YorkReview.com -- York Review

About a month ago, I was trolling the aftermarket for some possible GeoDomains.

I didn't find much there, but I did stumble on YorkReview.com. Now the York Review is the literary magazine of York College of Pennsylvania, where I teach and where I did my undergraduate work. Also, in 1993, I founded the magazine and worked on three issues before turning it over to someone else.

I could scarcely believe my eyes; it was like a jewel had fallen from the sky. Best yet: it was a fire sale domain. Of course, I snagged it first and decided to ask questions letter.

After conferring with the department Chair, I'll be transferring the domain (as a donation) to the English and Humanities Department, probably in the fall. As part of my donation, I'll pay for 10 years of registration along with 10 years for TheYorkReview.com (which I regged about two weeks later, after a DUH moment.

I may do some training sessions (a scary thought) on managing the domains and keeping them safe. I ran two freebie appraisals ($1,700 - $30,000), but will get a professional appraisal for tax purposes, probably Sedo.

Meanwhile, I have done a mock up page on blogger so that the faculty advisor and student staff have an idea of where to start when developing their web presence. I purposely kept it simple so that the students can put their own unique stamp on it.

This is the kind of donation that feels really worthwhile. So often, we throw money at our alma maters and have no idea where the money goes. On the other hand, a domain donation with a donation of training time has the potential to pay off big time down the road; not only will the journal be able to expand its literary offerings but also its web presence, which, in turn, will enhance the college web presence.

In my opinion, this was one of the best acquisitions I have made to date.

;=)

Have a great day!

Ms Domainer

Poets.net to be Launched in Summer 2008

UPDATE!

I have already launched the site, but for now it's in blogger mode.

I have acquired Poets.net, which will be launched as a poetics forum.

Poets.net will offer a big voice for the serious anti-establishment poet and writer.

A construction page has been set up.

The current Post Foetry blog will remain active.

Ms Domainer

MsDomain.com -- Ms Domain: A Defensive Acquisition

First off, I'd like to thank "2w" for the tip on this must-have domain, which, last month, was in the redemption and pending delete period.


Last August, when I decided to move my domaining posts from my Post Foetry blog, I really wanted to use "Ms Domain" as my alias. Unfortunately, the domain itself was already registered, so then I compromised and settled for "Ms Domainer."


Then 2w revealed to me (and the rest of the world) via the comment section of this blog that MsDomain.com was expiring. I thought long and hard about trying to acquire MsDomain.com on the aftermarket, simply because I'm now established as Ms Domainer. Once I decided to try, I placed backorders with GoDaddy (lame long shot that didn't pan out), Snapnames, and Pool. I don't know if NameJet had the domain on its backorder list (I was afraid to check because I thought maybe that a query might trigger their curiosity and technology). Even when I checked on Pool and Snapnames, I did so in a sneaky manner: I typed "domain" in the search box and then scanned the lists manually. However, both Snapnames and Pool had already added the domain to their backorder lists, so I had little choice but to place my backorder with both and hope that NameJet decided not to release its techno-hounds on it. I suspect that if interest had been extremely high, either Snapnames or NameJet would have snagged the domain.

And this domain actually expired because GoDaddy actually acknowledged their failure to capture the domain, which wasn't the case with LiteraryAgent.com.

I was surprised that Pool snagged it, but I was also glad because their Namescout panel is easy to navigate. In addition, Snapname partners charge for everything: 99 cents for forwarding and $50.00 for name server changes. Now 99 cents doesn't sound like a lot, but it's irritating and, IMO, petty. Pool, on the other hand, is a nice aftermarket company; they listen to their customers and don't charge for forwarding. After 60 days, I transfer all my aftermarket domains to my regular registrar, but with Pool I can at least I can use my domains during the interim.

Snapnames reportedly has the technological thunder to snag the most desirable deleting domains, and I thought perhaps that other domainers might have been interested in this domain; I know that at least one other person was interested because the domain went to a backorder auction (though the other bidder or bidders never placed additional bids).

In a very real sense, this was a defensive acquisition. I worried about someone else snagging the dot-com and establishing him or herself as "Ms Domain," thus causing confusion, and, perhaps, siphoning off my traffic, which is slowly building. I have also registered and redirected the other TLD's (except .net and .info, already registered to others. If the owners of these TLD's happen to stumble upon this post, I paid only $60.00 for the dot-com and regular reg fees for the others, so I wouldn't be willing to pay much more than regular reg fees for .info and .net).

Although MsDomain.com is an old domain (created November 3, 1998), it's probably not a very valuable one, except to me. It has a history as a hosting company, but, obviously, not a very successful one (or perhaps the company still exists with another name).

Still, I really didn't want to spend $60.00 on a domain that, on its own, is pretty iffy, but there you have it. In addition, I'll have to be very clear that MsDomain.com is not associated with Microsoft or the .ms registrar.


I'm thinking about developing a "portal" blog that would offer a link to this blog (and my other blogs and links), but I haven't decided on this definitively. For now, MsDomain.com is redirected to this blog.

It seems redundant, but I don't want to "waste" the domain either.

Or should I actually change my alias to Ms Domain???

I'm quite attached to my current alias, but would Ms Domain be better? Or does it really matter?

A lot to consider...

Ms Domainer

Aftermarket Domains: Are They Worth Premium Prices?

Answer: Sometimes.

The obvious goodies generate a lot of interest; I was involved in the SecretAgent.com auction at Snapnames, and it eventually sold for the low to mid $xx,xxx.

On the other hand, domains like bonuscasinoplay.com are questionable. I own this domain because I forgot to delete it from my backorder list, a mistake I won't make again. From now on, nothing will go on my preorder list unless I really want the domain or if I know that it will generate competitive bidding. Sixty bucks is a lot for a domain that doesn't have much going for it.

On the surface, bonuscasinoplay.com looks good: three great keywords, well put together, but here are some indicators that suggest it won't be all that profitable:

1. It's not a direct navigation term.
2. No Alexa or Compete rank.
3. Traffic: About 30 hits per month.
4. It's a gambling domain, and online gambling is illegal in the U.S., thus no U.S. adsense.
5. It's a long domain: three words and 15 characters.
6. A casino is not likely to be an end user of this domain. For example, if Ace Casino wants to run a promo, it is not likely to set up a separate website for that purpose. Instead, it will create a link to the promo on its homepage, such as AceCasino.com/bonuscasinoplay.
7. The domain is relatively new: created May 16, 2005 (see Domain Tools).
8. All of the major TLD's are still available--on a truly valuable name, the other TLD's would have been snapped up as well. (Even if all the major TLD's are taken, it would be a good idea to make sure that the name is not regged by the same person/company).
9. No Keyword Discovery or Overture rank.
10. Google search with quotations: 685

One positive: the term is generic.

On the other hand, SecretAgent.com would be a good aftermarket buy (Five figures? I just don't know. Obviously, I did not bid to win this domain):

1. This is probably a direct navigation term, which has a long tradition in the entertainment and literary businesses.
2. Alexa rank of over 3,000,000; Compete rank of over 850,000.
3. Traffic: about 1,000 hits per month (surprisingly low, in my opinion; see note below).
4. "Secret Agent" has a lot of advertising possibility.
5. It's about mid length: two words, 11 characters.
6. This would be a fantastic opportunity for an end user; if this were my domain, I'd be looking for a development partner (especially if I had paid xx,xxx figures for it).
7. The domain is middle-aged: Created July 29, 2003 (Domain Tools).
8. All of the major TLD's have been snapped up, including .tv and .mobi. The plural versions (in all TLDs) are also registered. The singular hyphenated versions are also regged (I own the .tv and .mobi). Some plural hyphenated TLD's are available, although the dot-com is regged.
9. Keyword Discovery: 5; Overture: 200.
10. Google Search with quotation marks: over 4,100,000 with two sponsored ads.

A note on traffic: my Post Foetry blog receives 500 -1500 hits per month (see my counter). From a domaining standpoint, this isn't exactly a tear 'em up domain name, but it is a developed site with a small following, especially when I post regularly. Just imagine what kind of traffic a developed SecretAgent.com site would attract...

Before placing a backorder on an aftermarket name, it is important to do some basic research before joining a backorder auction.

Otherwise, one could end up with a version of BonusCasinoPlay.com.

If you are an experienced domainer with anything to add to my comparison list, feel free to comment or email me.

I'll add the info to my list.

Best,

Ms Domainer

Must-Have Domain and Domain Auctions...

Well, I don't exactly have it yet.

I won it at a backorder auction, but I have not yet received official notification.

Actually, I was the only bidder, although at least one other person back-ordered it because I did not get the domain outright; I had to wait three tense days (with a bad internet connection keeping me from getting online for long periods of time). The other person in the shadows did not even place one bid. Perhaps she or he decided that this domain wasn't worth upping the bid, or perhaps forgot about placing the backorder. Heck, I have placed backorders and then had second thoughts and didn't bid during the auction, but not too often. A few months ago, I placed a backorder on bonuscasinoplay.com, and later changed my mind. Unfortunately, it was still on my backorder list, so now it's mine. Now I don't place a backorder unless I'm absolutely sure I want the domain or know that the competition will be stiff (I'm getting good at sniffing out gems I can't afford).

Anyway, my shadowy non-competitor for my new domain is off the hook.

I will be using this particular domain; I have no intention of flipping it at any price. Once I announce my plans, you'll see why this will be an important acquisition for me.

Imagine that! I'm officially an end-user of an aftermarket domain!

It's funny; the domains I'm using for my blogs are all original registrations. This blog actually has a Google rank of 3, and it's not because of its direct navigation properties. I need to learn how to put that cute Google widget on my blog, but not until I get back home and on my regular computer.

Now to the latest Domain Tools auction. Okay, so it wasn't the most successful auction, but, still...some posters at Jay's blogs are such naysayers and have been so negative.

I believe that Domain Tools has so much potential and will eventually be a powerhouse in the domaining field (and beyond). IMO, DT Whois is already THE best in the industry; I have literally learned how to read the nuances of the Whois registry from studying thousands of DT Whois entries.

More than that, Jay seems to be very honest and striving hard for transparency. He will learn from this auction and future ones.

I must admit, though, I am a bit peeved that Jay and his team do not have in place some mechanism for letting potential sellers know whether or not their domains are appropriate for the DT auction platform. A simple "Accept," "Reject," or "Maybe" email would be helpful. If domains have no hope of being included, wouldn't it be better to clear them from the queue?

Other than that, I do not find fault if Jay (or any other auction house) rejects my domains; it's a business decision, nothing personal at all.

I had submitted some good country code domains and some pretty good dot coms, but apparently not good enough. I'm learning too.

My Balkan vacation is wrapping up, though I haven't been away from my domaining concerns very much. This biz is addictive, I'm afraid, much more than teaching literature (though I like that too, but I tend to take breaks from teaching concerns. Still, I'm attracted to all things literary and have acquired a lot of literature domains).

Anyway, the past few days have been interesting and disturbing; NetSol has a lot of atonement to do--I'm just glad I have transferred my paltry domains away from them. I no longer want to do business with them.

Ciao i Priedno,

Ms Domainer