Seven Mile

It's "OverSnap"

It's official, Snapnames has been acquired by Los Angeles based Oversee ..  And while it may seem like the rumored 25mm sale was struck, purely on the EBITDA that Snapnames.com generates, I have a hunch this is all about what can be done with the industry’s leading automated auction platform and clearing house.

Oversee is behind the well received Domainfest conference and tradeshow. What do you suppose they could do if they plugged the Snapnames auction into their tradeshow and others? Then how about if they ran that auction with 4 lanes in a Las Vegas hotel and did the auction/show to coincide with Winter CES when everyone in technology attends? Think about what Christies, Barret-Jackson, and Sothebys have done with auctions over the years. Then think about how important great domain names are (are going to be in future).

What leading auction houses like Snapnames and Moniker understand is that the sale does not close when a name clears the block. Buyers pay premiums on the front end hoping to amortize their purchase over a decade or more. Names have to get quickly and efficiently transfered on the back-end, transfer authcodes provided, names unlocked, nameservers set.  Seems simple enough but you’d be surprised how acrimonious and unwieldy outbound transfers are from certain registrars.

Snap was the first to bend over backward to simplify that process and provide a streamlined front end interface for bidding.  The market has rewarded them with higher unreserved sale prices for names which cross their block.  Now that block is owned by Oversee.

Congratulations to the buyer and seller. Posted early cuz Jay scooped me at Domaintools  ;)

Why Generic Domain Names Are Valuable...

Dan Kimball sends this pic of the road sign for Seven Mile Lane.  Many different domain names have different meaning to different people and for different reasons.

There are lots of places called "Seven Mile" ..  but there is only one SevenMile.com..  and that name will be taking you here. I know this is obvious to most folks here..  but I had to use the picture.. so funny  :)

Spam King Busted?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,276632,00.html

Everybody hates spam.  Domainers hate spam because spammers often select catchy memorable domain names as the return address path for their spam. Of course those individuals don't actually own the domain names they are inserting in the spam .. You and I do.

If I got a nickel every time somebody threatened to call the FBI, CIA or Legion of Superheroes because of SPAM which I did not send, I would have a very big pile of nickels. It is far too easy for nefarious folks to send "forged return path" emails via automated mailer programs using email accounts and domain names they don't own..

Perhaps Yahoo's DKIM solution will make all our futures more hassle free. More arrests won't stop the Chinese, Indians and Russians from sending spam, so this is largely symbolic.

Dust Off Those "Lochness Monster" Domains

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/31/britain.lochness.ap/index.html

Not sure if this is real but it just hit CNN International..  so could have legs ..  or scales ;)   No video yet.

Guerrilla Domain Name Campaign

Leave it to the French to come up with a kooky creative concept like this one:

http://adgabber.com/video/video/show?id=546804%3AVideo%3A12915

A guerrilla marketing agency has registered the domain names of the leading global ad-agencies in reverse (holding them hostage) as part of a comedic skit to build awareness.  Crazy.  :)

Enom Now Auctioning it's Expired Names Through Snapnames.com

Also from Anthony and certainly worth mentioning..  Enom expiring name inventory is being auctioned through Snapnames effective today..  Congrats to Taryn and Nelson .. Nice move for both parties, and a funny little aside..  you guys use exactly the same bank in Silicon Valley, so you've just saved me hundreds of dollars in duplicate monthly wire charges.  :)  Thanks!

Snapnames runs a first class auction clearinghouse. Enom found a great partner.

***FS***  Update: Enom is only offering “Transfer Fulfillment” names through Snapnames; Club Drop will still function as always..   Thanks!

Rumor Mill

One acquisition announced tonight at 7pm Pacific? I heard both sides of it but didn't put them together until the AM, (initially thought it was two) ;)

"Domain Roundtable" Conference Registration Opens

Summer in the Pacific Northwest is truly beautiful..  not too hot..  not too cold.  The rain clouds are usually gone.  This year its even more beautiful as Jay Westerdal holds his Domain Roundtable conference.

Registration is now open for those wishing to attend.  I attended last year's event and found it quite good.  Since I'll be on vacation in Canada around that time, I will try to make the trek south for a day or so Jay.

Yahoo, Passion and Retirement: This is a Big Problem

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1700AP_Yahoo_Resignation.html

Yahoo's CTO is retiring.. presumably he wants to spend more time in the Cayman Islands..  and I can't really blame him.

But as you chuckle, consider how big a problem this is for domains and tech in general. Many of the folks administering domain names and domain portfolios have 10 years in.  What's going to happen when these folks tire of the race?

Speaking for myself, managing domain names is a 24x7x365 affair..  I truly love it of course,  but one day I may not.  Is there going to be a qualified person with a passion and the fire in his (or her) belly, to take the reins and make the sacrifice to run the company the way I would want them to? Will they understand the subtleties and nuances of the trade?

How about Yahoo.. will they find the right individual who truly bleeds the company colors? Even the greatest careers last just 20 years or so. This half-way point (and Yahoo retirement announcement) is a great time for us all to perform a temperature check and plan for the future (yes, you too Google).

Domain names will be around in 20 years.. but you may not -- not at the company anyway. You'll probably be sipping rum-runners on the beach with me.. Domainers get to live forever (hope you got the memo)  ;)

More on Geosign

Anthony sends link (Thanks Anthony!):

http://www.guelphmercury.com:80/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=mercury/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1180525430080&call_pageid=1050067726078&col=1050421501457

Apparently Geosign is just doing it 'faster', 'better', 'cheaper' ..  They cut 38 or 39 staff (not hundreds). CEO Ted Hastings says the co remains well funded and doesn't anticipate any further layoffs.

Quote: "Canadians in high-tech fields are in competition with content providers from foreign places like India..."

Hmmm  .. maybe Geosign is opening a Mumbai campus soon.