I’ve decided to go for my own ICANN extension and compete with .com
June 24, 2009 by Rick Latona · 21 Comments
Greetings from Sydney Australia.
What’s amazed me about this current ICANN meeting is the sheer number of companies and individuals lobbying for their own extensions with ICANN.
Last night we went to a party, hosted by Wolfgang Puck and the good people over at Mind and Machines. Chef Puck is going after .food. Are the restaurants all going to line up for these names? We’ll let the market decide.
Or how about Shaquille O’Neil applying for .basketball? Maybe with his bankroll, it doesn’t matter if you drop half a million on it just to see what would happen.
Therein lies the issue. For many corporations and high net-wealth individuals it really doesn’t cost that much money to secure your own extension. At least, not in the grand scheme of things and not if ICANN finally gets the initiative launched.
The meeting has a very Washington DC feel to it. There are lobbyist everywhere. Even though any extension with two bidders will enter an auction, most companies are openly promoting the extensions they are going after. One would think that is their way to getting competitors to shy away from going after the same one.
More likely, these companies are putting on an aggressive lobbying effort. There in-your-face marketing puts their wannabe babies on the forefront of the ICANN board’s minds.
I guess you can’t blame them. If you want to get your extension passed it is a good way to go about it.
Therefore, I’ve decided to apply for my own extension. My idea is so huge and ground breaking that you may want to open a savings account now to be ready to snatch up my domains during my land rush period.
It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime ideas that will be a game changer. Starvation will no longer be a global problem. Everyone, everywhere will have clean water. Cats will play with dogs. It will stop raining in Vancouver and the Cubs will win a World Series.
Are you ready for the idea?
dotICANN
Yep.
.icann
You could have politics.icann, lobbying.icann, painfullyslowandtediousmeetings.icann, wheredoesallthemoneygo.icann and of course, the super premium travel.icann. These boys and girls do love to travel after all.
Seriously folks, there are not going to be dozens of new extensions or even hundreds. Expect thousands of extensions over the next 5-6 years.
It’s a land rush of a new and different order.
Targeted TRAFFIC’s new Open Arms policy - No more invitation only
June 18, 2009 by Rick Latona · 9 Comments
Rick, Howard and I want to grow TRAFFIC into something very special for the industry.
Just today we’ve cut a deal for a major CPA companyto give a really educational lecture/lesson in New York on buying traffic and monitizing outside the PPC industry. More on that later… The reason I am bringing it up now because it is all part of a broader strategy to get more people in the room that can help us all. Which brings me to the rest of this post.
The real announcement today is the launch of our new “Open Arms” policy.
In the past TRAFFIC was an invitation only event. It is now open to anyone who wants to connect with domainers. There are a number of reasons why this is important.
First, you never know where the next great idea is going to come from.
Second, small time players can become big time players. We want to know who you are regardless of your standing in the industry.
It’s a new beginning for us and the industry. It’s time for some real soul searching and for us to unite together and work on ways to bring back the profits of the past.
We can do it and will do it. See you in New York.
.CM Auction Exclusive - Announcing an online only auction of .cm premium names in July - Inventory Inside
June 18, 2009 by Rick Latona · 11 Comments
Rick Latona Auctions has cut a deal with the registrant of aged .cm names to auction. These are not being auctioned off the registry but the registry is aware.
More details will be published soon but I wanted to give you guys a teaser on some of the names:
casino.cm
poker.cm
loan.cm
billboard.cm
cars.cm
401k.cm
abc.cm
aaa.cm
academy.cm
ae.cm
apartmentguide.cm
budget.cm
buy.cm
shopping.cm
coach.cm
boston.cm
creditcards.cm
date.cm
digitalcameras.cm
drugs.cm
drugstore.cm
bodybuilding.cm
cupid.cm
fling.cm
forex.cm
forrent.cm
games.cm
gateway.cm
guess.cm
gap.cm
gunbroker.cm
jeux.cm
jobs.cm
juegos.cm
king.cm
launch.cm
maps.cm
musica.cm
nick.cm
canada.cm
playboy.cm
switchboard.cm
virgin.cm
lasvegas.cm
australia.cm
Interview with Victor Abboud of NIC.EC - Ecuador’s ccTLD
June 16, 2009 by Rick Latona · 5 Comments
I’ve decided to take on an ambituous goal to interview all of the world’s ccTLD registries. Some of them will take years before I can get them to agree and others will take years before they are even operational like some African nations. A man has to have a mission though and the project intrigues me.
This first interview is with Victor Abboud of NIC.EC the Ecuadorian ccTLD. While their market share is small they are doing a promotion for domainers that ends in a few days so the time to publish this is now.
After friendly chats with Victor over the phone and via email I feel that they are a domainer friendly registry so I want to help them get more exposure. After all, any friend of domainers is a friend of mine.
A bit about Ecuador first. I was there last summer when I visited the Galapagos Islands with my family. I really liked the country and the people very much.
According to Wikipedia Ecuador has around 15 million people. Most of them live either in Quito (the capital) or Guayaquil the financial center. NIC.EC is in Guayaquil.
The official language is, of course, Spanish.
Now onto the interview. As this is my first one, forgive me if I have missed important questions.
RL - Please tell us your official title with NIC.EC
Mr Abboud - General Manager of NIC.EC , Domain Registry of Ecuador .
RL - How many .ec names are currently registered?
Mr Abboud - There are almost 20,000 domain names under .ec .
RL - I see that www.nic.ec is also in English. That’s very handy for many of us. Can you tell me if email and telephone support is also available in English?
Mr Abboud - NIC.EC website is in Spanish and has a full version in English , as well as all reminder and confirmation emails. We have customer support by email and telephone also in English .
RL - I see that you have a special running until the 20th of June. Can you tell my audience all about it?
Mr Abboud - During the last years we have had a promotion of discounted fees , and this year from June 10 to the 20th, the promotion is for new domains for US$10 for 1 year , $20 for 2 years and $30 for 3 years, which is a great opportunity to register domain names . Many domain holders had their names under .com.ec but not directly under .ec . Some prefer one or the other , some prefer both , in any case is a good moment to register both options as well as others as .info.ec and .net.ec .
RL - Are there any restrictions for foreigners that want to own .ec names?
Mr Abboud - Registrations under .ec , .com.ec , .net.ec , .info.ec are open to all with no local presence required , however domains under .edu.ec , org.ec and .gov.ec are only for Ecuadorians.
RL - What about transfers? Is there paperwork required for transfers or can people simply push a name to another account?
Mr Abboud - For domain transfer from one Registrant to another there is some paperwork in terms of signing a form and sending some documents. Also there is a transfer fee . This process is not through the website but is not time consuming if done properly.
RL - It appears that nic.ec is both the registry and registrar for .ec domains. Do you have any plans for opening up and supplying volume discounts for other registrars?
Mr Abboud - Many Registrars register .ec domains for their customers but also many Registrants register directly through NIC.EC . We are working on implementing a Registrar accreditation process for them to have a more efficient process on .ec registration as well as fees according to the volume they manage. This effort is to promote the use of .ec domains and for Registrants to have several options of .ec registration with value added services
RL - Do you offer tasting or have plans to offer tasting?
Mr Abboud - No domain tasting in .ec because though one may register a domain name, activation is upon payment.
RL - What do you do with expired domains? Do you publish a list anywhere of .ec names that are expiring or have expired?
Mr Abboud - We do all efforts to make domain holders aware that their domain is expiring and that may suffer suspension of services and finally its deletion . Once the grace period ends after many processes and alerts, the domain is deleted and no list is published and it is then available for registration .
Thank you Victor for taking the time to help me on this project. Good luck with your promotion and see you at an ICANN meeting or hopefully a Targeted TRAFFIC show.
I’ve partnered with Targeted TRAFFIC in a big way - announcing the only auction game in town
June 16, 2009 by Rick Latona · 36 Comments
I have a pretty big announcement today. Actually, this is the biggest announcement I have ever made in my years in the domain industry.
Yesterday I visited Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu in Boca Raton and agreed in principal to partner with them in the TRAFFIC shows for 2010 and beyond.
Together, as a team, we will be presenting six fantastic shows next year. Due to my investment of capital in new auction software (currently under development), sales people who will be working the end-user market and other auction related activities that will bring substantial additional income to domainers over time, I became convinced that the auction company and tradeshow company need to be closely aligned and essentially partners.
It is our intention to grow upon the brand which started the industry events we know and love today. For that reason, we are doubling the size of the company for maximum exposure on a global scale. As of today we are announcing the following 6 shows in 2010. Exact dates and locations will be announced quickly.
January/February – Las Vegas
March/April – Amsterdam
May/June – Toronto
July/August – Either Reykjavik, Barcelona, St Petersburg, Prague or Rome (help us decide please)
September/October – South Florida
November/December – Hong Kong
We are looking forward to making T.R.A.F.F.I.C. bigger and better in 2010 and a trade show and Expo that will alert the whole world to the profession of Domaining and the value of our investments.
ccTLDs Extended Auction Ending Today!
June 15, 2009 by Rick Latona · 2 Comments
Our ccTLDs Extended Auction is ending TODAY at 5:00 PM ET. We have over 1000 high quality names and ccTLDs on the list. Please take the time to review it carefully.
You can go to www.proxibid.com/ricklatona and search for the name you want to bid on or the lot number for the name. The complete inventory is available for download below:
Bid Online Now!
.CO is coming - Expect huge prices and an intense aftermarket - finally real competition to .com
June 14, 2009 by Rick Latona · 23 Comments
At long last, the nation of Colombia is going to turn their coveted ccTLD extension “.co” into a business.
I’ve received word that on the 23rd of June the country will be accepting a bid. My source tells me that Verisign, Straat Investments, Affilias, Argus, and Technology Services (GTS), among others, have all expressed interest in and most likely placed bids to be the administrator of the extension.
The .co extension will be a major hit. Not only will the names get snatched up by domainers due to their similarity to .com names and other names that use .co like .co.uk (United Kingdom) but if marketed properly, end-users will also want the names.
After all, .com means (commercial) where .co traditionally means (company). In many ways, .co makes more sense than .com for a company’s domain.
I’m not saying that .co is an immediate threat to .com. Please don’t blow out of proportion my comments. I’m just saying it is the biggest threat. I can’t think of any other extension which would have the same potential.
If I was a gambling man - which I am from time to time - I’d place my bet on VeriSign walking away with the prize. I can’t imagine there being a price tag too big for them to pay to control the extension which poses the biggest threat to their core business.
ccTLD Extended Auction now live - full inventory list inside
June 6, 2009 by Rick Latona · 14 Comments
The extended auction inventory is now live and open for bidding. We have over 1000 high quality names and ccTLDs on the list. Please take the time to review it carefully.
Bidding is open until the auction closes Monday the 15th. You can go to www.proxibid.com/ricklatona and search for the name you want to bid on or the lot number for the name. The complete inventory is available for download below:
Bid Online Now!
Final Auction Inventory for Targeted T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Amsterdam released here. More names, a few .coms
May 30, 2009 by Rick Latona · 16 Comments
It’s been a challenge to assemble this list and I’m sure everyone will have their opinions but here it is below. Please note, we’ve also added just a few great .com names just because they were too good to turn down. DiamondRings.com and FluShots.com! What great names.
As well, all bidding will be done in Euros and the reserves are represented in Euros below.
The list has been sorted here in alphabetical order for your convenience. The order will be set soon and live on proxibid.com/ricklatona.
Recent Changes
- Added Local.nl, 15,000 Euro
- Added Investors.us, 3373 Euro
- Added Paris.com.mx, 765 Euro
- Added LuxuryResorts.eu, 3520 Euro
- Added LifeInsurance.nl, 2000 Euro
- Added Vende.es, 1,500 Euro
- Added Sofa.es, 2,000 Euro
- Added Paris.me, 4,300 Euro
- Added Spain.tv, 28,000 Euro (1,000 US per year renewal)
- Added Stichting.nl, 25,000 Euro
- Added Versements.fr, 3,800 Euro
- Added FX.com.br, 15,000 Euro
- Business.de Reserve Lowered to 140,000 Euro
- Added IT.co.uk, 115,000 Euro
- Added DataRecovery.co.uk, 13,500 Euro
- Added Vakantiebon.nl, 10,000 Euro
- Added Identidad.es, 1,440 Euro
- Added VueloDirecto.es, 1,440 Euro
- Added VuelosDirectos.es 3,600 Euro
- Added Adosados.es, 1,440 Euro
- Added Donantes.es, 1,440 Euro
- Added Motoristas.es, 1,440 Euro
- Added Comprarlibros.es, 1,440 Euro
29.se 750 €
3K.co.uk 1,976 €
66.nl 3,000 €
666.nl 15,000 €
69.fr 50,000 €
85.nl 1,000 €
abc.nu 1,000 €
About.se and About.nu 20,000 €
Actors.ph and Actors.com.ph 1,080 €
Addictions.md 213 €
Advice.md 213 €
Amsterdam.tv 24,780 €
AmsterdamVacations.co.uk 360 €
AncientRome.it 360 €
Asprin.co.uk 2,274 €
Avatares.es 1,440 €
BankOfSwitzerland.ch 720 €
barbecues.us 200 €
Bible.cm 720 €
Bier.eu 7,200 €
Bioscopen.nl 10,000 €
Blackjack.co.za and Casino.co.za 35,000 €
Blog.eu 14,400 €
BowlingBalls.co.uk 1,080 €
Business.de 140,000 €
Brussels.net 6,000 €
California.cm 720 €
CallGirls.eu 2,880 €
Cams.cm 720 €
Categorias.es 1,440 €
Cena.com.mx 720 €
CestBon.com 3,600 €
CheapCars.us 3,600 €
Cinema.cm 720 €
classic.tv 10,800 €
classics.tv 10,800 €
Copenhagen.pl 200 €
Costar.es 3,600 €
CrabLegs.co.uk 360 €
Crosstrainers.co.uk 2,274 €
DataRecovery.co.uk 12,780 €
debtcollection.in 200 €
Demasiado.com.mx 720 €
Desayuno.com.mx 720 €
Diamantes.eu 7,200 €
Diamants.eu 7,200 €
Diamond.cm 720 €
DiamondRings.com 162,000 €
DiamondRings.net 4,000 €
DiamondEarrings.net 4,000 €
Downloadgratis.es 1,440 €
Draw.com 85,000 €
Drogen.eu 7,200 €
DUI.com.mx 720 €
DutyFree.eu 7,200 €
Earphones.co.uk 7,974 €
Easy.nl 10,000 €
Echtgenoot.com 216 €
Echtgenote.com 216 €
Ejemplo.es 1,440 €
Elk.co.uk 720 €
Emails.com.au 1,440 €
English.se 300 €
Euros.info 2,160 €
Euros.lu 500 €
finanzierungshilfe.de 4,320 €
Fleurs.eu 7,200 €
Flushots.com 142,000 €
Football.eu 18,000 €
fotostudio.eu 500 €
freeporn.co.uk 93,600 €
FreieKreditAuskunft.de 200 €
French.net 10,800 €
Fuel.in 200 €
germany.tv 54,000 €
Geschaft.eu 7,200 €
Girl.eu 7,200 €
Golf.cm 720 €
GolfClubs.ph and GolfClubs.com.ph 1,080 €
GolfVillas.co.uk 1,080 €
help.tv 27,000 €
Hermanos.es and Hermanas.es 2,160 €
Holland.mobi 5,000 €
home.tv 64,800 €
Honduras.hn 2,880 €
Hounds.co.uk 1,440 €
HouseAlarms.co.uk 1,080 €
Houses.co.uk 43,200 €
HouseValues.co.uk 5,694 €
Human.in 200 €
iCricket.co.in 200 €
idn - KITZBÜHELHOTELS.COM 212 €
IDN.IN 3,900 €
Illino.is 700 €
Imports.ca 3,600 €
Italianen.com 200 €
Jeux.eu 7,200 €
Job.us 25,200 €
KostenloseKreditAuskunft.de 200 €
kredit-bericht.de 200 €
KreditKarten.eu 7,200 €
LakeProperty.co.nz 360 €
LawSchools.in 360 €
lawyers.tv 18,000 €
Lending.co.uk 13,000 €
Lesbians.ca 10,800 €
LOL.co.uk 1,440 €
Lottery.cm 720 €
Lyrics.cm 720 €
Madrid.pl 200 €
Mal.com.mx 720 €
Malpractice.md 213 €
Malware.com.es 200 €
MartiniBars.co.uk 200 €
Meetings.co.uk 11,200 €
Menos.com 6,480 €
Miami.cm 720 €
Minibikes.co.uk 2,274 €
modelagentur.eu 500 €
Musica.eu 7,200 €
Musique.eu 7,200 €
navi.eu 1,000 €
NetPoker.se 300 €
NL.com 590,000 €
Nom.co.uk 1,440 €
NottingHill.com 21,600 €
Oas.is 300 €
OffshoreTaxHaven(s).co.uk 1,080 €
Onlinejuegos.es 1,440 €
Ordenadors.es 200 €
Paper.se 300 €
Paris.com.pt 200 €
Permits.eu 200 €
Permits.us 200 €
Podcast.com.au 2,475 €
Porno.co.uk 144,000 €
pornos.com.br 3,000 €
PropertyManagers.co.uk 3,500 €
prosthetics.in 200 €
QQ.nl 7,500 €
Cualquier.com.mx 720 €
racing.tv 10,080 €
RealityShows.tv 1,000 €
reclames.nl 3,850 €
Recruteurs.fr 10,000 €
Relationships.md 213 €
Report.co.uk 10,000 €
Rhodes.com 187,200 €
Roubles.eu & Rubles.eu 3,600 €
row.in 200 €
Rugs.co.uk 15,840 €
sales.tv 10,080 €
satellite.tv 21,600 €
Savvy.fr 360 €
Scholarships.ph and Scholarships.com.ph 1,080 €
ShotGlasses.co.uk 1,134 €
SintMarteen.com 216 €
skipauschale.com 396 €
Spanish.ca 3,600 €
spielbank.eu 1,000 €
sportsmemorabilia.co.uk 12,960 €
Stores.ca 3,600 €
tel.fr 5,000 €
Telecom.co.uk 20,000 €
Temas.es 1,440 €
ThankYouCards.com 32,000 €
today.tv 6,480 €
Traffic.eu 10,800 €
traffic.tv 18,000 €
TrinidadEnTobago.com 216 €
Tsjaad.com 216 €
uebernachten.de 500 €
uebernachtung.de 1,000 €
UsedBoats.co.uk 6,120 €
UsedMotorcycles.co.uk 1,440 €
vakantiebon.nl 10,000 €
Vegas.cm 720 €
Versailles.com 32,400 €
Villa.es 13,000 €
Vino.com 400,000 €
VIPS.co.uk 2,636 €
Vote.eu 10,800 €
Webcams.ph and Webcams.com.ph 1,080 €
WeddingConsultants.co.uk 936 €
WeightLoss.us 5,400 €
Wiki.eu 10,800 €
WireTransfers.co.uk 500 €
wiz.in 200 €
WTF.co.uk 1,440 €
Zapatos.com.es 5,400 €
zoetermeer.com 1,080 €
First half of Targeted T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Amsterdam auction inventory released
May 26, 2009 by Rick Latona · 27 Comments
While we are proud of the list below, we need more submissions. As you can see we are heavy on certain extensions so don’t hold back if you have something premium that isn’t represented below. Of course, we’ll take any names that are great and priced right.
Keep in mind that we are also taking strong .com names as long as they are relevant to the European market.
For those of you that are paying attention you’ll be in for a treat. There is one country represented below that I’m sure none of you expected.
| Golf.cm | $1,000 |
| barbecues.us | $500 |
| 66.nl | $4,000 |
| Houses.co.uk | $60,000 (lowest reserve yet) |
| finanzierungshilfe.de | $6000 (financial aid in German) |
| Euros.lu | $500 |
| Home.tv | $90,000 ($1500 annual renewal fee) |
| Hounds.co.uk | $2,000 |
| Reclames.nl | $4500 (commercials in Dutch) |
| Cinema.cm | $1,000 |
| Satellite.tv | $30,000 ($750 annual renewal fee) |
| Fleurs.eu | $10,000 (French for flowers) |
| WeddingConsultants.co.uk | $1,300 |
| Vote.eu | $15,000 |
| HouseAlarms.co.uk | $1,500 |
| California.cm | $1,000 |
| Recruteurs.fr | $13,000 (recruiters in French) |
| Euros.info | $3,000 |
| GolfVillas.co.uk | $1,500 |
| Germany.tv | $75,000 ($1000 annual renewal fee) |
| OffshoreTaxHaven(s).co.uk | $1500 (for the pair) |
| Lottery.cm | $1,000 |
| NottingHill.com | $30,000 |
| BowlingBalls.co.uk | $1,500 |
| Football.eu | $25,000 |
| UsedBoats.co.uk | $8,500 |
| iCricket.co.in | $500 |
| WTF.co.uk | $2,000 |
| Easy.nl | $14,000 |
| Lyrics.cm | $1,000 |
| 666.nl | $19,000 |
| Savvy.fr | $500 |
| Imports.ca | $5,000 |
| LOL.co.uk | $2,000 |
| Help.tv | $37,500 ($1000 annual renewal fee) |
| Bible.cm | $1,000 |
| NL.com | $830,000 |
| Spanish.ca | $5,000 |
| Elk.co.uk | $1,000 |
| 85.nl | $1,300 |
| Musica.eu | $10,000 |
| Cams.cm | $1,000 |
| Racing.tv | $14,000 ($750 annual renewal fee) |
| Nom.co.uk | $2,000 |
| Tel.fr | $6,400 |
| Versailles.com | $45,000 |
| Rhodes.com | $260,000 |
| LawSchools.in | $500 |
| Mal.com.mx | $1000 (bad in Spanish) |
| Diamond.cm | $1,000 |
| 69.fr | $50,000 |
| Miami.cm | $1,000 |
| Cena.com.mx | $1000 (dinner in Spanish) |
| Traffic.tv | $25,000 ($750 annual renewal fee) |
| Cualquier.com.mx | $1000 (whatever or whichever in Spanish, common phrase) |
| Weightloss.us | $7,500 |
| Desayuno.com.mx | $1000 (breakfast in Spanish) |
| Classic.tv | $15,000 ($750 annual renewal fee) |
| Vegas.cm | $1,000 |
| Demasiado.com.mx | $1000 (too much in Spanish, common phrase) |
| IDN.in | $5000 (as in internationalized domain names) |
| DUI.com.mx | $1,000 |
| Scholarships.ph and .com.ph | $1500 (for the pair) |
| Today.tv | $9000 ($750 annual renewal fee) |
| Actors.ph and .com.ph | $1500 (for the pair) |
| Stores.ca | $5,000 |
| FreePorn.co.uk | $130,000 |
| Golfclubs.ph and .com.ph | $1500 (for the pair) |
| KreditKarten.eu | $10,000 (German for Credit Cards) |
| RealityShows.tv | $1,500 |
| Webcams.ph and .com.ph | $1500 (for the pair) |
| Porno.co.uk | $200,000 |
| Zoetermeer.com | $1500 (city in Holland) |
| French.net | $15,000 |
| SportsMemorabilia.co.uk | $18,000 |
| Bioscopen.nl | $13,000 (cinemas in Dutch) |
| Rugs.co.uk | $22,000 |
| Crablegs.co.uk | $500 |
| About.se and About.nu | $25,000 |
| AmsterdamVacations.co.uk | $500 |
| Classics.tv | $15,000 ($750 annual renewal fee) |
| UsedMotorcycles.co.uk | $2,000 |
| Lawyers.tv | $25,000 ($750 annual renewal fee) |
| Menos.com | $9000 (means minus or less in Spanish. Great ecom name) |
| LakeProperty.co.nz | $500 |
| AncientRome.it | $500 |
| Sales.tv | $14,000 ($750 annual renewal fee) |
