Archive for the ‘Domain Services’ Category
Oversee.net hires GM from online travel industry to run its travel network.
Oversee.net has hired Raj Beri as General Manager of its travel vertical, the company announced today. Beri was previously Director and COO of IgoUgo, a travel site owned by Travelocity.
The travel vertical is part of Oversee.net’s “vertical markets” business that includes fully developed web sites. Oversee.net is best known to domainers for its DomainSponsor domain parking service.
Oversee.net’s travel properties include LowFares.com, FareSpotter.net, AboutAirportParking.com and AirportParking.com. These are big sites; LowFares.com has a US Quantcast rank of 1,492 and FareSpotter.net is ranked 2,973.
So just how big is Oversee.net’s travel vertical? According to Beri’s LinkedIn profile, it’s a $40MM+ business.
Other vertical markets at Oversee.net include consumer finance (CreditCards.org, IdentityTheft.com) and shopping (ShopWiki.com).
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- Oversee.net Trademark Attempt Rejected
- Oversee.net Acquires ShopWiki
- Oversee.net Launches CreditCards.org Web Site
A great way to boost your social presence, but light on analytics.
I have a confession to make: I’ve been buying Twitter followers. 87 of them to date.
It all started when I saw a promotional tweet from American Express offering $100 in Twitter advertising credits to small business owners that wanted to try out Twitter’s new self-serve tool. Never one to turn down free advertising, I followed Amex and responded to the offer.
Twitter’s self serve advertising tool offers two ways to boost your social presence: Promoted Accounts (pay-per-follower) and Promoted Tweets (pay-per-click).
With Promoted Accounts, Twitter features your account under the “Who to Follow” section. You pay each time someone follows you, but only if they follow you because you showed up as a Promoted Account.
Here’s how Twitter support described it to me:
You are only charged when someone clicks the Follow button from the Ad itself. Your Promoted Account will appear in the ‘Who to Follow’ section, and if someone follows you from this location, you will be charged.
If a user finds you by other means, or if your account is displayed in ‘Who to Follow’, but not as an Ad, you won’t be charged for Follows.
I guess the big question is if Twitter highlights you as a promoted account in “Who to Follow” when your account would have shown up anyway. That would mean you’re paying for followers you could have gotten anyway.
Stats are quite limited, too. You can’t see which followers were paid versus free. You can’t change the date range of your stats, either. Basically, this is what you get:
At a minimum of 50 cents per follower, Promoted Accounts makes sense for some types of Twitter users. Frankly, it would even be worth it to me if it attracted good followers. But I don’t know who I’m paying for and who is following me organically, so it’s hard to evaluate the results.
The other advertising option is the Promoted Tweet. You’ve undoubtedly seen promoted tweets in your twitter stream from time to time.
These are pay-per-click. But here’s the rub: advertisers don’t get to pick which of their tweets get promoted. Instead, Twitter picks “5 of your most engaging, recent Tweets”. You have the option to block tweets from the list, but this requires quite a bit of management.
It’s not a problem for companies trying to promote their products if they don’t also tweet about other things. In my case, I frequently tweet links to other interesting domain articles. I don’t want to pay 50 cents per click to send traffic to these other sites.
I think Twitter advertising will be a gold mine for certain companies. I’ll continue to play around with it as well, but until Twitter offers more analytics it will be difficult to determine an ROI.
In the mean time, feel free to follow me (for free) @DomainNameWire
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- Why I’m Not Going to Follow You on Twitter
- 1 Million Tweets: Clever Twitter Idea
- How Twitter was named and bought Twitter.com for $7,500
Escrow company’s already low fees drop for customers transacting in U.S. dollars.
I know a couple things about Transpact: a handful of readers have used it for domain name escrow and its services are ridiculously inexpensive.
Today I got an email from the company about a pricing change for U.S. dollar transactions.
Transactions up to $2,500 are now $9.99 per party per transaction with a $15 payment fee for any U.S. dollar disbursement over $100. So basically any transaction up to $2,500 in U.S. dollars is about $35.
Previously is was $24.99 per party.
That’s a seriously low fee. But it’s prices are even more out of line with industry norms for big dollar transactions. There are no percentage fees. There’s just a “large payment” surcharge.
For example, an $18,000 transaction would have the same $9.99 per party fee, plus the $15 payment fee, plus a $14.72 large fee surcharge. So that’s only $49.70.
Euro and Pound transactions remain cheaper. Transpact says this is because making a payment in Europe in Euros up to €50,000 is effectively free by EU law.
Given the somewhat complex pricing structure, it would be nice if the site had a fee calculator built in.
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- UK-based Transpact offers domain escrow services
- Escrow.com Offers “Payment Plan” Escrow on Domain Transactions
- Survey: Escrow.com Tops for Big Ticket Domain Name Transactions
Escrow.com uses DomainTools’ API for faster and better escrow processing.
Escrow.com has integrated DomainTools into its security and process systems using its API, the two companies announced today.
DomainTools announced the formal release its API last July. Escrow.com’s integration, where it can tap into DomainTools database of whois records and other domain data, is a great example of how this can be leveraged:
“Prior to partnering with DomainTools and leveraging their API suite, the process of verifying DNS, registrar and Whois record information was manual and time consuming,” says Jason Whitlow, Chief Technology Officer, Escrow.com. “By automating that process with comprehensive, accurate data from DomainTools, Escrow.com is now able to verify data more quickly while providing a quicker, more seamless experience for customers. DomainTools has become an integral part of our domain escrow process. We’re even leveraging DomainTools’ data in other business operations to validate accuracy of information.”
The DomainTools API can be used by individual domainers, domain businesses, corporate intellectual property departments, etc.
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- DomainTools Launches MyWhois
- Escrow.com Rated Top Domain Name Escrow Service
- Escrow.com again ranked top domain escrow service
Survey respondents vote for best domain tools…and choose the aptly named DomainTools.
DomainTools is the most valuable tool in the domain business for research and management, according to a survey of over 1,000 people in this year’s Domain Name Wire survey.
Survey takers were asked “Which software or hosted application is most valuable to your domain name business for research and management?”
28% of respondents selected DomainTools. That’s more than double the next highest entry on the list.
Here are the top five responses:
1. DomainTools 28%
2. FreshDrop 12%
3. DomainResearchTool 10%
4. Estibot 10%
5. Wordtracker 10%
Last year DomainTools was also ranked highest, although it took a larger share of the vote.
You can read more results from the Domain Name Wire survey here.
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- DomainTools Selected as Top Domain Research and Management Tool
- DomainTools and Estibot are Domainer Favorites
- .Net Still Second Choice For Domain Registrants
Escrow.com is escrow service of choice for over half of domain investors.
Escrow.com has once again been selected by domain investors as the top domain name escrow service.
In the seventh annual Domain Name Wire Survey, 60% of the more than 1,000 survey respondents said Escrow.com was best.
Here are the top 5 escrow services, as rated by survey respondents in January:
1. Escrow.com 60%
2. Sedo 11%
3. eCop 9%
4. Moniker 9%
5. EscrowDNS 6%
Earlier this year Escrow.com announced that it had completed $1 billion in transactions since it was founded.
Here’s a cost comparison of the various Escrow services in the top 5:
$5,000 domain sale
Escrow.com $162.50
Sedo $150.00
eCop $100.00
Moniker $149.00
EscrowDNS $350.00
$75,000 domain sale
Escrow.com $667.50
Sedo $2,250
eCop $1,500
Moniker $697.50
EscrowDNS $750.00
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- Escrow.com Selected as Top Domain Escrow Company
- Escrow.com Rated Top Domain Name Escrow Service
- Survey: Escrow.com Still Top Domain Escrow Service
DNForum is rated “top domain forum”.
DNForum once again finds itself on top of the Domain Name Wire annual survey for “best forum”.
54% of people who voted for a top forum selected DNForum as best, and then there was a big drop off from there.
There’s a virtual three way tie for the second most popular forum. NamePros received the second highest vote total. Nipping at its heals is the private forum DomainBoardroom, and DomainState is just a couple votes shy of DomainBoardroom. When rounded, all three forums got 11% of the vote each.
UK domainer forum AcornDomains received 5% of the vote. There were also a lot of write-ins for internationalized domain forum IDNForums.com, Canadian forum DNC.ca, and Polish forum DI.pl.
See more survey results here.
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- Survey: DNForum is Best Domain Name Forum
- Survey: DNForum Still Top Domain Name Forum
- Survey Focus: Which Domain Name Forum is Best?
Fewer people turn out to this year’s event but it remains the industry’s biggest conference.
About 600 people attended last week’s DOMAINfest conference in Santa Monica. While down from previous years’ 700 attendees, it still makes it the largest conference in the domain name industry.
Here’s why I think attendance was down by about a hundred…
1. Still sick from last year.
Hey, the memories of last year’s sickness that afflicted 100+ people is still strong. Even though it could have happened at any event, I’m sure it left a sour taste in some people’s mouths.
Attendance effect: -20
2. Wait…no Playboy party?
Some people just can’t get enough of the Playboy Mansion. Although this year’s conference still had Playmates, it may not have been enough to make up for not getting to puke into a portable toilet at Hugh’s house.
Attendance effect: -25
3. Where’s Monte?
OK, I’ll bring it up because other people have. And because it certainly had some effect.
Attendance effect: -15
4. Domain parking still falling (despite some new faces here)
There are some new faces at the conference. In fact, a lot of them. But falling revenues certainly takes out a chunk of would-be attendees.
Attendance effect: -39
5. Some blogger from New York thought it would be OK to leave his 8-month-pregnant wife to go to DOMAINfest in California. He was mistaken.
Attendance affect: -1
OK, in all seriousness, the one observation I heard over and over at the conference was: man, there are a lot of new faces here. One person told me “while I usually don’t know about a third of the people at a domain conference, this year I don’t know 70% of them”.
This is a good thing. More people are being brought into the fold.
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- Prediction: DOMAINfest Attendance Will Break Record
- DOMAINfest Attendance Tops 600
- DOMAINfest Kicks Off in Prague with New Faces
A look back at last week’s DOMAINfest conference.
Before heading to DOMAINfest I posed six questions that would be answered by the end of the week. Here are the answers.
1. How will Oversee.net’s new leadership present itself?
Just before the conference began, Oversee.net announced that co-presidents Debra Domeyer and Scott Morrow had been promoted to co-CEOs.
I haven’t seen many “co-CEO” type situations end favorably, but they seem to be handling it well so far.
Most people I talked to at the conference were positive about the new leadership. Domeyer will be more visible to domainers since she handles the domain monetization side of the business. Morrow covers the vertical markets properties.
The new leadership gives Oversee a “fresh start” after a rough few years.
2. Will Oversee.net address Moniker?
Yep. KeyDrive, which owns NameDrive and Key-Systems, announced that it acquired both Moniker and SnapNames. That leaves a lot of of questions up in the air, but I think this is a good thing. Oversee had been trying to get rid of these properties for at least a year. It’s good to have them in the hands of a company that wants to invest in them. More on that in a future article.
3. Will the new parties make up for the (lack of) Playboy Mansion?
I think both parties were good. But I’ll let others chime in here.
4. How many people will be there?
About 600 people were expected to attend. More on that in a future article.
5. Can DOMAINfest successfully include topics outside the typical domainer realm?
Confession time – I didn’t really go to any of the sessions. But they were well attended, with 200-400 people in many of the sessions. I’d say it was another step toward bridging the domainer and internet marketing communities. These are two communities that historically haven’t understood much about each other.
6. What big company announcements will be made?
Sedo announced a big deal with GoDaddy, but KeyDrive probably grabbed the most attention with its acquisition.
…
Now, a bigger question: where do Oversee.net and DOMAINfest go from here? They have emerged a smaller, leaner company after the sale of Moniker and SnapNames. Now they have a vertical markets division and DomainSponsor. They’re a smaller part of the domainer lifecycle and have only about 100 employees, down from 200 just a few years ago.
Is DomainSponsor alone enough to justify holding a large conference each year? Will it team up with KeyDrive for future domain auctions at its conferences?
Will the conference eventually morph to a point where it no longer makes sense to put “domain” in the title?
Coming soon: Domain/Affiliate/LeadGen/SEOfest, presented by Oversee.net.
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- 6 questions to be answered at DOMAINFest this week
- 5 Questions to be Answered at DOMAINfest
- 5 Questions Answered at TRAFFIC
A preview of the week ahead in Santa Monica.
The largest domain name conference, DOMAINfest, takes place in Santa Monica this week. There’s a lot to look for in the 2012 edition. Here are six questions that will be answered before the end of the week.
1. How will Oversee.net’s new leadership present itself?
Oversee.net branded itself largely with former CEO Jeff Kupietzky. Now Oversee.net has new leadership with co-presidents Debra Domeyer and Scott Morrow. Domeyer attended TRAFFIC last Fall, but for most people this conference will be the first introduction to the pair.
2. Will Oversee.net address Moniker?
It’s one of the industry’s worst kept secrets that Oversee.net has been shopping around Moniker. Also this month we saw the departure of some of Moniker’s longtime account managers. As a Moniker customer, I received no notice of the account manager changes.
Will Oversee continue to be silent about Moniker? Or will it address the changes head on to instill confidence. Confidence, after all, is one of the most important things people consider when selecting a registrar.
3. Will the new parties make up for the (lack of) Playboy Mansion?
There’s no trip to the Playboy Mansion this year. After over 100 people got sick last year I think that’s probably OK with most people.
But there will still be a Playboy element. .Co is sponsoring a party at Petersen Automotive Museum that will include some playmates as well as the star of the GoDaddy .co Super Bowl commercial Natalia Velez.
The final night party will be at House of Blue and includes “edgy, sexy and interactive entertainment”. It will be interesting.
4. How many people will be there?
DOMAINfest has attracted 700 people in recent years. That’s about the peak I could imagine if it’s mostly domainers. But the show is shifting — just like the company — and is attracting more from the lead gen, affiliate, and SEO spaces.
5. Can DOMAINfest successfully include topics outside the typical domainer realm?
This year you’ll hear a lot more about lead gen, SEO, and affiliate marketing at the show. It will be interesting to see how this shift is managed.
6. What big company announcements will be made?
Domain companies tend to make big announcements during domain conferences. Already this morning Sedo announced a deal with GoDaddy. What big deals and announcements will we hear this week?
There you have it. Six big questions that we’ll know the answer to by the end of the week.
See you in Santa Monica.
© DomainNameWire.com 2011.
Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.
Related posts:
- 5 Questions to be Answered at DOMAINfest
- 5 Questions To Be Answered at Next Week’s TRAFFIC Conference
- 5 Questions Answered at TRAFFIC
You can go forward to the next page