Friday, April 29, 2011
Why is one domain name more valuable than another?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Media Corporation Sells Gambling.com To Unnamed UK Company For $2.5 Million
Sedo will announce shortly that it has sold the most expensive domain name of this year so far in its third biggest public sale ever handled behind sex.com ($13 million) and vodka.com ($3 million). The company has brokered the sale of gambling.com for $2.5 million in cash.
UK-based Media Corpporation sold the domain to an unnamed company also based in the United Kingdom for £1.5 million in cash. According to the seller, the transaction formally completed on 27 April, with the receipt of funds and transfer of the domain name.
The company says it’s ‘pleased’ with the price, although Media Corp apparently paid $20 million for the domain name back in 2005.
Justin Drummond, CEO of Media Corporation, commented:
“The sale of Gambling.com brings a significant boost to the Group’s already substantial cash reserves; we have recently seen a number of exciting acquisition opportunities in the online gaming and online advertising space. The successful sale of www.gambling.com has given the Group more than adequate financial resources to pursue these acquisition opportunities aggressively.”
The identity of the new owner isn’t known, but Sedo says the company will be well placed to capitalize on the benefits of such a memorable keyword domain considering the health of the online gambling market in the UK.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
MyRomeItaly.com on Sedo. Make me an offer, I just may accept it. #Rome #Italy #domain names
http://tinyurl.com/64zhehu
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
MyRomeItaly.com
TheRomeItaly.com
TheRome.net
RomaItalia.org
And many other Rome travel names available on Sedo. Here is a link to one and you can scroll through the "Other names I have at Sedo" list to see the rest. If you wish to make a direct offer instead of Sedo just email me.
https://sedo.com/search/details.php4?domain=myromeitaly.com&edit=1
OPEN Forum Clued In On Buying Multiple Domain Names for Business
Are you listening business owners? Great read on the importance of owning your brand.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
VisitMemphisTennessee.com Ebay sale Only hr left No reserve
Monday, April 11, 2011
Twitter Kings of Memphis describe their secret to success
Twitter Kings of Memphis describe their secret to success
Posted: Apr 11, 2011 12:57 PM CDT Updated: Apr 11, 2011 10:00 PM CDT
My big day on TV
Wow, never thought I would be able to say that! Very very cool. Just shows you how important Social Media is becoming. Join me on Twitter if you like, at http://Twitter.com/howard74 also Facebook at http://Facebook.com/howard74 I would be honored. Thanks
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Memphis kings of Twitter
www.Twitter.com/howard74
Have you ever tried to explain domains to someone else? Can you do it in two minutes?
Why $10,000 For A Domain Name Is Still Cheap Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-10000-for-a-domain-name-is-still-cheap-2011-4#ixzz1J3X1vcS
BY Alan Dunn
Domain names are now an integral part of any business. Whether the use is primarily for email, a company website, or part of a marketing campaign anyone starting a business must secure a domain name.
The difference between a domain name and other marketing expenses however is you are acquiring a presence which help future customers define you, not leasing one.
Owning a premium domain has become expensive with the average price of a domain name hovering around anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000 however how expensive is this?
If one were to compare the price of almost anything compared to its original cost could we not classify everything as expensive. A $3 bottled water costs how much to produce? Or a $300 pair of designer sunglasses which probably cost less than a mocha to manufacture?
The argument about why domains command so much value simply breeds from a lack of understanding about the value of the underlying asset, and possibly some jealousy. If your grandmother purchased a piece of oceanfront property 10 years ago for $100,000 and today it’s worth $500,000 would you question the value of the property? No, because real estate has a tangible, acceptable value in our heads. Domain names are property and although many of them are owned by astute investors who saw the future value of these assets and simply monetize them by serving ads (instead of adding value) the majority of these investors should never be criticized or defined as squatters but smart people who were in the right place at the right time.
Somebody has your name and they are squatting on it?
Unless you have a trademark on the domain or someone is intentionally capitalizing on monetizing a typo of your trademark no one really is a squatter in the domain name industry. What’s even more interesting is for those people who complain that “somebody has their name,” but lack a trademark or other legal form of similar use, is almost the equivalent to saying that your grandmother owns my dream home except now they are inferring that your grandmother is this evil natured women and not a smart investor. Real estate ownership is acceptable by public opinion and so should be domain name investing.
Of course, ask anyone around the domain name industry and no one will deny there is a certain segment who does traffic in trademark names or try to sell domains far above what any reasonable value the domain has but isn’t every legitimate industry also home to some people who practice the shady areas of business. The used car market, jewelry business, financial trading and pretty much every industry I can think of has their share of reputable dealers and non-reputable ones. The trick is to find trustworthy people to deal with and assets at a fair value to you and your business plan.
How much is a domain name worth?
Realistically a domain name can be worth any amount but most domain names sell for around $5,000 to $20,000 – premium domains, category killers and short domains however can easily command $100,000 or millions depending on a wide number of reasons. But let’s not talk about the value of individual domains per say but how a domain name compares to the cost and value of traditional media. Let’s put a $10,000 domain in perspective to traditional media.
Billboard Advertising
Billboard Advertising is some of the most expensive advertising around. In New York City, for example, a rotary bulletin can cost you anywhere from $35,000 to over $600,000 a WEEK according to Clear Channel’s online rate card.
Mobile Advertising
You know that advertising billboard which is essentially carried around on the back of a truck and drives around all day? $20,000 a month if you want to advertise in the Atlanta Market (although fuel cost is included)
Radio Advertising
Even radio ads can cost around $200 average per spot and you need at least a handful a day to make any dent in attracting business... total monthly estimated cost $30,000 or more.
Now the question is what do you own after the 30 day period for the traditional media sources above?
Nothing.
If you spend $10,000 on a domain name your only future expenses are the $8 a year in registration fees - not even $8 a month … actually less than $1 a month.
Of course there are other expenses such as building a website and SEO but all of these expenses are costs which go directly to building value to something you own – not airtime or billboard space you are leasing!
There are also intangible factors like authority which domain names have that traditional media can never compare to. Imagine owning a domain like govote.com or compareautoinsurance.com – Domains like these are intuitive by description and define your role as an authority on the subject and domains like this are commonly available instead of spending millions of dollars on the super premiums like vote.com or autoinsurance.com
Many domains can command $1,000,000 or more even in a fire sale however the amount of great domains still available at cost well below annual traditional media cost for only a SINGLE portion of your overall marketing plan is practically unlimited.
The real question is not how much a domain name costs but how much value the right domain name can bring to your business.
Take a look at your marketing budget and see what $10,000 buys you. Not a whole lot after all – well, at least anything you can own for eternity at a one-time cost.
Those interested in learning about domain names should start by visiting places like Domaining.com, DNJournal.com, DomainNameWire, theDomains.com or ElliotsBlog.com to understand the very active domain name marketplace that exists and why every day your dream domain is getting closer to being gone for good.
Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART]
Via Mashable.com
If there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that tweeters love a good laugh. It’s no surprise then that the annual worldwide Prank-a-Palooza — April Fool’s Day — was top-of-mind in the Twitterverse this past week, and came in at number one on our chart. No doubt the antics of our favorite tech companies fueled the buzz, though Twitter users shared their own prank ideas with friends and colleagues as well.
Interestingly, the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, which aired on April 2, trumped both March Madness (number three) and the world of pro soccer (number six) to take second place this week. Surprising trends like this always lead us to wonder about the ever-shifting demographics of our beloved microblogging network.
To see the full list, check out the chart below, compiled by our friends at What the Trend. Because this is a topical list, hashtag memes and games have been omitted from the chart. The aggregate is based on Twitter’s own trending algorithm, and does not necessarily reflect raw tweet volume.
You can check past Twitter trends in our Top Twitter Topics section, and read more about this past week’s trends on What The Trend.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Google Registers A Bunch Of Music And Cloud Related Domain Names
Earlier this week, Google registered a slew of .com domain names related to music and clouds.
A tipster points out that the Internet company registered names like GoogleBass.com, GoogleAlto.com, GoogleSoprano and GoogleTenor.com along with GoogleNebula.com, GoogleThunder.com and GoogleLightning.com.
How to gain influence on Twitter? Focus
A good story on how to grow influence on Twitter.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
US to use Facebook, Twitter to issue terror alerts
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government's new system to replace the five color-coded terror alerts will have two levels of warnings — elevated and imminent — that will be relayed to the public only under certain circumstances for limited periods of time, sometimes using Facebook and Twitter, according to a draft Homeland Security Department plan obtained by The Associated Press.
Some terror warnings could be withheld from the public entirely if announcing a threat would risk exposing an intelligence operation or an ongoing investigation, according to the government's confidential plan.
Like a gallon of milk, the new terror warnings will each come with a stamped expiration date.
The 19-page document, marked "for official use only" and dated April 1, describes the step-by-step process that would occur behind the scenes when the government believes terrorists might be threatening Americans. It describes the sequence of notifying members of Congress, then counterterrorism officials in states and cities and then governors and mayors and, ultimately, the public. It specifies even details about how many minutes U.S. officials can wait before organizing urgent conference calls among themselves to discuss pending threats. It places the Homeland Security secretary, currently Janet Napolitano, in charge of the so-called National Terrorism Advisory System.
The new terror alerts would also be published online using Facebook and Twitter "when appropriate," the plan said, but only after federal, state and local government leaders have already been notified. The new system is expected to be in place by April 27.
When To Pay A Premium For Your Company Domain Name Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-pay-a-premium-for-your-company-domain-name-2011-
I’m sure you have all been frustrated at least once at not being able to get the Internet domain name you want for your company. Who owns all of these names, and should you ever buy one for a premium? The simple answer is that if you want to be found and remembered on the Web, the perfect domain name can easily be worth several thousand dollars.
Snagging an unclaimed great one is almost impossible these days because domain "squatters" gobbled up a lot of the catchy real estate several years ago. Kevin Ham was the most powerful dotcom mogul you've never heard of in 2007, reports Business 2.0 Magazine. Here's how the master of Web domains built a $300 million empire of over 300,000 domain names.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Looking for 'tiger blood' on the Web? Boston man's got it
Former “Two and a Half Men” star Charlie Sheen may have put tiger blood on the map, but he didn’t put it on the internet.
The Web latched on when the embattled actor told NBC's "Today Show" in a late February interview that he has "tiger blood and Adonis DNA".
The term quickly became a Twitter topic for a few days afterward and was a top search term on Google.
But "winning," at least on the web, apparently involves some legal legwork.
The domain name tigerblood.com is owned by a Singapore-based pharmaceuticals firm that sells steroids. The site’s domain has been registered since 2005, according to Network Solutions, a website registrar. The company did not respond to interview requests.
But what about the obvious variations, tigerblood.net and tigerblood.org?
Meet Bob Wilson, a “regular, hard-working Boston guy” who happened to snap up the word du jour on the World Wide Web recently.
“Like everyone else, I had been watching TV every morning to see Charlie Sheen's daily antics, and I thought it was hilarious how he kept talking about tiger blood,” Wilson said.
“It was a $15 investment,” he said.
Domain names are big business. In November, a holdings company ended up in Guinness World Records when it bought sex.com for $13 million, the most ever for a domain name. It had been sold before that for $11 million.
But people who buy domains and sit on them are controversial in technology circles. To some, they are just people who have followed proper Web protocol by legally paying for a domain. But many view "cybersquatters" as unsavory space-occupiers.
Wilson, who makes high-end custom signage for businesses, said he’s neither. “To be honest, I don’t know what I’m going to do with it,” he said.
His last foray into domain names was about 12 years ago, when he registered the name of his band, the Konks (“a '60s-style garage punk band”), which recently broke up.
Wilson is not the only one in a bid to take tiger blood to the bank. A California company recently debuted a tiger blood energy potion.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Meet Twitter’s New Homepage [PIC]
Twitter has started rolling out a new version of its homepage, simplifying the interface and refining its pitch to potential new users.
The social media service has changed the color scheme from its traditional shades of light blue in favor of a metallic chrome look. The new homepage also no longer features top tweets or trending topics. Instead, Twitter has opted for a simple bar halfway down the screen that features the avatars of its most popular users.
There are a couple of other changes to the interface that focuses on how users interact with the homepage. The search box has been moved down, but a bigger change is that Twitter has made it easier for users to sign up or log in to its website. The “New to Twitter?” section lets users kick start the process of signing up, right from the homepage. The “sign in” area has been expanded as well.
The biggest change, though, may be the homepage’s new language. The old Twitter.com led with “Discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.” The new homepage has a different pitch to prospective users: “Follow your interests: Instant updates from your friends, industry experts, favorite celebrities, and what’s happening around the world.”
GOP Uses Social Media to Respond to Obama 2012 Campaign Launch
If the Republicans’ response to President Barack Obama’s campaign launch Monday is any indication, social media will play a major role in the 2012 election.
Shortly after Obama’s first video for the campaign went up, Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor and potential GOP candidate for the 2012 presidential race, released a YouTube retort. The video (below), which has the urgent music of an action film, features Pawlenty responding to an Obama sound bite, by asking, “How can America win the future when we’re losing the present?” Pawlenty concludes, “In order for America to take a new direction, it’s going to take a new president.”
Since its release Monday, the video has gotten about 53,000 views, compared with 168,000 for Obama’s. Pawlenty also released the video on his Facebook Page, which has 81,000 fans. Obama has close to 19 million Facebook fans.
Massive Email Breach Exposes Data From 50+ Major Retailers, Including Target
Via Mashable.com
Massive Email Breach Exposes Data From 50+ Major Retailers, Including Target
A huge security breach has exposed the names and email addresses of customers of major brands, including Target, Best Buy, Walgreen’s, Capital One and more.
UPDATE: Apparently, a slew of hotel chains’ rewards programs have also been hit by the Epsilon breach; affected chains include Hilton, Red Roof Inn, Ritz-Carlton and Marriott.
While most of these companies are understandably mum on how many customers might be at risk, it’s not inconceivable that millions of users’ information may have been accessed by an unauthorized party.
Epsilon, a digital marketing firm that does a fair amount of email marketing, notified its clients Friday that “an unauthorized entry into Epsilon’s email system” had occurred. The firm stated at the time that the compromised data “was limited to email addresses and/or customer names only. A rigorous assessment determined that no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk.”
Monday, April 4, 2011
How to land a job at Facebook
(Mashable) -- So you want to work at Facebook, one of the world's hottest companies -- what do you have to get your foot in the door and get noticed?
It's not going to be easy -- you have competition.
Facebook received 250,000 job applications last year and is consistently rated as one of the best places to work. And with Facebook's IPO around the corner, the competition for jobs is only going to heat up.
There are plenty of ways to get noticed and stand above the crowd, though. I chatted with Thomas Arnold, head of recruiting for the social network, on what the company looks for and what it takes to get a job at Facebook.
What jobs are available at Facebook?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Top 10 Uses for Twitter (That Aren’t Self-Indulgent)
Whitson Gordon — Since Twitter's inception, it's been looked down upon as a place for self-centered technophiles to share the mundane details of their lives. We at Lifehacker know better than that, though—here are our favorite ways to turn Twitter into a useful tool, without becoming one yourself.
We've shared some of our non-breakfast related Twitter uses before, but over the past few years Twitter has evolved, grown more popular, and we've just discovered more clever and productive uses for it. Some of these you may recognize, but even the ones we've discussed before may have been updated, so be sure to check them all out if you're looking to upgrade your Twitter usage.
Top 5 Facebook Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make
While Facebook marketing is on the rise among small businesses, many are still struggling to master the basics.
“Many people have difficulty with just the basic Page set up,” says social media marketing consultant Nicole Krug. “For example, I still see people setting up their business as a profile page instead of a business Page. I have other clients who jumped into Groups when they came out and have divided their fan base.”
Here are five more common Facebook marketing mistakes to avoid:
Saturday, April 2, 2011
DNJournal.com Cover story
Great cover story by Ron Jackson on the state of the Domain name industry.
