Where Did We Come From and Where Are We Now? Outstanding Review of  Domain Industry History Has the Illuminating Answers

When people talk about when the domain industry began the conversation usually starts from what would seem to be the obvious place - the creation of the Domain Name System (DNS) from an idea born in 1983. But the story actually starts years before that - many years in fact - all the way back to 1958 when then U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to spearhead research and development projects to extend the boundaries of technology and science, beyond immediate military needs. 

The evolution of that process led directly to the creation of the DNS with groundbreaking interim steps along the way including the launch of ARPANET in 1969, the sending of the first email in 1971, a 1981 paper proposing the creation of "Internet Domain Names" and ARPANET's switch over to TCP/IP in January 1983. An outstanding new Domain Name Industry History, published by Simone Catania, the Global Content & Communications Manager at InterNetX, details all of that early history but also continues the story right through to the point we are at today (a robust "future" that the original pioneers almost certainly could never have imagined).

It is an excellent reference that puts all of the key information in one convenient place that you will likely find yourself returning to over and over again. It will tell you what the original six TLDs, created at the end of 1984, were, what the first domain name ever created in January 1985 was (as well as the rest of the first ten, including the first .com domain in March 1985). There is also the first ccTLD (.US), when domain registrations were first made available to the public...and right on through just about every major development since then, including the new gTLD program that has pushed the number of TLDs available today past the 1,500 mark.

Author Simone Catania provided this list of some highlights from the article:

• In-depth analysis: A thorough exploration of the domain name industry's history, covering nearly 40 years of innovation, technological breakthroughs, and the emergence of domain names as fundamental to branding in the 21st century.
  

• Pioneer Profiles: Descriptions of Internet pioneers such as Paul Mockapetris and Jon Postel, among others, whose contributions laid the groundwork for our industry.
  

• Fascinating Facts & Figures: From the first .com registered domains to the highest domain sales, this article contains data and statistics that outline the industry's evolution.
  

• Links to other resources: Navigate through the critical events and milestones with embedded links designed to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the domain industry's rich history.

Better yet, all of that is free of charge to anyone who wants to learn more about this amazing industry so many of us have found a home in today. It's a link I think you'll want to keep close at hand: https://snapshot.internetx.com/en/domain-name-industry-history-facts-figures/

(Posted June 25, 2024) To refer others to the post above only (and not the full Lowdown column) you can use this URL:
https://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2024/dailyposts/0625.htm

*****

Can the ICA Top Themselves at 2025 Annual Meeting in January? With Dates Now Set We'll Know Soon

The Internet Commerce Association (ICA) has set the dates for their 2025 Annual Member Meeting in Las Vegas. It will be happening January 26-28 and will most likely return to Resorts World on the Strip where the very well received 2024 meeting was held. Final details on the venue are being nailed down now and are expected to be finalized within the next few days. As soon as that happens, tickets will go on sale. 

The annual meeting staged by the non-profit organization that fights to protect domain owner's rights has become a can't miss event.  The ICA has created a unique experience by focusing on social activity designed to create and strengthen relationships and taking a different approach to business sessions.

The latter are typically presented in one of two ways. In one, rather than have an expert interviewed on stage followed by a few minutes (at most) to ask questions at the end, the queries take precedence in a casual Ask Me

Anything (AMA) oriented format. Those questions often result in two-way traffic with the expert asking the audience member what their opinion is. ICA attendees are almost all industry professionals who have valuable knowledge and experience of their own to share.

Paul Nicks (GoDaddy VP, Domain Investors) in an AMA at the 2024 ICA Annual Meeting

The other format you can expect to see are expert roundtables that allow attendees to move from one table to another as their interests dictate, with each table devoted to a different service or topic. Again, you are encouraged to ask questions. The idea is to make sure attendees are able glean the information they want to get directly from leaders in the field.

One of the many popular expert roundtables at the 2024 ICA Annual Meeting

The January meeting will open with an optional social event Sunday evening, January 26. The first "business" day, Monday, January 27, will actually be devoted primarily to social activity, with a variety of events to choose from. 

Above: One of the many social outings members at the 2024 ICA Annual Meeting had to choose from was a hike through the magnificent Red Rock Canyon just west of Las Vegas.

This will give you a general idea of what the ICA and its members are all about. We hope you will join in Las Vegas in January. If you are not already and ICA member this would be a great time to join!

(Posted June 21, 2024) To refer others to the post above only (and not the full Lowdown column) you can use this URL:
https://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2024/dailyposts/0621.htm

*****

NamesCon/ROTD Domain Auction & GoDaddy Q2 Premium Auction Heading Into Home Stretch  

While the 2024 NamesCon Global conference ended June 8, the annual live and online domain auction that Right Of The Dot runs in association with NamesCon is just wrapping today (Tuesday, June 18). Starting at 2PM US Eastern Standard Time (1PM Central), the remaining lots in the timed auction will be closing in 30-second intervals. 38 new lots have been added since the close of the live auction (held at NamesCon Global in Austin June 6) with a total of 563 total lots still available. Those include Tatiana.com, Abbie.com, DirectSales.com, FlightLesson.com, RemoteAcess.com and HeadHunters.org to name just a few.

People that missed the live auction can still participate in the online event by going to bid.rotd.com (anyone who registered online for the live auction is automatically registered for the timed auction). A downloadable .csv file of the current catalog is available here. Heading into the close, total revenue from the live/online events is just under $700,000 with a 48% sell-through rate. At the live auction the top sales were GNP.com at $140,000, Atlanta.org at $70,000, FEF.com at $50,000, PortAransas.com at $42,000 and Pharmacy.net at $30,000.

Another major online event, the GoDaddy 2Q Namefind Premium Domain Auction, is also nearing its conclusion but this one won't end until Thursday afternoon June 20 (US Eastern time). Approximately 400 no reserve domains were put on the block for the GoDaddy sale.

Image from Bigstock

On a related note, while NamesCon Global just ended, conference organizers said the dates and location for the 2025 show will be announced soon. Meanwhile, we've already gotten the dates for the 2025 Nordic Domain Days event in Stockholm, Sweden. It will be held April 27-29, 2025. Photos & highlights from this year's NDD event, held last month, are here.

(Posted June 18, 2024) To refer others to the post above only (and not the full Lowdown column) you can use this URL:
https://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2024/dailyposts/0618.htm

*****

NamesCon Global 2024 Sent Guests Home with Priceless Connections and Invaluable Information

We're back from Austin, Texas where the 2024 NamesCon Global conference wrapped up an energizing four-day run Saturday (June 8). The event got underway Wednesday (June 4) at the downtown Omni Hotel where business sessions were held over the next three days, followed by a farewell Fun Day  held at Pelons Tex-Mex restaurant Saturday. 

We shot hundreds of photos at the dozens of business sessions and social events held throughout the week and are now putting together a comprehensive start to finish review of the domain industry's biggest annual event for you.  Update: That review has now been published as our latest Cover Story.

With that massive undertaking on the front burner, we will be moving our bi-weekly domain sales report back a couple of days this week only. Instead of coming out Wednesday evening we will release that report Friday evening (June 14).

Going into the conference, I had told you that I was especially looking forward to doing three highly anticipated interviews in the Keynote Hall on opening day (Wednesday, June 5). Each featured a superstar domain broker/consultant who has not only rang up hundreds of millions of dollars worth of sales but also helped take the industry to new heights through their innovative contributions to the business.  Clockwise from top left in the photo below, those conversations featured Hilco Digital Assets Managing Director Andrew Miller, Evergreen.com Founder Jen Sale and MediaOptions.com Founder Andrew Rosener.

As I expected, each of those sessions was a special event that provided the audience with invaluable information and extraordinary insight into how some of the most successful people in the industry have put together the amazing track records they have now. It was also a special  treat for all of us to see Jen Sale in person again. Jen is based in Australia and this was the first time in seven years that she has been back in the States for a live event. 

There were so many more highlights I'm looking forward to sharing with you, so I am going to get back to work on those right now!

(Posted June 10, 2024) To refer others to the post above only (and not the full Lowdown column) you can use this URL:
https://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2024/dailyposts/0610.htm

*****

With NamesCon Global in Town Austin Will Be the Domain Capital of the World This Week

It's Showtime - and we're off to Austin, Texas to participate in and cover the 2024 NamesCon Global conference that will run Wednesday thorough Saturday (June 5-8) at the downtown Omni Hotel (also the site for last year's big show). Conference organizers have assembled an outstanding agenda for this year's event that will attract domain professionals from around the world. 

As I previously noted, opening day Wednesday will be an especially exciting one for me as I will be doing three separate interviews that will feature a trio of the most successful domain brokers in industry history. First up will be Hilco Digital's Andrew Miller (the subject of our current Cover Story), then Evergreen.com's fascinating Founder Jen Sale in back to back morning sessions that would be a great way to start anyone's day (especially since Jen is going

to share some tips on how to have not just a great day - but a better life)! After the lunch break, I'm looking forward to sitting down again with MediaOptions Founder Andrew Rosener. The last time we had a long talk it was a private conversation that went on for three hours and led to our widely read May 2023 Cover Story. 

In between those sessions and throughout the remainder of the week I'll be constantly on the move gathering as many photos and as much information as possible from all of the other business sessions and social events, so I can produce a comprehensive show review for you that we expect to publish early next week. Since activity at NamesCon Global runs day and night, I don't expect to be posting here while the conference is underway. Speakers and participants are traveling long distances at considerable expense to make NamesCon the invaluable event that it is, so I want to stay in the middle of the action to make sure we can include as much of it as possible in our final account of the industry's biggest annual event. 

(Posted June 3, 2024) To refer others to the post above only (and not the full Lowdown column) you can use this URL:
https://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2024/dailyposts/0603.htm

*****