The latest T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference is now history but two more meetings for domainers will get underway over the next seven days, with both of those being held outside the U.S. First up

Cracow, Poland - host city for the 
MeetDomainers conference Oct. 3-4

will be MeetDomainers, a show that will be staged in Cracow, Poland this coming Friday and Saturday (Oct. 3 & 4). The event will include a live auction Saturday afternoon at 4:30 (local time in Cracow), powered by Aftermarket.pl, Poland's largest aftermarket site (you can view the auction list and register to bid through the link in this sentence).

 Show organizers said "Almost one hundred people will participate in this event – experts in domain investing, hosting services, web development and domain parking. Many different topics will be covered including the aftermarket, drop catching, parking 

and registration. Discussions will also focus on the ccTLD market, domain investing and legal issues as well."

Just got back into our Florida office today after being away all of last week for the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in New York. It was an extraordinary event on every level and we will have the wire to wire details for you in our comprehensive conference review article that we expect to have ready for publication by this coming weekend. 

First we have to dive right into preparation of our new weekly domain sales report that will be a double length article this week. There was no report while I was away at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. last week so the new report will cover two weeks worth of data to bring you completely up to date on what has happened since our last report Sept. 16. Look for it late tomorrow night or Wednesday morning.

There will be at least one blockbuster in the new report. I just got word today that Sedo has completed the $1,015,000 sale of Invest.com via their GreatDomains premium auction site. That is the first seven-figure sale reported since the first quarter of this year. 

I got the news from Sedo's Kate Donahue who also told me she is getting married next month and moving to a new location 

Kate Donahue
Sedo.com

with her soon to be husband. Kate will also take a new position at Sedo as the Marketing Manager for the UK market. Kate has been a big help to us by providing Sedo news and information and I know she will excel in her new position, just as she has in her current one. We wish her the very best as she makes all of these exciting changes in her personal and professional  life. 
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The 2008 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference ended last night with the annual T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Awards dinner and a Parked.com aftershow party at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott where 350 registrants gathered for this week's show. Moniker's live domain auction highlighted the final

day's schedule and didn't disappoint, ringing up just under $3 million when the bidding was all done. Certainly not a record total but given the severe dislocation in the  general economy and the fact that Moniker had to compete with two other live auction providers at this show (RickLatona.com and Aftermarket.com) it was a very respectable performance.  Buyers continue to recognize the value of good domain names, despite the reluctance to make large scale expenditures while there is so much uncertainty in the financial world at large.

Moniker's hit list was led by FinancialAid.com at $800,000 and also included four more six-figure sales; Floor.com ($275,000), Camps.com ($110,000), LT.com ($100,000) and Cleaning.com ($100,000). A number of .me domains also sold at impressive prices, led by Date.me at $70,000.

Auctioneer Wayne Wheat directing 
Moniker's live domain auction in New York 

The first full day of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference Wednesday featured two highly anticipated live domain auction debuts staged by RickLatona.com and Aftermaket.com. Latona went first at 1:30pm and his auction crew, led by 2008 world champion livestock auctioneer Matt Lowery, helped book close to $700,000 in sales.

Spotter Preston Smith (left) coaxes a bid from an audience member while 
auctioneer Matt Lowery (at the podium) directs the RickLatona.com live auction. 
Latona is sitting to the right of Lowery.

Latona's top sales were MCC.com at $195,000, CountryClubs.com at $85,000 and DayTraders.com at $80,000. Though concern about the general economy kept prices for many domains from reaching levels they would have at last year's New York conference, this was an impressive coming out party for Latona, who may well have the best marketing and promotion mind in the business.  

The final full day of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York is underway as we write this. Moniker's main event live domain auction highlights the daytime schedule with the annual T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Awards dinner and a party hosted by Parked.com headlining the evening line-up. We'll have some photos and highlights from the Thursday activities in this column tomorrow.

One other note today. Yesterday we noted we had heard reports that GoDaddy was one of two registrars (Enom being the other) that caved in to Kentucky's demand that several registrars turn over a total of 141 gambling related domains without due process for their clients who owned the domains - this even though Kentucky has no apparent legal right to make such a demand. Today GoDaddy reportedly said those rumors were not true and they did not turn over any domains. If that is the case they are to be applauded. Enom on the other hand is going to have some explaining to do. There were calls from the podium at several sessions today recommending that domain owners move their domains elsewhere (with Moniker, who refused to turn over domains, often cited as a good choice).
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When the Snowe bill came along to threaten domain owners we noted that would be just the first of many gambits aimed at separating domain owners from their assets. Now comes one

that is even more outrageous as the state of Kentucky is demanding that registrars turn 141 gambling related domain names over to that state, despite the fact that Kentucky has no jurisdiction or valid claim to those domains. Scarier still, two registrars, Enom and GoDaddy, have reportedly turned customer domains over to Kentucky, before their clients have even had an opportunity to address this attempt to hijack their domains (Editor's note: a day later Godaddy said they had not turned over any domains). The Internet Commerce Association met 

yesterday afternoon in New York just before the T.R.A.F.F.I.C  conference got underway and ICA President Jeremiah Johnston (who is an attorney) released this statement on the matter:

"The Internet Commerce Association is aware of the extreme concern of ICA members regarding the action of the Kentucky Attorney General ordering the seizure of 141 gaming related domain names. It appears that there may be no statutory basis for this unprecedented action, that Kentucky may lack sufficient jurisdictional grounds and that it also may violate the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution. The ICA intends to immediately investigate this matter, including outreach to affected ICA members as well as to those registrars subject to the Kentucky order. Once we have gathered additional information, the Board will consider further appropriate action to confront this dangerous precedent."

Michael Berkens has been on top of this issue from the start and is posting regular updates on his blog, The Domains, which is highly recommended reading on this and other industry issues.
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The 2008 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference got underway last night with a good crowd on hand at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. Attendance appeared to be about 50% higher than at 

A T.R.A.F.F.I.C. attendee samples a few of 
the many delicacies laid out for the opening 
night cocktail party in New York last night.

the last T.R.A.F.F.I.C. show in Orlando in May. The show got underway with the traditional welcoming cocktail party in the Marriott's grand ballroom. Conference organizers told me before the show that the food at this conference would be beyond belief and they more than met that promise in this opening event. Attendees feasted on mountains of crab legs, lobster, shrimp (approximately the size of turkey legs!), sushi and a variety of other entrees and desserts. Amid the lavish layout registrants enjoyed catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

Despite the near meltdown we are currently seeing in the general economy, the mood in the room seemed to be very upbeat and optimistic. The sentiment I kept hearing expressed by just about everyone I talked with was how fortunate we are to be in the business we are in when so many other sectors are struggling to stay afloat. Certainly everyone is concerned with what is going on in the financial world at large, but

the shift of so much business to the web leaves most feeling that there are few better ports in the storm than the one this industry is currently providing.

After the cocktail party, the first of four live auctions that will be held this week was staged by Moniker. com. This brief no or low reserve opening night sale serves as an appetizer for the larger sales that will follow. Moniker wound up generating $99,450 in sales, with more than 70% of their catalog (47 of the 65 names listed) changing hands. The top sale was Men.org at $12,500 followed by CashiersCheck.com and NetworkingJobs.com at $7,000 each.

Auctioneer Wayne Wheat conducting Moniker's opening night live auction.

Moniker's main live auction event will be held Thursday starting at 3pm U.S. Eastern time. Meanwhile there is a lot of anticipation surrounding the debut of two new live auction providers who will stage their first sales this afternoon. At 1:30PM RickLatona.com will stage a 90-minute auction and at 5pm Aftermarket.com will present their sale, also scheduled for an hour an a half. This evening a keynote speech from real estate giant Barbara Corcoran (familiar to many of you from here appearances on The Today Show) will highlight a dinner sponsored by TrafficZ.  TrafficZ's official show party will follow and run into the wee hours of the morning at a local nightspot.

After last night's Moniker auction, NameMedia invited several dozen attendees to a late night social event at the River Cafe directly across the East River from Manhattan. The restaurant, located at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, offered a spectacular view of the New York skyline from their terrace tables.

Barbara Neu shot this photo of Diana and I at NameMedia's 
gathering at the River Cafe in New York last night.

T.R.A.F.F.I.C New York continues through Friday morning. We will have a daily post in this column with some of the highlights from each day's activities. Late next week we will publish our comprehensive review of show week with a more detailed account of show events and dozens of photos that will put you in the middle of the action.
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I've spent the day clearing the decks so I can head out tomorrow morning for New York and the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. I've enjoyed all of the 

T.R.A.F.F.I.C. shows but this one is shaping up to be an especially interesting one. How will the debut of multiple live auction houses at the same conference work out? What kind of impact will the near meltdown in the general economy have on the auctions and the show itself? Will the show's theme "Beyond PPC" reveal any profitable new strategies to help offset the universal decline in parking revenue? 

It will definitely be an interesting mix and when you throw in the opportunity to see old friends again and make a lot of new ones, I'm really looking forward to it. Incidentally, there will be no Lowdown post Tuesday (Sept. 23) as I will be en route from Florida to the Big Apple. Starting Wednesday I will post daily highlights from the show in this column and of course, as always, a few days after the conference we will publish the industry's definitive show review article.

Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
Site of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York 2008

There is going to be a lot to talk about with very little downtime is the days ahead (the show runs through Friday). As soon as my plane lands Tuesday I'll be heading to the Internet Commerce Association's annual meeting at the Marriott. It starts at 4pm and any ICA members in town for the show are invited to attend. The first official T.R.A.F.F.I.C. event, the welcoming cocktail party will get underway at 6pm, followed by the first of four live auctions - this one a brief appetizer run by Moniker that is scheduled to start at 7:30pm. The auction will be followed by a few invitational cocktail parties at nearby nightspots, so I'm sure the first night will be a late one - but that is true of every night at T.R.A.F.F.I.C.

In some other show notes, Aftermarket.com has released their their final sale catalog, joining Moniker and RickLatona.com who released their catalogs Friday. Aftermarket.com called on DomainConsultant.com to help cull their list of submissions and their catalog features DC's notes on the individual domains  they selected.

There are always sponsors who use T.R.A.F.F.I.C. as a launch pad for new products. One of the more interesting ones being rolled out this week will be the new Domainer Accreditation Program from LogicBoxes.com. In a nutshell the program provides large domain portfolio owners with consulting services that make it a snap for them to become their own ICANN accredited registrar.

By the way, Bhavin is also co-founder of Directi with his brother Divyank who is profiled in our current cover story.

One other thing before we head for the airport, Sedo had announced the results from their SedoCares "Wishing Well" Promotion, inaugurated to help construct clean water wells in Ethiopia. Sedo was able to contribute $11,466 to the "Wishing Well", on behalf of each sale that occurred in their marketplace throughout August. Half of those funds, $5,733, will go to the winner of the promotion, Chris Afton James, with the other half going to CHF International who administers the well building program.
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Between the latest monthly premium domain auction at Sedo's GreatDomains and the quartet of live auctions that will be held at next week's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in New 

York, a remarkable number of high quality domains are being offered for sale over the next seven days. The GreatDomains online auction started yesterday with Fly.com, Bicycle.com and Planet.com among the domains on the block. Their auction will end next Thursday (Sept. 25) and Sedo will be hosting an auction closing champagne celebration at their T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference booth at 1pm on the 25th. 

A couple of months ago we heard rumors from credible sources that Sedo would likely be one of the live auction presenters at T.R.A.F.F.I.C., however the company's Chief Operating Officer, Jeremiah Johnston said, “Contrary to the speculation that Sedo would be one of the auctioneers at the upcoming T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Conference, we’ve decided to focus our resources on our high-performing online auctions." 

Sedo COO Jeremiah Johnston

Though Sedo is out of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. mix, Aftermarket.com and RickLatona.com will be joining Moniker.com in presenting live auctions next week. Moniker, who was the sole live auctioneer at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. prior to the upcoming event, will run two auctions in New York. Moniker and Rick Latona have both announced their final auction catalogs (available through their links above) and Aftermarket.com has whittled their list down to the prime contenders that were released on the DomainTools.com blog yesterday. 

Latona introduced a new wrinkle by allowing bidders to start bidding online a week before their Sept 24th live auction in New York. The hammer on all of their domains will drop there on the 24th (the same day Aftermarket.com's sale will be held).  It's going to be very interesting to see how the multiple sales fare and we will of course be there to cover it all for you.
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If you are a frequent reader you know that I see .com city geo domain as the likely successors to traditional local print, audio and video media outlets in the years ahead. In  addition to carrying the local "brand name", a  city geo domain provides a platform that allows 

instant global dissemination of any form of media at a fraction of the cost required to do the same thing in a very limited geographical area through today's newspaper, radio and TV platforms. So, a new report from research firm Borrell Associates stating that "independent city dot-coms could emerge as a formidable foe to their “more mature media brethren” came as no surprise to me.

Borrell charges $995 for the full report titled What’s a Web Site Worth? Valuation Metrics For Local Web Sites, but there is an excellent summary on the Associated Cities website that is free. The AC article notes Borrell's belief that "city dot-coms, as well as other “pure-play Web sites” are better positioned for growth than Internet assets developed around local newspapers." 

"Firm founder Gordon Borrell also indicated separately that city dot-coms are logical acquisition properties for media companies and that his firm will be making that recommendation in the coming months." In my case, Borrell is preaching to the choir - I have long been a believer that this is where the media world is headed. In addition to Associated Cities' excellent synopsis, a free executive summary of the report, which was produced in concert with the BIA Financial Network, can be downloaded here.
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There won't be a Lowdown post today...well, since what I am writing now is actually a post, I should say there won't be a domain related post today. This is my wife Diana's birthday so I am going to spend the day with her then take her out to dinner somewhere we haven't been before.

I spend so much time behind the computer she doesn't see a lot of me (other than the back of my head when she walks by my desk) except on special days like this. Oh yes, and at domain conferences. Diana usually goes to the shows with me - I think primarily so she can see other human beings once in awhile. My work habits severely curtail our local social activities, so she likes to go along for the ride when show time rolls around. Diana is looking forward to T.R.A.F.F.I.C. next week in New York because it will give her another opportunity to see some of the friends she has made in the domain business and to hit the art museums. 

Ron & Diana Jackson

Diana is a painter, and that is great past time to have when you are married to a workaholic. The fact that painting keeps her happily occupied for hours at a time is good for me too -  I can feel a little less guilty about being planted in front of a monitor and keyboard almost every waking hour. She is a very patient and self sufficient person and never hassles me about being neglected. I'm not sure if that is because she is exceptionally understanding or is just happy she doesn't have to deal with me too often! In any case, we have had a great run that will hit 25 years next summer. I wouldn't have wanted to spend that quarter of a century with anyone else.
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It's showtime again! The T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference gets underway one week from today at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott where the event will run Sept. 23-26. This is shaping 

Moniker CEO Monte Cahn makes a point 
at the company's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. live auction 
at Disney World in Orlando last May.

up to be an especially interesting conference as show organizers Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu take things in a new direction (they talked at length about this in an exclusive interview that we published in our latest monthly newsletter that was sent out to opt-in subscribers at no charge).

The most talked about change is the scheduling of multiple live auctions, with Moniker.com staging two (a brief one on opening night, Sept. 23, and their main event on Sept. 25) that will compete with sales presented on Sept. 24 by both Aftermarket.com and RickLatona.com. Moniker's Sept. 25 sale will include several high profile domains from the .me registry including Buy.me, Rent.me, Date.me and Love.me among others.

Aftermarket.com called on 

DomainConsultant.com to help them fashion a a tight list that the DC folks say "will be fast, focused and full of value, full of ‘deals’, full of excitement...This is not your grandma’s domain auction!" Rick Latona is bringing in a world champion auctioneer to run his event and to undrescore that he is in the live auction business to stay, Latona has already signed on to stage another sale at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under conference coming up in Australia November 18-20.

Another highlight of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York will be a keynote speech from real estate expert Barbara Corcoran, a frequent guest on NBC's Today Show. Corcoran is going to talk about the links between real world and virtual property. A major end user, Brad Geisen, will also be there to talk about his purchase of Foreclosure.com and how that led him to buy Property.com in what the parties involved say is one of the most valuable domain deals on record. Many details of that deal will reportedly be discussed and disclosed for the first time. Wall Street Journal Online reporter David Kesmodel will also be on hand to sign copies of his book, The Domain Game. 

BusinessWeek magazine has named California domainer Daniel Negari as one of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs for 2008. The popular magazine does an annual round up of the

most promising future moguls from the 25-and-under age range. BusinessWeek said, "We asked BusinessWeek readers to nominate candidates aged 25 and under who are running their own companies that show potential for growth and establish the talent of the founders behind them. Given the current credit crunch and the ailing economy, we were pleased to receive a record number of nominations this year."

After sifting through the nominees, BusinessWeek selected its finalists and now the public is voting to determine the winner. The field will be reduced to the top five vote getters who will be announced at the end of this month. You can vote for Negari here (Negari and his company, Beverly Hills Mint, are the fifth entry on the ballot).

Daniel Negari
(Photo from BusinessWeek.com)

Beverly Hills Mint is a high-end real estate finance business brokering commercial and residential loans worth $5 million or more. The company now has 14 commission-only brokers and two employees. Negari says Beverly Hills Mint took in $650,000 in 2007.

Though Negari's domain investments are not mentioned in the BusinessWeek profile, the 2006 Southern Cal graduate  has become active in this industry and many domainers have gotten to know him through the private domain forum at TargetedTrafficForum.com and as an active bidder in aftermarket domain auctions.
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Every two years the esteemed Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. releases the results of an exhaustive survey that reveals where people go to get their news and information. The latest biennial report has some fascinating data that goes beyond confirming the migration of news consumers to the web that we are all familiar with. It also shows that the demographics of the web audience is far more attractive to advertisers than the audience still relying on traditional media. 

Pew broke survey respondents into four distinct categories:

• Integrators (23% of the public) - they get their news from multiple mediums led by TV, radio and the Internet.

• Net-Newsers (13%) - It's the web only for the younger crowd.

• Traditionalists (46%) - They stick to old school media.

• Disengaged (14%) - They have little interest in news no matter where it comes from.

While the traditional sector is still the largest, it is rapidly shrinking and those users are the oldest with an average age of 52. In addition, they are the least educated. 60% have no more than a high school education and 43% are unemployed. By contrast, the Integrators are affluent and highly educated. The Net-Newsers are also affluent and even more highly educated (eight of ten have at least some college). The Net-Newsers are also the youngest with an average age of 35. These are the consumers advertisers covet and that is why ad dollars are flooding the web (and a big reason why domain values have held up well in the midst of a major economic downturn).

Since the1990s, the percentage of Americans who say they read a newspaper on a normal day has plunged by almost 40%; the percentage that regularly watches network TV news each night  has fallen by 50%. The statistics are stunning and there is a lot more interesting demographic data in the full article, so check it out if you want to learn more about why the place you do business - the Internet - is the place to be.
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The product of another joint venture between a premium generic domain name owner and a partner with site development, capital and business relationship expertise has been unveiled at 

SlideShow.com. In June Domain owner Gil Benatar contributed the name to the Slideshow.com, LLC that is jointly owned by Benatar and Domain Strategies. Within two months the attractive fully developed site for for posting, sharing and publishing presentations and pictures was up and running.  

Domain Strategies President and CEO Scott Fasser said, “We combined technology from Identity.net for single sign-on, iPaper for publishing from Scribd.com, open source image management, as well as proprietary content in order to create Slideshow.com.”  Funding for the site came from Rob Monster's Seattle-based Monster Venture Partners. 

Monster said, "Gil has been an ideal business partner for this venture, not only because of his contribution of the premier domain name in the

Scott Fasser
Domain Strategies President/COO

space, but also for his 20 years of knowledge and expertise in the development of presentations and communication tools. The initial site is a foundation for growth into the premier online utility for posting and sharing presentations in a secure environment using the Identity.net user management framework.” 

Sedo.com has announced they recently brokered the $500,000 sale of LI.com. That will rank among the year's ten biggest sales when we chart it in our weekly sales report next Tuesday 

night. The news was included in a Sedo press release this morning about the September GreatDomains premium online auction coming up Sept. 18-25. That sale will feature Fly.com, Planet.com, Brews.com, Gaps.com and Address.net among others.

The domain aftermarket continues to hold strong despite the downturn in the general economy and falling PPC revenues in the domain industry. Sedo CEO Tim Schumacher said, "We have seen increased participation each month, a higher percentage of domains sold and higher average sale prices, and this latest auction will build on our success."

Our latest weekly domain sales report provides further evidence of continued interest in high quality domain names. Our new Top 20 chart is headed by a trio of six-figure sales, led by RVRental.com at $325,000. 
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A founding member of the Internet Commerce Association, Rick Schwartz, has announced his resignation from the non-profit domain industry trade group. Schwartz detailed his reasons for leaving in a post on his personal blog today. Schwartz concluded his post by saying "The bottom line is I had very little influence inside and sitting at the table. I am hoping I can do more to shape things from the outside."

As an ICA board member (I accepted an invitation to serve as an independent director a few months after the organization was founded in the fall of 2006), I knew Rick's announcement was coming and the reasons for his decision. Like so many domainers, Schwartz is a self-sufficient entrepreneur who is used to calling the shots and seeing immediate action as a result. Running an organization by committee, as is the case with the ICA, can be extremely frustrating for anyone who is used to running their own business. 

As everyone knows from his public comments, Schwartz has strong opinions about how things should be done and he has never shied away from voicing his opinions in board meetings as well as in personal discussions we have had about the ICA. I have always respected him for

Rick Schwartz

his candor and there are points he and I firmly agree on, especially the need to see much better daily communication between the ICA and the domain community. 

I still believe the ICA is the best hope for the domain community to survive the increasing assault they are facing from forces who completely missed the domain opportunity, but now want to change laws and policies so they can take domain owner's assets away from them. If there had been no ICA, odds are the Snowe bill would have sailed through Congress unopposed this year, leaving domain owners in dire straits. Many similar and even more threatening challenges lie ahead. 

Without question the ICA can be improved and the best way to do that is for more people to get involved and step into leadership positions. The current board will vote in the next annual meeting (to be held this month at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York) to expand the board so more people will have a role in determining the group's direction. The ICA can be shaped entirely by the community, but only if more community members get involved. 

So, do  I think Schwartz was wrong to walk away? Not at all. In fact I think that the hope he stated, that he could be more effective from the outside, could indeed be the case. As with all outspoken figures Schwartz has his supporters and his detractors. Many of the detractors refused to support the ICA effort for the sole reason that Schwartz was involved in founding the group. They mistakenly believed that the ICA was somehow a vehicle to further his personal agenda (and the agenda of other founding members). It has never been that, and this break should make that obvious to everyone. 

For his part, Schwartz has done nothing but generously contribute both time and money (more than $100,000) to the ICA effort. If the organization continues to grow and improve and become what everyone wants it to be, Schwartz will deserve much of the credit for that. It is regrettable that he feels he can no longer support the association, but for the long term health of the ICA, I think it is good for the leadership to keep changing so that the community can see an organization that represents ideas and the common good, rather than any person or group of individuals. 

The .pro registry relaunched the seldom-used extension this afternoon with lower price points that .pro backers hope will generate some interest. One of the primary .pro registrars, Encirca, 

is charging $24.99 for the first year of registration, with subsequent years priced at $49.99 each. Still extremely pricey compared to .com but less than previous .pro levels that were around $99 annually. Registry restrictions  

have also been eased. .Pro was originally aimed at licensed professionals who could show valid credentials but now looser "self-certification" means if you claim to be a licensed professional they will take your word for it. 

Parked.com hosted a dinner party last night in Tampa, Florida where the well-known domain monetization company is based. Clients and domain owners from around the Sunshine State were invited to the event at Jackson's Bistro on Harbour Island, overlooking the Hillsborough River.

Photo above: Some of the Florida domain owners at a Parked.com 
dinner party Thursday night (Sept. 4) in Tampa.

Photo below: At far left CEO Sig Solares and Christian Higgins were among the Parked.com 
team members who welcomed guests from the Tampa Bay area and other parts of the state.

T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Co-Founder Howard Neu, his wife Barbara and son Ray (who has become an avid domainer) traveled the furthest distance, driving over from Miami. Internet Commerce Association Executive Director Michael Collins also made the trip, driving in from Orlando. Parked hosted the casual affair to give local domain owners a chance to get together with each other and, despite living in the same area, some were meeting in person for the first time. 

Facing the camera in the photo above are (left to right) Butch Decossas (Parked.com), 
Howard Neu, Barbara Neu, Diana Jackson and Ray Neu. In the foreground  facing away 
from the camera are Parked.com's Monte White (left) and Sig Solares (right).

As the domain industry continues to grow, local gatherings like this will become more commonplace. Everyone on hand had a great time and truly appreciated Parked.com's role in bringing everyone together. 
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Verisign has released their latest quarterly Domain Name Industry Brief covering the second quarter of 2008. The new report shows demand for domain names continuing to surge. 

At the conclusion of 2Q 2008 168 million domains were registered worldwide, a 22% jump over the same quarter last year. Despite a deteriorating general economy, this also represents a 4% rise over the number of registered domains at the end of 1Q 2008. 

One of the hottest growth areas was .com and .net registrations in Latin America. In 2Q 2008, those enjoyed a cumulative surge of 31%, outpacing worldwide growth for .com and .net by 11 percentage points.

Country code domains also continued to show solid growth. 65 million ccTLDs were registered at the year's midpoint, a 27% jump from the last year and a 4% rise since the last quarter. 

The ten largest TLDs in total registrations remained in the same order they were in the previous quarter: 1) .com  2) .de  3) .cn   4) .net  5) .uk  6) .org  7) .info  8) .nl  9) .eu and 10) .biz. 
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Is the world ready for still another domain conference - especially one that will be staged on just four weeks notice? Before you run screaming for the exits, hear me out. According to 

information we received this afternoon, the first Canadian domain conference of its kind, Domain Convergence, will be held in Niagara Falls, Ontario October 6-8. In addition to giving our friends north of the border a meeting of their own, the fact that this one is being organized by industry veteran Frank Michlick means it is worth taking a look at. Frank is the co-founder of both SharedReviews.com and DomainNameNews.com and also operates an industry events calendar at DNCalendar.com. 

Frank Michlick
Domain Convergence

Michlick said "The focus of the Domain Convergence conference is to foster an open information exchange. Too often in our industry there is an air of secrecy and mystery. This conference is a forum for people of all portfolio sizes and earning levels to come together and share their insights." Michlick added that the conference will focus on domain name development and monetization as well as domain portfolio management.

Domain Convergence will be held at the Marriott Fallsview & Spa in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Early bird registration is available through September 10. A limited number of rooms are available at a reduced rate of $179 and can be reserved through the conference information line (800) 614-3780. In addition, there are a few sponsorship opportunities still available.

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I hope all of our U.S. readers had a relaxing and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. I took the name of the holiday a little too literally and spent most of the 3-day holiday weekend working. The results are in our latest monthly newsletter that went out to opt-in subscribers Saturday

and a new feature article about David Kesmodel, the author or The Domain Game, that was published yesterday. I think you will find both of those pieces well worth reading. 

In the story on Kesmodel, the author talked about the string of obstacles he had to overcome to get his landmark book about the domain industry into print. The Wall Street Journal reporter told us how he managed to keep the book alive after the original publisher bailed out, what he would do differently if he had a second chance and what the domain industry can do to clean up its image.

Our new newsletter started out as a preview of this month's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in New York, but quickly grew into something bigger. While talking with us 

David Kesmodel
Author of the The Domain Game

about the show's agenda and "Beyond PPC" theme, T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s outspoken co-founder Rick Schwartz sounded off on what he sees as a series of major threats facing the domain industry.

HOT LINK: The concerns of all Americans on this Labor Day holiday are with our countrymen in New Orleans and along the Louisiana coast where category 3 Hurricane Gustav is hitting today. An Intercosmos Media Group team including Parked.com CEO Sig Solares is currently at the company's high rise office in New Orleans where they are posting storm information on a live blog at GustavBloggers.com. 
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