff, a New York State teacher who 

has run popular summer basketball camps for the past 16 years, that really brought that lesson home. Maloff started with just one small local upstate New York camp but wise use of domains and the Internet to promote his business has helped him grow it dramatically. 

Maloff told me, "Thanks to a wide array of basketball and camp domain names, I have been able to draw campers from all over the world. This internet presence combined with word of mouth from parents of campers that have attended, has helped draw campers from more than 30 states and 20 countries to my camps in upstate New York and Florida. Recently my corporation signed a contract with Walt Disney World to run my FUN-damental 

Basketball Camp in Orlando next summer at their Wide World of Sports." Maloff is using his OrlandoBasketball.com domain to promote the Disney camp. 

"That was one of the domains I have owned for years," Maloff said. "Some of the others that have helped promote my camp are NewYorkBasketball.com, BostonBasketball.com, ChicagoBasketball.com, MiamiBasketball.com and many more. The camp related ones include BostonCamps.com, SeattleCamps.com, BasketballCamps.net, BasketballCamp.us and BasketballCamps.us. Stu is such a believer in domains that he now loves this field almost as much as basketball and has even opened his own domain sales site at StupendousDomains.com. 

A lot of major corporations still haven't figured out the importance of domains as an advertising vehicle in an increasingly online world. It has always been a point of amazement for me to see so many MBAs and ad agencies missing a boat that small business owners like Maloff have been rowing successfully for years. 
(Posted Dec. 1, 2007)  To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL: http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/2007/dailyposts/12-01-07.htm