Just won my first .asia domain auction
May 14, 2008
I just won my first .asia domain through the auction system. To participate in auctions you need to have registered the domain during the landrush period.
I was the only bidder on the domain and I got it for $10. The domain is ubud.asia. Ubud is a beautiful town in Bali. I like the registering domains for places and cities I would like to travel to. Producing content for a site in a beautiful, tropical location is a great excuse to travel to a destination.
Travel sites are also easy to monetize with hotels, hostels and tour affiliates.
Dot Asia auctions
May 6, 2008
I have written a bit about dot Asia registrations and I was successful with a couple of domains. Some other domains which other people also applied for during the landrush period are now up for auction. Only the other people who applied for the domain during the landrush period can enter the auction.
I currently have two domains which I am bidding on. I didn’t want to get involved in the auctions, but there is the potential to still get some good names. One auction only has one other participant and the other one has two other participants.
The first auction ends in six days time. Pool is running the auctions.
I am currently developing one of my .asia domains, so it will be interesting to see if it gets any love from the search engines. Rather than .com, .co.uk .asia is an actual keyword, so I wonder if the search engines will treat the extension any differently.
.asia has now gone live
March 26, 2008
I was sitting here having dinner and just happened to bring up the .asia page. I knew roughly when the clock was going to tick over, but I wasn’t really intentionally waiting for it.
I just registered a whole bunch of great names, using up all of money in my Paypal account. They weren’t on the list of names that will go to auction which is very surprising.
I wonder if it is another stuff up with Godaddy, or if I will actually get the names. If they do go through, I could make some serious money. Better not to get too excited yet.
Update: Yep, Godaddy screwed up. And guess what? They charged my Paypal account. I know I will get a refund but I would have used the money to try and get more domains, which will more than likely be taken by tomorrow.
My first .asia name
March 24, 2008
One of my .asia domain applications has been accepted. It is a two-word domain and nothing too special. No word on all of the other domains I applied for. The landrush period is over in two days.
I checked back on the dot asia website and can see one domain I put an application for is up for auction.
I thought the process was for them to notify me if someone else also applied for the domain name and then we would enter an auction. I don’t even know how I can bid for the name.
The whole process seems completely random. You can bet the people who get the best names will make some good money from this.
Anyone else have applications accepted?
Update: Seems like I wasn’t the only one disappointed by the whole .asia process. Checking through the list which had multiple applications I think I did pretty well just getting the domain I did.
Namepros has a good thread on .asia
.Asia TLD update
January 31, 2008
It is just 20 days to now until the start of the .asia landrush. I have pre-registered a few different domains and if I get any of them I think I could make some money from them down the track.
I was a little confused as to exactly how the process works because on the official .asia registry page, it looks like they are already having auctions for some names. On the same website, I couldn’t see any place to register an interest in an auction so I sent off an email to the registry.
Here is their reply:
As a brief explanation, the domain names that go to auction are ones that have received more than one application during Sunrise (and later Landrush). You must have submitted an application for the domain in the corresponding phases to participate in the auction. More specifically, there is no “premium list” of domains, but rather, the auctions are held to resolve contention for a domain during our startup process.
With regards to Landrush, you can apply for any domain name through one of our registrars. If there is only one application for your domain name, then no auction will be held. If during Landrush (Feb 20 - Mar 12, 2008) there were more than one application received for the same domain, an auction will be held only between the applicants for the domain.
The whole process seems a little weird to me and not so fair. Some people who are participating in this are going to make a lot of money if they can secure the domains they want. The site has a list of domains where the auction has been completed - camel.asia was sold for $5100.
Lists of the other domains going up for auction on February 4th don’t seem very appealing to me.
Domains in the Australian media
January 29, 2008
It is pretty rare to read about internet and affiliate marketing in the Australian media and even rarer to hear about domains. The Sydney Morning Herald has an article on legendary domainer, Rick Schwartz.
Yet Schwartz rakes in millions of dollars in annual income from his 6000-odd properties and recently sold one for $US750,000 after buying it in 1997 for about $US100.
It sounds too good to be true but Schwartz, the self-appointed “domain king” and full-time trader of internet real estate, says he is shocked more people haven’t tapped into the rivers of gold flowing through the domain name trading business.
“I have a great lifestyle because the dollars come in the same whether I work or not,” Schwartz said in an email interview after selling the domain iReport.com to CNN for $US750,000 this month.
The article carries a quote from Ozdomainer Ed Keay-Smith:
“If you do your research and buy good quality two- or three-word generic domains that are either unregistered or from the domain after market you could sell them later for more than you paid for it to a company that sells a product or service that is related to that name,” Keay-Smith said.
.asia coming soon
January 6, 2008
Yet another new extension will be released soon. A .asia extension makes sense to me, since we have a .eu extension already. It is also another chance for domain registers to make a killing and people who trade domain names.
Asia also has some of the fastest growing economies in the world. You can pre-register domains at godaddy now, but the land grab doesn’t start until February. I have pre-registered a few names, but I doubt I will get any of them. If more than two people bid on a name, it will go up for auction.
.mobi names have had pretty good resale value since their launch two years ago. Registration at godaddy is $40 for two years. Picking up a couple of good names could be a pretty good investment.
Perth.com goes for $200,000
November 26, 2007
The domain Perth.com was recently sold for $200,000. Moniker had a sale of city and country domains.
By owning a city or country dot com, you are eligible to join Associated Cities. An organization that actively promotes geo-targetted domain names.
It will be interesting to see who the new owners are and what they do with the site. Perth, Australia would be the obvious choice, but there is also Perth, Ontario and Perth, Scotland. Perth, Australia seems to dominate the Google search results.
Perth is one of Australia’s fastest growing cities, helped by the current mining boom. The sale could well have been a bargain as I am fairly confident that if the site was developed out to a city portal, it will do well in advertising sales.
Just spent a chunk of money
November 1, 2007
I just spent a chunk of money on a domain. The seller approached me and it seemed like a good deal. The problem is I am already busy with my Beijing site and maintaining all of my other sites. I just know that if I passed up on the opportunity, I would regret it later.
The seller made a good profit and I think I got a good deal on something which is likely to appreciate, especially if and when I develop it out. The site was actually established some time ago as you can see it in archive.org. The domain still has PR3.
Whoever said there aren’t any good domains left to buy, isn’t looking. You can definitely still buy quality domains in the after-market and domains that are dropped.
Profiting from keyword phrases - playing domain lotto
October 31, 2007
I was listening to another excellent domain podcast on webmasterradio and one of the guests told a great story.
An advertising company was doing a huge campaign for GMH based around the phrase “keys to victory”. They were already well into preparing for the launch of the campaign when they realized no one had bothered to check if “keystovictory.com” was actually available.
A public speaker was using the domain to promote his business and he sold the domain to the agency. I am pretty sure he didn’t know he would be selling it to GMH as the sale was done through a broker, but I am sure they offered him a good price for the domain.
I couldn’t find his site in archive.org, so I don’t know what the previous owner is using now. I did a search on the web and I found a good list of some of the domains which large companies are using now for different campaigns and don’t have their company name in them.
I think this is going to become more common. Creating an advertisement which directs people to a website it is going to be easier to track the success of the campaign. A memorable domain is a must for this, with no hyphens and preferably with a .com extension.
Of course if would be almost impossible to predict what domains will be needed, but if you stick to easy to say phrases, no hyphens and .coms or possibly a .tv, you will be on your way to having a good chance of winning domain lotto.
21st Century Insurance - 21st.com
A&E - SuitcaseOfCash.com
ABC - ABetterCommunity.com
ABC - BeUgly07.com
ABC - OnlyTheyKnow.com
Ad Council - TheTVBoss.org
Ad Council - DontAlmostGive.org
American Egg Board - NaturesMiracleFood.com
American Heart Associaton - BeatYourRisk.com
American Express - 800TheCard.com
American Express - Apply4BlueSky.com
American Express - ApplyClear.com
American Express - ILoveMiamiSpice.com
American Express - InChicago.com InNYC.com In-LA.com
American Express - MyLifeMyCard.com
American Express - StopPong.com
American Lung Association - AsthmaControl.com
Anheuser-Busch - BeeResponsible.com
Anheuser-Busch - Bud.TV (Superbowl)
Anheuser-Busch DesignatedDriver.com
AOL - TotalTalk.com
AstraZeneca - GettingItRight.com
Atari - TestDriveUnlimited.com
Aubuchon Hardware - HardwareStore.com
Audi - NeverFollow.com
Banana Republic - FindTheArtInTheEveryday.com
Bank Of America - Loans.com
Bayer - NoFleas.com
Bayer - WonderDrug.com
Barnes and Noble - Books.com
BellSouth FastAccess.com
Best Buy - CEOOO.com
Boeing - NewAirplane.com
Bombadier - LiveTheRace.tv
Bowflex - BuyTC.com
BP - ALittleBetterGasStation.com
Bridgestone - FindTobu.com
Bridgestone - TireSafety.com
Buchanan Group - BrandPower.com
Buick - DriveBeautiful.com
Burger King - ChickFlix.com
Burger King - HaveItYourWay.com
Burger King - PetMoustache.com
Burger King - StackersUnion.com
Burger King - SubservientChicken.com
Busch Gardens HeroSalute.com
California Milk Advisory Board - RealCaliforniaCheese.com
Calvin Klein - Bras.com
Calvin Klein - Underwear.com
Campbell’s Soup - MySoup.com
Carnation Instant Breakfast - GreatMorningGiveaway.com and MyMorningFuel.com
CBS - MiniatureKiller.com
Cessna - LearnToFly.com
Chattem - Icy Hot - FreedomOfMotion.info
Church & Dwight - Arrid deodorant - WetnessProtectionProgram.com
Chevron - WillYouJoinUs.com
Citibank - StudentLoan.com
Clorox - MealsTogether.com
Coca Cola - Lebron23-23.com
Coca Cola - Sublymonal.com
CocaCola - HowDoYouHangOut.com
Coffee Mate/Nestle - TheCowsAreComing.com
Comcast - CultureFool.com
Comcast - TheSlowskys.com
Conagra - SlimJim - Snapalope.com
Country Buffet - Buffet.com
Daimler Chrysler - AskDrZ.com
Daimler Chrysler - PatriotAdventure.com
DAngelo sandwich franchise - PapiSays.com
Dasani - MakeYourMouthWater.com
Del Pharmaceuticals - SensativityGone.com
Discovery Channel - Planet-Earth.com
Discovery Channel - ReadyAimFuture.com
Dish Network - IWantFootball24-7.com
Dish Network - SuckFreeTV.com
Dominos Pizza - AnythingGoesDeal.com
Dominos Pizza - BrooklynStylePizza.com
Dunkin Donuts - Flavorolgy.com
Dunkin Donuts - MyIcedCoffee.com
Durex - ProposeTheRing.com
Eli Lilly - DepressionHurts.com
ESPN - CollegeGameDay.com
Federal Express - SaveWithExpress.com
Federal Express - NoMoreAllNighters.com
Ford - BoredomHurts.com
Ford - FusionChallenge.com
Ford - GenuineService.com
Ford - UltimateBackyardAdventure.com
Frito Lay - SnackStrongProductions.com
GEICO - CavemansCrib.com
General Cigar - CigarWorld.com
General Electric - Ecomagination.com
General Electric - OneSecondTheater.com
General Electric - TransportationServices.com and TrailerServices.com
General Mills - MyHomeTownHelper.com
General Motors - KeysToVictory.com
General Motors - LiveGreenGoYellow.com
Georgia Pacific - StopFeedingMold.com
Glad - 1000Uses.com
GlaxoSmithKline - RestlessLegs.com
H&R Block - TaxCut.com
Heinz - TopThisTV.com
Hershey’s - WatchAndWhoa.com
Hilton Hotels - BeHospitable.com
History Channel - History.com
Honda - ElementAndFriends.com
Howard Stern - HowardTV.com
InDemand - GetHockey.com
Jack in the Box - BreakfastServedAllDay.com
Jack Links - MessWithSasquatch.com
JC Penny - Gift.com
Johnson and Johnson - Baby.com
Johnson and Johnson - ROCChallenge.com
Kellogg’s - ChildhoodIsCalling.com
Kimberly Clark - Kleenex
Kohl’s - TransformationNation.com
Kraft - CreamCheese.com
Kraft - GirlfriendsInvitation.com
Kraft - SingTheJingle.com
Kraft - TheCheesiest.com
Land Rover - TheNewRush.com
Lexus - ActivelySafe.com
Lexus - AllNewIS.com
MacNeil Automotive - Mats.com
Mars - AfterTheKiss.com (Superbowl)
Mars - BecomeAnMM.com
Master Card - WinANewHouse.com
MasterCard - Priceless.com
Mazda - NeverSawItComing.com
Mentadent - AreYouTeethPeople.com
Merck - Tell-Someone.com
Microsoft - Investor.com
Microsoft - WorkWherever.com
Mike’s Hard Lemonade.com - Mikesology.com
Milk - 2424Milk.com WhyMilk.com and GotMilk.com
Miller Beer - ManLaws.com
Miller Beer - TasteLoss.com
Mission Pharmacal - Citrical - StandStrong.com
Mother’s Polish - WaxForum.com
Mother’s Polish - DetailGuide.com
Mutual of America - YourRetirementCompany.com
Nestle - FollowTheFinger.com
Nestle - ForTheKidInYou.com
Nestle - GoPlayLabels.com
Nestle - HarvestSurprise.com
Nestle - SlowChurned.com
Nestle - Meals.com
Nexium - PurplePill.com
Nintendo - TouchGenerations.com
Nissan - Z.com
Nissan - ShowUsYourX.com
NORA - IntelligentWarmth.com
Norelco - ShaveEverywhere.com
Novartis/Lamisil - TakeCure.com
Office Depot - OfficeSupplies.com
Office Depot - School.com
PacifiCare - PrescriptionSolutions.com
Paypal - X.com
Pepsi - EveryTenMinutes.com
Pepsi - BrownAndBubbly.com
Pepsi - Mist-Takes.com
PETA - Circuses.com
Pfizer - JustAskToday.com
Pfizer - MyTimeToQuit.com
Phillips - ASimpleSwitch.com
Pioneer - DriveHappier.com
Procter & Gamble - AutoDry.com
Procter & Gamble - BlameItOnTheColor.com
Procter & Gamble - BounceEverywhere.com
Procter & Gamble - DumpCupid.com
Procter & Gamble - KeepThemGuessing.com
Procter & Gamble - Noticeables.com
Procter & Gamble - ShareYourSecret.com
Procter & Gamble - TimeRenewal.com
Procter & Gamble - Prilosec - HerFootball.com
Progressive Insurance - DriveInsurance.com
Prudential - RetirementRedzone.com
Purina - LongLiveYourDog.com
Qwest - Q.com
Roche - FluFacts.com
Sanofi-aventis - GoInsulin.com and YourInsulin.com
Sara Lee - GoMeat.com
SC Johnson - AutomaticShowerCleaner.com
Sharp Aquos - MoreToSee.com
Slimquick - HowWomenLoseWeight.com
Snickers - InstantDef.com
Sony Pictures, The Fog movie - EscapeTheFog.com
Sony Pictures, The Grudge 2 movie - DoYouHaveAGrudge.com
Sony - ReadyForTheShow.com
State Farm Insurance - 50MillionPounds.com
State Farm Insurance - NowWhat.com
Stouffer’s/Nestle - FreshFrozen.com and SeeWhatsCooking.com
Strom - NoYolks.com
SunSweet - PlumSmart.net
Sylvan Learning - Educate.com
Taco Bell - FourthMeal.com
Taco Bell - ThinkOutsideTheBun.com
Takeda - Rozerem - WeMissYou.com and TheyMissYou.com
Tanqueray - GlobeProbe.com
Texas Instruments - ItsTheMirrors.com
Tim Horton’s - 15millioncanadians.com
Tmobile - MyFaves.com
Tmobile - TheOnlyPhoneYouNeed.com
Toshiba - EndTheStealing.com
Toshiba - LetTheHarmonyBegin.com
Unilever - CampaignForRealBeauty.com
Unilever - CanYouTell.com
Unilever - CTURookie.com and Degreemen.com
Unilever - CupASoup.com
Unilever - GetHairapy.com
Unilever - ColorShowdown.com
Unilever - SpreadTheSharing.com
US Air Force - DoSomethingAmazing.com
US Department of Defense - TodaysMilitary.com
USA Network - ShowUsYourCharacter.com
USPS - ShipItWinIt.com
US Smokeless Tobacco - FreshCope.com
Verizon Broadband - RicherDeeperBroader.com
Warner Chilcott - ShortPeriod.com
Wedding Channel - Weddings.com
Wendys - BBV99.com
Wendys - FrostyFloat.com
Wendys - ThisIsMyBurger.com
Wrigley - CandyStand.com
Wrigley - GoodCleanFeeling.com
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals - KnowMenopause.com
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals - YourTimeForChange.com
Xerox - FrugalColor.com
Yoplait - SoGoodGirls.com
