Web 2.0.11562 beta

So long overdue, the domain tasting system that has been exploited by outfits like this, has finally been straightened out. ICANN has now voted to impose their twenty cent fee on every domain registered. Actually they’re no longer going to be allowing registrars to be refunded the fee during the Add Grace Period but it’s easier to just think of it as now applying to all registrations. This would apply whether or not the registry allows registrants to return the domain for a refund.

This small fee completely changes the economics of domain tasting. For the average Joe, it means you can change your mind about a domain you registered and get almost a complete refund. I’ve seen the need for this when customers of mine accidentally register typos late at night.

For the predatory companies out there who register domains people are actively searching for on registrar sites in the hopes of extorting a large profit to surrender the domain, this is bad news. And for Network Solutions’ latest PR black eye over scalping searched-for domains - this removes the monetary incentive. Three cheers for ICANN!

A good post today by Jay Westerdal reminding us all how the availability of credit for house purchases led to an increase in the prices for homes by making them more affordable. Here is the article.

Financing options do exist for premium domains, but for small business owners insightful enough to understand the value of getting a great domain that will shape their ongoing business strategy, there is nothing. Conventional lenders are not interested, and generally lack confidence in the accepted valuation methods.Domain names have real value in business, and smart financiers will recognize this.

Interesting too to see him mention travel.com and guess that it’s worth is $50 million. I happen to own the Thai version of that, ??????????.com, and believe it’s worth to be one half of one percent of that, or $250,000. Current market price today would be more like $10,000 I think, reinforcing Jay’s point that valuations go up if good names are made more affordable.

Tis the season for xmasgiftsquick.com and such - yes this domain was available at the time of writing this. People shop in their few minutes of free time in fear of forgetting to get things before the holidays. Loads of easy 10 minute gifts at places like cosmetics.pro for the women in your life. Give your gifts and enjoy the season - or regret not doing so later in life!

Read all about it, the domain name saga that is already legendary - and is still ongoing.

http://www.sexdotcom.info

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/…./2007/03/02/a1e_Freds_head_0302.html - the famous Boca Raton domainer holding domains like property.com, sugar.com, candy.com and so many more is interviewed by PB Post.

Latest domain registration stats (top 10 shown) countesy of domainnews.com:

Right away you should notice .info and .cn registrations, both up more than 60% from last year! That means they had about 2 million and one million registrations this year, respectively.

But after looking for a while, the amazing thing to me is that the king, dot COM, still somehow managed to increase registrations by more than a third. That’s more than 15 million new .com registrations in the past year. Although I can’t seem to find even a decent 4-word .com available, that brand continues to be dominant in a big way.

Somebody willing to fight back http://NoDaddy.com - gotta like this guy’s spunk, even if he runs up some serious legal bills.

Domain leasing has long been a good idea. But it’s not an idea that scales - until now. LeaseThis.com is the platform that aims to transform the ocassional lease arrangement from a hit-or-miss rarity to a viable marketplace.

Many startups need a resource like this to prove themselves with a high quality domain name. They don’t want to shell out the money to purchase a primo domain if it busts their bootstrap budget! If the business takes off, and they’ve established themselves and their brand, then the lease-buy option is going to let them follow up their initial marketing efforts by purchasing the domain at a pre-specified price. Anyone ever start a company with extra money to spend on things like a top domain? And admit it, it’s fun to shop around here for a great domain without writing a big check.

And surely domainers will benefit. I’m looking forward to having another way to monetize domains that I do not want to sell. Like most domainers, I have more domains than I can develop in five lifetimes, but some keepers are just not great performers on PPC parking sites. Besides we want to benefit from standardized leasing contracts that will be updated with carefully crafted wording based on any relevant cases that come along. And the biggest value of all is the power of having a public platform where the two sides can get together in an environment where they know what to expect.

For so long now DN Journal has been the only solid source of in-depth domainer oriented journalism. DomainNameWire and a couple others for daily headlines and that’s about it. Well the bleak landscape appears to be changing.

DailyDomainer.com looks like it’s gonna be a nice place to catch up over morning coffee. And domainersmagazine.com is a new venture intent on publishing a paper magazine every other month. This is deeper coverage than the domain industry has had to date, and bodes well for everyone involved.

Now selling city and state specific, mortgage-related domain names - all reasonable offers accepted! See the current list of domains here: http://www.namepros.com/domains-for-sale-auctions/267944-us-home-loans-domains-blowout.html