Sedo.com will be holding a special charity auction tomorrow (Thursday, March 31) through Thursday, April 7.  Unlike traditional auctions, the proceeds will be going directly to The Strausses, a terminally ill couple associated with the Torah High School in San Diego, California. 

The Strausses, who are known as pillars of their community, are suffering from degenerative illnesses. Several years back, Jerry Strauss, a successful real estate entrepreneur, saw the value of domain names and invested in many of them to build a sizeable portfolio but when he became ill most 

of the domain portfolio was donated to a Hebrew high school. Unfortunately, as their medical bills piled up The Strausses have had to rely on donations from family and friends to survive.

Sedo's North American Director of Sales Kathy Nielsen said, "We are honored to host an auction event that directly benefits such an important and worthy cause. We are confident that each sale will help foster the emotional and physical well being of the Strausses; providing them peace of mind during these trying times. The domain inventory is a solid selection of names and we encourage investors to take advantage of the opportunity to make an offer and to make a difference! " The complete auction inventory can be viewed here.

One final note - I will be en route to Boynton Beach tomorrow so we can attend the South Florida Domainers Group meeting being hosted by John Ferber at his home Thursday evening (March 31). As a result, there won't be a Lowdown post Thursday but I'll be back here Friday evening with some photos and highlights from the meeting. 

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I hope you had an opportunity to watch ABC-TV's latest episode of Secret Millionaire that aired last night (Sunday, March 27). The reality show focuses on successful but selfless people

who go out of their way to share their good fortune with people in need. Sunday night's one-hour episode (currently available at this link on Hulu.com in case you missed it) focused on Domain Holdings Group Co-Founder John Ferber (we just published a new feature story about Domain Holdings today). 

John made his fortune when he and his brother Scott built Advertising.com into an internet powerhouse then sold the company to America Online for $435 million in cash in 2004. There was no longer any need for Ferber to work a day in his life, but he is not one to sit still, so he joined domain pioneer Chad Folkening and another very successful internet entrepreneur, Erik Simons, to found domain development, SEO and monetization company Domain Holdings Group, LLC last year. 

The Baltimore-born Ferber also plunged headlong into philanthropy in 2007 when he founded Microgiving.com, a unique website 

John Ferber, Co-Founder, 
Domain Holdings Group, LLC  

that enables people to raise money online to fund a project, cause or entrepreneurial idea and give a percent of what you raise directly to a charity, cause, individual or family in need.

On the Secret Millionaire episode, Ferber is seen spending five days on Los Angeles's notorious Skid Row where he sought out people and organizations in need. He wound up writing checks totaling  $100,000 and donating many thousands of dollars worth of additional goods and services to help people in that severely distressed community. When you see how much his help meant to those people you can't help but wipe a tear or two from your own eyes and wonder what more you could be doing to make the world a better place for people who literally have nothing.

I first had the pleasure of meeting John during DNCruise last September and am looking forward to seeing again Thursday night (March 31, 2011) when he is graciously hosting a meeting of the South Florida Domainers Group at his Boynton Beach home. Everyone who has met him will tell you that  John is a truly nice guy. But he is much more than that. Though just 37 years old, he has already discovered a truth that most people never realize and he stated it succinctly in his final comment on the ABC show when he said, "If you want to feel good about yourself, go out and help somebody else." 

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The 2011 domain conference schedule continues to shape up with Oversee.net confirming the dates and location for DOMAINfest Europe today. The show will be held in Barcelona, Spain June 7-9, 2011 at the Pullman Barcelona Skipper Hotel. Sun worshippers will be happy

to know that the hotel is just 50 meters from the beach. Discounted rooms can be booked by downloading a special hotel reservation form here.

This will be the 2nd annual DOMAINfest Europe conference. The show, sponsored by Oversee's domain monetization unit, DomainSponsor, debuted last year with a successful outing in Prague that attracted over 200 attendees from two dozen different countries. 

The Pullman Barcelona Skipper Hotel (above)
will host DOMAINfest Europe in June. 

Online registration for DOMAINfest Europe will open on Friday, April 1, 2011. The discounted early bird registration rate will be $695 through April 30th with the price increasing to $795 May 1. Show organizers said the event will offer an an opportunity for publishers with direct navigation traffic, plus online marketers and domain-related service providers, to meet and discuss ways to analyze traffic, improve landing page designs and maximize revenue. Preliminary information on the conference agenda, networking activities, and sponsorship opportunities are available at http://domainfest.com. 

The show will also include a Moniker® Premium Domain that will be held at the Pullman Barcelona Skipper hotel on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 beginning at 4:00 pm Central European time (which is 10am U.S. EDT and 7am U.S. PDT). Bidders can participate online as well as in person. There will also be an extended online auction that will run until June 22 at 9pm CET. You can find details on both the live and extended auctions, including how to bid remotely, here. Sellers are encouraged to submit premium names for the auction now. Deadline for submission is April 29, 2011.

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As I write this (wondering how I am going to explain ripping off the opening to the Superman TV show from the 50's for that headline) Diana and I are settling in to watch the Florida Gators play BYU tonight as NCAA Basketball's March Madness continues with the Sweet 16. Tomorrow night we will be watching the Florida State Seminoles play Virginia Commonwealth in another regional semifinal. Our home state of Florida is one of four that has two teams still alive in the college classic (Virginia, North Carolina and Wisconsin are the others). 

With the country fixated on March Madness at this time each year, our friends at DomainConsultant.com came up with a great idea for a domain event that could ride on the basketball tournament's coattails. Domain Madness, which consists of a contest, a live domain auction and a Las Vegas conference/party all rolled into one debuted in 2009. In a few days the big event returns for a third go round that will run from March 29 to April 5.   

The contest offers a $1,000 cash prize to the person who has the best record of predicting which domains will sell the in the live auction (powered by Boxcar.com) 

that will be be aired live online from the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas starting a 4pm (U.S. Central time) on April 5th. You can get the official pool sheet here and review the contest rules here. The auction catalog is also online now so you can start making your picks (there may be a few late adds before the contest closes March 29th - the date when pre-bidding will begin). 

If you want to attend the event live you just need to send an RSVP note to the organizers (all details are on this page) by 5pm (U.S. Central time) on March 30th. Then just bring yourself and your laptop to the Palms where foods, drinks and fun will be served to everyone attending. 

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Even though DOMAINfest Global drew a record crowd this year, I know that many who would like to have been at the annual event held in Santa Monica, California Feb. 1-3, 2011 were 

unable to make the trip. If that is you  you can now see what you missed as a number of full-length videos have been posted at the DOMAINfest website. These also make it possible for those who were there to re-visit some of the show's key sessions to absorb more of the valuable advice shared by the speakers and panelists.

The videos include Oversee.net President and CEO Jeff Kupietzky's 

State of the Industry: 2011 and Beyond address, Eli Goodman's discussion of Internet Vital Signs, Jay Berkowitz's highly informative session on the Top Ten Steps to Building a Winning Website, a workshop that provided tips on Buying & Selling Domain Names, the Pitchfest Contest and many others. There is a lot of invaluable information in these videos and it is very nice that DOMAINfest is making them available to everyone at no charge.

Though the illness outbreak (something that was beyond the control of conference organizers) became the over-riding topic of discussion in the days after the show closed (discussion amplified by worldwide mainstream media coverage), the DOMAINfest Global team deserves credit for delivering another outstanding event. 

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Philip S. Corwin, the long time legal counsel for the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) and Founding Principal of Virtualaw LLC, has taken on an additional role with the well-known 

Washington, D.C. based firm Greenberg & Lieberman, LLC where noted domain attorney Stevan Lieberman has a thriving practice. Corwin has joined G&L in an Of Counsel capacity. 

Lieberman said, “We are delighted that Phil has chosen to forge a relationship with our firm. His long record of effective legislative and regulatory advocacy will allow us to better provide firm clients with the ability to influence critical policy decisions being made here in Washington. Phil is particularly well known for his past representation of innovative, cutting edge technology firms that raise novel intellectual property issues, including mp3.com and Sharman Networks (Kazaa). He has also doing an outstanding job serving as Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association, providing a voice for domain name investors and developers on Capitol Hill, as well as within ICANN."

Phil Corwin

Corwin said, "This association with Greenberg and Lieberman will provide my clients with the best possible representation regarding trademark and patent filings and prosecution, IP litigation, UDRP arbitrations, and Internet law matters, including registrar applications.  Additionally, the firm specializes in contracts, securities, US and international corporate formations, and other key business law functions.  No matter what their needs, our overall team will be able to provide a coordinated response of the highest quality.”

G&L Member Michael Greenberg added: “In addition to his Internet law and IP background, Phil also continues to represent some of the Nation’s major financial services trade groups. His lobbying expertise was recognized when he was chosen to serve as Chairman of the American Bar Association’s Section of Business Law Committee on Legislation. He also deals extensively with the media on clients’ behalf while helping to shape supportive public relations efforts in concert with clients’ communications specialists.”

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Ruddell has left Moniker and this week started promoting his second DNCruise conference scheduled for September. He is also involved in the ownership and development of ScienceFiction.com and said he hopes to continue brokering domains, which had been his primary job at Moniker. How much will his business interests be affected by the controversy now swirling around him? 

For the foreseeable future, Ruddell will be a controversial figure but he has built up a lot of good will among fans and friends who will continue to support him with the belief that everyone deserves a second chance. However he will also have to deal with a chorus of detractors who will continually throw this incident in his face at the slightest provocation. Everything he does will be under a microscope for some time.

I personally hope that he is up to the challenge, learns from this bad experience and wins his critics back over with his actions going forward. I do know that he is a good family man (I've seen it first hand - it's not a charade aimed at attracting sympathy during his current travails as some have charged) and I hope things work out for the best for him and his family as time goes on. We are all human and subject to making rash decisions and stupid mistakes and I think most people understand that. So, as bad as the heat in his kitchen is now, Ruddell's story could still have a happy ending. 

While common corporate human resources policy prevented Moniker from talking publicly about who was responsible for the breach there and how the employee was dealt with, they could talk about what they plan to do to shore up their WhoIs Privacy service. I think there is an opportunity for them here. Moniker has always been a favorite among domain investors, in no small part because their reputation for rock solid security was golden. I think that makes them the logical registrar to lead with a promise of providing the industry's most stringent security for those buying their WhoIs protection service. This experience shows them and others what needs to be done and looks to me like a rare chance to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and regain a lot of trust in the process.

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Sedo is offering a free webinar - 5 Steps to Sales Success - on Wednesday, March 30th at 2pm (U.S. Eastern time). The popular aftermarket venue said the session will show you how to take full advantage of Sedo's global marketplace. In addition to their top 5 tips for sales success, they will be covering how to better promote your domains to increase your chances of completing more sales in less time.

Sedo said step-by-step walk throughs illustrating the ins and outs of their platform will be provided along with an overview of the SedoMLS, the company's multiple listing service that allows you to get your names in front of visitors conducting domain searches at a number of registrars.   

The presentation is expected to run about 30 minutes, with time reserved at the end to answer questions from participants. Sedo said space for the webinar will be limited, so if you are interested in sitting in it would be a good idea to reserve your spot now. You can do that here.

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After a successful maiden voyage in 2010 DNCruise will return September 5-10, 2011 with a Caribbean voyage that will feature a special outing with legendary domainer Frank Schilling when the Carnival ship Inspiration docks near Frank's home in Grand Cayman. 

DNCruise Founder Patrick Ruddell (Chef Patrick) revealed plans for the event today. It will leave the port of Tampa (on Florida's Gulf Coast) on Monday, September 5, spend Tuesday (Sept. 6) at sea, then arrive in Grand Cayman on Wednesday morning, Sept. 7.  Ruddell said guests will disembark there to join Schilling for a three-hour boating/snorkeling tour that will be followed by a lunch where Frank will speak to the group.

The ship leaves Grand Cayman late Wednesday afternoon for the next leg of the cruise. It will arrive in Cozumel, Mexico on Thursday, Sept. 8 and 

spend the day there. Friday, Sept. 9 will be another day at sea as the Inspiration heads back to Tampa where it will arrive on Saturday morning, Sept. 10 (this year's cruise will be a day longer than last year's). 

Another highlight for 2011 will be a pair of game nights where over $3,000 worth of prizes, including a new Ipad 2, will be given away. The game nights, with drinks provided by sponsors, were one of the most popular events last year (you can see what guests had to say about the 2010 voyage in a series of video clips filmed during that cruise). 

DNCruise is already booking reservations and with Schilling's participation you can expect the rooms to  go quickly. Send an email to Zezura Ruddell - [email protected] - and she’ll get you started. Interior cabins without an ocean view start at $499 per person. Cabins with an ocean view start at $579 per person ((rates are based on two attendees per cabin. If you are traveling alone, DNCruise will pair you with another guest. Private rooms and suites are also available). The price includes all boarding fees, taxes, gratuities, room, food, many cocktails and the excursion with Frank. For more information, check out this FAQ page that answers the most frequently asked questions. 

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This has been a busy week with my usual editorial duties mixed in with relatives visiting from out of state and our daughter home on spring break from medical school. So, I wanted to use this bright and beautiful Friday in the Sunshine State to end the week with a round up of some industry news of interest. 

Let's start with major congratulations to Directi Co-Founder Bhavin Turakhia who has just been honored by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a 2011 Young Global Leader - one of just 190 rapidly rising entrepreneurs selected from 65 different countries for the prestigious honor. Bhavin was one of 12 honorees from India where Directi is based in Mumbai. 

The WEF said the program is designed to recognize outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

Bhavin and his brother Divyank founded Directi as teenagers in 1998 and have grown it into a powerhouse that is believed to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars (and one that is still growing at a rapid clip). Everyone in the domain industry is familiar with their multiple services including Skenzo, Big Jumbo, DomainAdvertising.com, Reseller Club and LogicBoxes among others. 

Bhavin Turakhia
Co-Founder, Directi

Now, the Root Orange people have come up with a new twist on their original domain-splitting idea. It is a new offering called GeoSkipper that is now in a private beta launch phase. The company says GeoSkipper is the world’s first plug-and-play tool

for website geo-targeting.  The service allows any website to tailor geo-targeted messaging, prices, deals, or just about any content on its site to a visitor's geographic location.

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Our latest monthly newsletter is currently being sent out to several thousand opt-in email subscribers (it is also available online here). This month we take a look into how the new local and regional domain meetings popping up around the U.S. (and beyond) are helping fuel further growth in the domain  

industry. We used the first Rocky Mountain Domain Conference that was held Feb. 26, 2011 in Denver as a prime example.

The growth of special interest domain meetings is also growing beyond the local/regional category. Successful gatherings have been held for IDN enthusiasts, developers and fans of specific TLDs, etc. I recently got word of another event planned for this summer that will be centered around (but not limited to) members of Donna Mahony's popular private domain forum - DomainBoardroom.com. 

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Name.com has long been one of the domain industry's most innovative registrars. The Denver based company has burnished that reputation by releasing a free new mobile phone app for Android (an iPhone version is also in the works). Name.com becomes one of only a few ICANN 

accredited registrars that offer domain registration apps and the world's first with mobile back ordering capability. The full service app also offers domain search, registration, privacy and DNS management. To encourage people to download the new app, for the next six months Name.com will be providing a year of free Whois privacy with each mobile registration. 

Owen Borseth, Name.com's Senior Software Engineer and lead developer on the app said, "We wanted our app to offer more than just registration and domain management features. Our domain name backorder service, Domain Nabber, is one of our most popular services, so it was a great addition." 

For those wondering why Name.com released an Android app before one for Apple's popular iPhone, Name.com Founder and CEO Bill  

Mushkin said, "We chose to develop an Android app first because it really spoke to the core of our open source roots and the fact that we have a large international customer base. With the Android operating system's rapid global growth, we can now reach customers whose primary access to the Internet is not their computer, but their mobile phone, and provide them with all the tools they need." Though they developed their Android app first, the company confirmed that an iPhone version is coming soon, as well as a fully optimized Name.com site for mobile phone users.

Mushkin founded Name.com in 2003 and, with more than 50 different domain extensions available for registration, it has since become one of the top registrars in the world with over 1 million domains under management.

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Domain Guardians will be an ICANN accredited registrar that will also provide domain estate planning and management services to domain professionals. The team will be launching the company and services at the upcoming ICANN Silicon Valley conference in San Francisco that will run March 13-18, 2011. 

As one of its key offerings, Domain Guardians has developed a program called Domain Legacy to technically and legally protect and manage domain assets in the event of a portfolio owner’s death or disability. This is a service that many have long wanted to see and now a credible team of trusted industry veterans will provide it. 

For more information on Domain Guardians, or to arrange a meeting with the team at ICANN, you can send an email to [email protected]. 

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Kilkenny Lodge - what will Rob Grant sell it for?

The building has over 4,200 square feet and features seven bedrooms, six baths, hardwood floors, wood paneling, massive stone fireplaces, a private study and library, and a spectacular 80-foot long porch that stretches along the entire length of the lodge. The property is situated on a very private 2.3 acre plot surrounded by woods and streams with magnificent views of the surrounding mountains.
At 690k (less than the price of a number of individual domain sales we have seen over the past year)  I could see any one of a number of domainer investors adding this property to their real world asset portfolio.

I have always been a fan of .orgs. They are highly trusted by web surfers and proper keywords for the extension are usually accompanied by a steady flow of traffic. That being the case, the continued rapid growth of the TLD comes as no surprise to me.  

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This new report that legionella bacteria was found at the Mansion has spurred other state and local health departments to start contacting people in their areas who fell ill after returning home from Los Angeles. This afternoon, a representative from the Florida Department of Health called my wife, Diana, who was among those who fell ill (I did not). He wanted to know all of the details about what happened in L.A., the symptoms she experienced and the treatment her doctor prescribed for her. Like many, Diana was given antibiotics and she quickly improved after going on them (antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections - not viral like the flu). Clearly, public officials throughout the U.S. are taking this very seriously and more answers should be forthcoming soon as additional test results come in.

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