National Advertisers Say ICANN Preparations for New gTLD Rollout "Woefully Inadequate" - Claims Global Brands and Consumers Will Be Put at Risk 

The letter said, "Name Collision is a major concern for global brands and consumers as ICANN prepares to roll out more than 1,000 new web site suffixes or top level domains (such as .hotel, .buy and .bank). ICANN’s preparations for this deployment have been woefully inadequate." ANA noted that the organization has long expressed concerns about what it called "ICANN’s rush to deploy these domains."

	The letter noted, "ICANN itself has recently raised red flags that it may not fully know the true ramifications of a roll-out of new TLDs by stating that as many as 20% of all of the proposed TLDs present a large potential risk for name collision.  A recent third-party report commissioned by ICANN admits that the chance of clashes is significantly larger than ICANN initially suggested. The report readily admits that the data only counted the number (and not the types) of potential name clashes, which means ICANN has virtually no data to determine whether delegating new TLDs could
interrupt important public safety communications, government web traffic, e-commerce applications, internal corporate communications or just casual web traffic."

On Tuesday (August 27), ANA sent a letter to ICANN strongly expressing its concerns and the organization said its member companies are working to determine if clash issues are present within their networks. Today's letter added, "These issues are highly technical, complex, and they will take more time than ICANN has allowed for a thorough assessment. It is extremely disappointing that ICANN is forcing companies to rush to conduct this analysis when ICANN has been aware of clash issues since 2009."

The ANA letter concluded, "ICANN’s failure to determine adequately the extent of the problem means that many companies are only now learning about these clash issues on the eve of the planned new TLD deployment. ANA is calling on ICANN to fulfill its mission to maintain Internet security and stability in the public interest and postpone the rollout until the full extent of name collisions can be determined." ICANN has not yet publicly responded to the letter's claims.

(Posted August 28, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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Jodi's Journey: A Hair Razing Experience in Spain & A Trip to Africa Showed Ms.  Chamberlain How the Water School Changes Lives (Including Her Own)

This past April veteran domain conference promoter and event coordinator Jodi Chamberlain raised more the $35,000 for The Water School by allowing her head to be shaved in return for donations to the charitable organization known far and wide for providing an inexpensive but efficient disease eradicating 

water purification solution to local residents in developing nations. As it happens, Jodi's brave and generous gesture during the 2013 Domaining Spain conference in Valencia would be just the first step in what would be a journey that has covered thousands of miles and three continents. 

Less than three months after her heroic "haircut" Jodi found herself in Africa, getting a first hand look at the Water School's life saving work there. Now that she is back at her home in upstate New York and has had some time to reflect, I wanted to get her thoughts on what she experienced in that momentous three-month span and how it affected her view of the world. "It is life changing," Jodi declared. " A trip like this helps your mind focus on other things so when you come back into your own reality, it seems as though you have less baggage, less really to be concerned about. It helped me simplify many things within my life, my business, and within my vivacious spirit!"  Looking back to how this all started with a pair of hair clippers wielded by Escrow.com's Andee Hill, Jodi said, "I admit, the idea of shaving my head was a little crazy however I can't hide the fact that once the idea crossed my mind (it was so daring, so far out

Jodi Chamberlain having her head shaved by  Andee Hill in Spain (April 2013) to raise money  for The Water School.

there) I actually started to get excited for the journey! And it was right there, when I had this (wacky) idea to shave my head, that I could see myself in Africa in photos with children, sporting a new fancy hair do! It was an immediate knowing that traveling to Africa had to be part of the adventure!"

Jodi continued, "Tessa Holcomb, CEO of Igloo.com, learned I wanted to travel to Africa and quickly reached out to sponsor the trip. Tessa climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2010 and explained her experiences in Africa changed her in so many positive ways. This was a perfect way for her organization to contribute to the Water School program and now that I've been to Africa and back, now I know why she wanted to be the one to sponsor the trip. Going to Africa gave me clarity, its allowed me to see things differently, which will help the program in so many ways (even after the Water Shave project)."

Jodi Chamberlain makes some new friends in Africa

"The Water School program is implemented by many in the rural areas of Kenya and Uganda," Jodi noted. " I saw this immediately and was quite happy to learn of its expansion from the ground level. Government health officials, churches & communities are all using the Water School program. I was honored to meet those individuals who actually use the program in their daily lives."

As you would expect, Jodi brought home many great memories and experiences from her journey. When asked if any one in particular stood out she said, "Well, a new baby girl was named after me! Afterward when I learned that Gregg McNair (the PPX International Chairman who has tirelessly worked to win domain industry support for the Water School) had three boys named after him! (yes, thanks for trying to steal my spot light mate!) my excitement was mainly centered around the Water School team, the people who report to the office Monday through Friday," Jodi said.

Gregg McNair and Jodi Chamberlain got a first hand view 
of The Water School's good work in Africa.

"The program has 13 full time employees. They all have an area (project) in Uganda they look after and when they're not in the field they operate from the office. Let's just say when the Water School is asked to go into an area that has been affected by disease, they're the ones who go into the battle field. Meeting the 'soldiers' and spending quality time with them was wonderful. It was truly inspiring. I laughed, cried, prayed, danced, and felt more appreciation then I've ever have in my entire life! They're a unique group of compassionate people who are living their truths," Jodi said.

 

While Jodi would seem to have left no stone unturned in supporting the Water School’s work, it seems she is just getting warmed up. " I keep thinking about bringing small groups over to Africa. Groups of 5-7 people - it's the perfect size to give everyone that 'hands on' experience," Jodi said. " It would change most who come along and boost the Water School program at the same time. I would love to travel to Africa every year (particularly in July). Its the perfect time of the year plus the famous migration takes place in the Masai Mara, which would make for a wonderful excursion within a group trip" "Another idea is a yearly dinner event," Jodi continued. " For some reason I keep seeing a classy dining room filled with husbands and wives who are dressed to a 'T' - it's a gala type dinner for all donors of the Water School program. A celebration dinner for them! And at the same time

another great way to raise awareness/funds for the organization. So as you can see I'm back in the 'ideas' phase once again. And I know whatever I bring to the board of directors they'll listen and with their support we'll be able to do something special, something that will not only change lives but save them too!," Jodi concluded.

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After Debuting With a Bestseller Author & Domain Pioneer Marc Ostrofsky Returns With Word of Mouse September 10th

Domain industry pioneer and author Marc Ostrofsky hit a home run with his first book - Get Rich Click! - that hit the New York Times Best Sellers List not long after its May 2011 release. With a clear demand for his Internet  advice and expertise firmly established, his publisher, Simon & Schuster, was soon calling for more. So, Ostrofsky went back to the keyboard and the fruits of his labor over the past two years will hit the bookshelves September 10, 2013 when his follow-up,  Word of Mouse, will be released (if you don't want to stand in line, you can pre-order a copy here). 

Sub-titled 101+ Trends in How we Buy, Sell, Live, Learn, Work and Play!, Word of Mouse will provide the  successful serial entrepreneur's advice to consumers and marketers who want to better understand how to leverage technology. Ostrofsky, well-known for selling Business.com in a $7.5 million transaction, has a knack for demystifying and simplifying all things tech as he covers topics ranging from “recommerce” (reselling goods online) and smartphone apps to smart whiteboards for e-learning. 

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The Beat Goes On: Email.biz Offers Free Original Music Downloads to Attract New Users

This past spring I told you about Indian entrepreneur Anshul Goyal signing Bollywood movie star Yaana Gupta to serve as the spokesperson for his innovative email service at Email.biz. The young software magnate is continuing to mine pop culture for new ways to connect with Email.biz prospects. 

Goyal's latest gambit is offering free music downloads from the Email.biz home page. Not just any old download either - Goyal actually commissioned the recording of an original song, an irresistible dance tune called "Party Girl", to kick off the offering. 

As a former radio DJ I can tell you this English language song, produced by India's Flying Dream Entertainment and 

Anshul Goyal
Email.biz Founder

featuring music director Dushhant, singer Shiv Ranjani and rapper Tienas, sounds like it could be a major hit if stations tested it to see how their audiences react.

"Party Girl" was clearly an expensive production as Goyal continues to invest more in promoting any company I've seen based on a .biz domain to date (Goyal talked about his affection for the extension in a Lowdown item I posted last December).

	Since then the service has expanded its inventory of domains that people can choose an address from to more than 22,000. Email.biz offers both free accounts (with 10GB of storage space) and premium accounts (at $8 a year).
The latter category is for addresses tied to some of the company's premier domains (including several one and two letter domains.)

Registered users can create an email address incorporating their name, company’s name or their nickname with the domain name they select. The service's users can also check mail from all of their accounts at other services from within their Email.biz account, making it a one stop solution.  

(Posted August 21, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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DomainState Forum Expands Offerings With New Domain Industry Directory and Special Section Dedicated to Registrar Stats 

If you have been in the domain industry for any length of time you are no doubt aware of the DomainState.com forum. DomainState was one of the first online gathering places for 

people interested in the domain business. It was founded by three former moderators from DNForum.com who operated it until January of 2010 when they sold the forum to Trellian, a well-known domain services provider whose offerings include the popular registrar, domain monetization and sales marketplace Above.com.  

DomainState just added two very useful new features to their site. One is a comprehensive Domain Industry Directory that names and provides links to just about every key industry service and information source you can imagine. The listings cover everything from domain appraisals to brokers to development services and domain blogs. The 19 categories also include domain financing, legal services, monetization companies and software tools (and I've still mentioned less than half of the categories you will find there). The directory will obviously be a Godsend for newcomers but even industry veterans will find it a handy place to quickly look up a needed service or source of information. 

(Posted August 20, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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Veteran Domainer Steven Newman Takes the Development Plunge With Promising New Site at SportsPicks.com

As a means of diversification I've always thought that it was a good idea for domain investors to try their hand at developing at least one website on a topic they are passionate about. Development is neither easy nor inexpensive but you learn a lot in the process and if you can build one hit site it can end up being a bigger revenue producer than all of your undeveloped domain names put together.

Veteran domain investor Steven Newman, who is based in Houston, Texas, has just branched out in that direction and his newly launched SportsPicks.com website has the look of a winner. Everything from its eye pleasing interface to its $1 million football predictions contest gives one the feeling that Newman is on the right track.

Newman's venture began when he acquired the SportsPicks.com domain name in a NameJet auction for $25,660. He knew what he wanted to do with the domain from the start. After an old high school buddy went off to college the friend set up and ran a sports handicapping site for several years to supplement his income. The friend  moved on to other endeavors but with the perfect category defining domain name to work with, Newman called him and asked if he wanted to get back into that business.  

Newman told us, "We realized that we needed additional money in order to do the things we wanted to do like run contests where we could offer a chance to win a million dollars with guaranteed weekly and grand prizes for the

Steven Newman
SportsPicks.com Co-Founder 

winner. So, we brought in outside investors who have enabled us to do these things. We have placed full page ads in several magazines and plan to run campaigns on a few websites in the weeks to come."

Like many before him, Newman had issues with a third party development company he had hired to build the site. When they failed to deliver he found a new, reliable developer to work with and they  custom designed and built the site from the ground up. Most of the site's revenue will come from annual $29.95 subscriptions that give subscribers access to the site's sports picks and articles. 

I don't know what the odds are that SportsPicks.com will be a home run for Newman but at least he is swinging the bat and that is only way anyone will ever knock one out of the park. 

(Posted August 19, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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POP.CO Promises to Put Businesses Online Instantly + Endurance International and Donuts.co Add Veteran Industry Executives to Their Leadership Teams

To continue bringing you up to date on some of the interesting industry news that came in while I was on vacation this past week, The .CO registry announced the beta release of POP.CO, a new platform to almost instantly put a business or idea online. The company says "In less than a minute you can be set up with a sleek site, a custom email powered by Google Apps, and a .CO domain name that ties it all together."  

You can try out POP.CO in a 15-day free trial then if you decide to like it, you can subscribe for $5 per user per month – and cancel at any time. For more information on the service, check out .CO Registry CEO Juan Diego Calle's blog post about the new offering.  

In a related note, a career and lifestyle blog for your professionals, Brazen Life, published a very interesting piece while I was away in which .CO Vice President Lori Anne Wardi wrote about the twists and turns that led to her current position in the domain industry where she had won many friends and admirers. Be sure to check out How a Burned-Out Lawyer Quit Her Job and Discovered Her Dream Career for a really good read. 

(Posted August 1 6, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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How CBS-TV Got UnderTheDome.com For a Bargain Price Just Before the Top Rated TV Show Went Public

I you have been watching TV this summer you probably know all about CBS-TV's hit series Under The Dome (based on the Stephen King novel of the same name). It has been the top-rated show on TV since the first episode aired in June and has already been renewed for a second season in 2014. What you might not have known is how CBS got the UnderTheDome.com domain name for a bargain price just a few weeks before promotion for the show hit the airwaves.

I got the story this afternoon when a reporter for the Arkansas Democrat newspaper in Little Rock contacted me for some background on how domain negotiations work. Reporter Faiz Siddiqui explained that a former Arkansas legislator was the previous owner of UnderTheDome.com, a domain he used for several years as a blog about political issues. Siddiqui said that in January the legislator was contacted by a company  that said they were based in Staten Island, New York and were interested in buying the domain name for $2,000. After going back and forth briefly, the legislator agreed to sell the domain for $7,800. Soon after the sale was done he saw the domain being used on national TV by CBS which came as a big surprise to him as he didn't know the network was behind the domain inquiry.

Image from Bigstock

The newspaper reporter wanted to know if there was something fishy about a big corporation hiding their identity when trying to buy a domain like this. I noted that it is actually par for the course as most corporations know that sellers will likely ask for more (often much more) if they know the inquiry is coming from someone with deep pockets. You can bet CBS would have paid a good bit more for that domain if they had to, so anonymity saved them a good bit of money - and likewise resulted in the previous owner leaving some cash on the table. In the cat and mouse game of negotiating, it can be a big advantage to know who is on the other side of the table. 

(Posted August 16, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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Sedo Issues Its Domain Market Study for 2Q-2013 & Their Own Financial Results + Does Chicago.com Have a New Owner or Just a New Investor?

I've been away on vacation so in the Lowdown posts today and tomorrow I'll bring you up to date on some of the news and information that came in while I was away. For starters, 

Sedo has released their latest quarterly domain market study covering 2Q-2013 and for the first time the Sedo study is presented as an infographic rather than in the usual text format they have used since they started issuing these reports in 2004. 

Sedo reported closing over 9,500 sales to buyers in 160 different countries in the second quarter with an average sales price of $1,830. The median price for their sales (the point at which half of all sales were higher and half were lower) was $551. 

In a related note, Sedo Holding AG also issued their earnings report for the first half of 2013.  Sedo reported revenue growth of 5.9% (in line with its forecast) with total group revenue rising from  €66.6 million in the same period a year ago to €70.5 million this year. Sedo said the growth was especially driven by the Affiliate Marketing segment, adding that the Domain Marketing segment (including domain monetization) remained confronted by the challenges of a contracting market and strong competition from price-aggressive providers.

In another interesting story while I was away, geodomain giant Dan Pulcrano, in an article  he wrote for SV411.com, said that the Chicago Sun Times had purchased Chicago.com - though the company has not publicly confirmed that yet.
The point man for Chicago.com's long time ownership group - Josh Metnick - hasn't confirmed a sale either and as Andrew Allemann reported at DomainNameWire Wednesday, Metnick is still listed as the registered agent and President of the company shown in the WhoIs record as the Chicago.com owner. So, it is possible that the Sun Times involvement may be an investment/marketing agreement rather than an outright purchase of one of the world's premier geodomains.

(Posted August 15, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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Editor's Note: I will be on vacation August 8-12. Will be back with you Tuesday, Aug. 13 with the next Lowdown post.

T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Announces New Miami Beach Venue for 2014 and Hints of a New Conference Role for DNForum Owner Adam Dicker 

T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s traditional fall show in Florida will end a three-year run at the Ritz Carlton on Fort Lauderdale Beach with the next show that opens there October 20, 2013. This morning, show co-founder Rick Schwartz announced that beginning in the fall of 2014, T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s 

eastern show will move to the historic Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach (it will follow the western show, that will return to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas in late spring 2014).

If you read Rick's blog you know that he has become increasingly bullish on the prospects for the domain business over the next few years (in a post Monday he predicted "the next 3 years are going to be fantastic.)"  That view apparently played a role in the decision to move the Florida show to the Fontainebleau for at least the next two years. In a letter to those on the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. mailing list this morning Schwartz said the new

venue will allow the conference to "handle the volume and size of what is coming," and added "T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is setting the stage for great expansion that is coming to the Domain Industry." 

A couple of other notes today. If you enjoyed our current Cover Story on how Bill Karamouzis plans to change the world with a big Idea and a bold domain buy (MathGames.com at $725,000), you might want to check out an excellent video interview with Bill that Michael Cyger has just posted at DomainSherpa.com. 

...and, in a follow-up to another recent DN Journal story, our coverage of domain attorney/entrepreneur Ari Goldberger's Hollywood worthy bar mitzvah for his son Josh in June, there is a great video recap of the event now available on YouTube that manages to boil the entire  extravaganza down to less than four minutes of non-stop highlights.

(Posted August 6, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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Bill Karamouzis Buys MathGames.com for $725,000 to Launch His Groundbreaking  New Company TeachMe, Inc.

In our latest Cover Story that was published just minutes ago, Bill Karamouzis revealed that he paid $725,000 to acquire MathGames.com to use for a new website that is the first offering from his revolutionary new children's education company TeachMe, Inc. 

Karamouzis was first profiled in our March 2010 Cover Story after he shocked followers of the domain aftermarket by paying $350,000 for CookingGames.com. Many thought he was crazy to pay so much - and he was - crazy like a fox.  As an experienced and very successful developer of Internet games, Karamouzis knew something no one else did - that CookingGames.com could provide the foundation for a very successful website. That is exactly what he turned it into as he grew his company, Hallpass Media, into such a powerhouse that within a year gaming giant MindJolt came along and bought the entire company.

Bill Karamouzis, Co-Founder
TeachMe/MathGames

With his latest startup, TeachMe, Inc., Karamouzis is now aiming to do something much bigger. With  Math Games and TeachMe.com (a name he acquired for just $50,000) and a new partner, fellow internet gaming pioneer Rhys Jones, the new company believes it can completely revolutionize children's education. If it works it would be the home run of all home runs for the Canadian domain developer. You can read exactly  why he thinks he can do it here: 
How Bill Karamouzis Plans to Change the World With a Big Idea and a Bold Domain Buy.

As for the MathGames.com purchase - that will be charted in our next weekly domain sales report Wednesday (August 6) when it will also be added to our Year to Date Top 100 Sales Chart. It will enter that elite list as the 2nd biggest sale reported so far in 2013, trailing only 114.com, a name that sold for $2.1 million earlier this month. With MathGames.com, the domain aftermarket will also log its 7th consecutive week with at least one six-figure (or higher) sale reported.  

(Posted August 1, 2013) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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