Business, economic development - the unofficial Chamber of Commerce

Have you heard about domain names that sold for over a million dollars? Inspired by this, you imagine registering a great domain name, hanging onto it for a while, and then selling it off to become the next multi-millionaire. It could happen, but don`t count on it!

First of all, many of the truly great domain names are already taken. Second, the dot com bust took some of the wind out of inflated domain name prices. (If you sell your domain name for millions of dollars worth of stock in a publicly traded dot com flop, what is the name really worth?)

The cybersquatter buys domain names totally on speculation. Sometimes he will register names of famous brands, companies, or individuals. Time and again, these domain name speculators learn the hard way that they must respect intellectual property rights. They hope that some large corporation will pay big bucks to them for the use of the company`s own (already trademarked) name. Instead, they end up with threatening letters from a law firm for their attempts at extortion.

However, you can still make money from domain names if you are sensible in your approach. Here are some suggestions on ways to profit.

1. Affiliate Programs: Use your domain name to promote an appropriate affiliate program. Either redirect to the affiliate site or write a review that links to them.

2. Informational Sites: Create content and then profit from it by earning advertising revenue through Google AdSense or a similar program.

3. Redirect to Your Own Site: Some reasons you might want to do this include preventing competitors from using a particular domain name and benefiting from searches some users perform by domain name. (For example, if they wanted to order flowers, they might just type “flowers.com” in their web browser. You could get some traffic and sales this way.)

4. Product Sites: Create your own or sell someone else`s product appropriate to your domain name.

5. Park Your Domain Names: You might feel that your name has real potential for resale value. There are companies that will allow you to park your domain on their servers, advertise that your name is for sale, and split advertising revenue with you.

The trick is to generate traffic for your domain name. That traffic in turn will create revenue. Then, when you go to sell your domain name, you will have a few things going for you.

First, you will have a fully developed website. A fully constructed building on a piece of land increases the value of the real estate property. Similarly, the value of your domain name is enhanced by a complete and operating website.

Second, you have traffic. Just as a shopping mall with no traffic results in no sales, so a website must have traffic to generate income.

Third, you have income. An income property, such as an apartment building, can be appraised on the basis of its income (as well as other factors). Similarly, the gross income, net profits and cashflow of a website have value. For example, if someone offered you $1,000 for your domain name and website when it was generating $10,000 per day in profits, you would likely laugh at him.

You really can profit from your domain name investments by adding value and properly developing your web properties.

Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. For further information about domain name profits and other Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit www.yenommarketinginc.com/domain-names.html

A Newbie’s Guide to the Wonderful World of Domain Names

Competition is tough on the net. It’s a dog eat dog world out
there. Every webmaster is vying for the web surfer’s undivided
attention. What’s a poor webmaster, who has toiled for hours and
hours, pouring blood, sweat and tears in creating that all
perfect website to do? Why, get a unique domain name, of course.

Getting a domain name is a must for webmasters who want their
sites to be taken seriously. Online businesses thrive on site
traffic and a memorable domain name can make the difference
between making it big and packing it up. For webmasters who
create personal websites, having a unique domain name is a form
of self-expression. It is the finishing touch that could give a
website an extra kick.

So how does one get a domain name you ask? Well, first of all a
webmaster’s got to think of a name that fits the site.
Preferably, something that describes the site clearly. A name
that tells what the site is all about or what its contents are.

It should be easy to remember. Picking a really long name might
not be the best thing to do. Ideally, the shorter the better. It
should be something that is attention grabbing and memorable. If
possible, special characters like hyphens and underbars should
be avoided. It could cause confusion to possible visitors.
Sending a potential customer to a rival’s site is never a good
idea.

After picking a name, the next step is checking if it is
available. Domain registrars and numerous web hosts offer this
service. There are other options if the extension .com is not
available anymore. A couple of possible extensions are .org,
.net.

It’s always smart to have a Plan B just in case Plan A doesn’t
work out. If your first choice of name is not available anymore,
alternate names come in handy. A slight alteration is sometimes
enough. Some domain registrars and web hosts provide alternate
versions and could save you the trouble of coming up with a
multitude of names.

If Plan A and Plan B is not for you, Plan C just might be the
way to go. If you absolutely must have the domain name you’ve
chosen and it’s already taken, it could perhaps be bought from
the owner. To know who the owner is go to InterNIC WhoIs search
(http://www.internic.net/whois.html). Get ready to part with
your hard-earned cash ,though. More often than not, the owner
would not be willing to sell it cheap.

The last step is registering or buying the name. However, it is
very important to check if the chosen name does not violate any
trademarks before doing so. The purpose of using it should also
be justifiable to avoid any headaches.

A lot of disputes have arisen between the so-called cyber
squatters and various companies regarding domain names. Cyber
squatters are people who buy domain names with the intention of
selling it. They frequently buy domain names of upcoming and
existing businesses hoping that the companies would pay top
dollar for it. Trademark laws save the day for a lot of these
companies.

If the name has passed the trademark test, registration could
now be accomplished. An accredited domain name registrar or a
representative of one must be employed. A web host often offers
a deal where one can buy a domain name together with your web
hosting account.

There is no fixed price for registering a domain name. It varies
tremendously. It goes for around 8 bucks to as high as 35 bucks.
The wise thing to do is to diligently look around. That
perfectly priced domain name might just be around the corner and
with it, website greatness and beyond.

Rebecca Hubbard

Hubbard Enterprises

www.eBooksProfit4u.com

www.ThePowerof10.ws

www.Christmas-In-A-Box.ws

www.Rags-To-Riches.ws

www.Profits4u.ws

www.HubbardEnterprises.ws

www.Profitsnmore.com

www.RU4Real.ws

www.GoogleCash4u.ws

www.eBooksnMore.ws

The internet is a wonderful thing, except for a few small details. When you register your first domain name, you get your introduction to one of them. There’s a lot of information they want. Your name, your email address, your physical address, your phone number. For each of 4 separate categories, and the Registrant, Admin and Technical categories are publicly available (for almost all TLDs - Top Level Domains, with the possible exception of .ws - Western Samoa).

Email addresses, which must be valid, phone numbers and physical addresses which also must be valid. I personally think it’s both absurd and dangerous to make this information so easily available. Once again the right to privacy of law-abiding individuals is being abridged supposedly to help catch lawbreakers. Since this information would be provided under a court order, making it publicly available just invites abuse.

Spammers, scammers, stalkers and the idle whacko can easily get this information. And it’s a nice start on identity theft, too. However, for most people, the most likely result is an increase in the amount of spam you get. But, much worse can and has happened.

So what solutions are there? Basically there two ways to protect your
privacy if you are a private individual without access to a legal entity such as a company to own the domain name (note that if it is a company, you must provide accurate information. This only moves the problem to a slightly less personal level).

First you could lie. No, that’s not one of the ways. Unwise and illegal too, and you are a law-abiding type, right? So, first, a proxy registration is one alternative.

Essentially you make a binding legal agreement with a company which will register the domain name as if they owned it and then provide their own information to meet the requirements. For each domain, they will set-up a special email which they will monitor and forward to you, usually after spam filtering, if you want them to.

They, of course, retain your data and will also monitor physical mail. You will be notified of first class mail which appears to or could be legal documents or if registered or couriered mail arrives. They will, for a fee, ship such to you, if you agree and pay. Generally such items would be sent by courier. Phone callers will be directed to use the email or physical address shown in the WhoIs record

Of course, under subpoena or other specified conditions they will provide your details. You will have full rights as owner - as long as you behave and don’t violate the agreement.

The other alternative, usually called “private registration”, is a little different. Here your name would still appear as registrant. You would provide the names of the admin and technical contacts. But the address, email and phone number would be provided and monitored by the organization handling the private registration in essentially the same manner as a proxy registration. Thus with this alternative you remain in full legal control of your domain name since it is registered in your name rather than the name of a proxy.

On the face of it this second alternative sounds better, but your name is hanging out there on view and you may have valid reasons for not wanting that (perhaps the company you work for takes a dim view of moonlighting, or you have had a stalking problem or are doing something perfectly legitimate but don’t want your name linked to it).In that case, a proxy registration is the only real alternative.

In case you’re thinking you can hide out and do whatever sort of bad stuff behind a proxy or private registration, don’t even dream about it. These outfits take it very personally if you misbehave and the legal agreements spell it out.

If you decide to pursue a proxy or private registration, make very sure that you are working with a legitimate company with a track record. A domain name can be a very valuable possession. Both your registrar and, if it’s a separate organization, the entity that does the proxy or private registration must be quality, legitimate outfits. Registrars offering extremely low prices which are way out of line with the going rates - unless it’s a special - just might be after your credit card and identity. Also, this time, actually read the agreement and TOS so you do know what you’re doing and what could happen under what circumstances.

Wondering why I’m writing about this? Well, it’s because I’m getting more and more spam and I started doing some research on possible solutions. And I figured, I wan’t the only one looking to do something about the problem. And then, I discovered that some registrars will provide free proxy or private registration with your domain name purchase. So think about it and do some checking before you buy a domain name. Your privacy is a precious possession.

Copyright 2005 Richard Keir

Richard teaches, trains and consults, on and off-line. And he writes a lot. Visit http://www.AboutWebHosting.info for articles, information, resources and links related to web hosting and domain registration and http://www.Building-eCommerce-Websites for more on eCommerce in particular.

Q: I’d like to buy a domain, but I discovered that it’s already registered by a bulk
domain buying company (just check negres.com). I tried to contact them but I have
received no answer.

Do you know how much these companies charge in average for a domain? Or are
they focused on the traffic and clicks and will not let it go?

Any recommended approach to bid for the domain?

A: This is a tough one because domain names, unless you have a legal claim on
them, exist in a pure commodity marketplace. What I mean is: the value of a domain
is defined solely by its perceived value to the buyer.

If you wanted to buy one of my unused domains (for example, “BABY.NET” which is
for sale, actually) then I might ask $20 for it, or I might ask $200,000 for it, or, who
knows, $2mil. What’s it worth? Well, that depends. If you’re a huge company with a
massive marketing budget and are passionate about obtaining this exact domain
then $500,000 might be a fair market price for it. But then again, maybe $100
would be more than it’s worth.

Economics books talk about pricing strategies where you charge “what the market
will bear”, and you can see where in domain names, well, that’s almost impossible to
figure out without a specific buyer involved.

There’s no third party, no standards organization, no reference point for what
domains are worth. I’ve bought domains from others for $200 and I’ve paid $8000
for one domain. My most recent domain purchase, BLOGSMART.COM, was about
$500.

I should note that I have never bought a domain from a scalper (some people call
them “squatters”, or “domain squatters”) or domain resale agency, however: My
impression is that domain resellers encourage domain owners to set unrealistic
prices and hold out. For the individual domain owner who doesn’t know any better,
it seems like a good deal and if offers at lower price-points roll in, well, they’re
easily ignored.

Then, three, four or even five years later, the domain owners with dozens or even
hundreds of domains suddenly realize that they really aren’t worth much after all
because it’s clear at that point that the market isn’t valuing the domain the way that
the reseller is.

But even without that disconnect, domains aren’t typically worth what you may think
they are. To see what I mean, pop over to AfterNIC, one of the top resellers in this
space, and browse their ‘recently sold’ and ‘featured’ domains lists.

A few tips on valuation, before we get there, though: ‘.com’ are worth more than
other top level domains, dictionary words are worth more than multiple word
amalgamations (think ‘car.com’ versus ‘myfavoritecartodrive.com’), and that domain
names with hyphens are worth less than those without. Further, remember that if
you get a singular name, you need the plural, if you get a hyphenated name you
need the unhyphenated too, and so on.

Unsurprisingly, the closing bids for “tiny-treasures.com”, “yourbetterhalf.com”,
“onenet.us” and “2EB.com” aren’t very impressive, but there are a few that shine as
particularly good domains: “america.org” (sold for $20,000), “maple.net” ($5,000),
“x360.com” ($5,000), “itoldyouso.com” ($15,000) and “searchme.com” ($15,500).
Based on that, “baby.net” should certainly be worth at least $20,000, don’t you
think?

I believe that the best domains change hands in private transactions, however, and
that if you’ve a third-party involved, it will unquestionably complicate the situation.

Anyway, back to your specific situation, I would try one more email message to the
domain owner, and if they don’t respond, well, it’s probably time to do some
creative synonym brainstorming and come up with a different name entirely. If they
respond, but are asking for far more than you’re willing to pay, keep dickering: I’ve
been surprised how quickly potential buyers vanish, when I’m just negotiating a
price.

Good luck to you!

Dave Taylor is an internationally recognized expert on business and technical topics
and is the author of 18 different books and thousands of magazine articles. His Q&A
Web site is http://www.askdavetaylor.com/

The domain name is the entry to your site. The address people type in their browsers to get to it. You need to pay attention to it, because your company name will not always be the best domain name you can get for your website. There are certain considerations you should keep in mind when choosing the domain name you will use:

· your domain name should be easy to remember for the intended audience
· your domain name should contain keywords so it helps your site positioning in search engines.

With these in mind, you will soon discover that your-company-name.com is not always the best alternative. It depends on whether you have a well established company, with a known name, or you are starting your business.

The domain name is a tool you can use to help your business grow. So don’t miss the opportunity. Spend the necessary time thinking about possible domain names, and trying to find their good and bad aspects.

A good idea is to get more than one domain name and point them to the same website. So if people type your-company-name.com or they type your-keyword-rich-domain.com they get to the same website. This way you can still use your company name as domain name, and also some other keyword rich name you register.

Another good idea is to register common variations of your chosen domain name. For example, if you register mydomain.com, you could also register my-domain.com or mydomains.com.

Once you come up with the domain name(s) you want to use, you need to register them. The first step is to check if they are available, because they could have been already registered by someone else. Once you have verified this, you can register them for a period of time, and they will be yours to use for that period. You can always renew them afterwards, before the period expires.

Sergio Roth is an experienced freelance web programmer. You can contact him for domain registration, hosting and website development services at www.ayreshost.com”>www.ayreshost.com.

There are a growing number of domain names used in creative ways
that leverage the true power of the Internet. There is not a
better illustration of this point than Jason Vaughn, an
individual who turned his creative talent and passion for
teaching web design at a community college into a successful
Internet-based guide for graphic designers going into business
for themselves.

Jason Vaughn, founder of CreativePublic.com, envisioned a web
destination where graphic designers around the world could find
information, services and products to support their business
needs. Vaughn knew that securing a concise, creative domain name
on the Internet would ensure that his vision would become a
reality. Today, CreativePublic.com — which originally was a
resource for his college students only — is now one of the top
resources for graphic designers all over the world!

The founder credits much of this success to the unique
identification of his creative domain name. Because of this
domain name and web site, Vaughn is able to share his knowledge
with graphic designers 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Since
registering and launching CreativePublic.com, Jason has been
able to fund his children’s college education, meet like-minded
people from places like China , Ireland , England , Russia , and
obtain job offers from companies such as sessions.edu, which is
an online school of design.

DomainPurpose.com recently spoke with Jason about his new domain
venture. This is what he had to say:

DomainPurpose.com: Can you tell us a little about
yourself?

Jason Vaughn: I have over 10 years experience in the
graphic design industry including print, TV, animation and the
Internet. During that time, I’ve owned a graphic design firm,
taught web design at a community college, and co-founded
Internet startups. Some of my clients include Blue Cross, NBA,
NFL, NHL, Energas, and Aramark. I’m also currently an online
instructor for sessions.edu, which is the first accredited
online school of design.

DomainPurpose.com: Can you tell us about your domain?

Jason Vaughn: CreativePublic.com has been something I
have wanted to do for quite some time. It first started out as a
resource for my students that I was teaching at a community
college in the Dallas , Texas . I had already decided that I
wanted to make CreativePublic.com into a business resource for
graphic designers; something that is not very available for
designers. Most sites out their today have little to do with the
background of business, they are all about design. That is when
I decided that every designer at some point would need the same
forms, contracts, pricing guides, employee manuals, and other
information that I needed with my business.

DomainPurpose.com: How did you think of this idea?

Jason Vaughn: The idea has been there since I first
started my ad agency back many years ago. Many people have come
to me, asking me how I got started and what it took to get going
in business. I wanted to create a site based on what I did with
my business. The idea did not become a reality until I got the
opportunity to teach Web design at a community college 2 years
ago.

DomainPurpose.com: When did you realize that sharing your
passion via creativepublic.com could turn into something
successful?

Jason Vaughn: I realized that my passion for
CreativePublic.com would turn into something successful when I
got my first sale. I figured if one person bought my product,
there should be more designers out that would do the same.
Another really big deal was when CreativePublic.com was featured
on HOWDesign.com (HOW magazine), a leader in the graphic design
publication industry. That was when I knew, for a fact, that the
site had value and was on its way to being successful. Since
then, CreativePublic.com has become one of the top resources for
graphic designers.

DomainPurpose.com: How has your life changed since you
registered and launched your domain?

Jason Vaughn: I feel more connected to the graphic design
world, even though I sit behind a computer all day. I feel more
a part of a bigger community. CreativePublic.com has not only
become a community for designers, but has given me the
opportunity to meet so many great people. I get to talk to
people across the world and make great friends in places like
China , Ireland , England , Russia and many other countries. The
extra income is great too! It helps pay for my car, house, and
my children’s college education.

DomainPurpose.com: How has other peoples lives been
effected since you registered and launched your domain?

Jason Vaughn: The feedback I get from my visitors and
members is great. Everyone is always complimenting me and
thanking me for coming up with such a great resource for
designers. It has helped many designers to get their business
started or obtain information and forms that they could use for
their business operations.

DomainPurpose.com: Can you share with us any obstacles
you overcame while registering your domain?

Jason Vaughn: Finding a domain was hard, almost
everything was taken, but with a little imagination I was able
to conger up a name. I tried several names, but one tool that
helped out were those that listed alternate domain names I could
choose from. After several days of research, I decided on a name
based on my concept. I was really surprised that the name was
available. The domain was chosen to pertain to creative people
of all types, not just graphic designers. The site is mostly for
designers, however it has much to offer for other creative
individuals.

DomainPurpose.com: As a successful domain name owner, do
have any words of advice for others who aspire to use a domain
name as a vehicle to share their creative talents and ideas?

Jason Vaughn: If you have an idea, the only way to see if
it will work, is to put it into action. If you just sit around
dreaming about it, it will never ever happen.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to have your own domain name? Would you like to have your own .com? Well I am here to tell you how you can make that happen.

The first step in domain name registration is figuring out what name you want to register. It can be difficult to find a name that you like and one that is still available for purchase. I like to use Dotster.com to help me come up with a name and to check the name’s availability. Simply go to Dotster.com and enter in your idea, for example petnames.com. As you will see petnames.com is taken, but there are other alternative extensions that are available besides .com. There are also additional domain name suggestions for you to consider in the tab on the left.

This process can take a while as you are really trying to find the best name possible. I like to keep a list of available names as I go along and then choose the best domain name from the list when I feel like I have enough good candidates. I tend to have between 20 and 50 good domain name candidates listed.

When you have selected a name, then I suggest you go to a site like GoDaddy.com to save yourself some money on the domain name registration. GoDaddy is currently charging $8.95 for domain names while Dotster is charging $14.95. There is nothing wrong with Dotster, but domain name registration is a commodity service and GoDaddy has a better price. If you want to go even lower, Yahoo! is currently offering domain name registration for $2.99.

Once you have chosen your registrar, then you enter your chosen name and follow the directions to complete the transaction. There will be several pieces of information that you will need to give, like your name, address, email address, and phone number. I suggest you use an email address that you do not ever plan on losing. That way you will always be able to receive contact messages related to your domain name registration. Complete your purchase and you are ready to go. Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of a new domain name!

So what is next? Well now you need to build your site, find a web host, and publish your site to your web host’s servers. Once you have that done, you need to update the DNS entries related to your domain name. Your website’s DNS records are kept with the company where you purchased your domain name registration. Now you are the proud owner of a published website. I have breezed through the whole build, host, and publish process because I plan on providing more details in a follow-up series of articles. Thanks for reading and have fun with your new domain name.

Jason D. Barrett is currently focused on writing search engine optimization articles for KansasCitySEO.com, writing a search engine optimization blog for KansasCitySEO.com, and writing technology articles for ScoutTechnology.com.

All ICANN
accredited registrars and their domain name
resellers follow what is called a “Uniform Dispute
Resolution Policy” (UDRP).

Under that policy, disputes over ownership of a domain name are
usually resolved by court action (litigation) between the
claimants.

Once the Court rules as to who is entitled to the registration,
the domain name registrar will follow that ruling and, if
necessary, will transfer the domain name to the owner designated
by the Court.

In disputes arising out of abusive registrations, e.g. “cyber
squatting” and “cyber piracy”, the UDRP provides a fast-track
procedure allowing the dispute to be resolved without the
frequent cost and delays of Court litigation.

In those cases, you can apply to one of the doma
in name dispute resolution service providers.

I’ve just recently stumbled across a few web sites like
namepros.com and dnforum, websites that focus solely on the
buying and selling of domains. And I “gotta tell ya” I was quit
impressed to hear some of the success stories.

Now from my understanding, I thought profit from domain sales
died at the end of the dotcom Boom. But from what I’ve seen and
heard, It seems like it can be a lucrative business. Naturally
there’s more to it than buying a domain name for $5.99 a year
and turning around and selling it for $4,000. To come across a
domain name (whether self created, expired, or purchased)
spending time advertising it, sending traffic to where it’s
parked, finding a broker, doing the things you need to do to up
the value of the name, it’s seems like a very time consuming
business.

But if you go to Sedo.com you’d be amazed at the prices that
some of these domains are going for, $5,000, $10,000, even more.

It seems to me like a hidden art. There’s not very much talk
about it in the general internet marketing forums. And
everywhere on the net you see ebooks on “How To” write ebooks
for profit, do JV (joint venture) deals, ebooks on site traffic,
blogging techniques, affiliate marketing, rss feeds…… on and
on and on and very little information on the business of buying
and selling domain names. So that means it’s a business who’s
time has passed or a very lucrative one that’s hidden from the
people who jump on the bandwagon.

Just looking at current events and doing domain checks on
certain subjects tells me how quickly good domains get snatched
up. Believe it or not the name Farris Hassan dot com (16 year
old boy who went to Iraq) is already taken.

From my studies it seems that there are a select few who are
generously profiting from the buying and selling of domain
names. As I mentioned above there is alot of work involved but
if your willing to join a few membership sites, learn a few
advertising tricks and get into the game, the selling of domain
names can be a very lucrative business.

Buy Domains! Yahoo, GoDaddy, 1&1 Domains starting at $1.99/year
http://www.wbwebhosts.com/iminate_domain

(this link must be active on your website in order to use this
article)

Must ICANN decide your and my ‘dot com’ fate? Going by recent
reports, it seems very likely. But before embarking on the
issue, let’s hark back a little.

Some time back, at the second World Information Summit at Tunis
(16-18 November, 2005), a widely-held apprehension surfaced
rather unceremoniously. The issue
was whether ICANN (Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers),
a non-profit entity operating from California, US that maintains
and controls a master list of generic domains, should continue
to hold sway like it has so long been doing.

There indeed was strong opposition from third-world countries to
let ICANN maintain its monopoly, especially with respect to the
fact that ICANN is supposedly controlled by the US government’s
department of commerce. Ultimately though the issue lost steam
mainly because there was no unanimity as to how a multi-lateral
system would work, should ICANN’s monopoly be shunned.

In this backdrop, when it became known that ICANN is reportedly entering
into agreement with VeriSign that virtually allows the latter a
perpetual monopoly over the .COM registry, it came as a rude
jolt to the internet community. Countless people allover are
aghast at the turn of events and worried that their internet
business (related to .COM domain) will henceforth be at
VeriSign’s mercy.

Let’s not forget that ICANN controls not only generic domains,
but also country-specific suffixes like .in, .br,
.jp and so on. That being so, what guarantee that ICANN
won’t pass on their control to any third party? Folks, it’s
tough time out there. If anyone is willing to join the issue, do
click here.

Let’s remember this is not time to stay away when someone else’s
house is burning. Next time it may well be ours.