Month: December 2010

Categories
News

GoDaddy uses Twitter for customer service, not just for marketing its services and products

GoDaddy Twitter

GoDaddy, the web’s largest domain registrar, uses its @GoDaddy Twitter account to help customers on a range issues with web hosting and domain names.  

Customers follow @GoDaddy, then send information through a private message (formerly called a Direct Message) to GoDaddy’s Twitter account.  While helping out customers with their issues, GoDaddy is also able to build up its following, since you cannot send a direct message to a user who is not following you.

Domain Registrars on Twitter

@GoDaddy isn’t the only domain registrar on Twitter, but it’s one of the only registrars that helps customers resolve problems through Twitter.  Other registrars use Twitter as a means for marketing their services.

Domain registrar Fabulous who use @Fabulousdotcom, haven’t  tweeted in over a month.  Messages are far and few between, and when they are posted, they usually involve messages about services or promotions.  Fabulous only has around 300 followers.

Enom, another popular domain registrar uses @Enom for its Twitter account.  The company uses Cotweet for posting tweets, but doesn’t publicly interact with other Twitter users often.  Like Fabulous, Enom tweets about promotions and other services it provides, including tips on domain names.  Enom has just under 2,000 followers on Twitter.

Moniker is one of the better Twitter users out of the bunch.  The domain registration company that also runs SnapNames, tweets using @MonikerSnap.  Though Moniker only has about 1,300 followers, it does provide a certain level of customer service through its Twitter account.  As little as 11 hours ago, the company tweeted @PeterC saying: “I will escalate this issue and get more details. I understand your concerns-well warranted.”  @PeterC had posted a blog online shortly before Moniker responded, entitled: Moniker Deactivated My Domain 26 Days BEFORE The Expiration Date” that outlined his issue. 

Network Solutions also does much of the same as GoDaddy, describing itself on its Twitter account (@Netsolcares) as: “Real Person support – Looking forward to your questions and conversations! Need 24/7 help?”.  The company has just over 4,000 followers on Twitter.

Which domain registrar has the best use of Twitter?

There are dozens of more registrars on Twitter, but just a quick look indicates @GoDaddy to be the heaviest Twitter user.  With GoDaddy, it’s not all about marketing and promotions, it’s about customer service. 

That’s not to say that GoDaddy doesn’t use Twitter for marketing, it just doesn’t use its most recognizeable Twitter account to do so. 

If you’re looking for GoDaddy eslewhere on Twitter, check out @GoDaddyAuctions for hot aftermarket domain names and @GoDaddyMktplace for great products.

Have you had a good or bad experience with domain registrars on Twitter?  Let me know in the comments.

Categories
News

ePark.com expires, expect this domain to be hard-fought at auction

parked domain

The domain name ePark.com expired on November 13 and is pending renewal or deletion.

With an overwhelming amount of domain investors looking for the next best parking solution for undeveloped properties, and companies looking to win their business, ePark.com could be a great brand name for building the next parking solution.

Pre-bidding closes on December 18, then the name heads to private auction at NameJet.  At the time of this story, the listing has 62 bids with a high bid of $78.

By the time the name hits private auction, I would fully expect to see a lot of heavy bidding, not just from regular domain buyers, but from “domain parking” companies looking to create or strengthen their existing “domain parking” brand with a great domain name.

Parking companies trying to win business

Domain parking companies have been trying to maintain and win business as pay-per-click earnings continue to dry up, prompting some customers to switch providers and try out different models. 

Companies try to win business by promising to deliver higher pay-outs, more control over layout and content and many other services.

It is a competitive market, not only for “domain parking” solutions but for names with “park” in the domain. 

In 2008, webpark.com sold for $15,817 at SnapNames.  The domain name is currently parked using Google’s own domain parking service.

Many domains with “park” in the name, deal with domains.  Here’s a look at a handful of domain names with the keyword “park”.

WhyPark.com  WhyPark is a domain development platform, that pitches itself as a better alternative to traditional parking solutions: “Unlike traditional parking services, WhyPark’s content helps establish a domain’s brand until it matures by promoting legitimate indexed websites that offer relevant information for visitors. WhyPark’s suite of premium services is also available for the highest level of content development and SEO for the more advanced domain investor.”

Parked.com  Parked.com is “a domain parking solutions company, leverages technology for dynamic domain name optimization providing leading edge relevant parked pages for internet users and targeted traffic for advertisers.”

Park.com  Epik’s Rob Monster is co-chairman of Park.com, but the site (which hasn’t officially launched), will actually be a service for parking “real” cars, not domains.  However, if you’re interested in parking your domain names, a message on the home page says: “Visit Epik.com to learn about next-generation domain parking solutions.”

iPark.com  iPark is a domain merger & acquisition broker.

Categories
News Trademarks WIPO

Twitter files UDRP complaint against owner of domain: TwitterSearch.com

twitter search

TechCrunch is reporting that Twitter is going after the domain name Twittersearch.com, that was registered by its owner in March 2007.  Twitter launched its popular micro-blogging service a year before, in March 2006.

Twitter late last week filed a UDRP complaint, notably its first ever since the company was founded, in an effort to obtain ownership over the (currently parked) domain name twittersearch.com – as you can see here.

Obviously, Twitter is right to do this, since the domain is likely to cause some confusion, although we should note Twitter hasn’t managed to secure a trademark for the term ‘twitter’ in the United States so far, despite multiple attempts.

A compliance review is currently pending according to the World Internataionl Property Organization (better known as WIPO).  In the same list of cases over at WIPO, Pocket Kings the company that owns Full Tilt Poker is going after typo domain names.

A look at a rough traffic estimate provided by Compete, shows TwitterSearch.com receives several thousand visitors per month.

To avoid a trademark issue, other sites like TwitterCounter.com, a site which receives over 1 million visitors per month and provides stats, graphs and widgets for Twitter users, licenses the Twitter name from Twitter, Inc.  Probably a smart move short term, but long term it might be in the company’s interest to re-brand.  The company also owns Twittermail.com.

Oddly enough, Twitter Inc hasn’t gone after the owner of Twiter.com (a popular typo of Twitter), who is obviously trying to trick unsuspecting visitors into clicking on ads, but as TechCrunch points out: ” Twitter hasn’t managed to secure a trademark for the term ‘twitter’ in the United States so far, despite multiple attempts.”  So winning a case for Twiter, might be a lot harder than winning a case for TwitterSearch.com.

Categories
News Video Games

Activision creating a buzz over domain name that contains the word “Murder”

Murder Your Maker

Registered on Nov. 11, 2010, the domain name MurderYourMaker.com has been creating a buzz in the gamer community. 

Although the domain is registered under MarkMonitor, the company that helps companies with brand protection, it’s owned by Activision who has been releasing teasers for the upcoming Spike TV Video Game Awards where the game (which is rumored to be Prototype 2) will be unveiled.

Videogames and domain names

I come across interesting “domain” stories since I’ve started a new blog about military video games over at MilitaryGamer including stories about BuyDomains: here and  here.  But none of the material I’ve come across has been as interesting as the commentary on Activision’s murderyourmaker.com URL.

Bloggers and journalists in the gamer community have been talking about the domain name MurderYourMaker.com for weeks, not only because they’ve been guessing at what game is behind the web site, but also because of the use of the word “murder” in the name.

Here’s a look at what Catalin Alexandru, who writes for TFTS had to say:

We don’t get why the word “murder” attracts so much attention. People say they’re going to kill each other all the time, but just try yelling something about murder to your wife in a crowded restaurant. Don’t get us wrong, people will be looking either way, but just say the word “murder” and those stares will gain some heavy implications instantly.

Murder domain names

While the word “murder” in a domain certainly draws attention, publicly reported sales of domain names with the keyword “murder” have not.

According to sales history provided by DomainTools, only a handful of sales have taken place.

Domain Date Sold Price Location
murderballmovie.com Feb 12,2010 $99.00 SnapNames
hollywoodmurders.com Nov 10,2009 $65.00 SnapNames
smileyfacemurders.com Jan 8,2009 $150.00 Sedo.com
murdertube.com Nov 5,2008 $70.00 Sedo.com
attemptedmurderattorney.com Oct 14,2008 $99.00 SnapNames
murderpictures.com Oct 11,2008 $69.00 SnapNames

The keyword “murder” according to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool had about 60,500 exact search last month, globally.

Categories
News

Premium auction at Sedo’s GreatDomains exceeds half a million dollars with 4 days left

hundred dollar bills

With 4 days left of bidding, the latest GreatDomains auction has drawn in over $500,000 in from buyers.

There are more than 200 domain names up for sale, including several two-letter domain names that hit the auction block.

The two-letter domain name KF.com has already topped $80,000 in bidding, while JF.com has reached $60,000. 

Both names could sell for a lot more.  SZ.com sold for $125,000 earlier this year in a private transaction, followed by the sale of Xi.com in August for $100,930.

Additional highlights of the GreatDomains auction, include Fork.com and LawFirm.com bidding at $25,000 each, while the two-number domain name 06.com has a current high bid of $54,000.

At this rate, the auction which doesn’t end until December 9, could bring in one of the largest auction totals for GreatDomains in 2010. 

Over 100 of the domain names already have bids.