Month: July 2011

There were a lot of stories that got attention in June 2011 on Fusible, here are the Top 10.

1. Google set to launch Photovine?
After I posted the original story, I wasn’t 100 percent sure Google owned the matching domain to its secretive project until the Whois record switched from DNStination Inc. to Google Inc. in late June.  Still, as of today, a message on the Photovine homepage says it all: “Nothing to see here, move along.”

2.  Will Zynga give The Sims on Facebook a run for its money with Familyville?
Zynga has been busy filing for an IPO, so whether Zynga has plans to take on Electronic Arts and “The Sims” on Facebook with a new game called Familyville’, is just rumor.  But don’t discount the possibility before you’ve read all the details.

3.  Twitter finally files domain dispute over typo – Twiter.com
Twitter filed a dispute over Twiter.com with the World Intellectual Property Organization, then shortly after the filing twiter.biz was added to the same case, then the case was suspended.  I can’t make out if the case is suspended or active, since the list of cases says it is ‘Suspended’ but the summary page says it’s ‘Case Active’.  Either way, something tells me this open-and-shut case will be decided at WIPO since the current owner continues to redirect users to survey sites that try to collect personal information. 

4.  Twitter buys the domain re-tweet.com: Plans to take on Tweetmeme?
Matthew Panzarino, a writer for The Next Web, contacted Twitter to find out what’s in the works for the domain re-tweet.com.  Turns out, Twitter has no current plans for the future of ‘re-tweet.com’.  The previous owner apparently offered up the name to Twitter, and Twitter took ownership as part of their ‘brand protection strategy’.

5.  How to get a Twitter username that’s already taken (Hint: It’s easy, I got mine)
I was able to get my hands on the Twitter username @fusible even though it was already taken by another individual, following these very simple steps.  If you don’t have any luck with that approach, then try this approach using TweetClaims.

6.  Microsoft Corporation acquires the domain name Halo4.com, price unknown
The story on Microsoft acquiring the domain name Halo4.com sparked a lively discussion on some sites.  I chatted with the previous owner, who couldn’t say in so many words whether Microsoft acquired the domain or demanded it.  But if you read between the lines, you may come to the conclusion that Microsoft ended up paying big bucks for the name.

7.  Tweet: Stick to .com, it will remain on top
Since my brief story ran on Ryan Colby, he has since changed his Twitter username from @Sedobroker to @Rjcolby. When I asked him via email his thoughts on Twitter, Ryan had this to say: “I think that Twitter works especially well in my line of work.  I utilize it primarily to update my clients on breaking information in the domain name marketplace.  This includes new exclusive listings for sale, price updates,special requests from buyers and sellers, etc.  I also provide insights on domain name valuations, SEO and anything that can add value to domain name investors.  I like Twitter because it keeps pace with the speed of information.  In domain brokerage, every day is a new opportunity.  Names go on and off the market for sale quickly, so speed is a critical factor in putting the big deals together in this industry.”  DomainSherpa’s Michael Cyger also has a great interview with him.

8.  Dozens of domain registrations by J.K. Rowling’s firm may lead to more clues
The recent Pottermore mystery everyone was trying to figure out, is no longer a mystery.  It was officially announched as an ebook site of Harry Potter books.  I had unearthed dozens of domain names  (including pottermorebooks.com) created by the Christopher Little Literary Agency, going all the way back to June 2009 when Pottermore.com was first registered.  In related news, J.K. Rowling also terminated her association with her long-time agent, Christopher Little.

9.  Former Twitter CEO Evan Williams: 5 reasons domains getting less important
Evan Williams hasn’t posted any new blogs since this story ran, but he did tweet about it only saying this: “I never said they won’t matter, just that they’ll matter less”.

10. Garry Chernoff: One $45 domain purchase, one $500,000 domain sale
I haven’t heard from Garry since early June when he sold adnet.com for $60,000, but what a revelation to learn that his $500,000 domain sale of gamesforgirls.com reported earlier this year, was a domain he acquired for less than $50.