Tucows/Afternic simply dropped the ball
June 21, 2008
When Tucows announced they would be sending expired domain names to Afternic.com I was happy. So I did all my home work and found several domains that I liked right away (about 40). I put all these domains in to Afternic and all were listed as expired domain auctions. So I watched them in My Domain Alerts at Afternic and was ready to place my order the day before the auctions were to start….
All that week, domains in my watch list were their one day, gone the next. that can happen as these are Expired Domains and public renew them. UFO.net was one and I spoke with the owner and he did renew it. He said he had simply forgot about the renewal.
Now domains like Zira.com, Woodchip.com, ParkRangers.com, PcPrices.com and OrgX.com were all certain bids on my part. I got an newsletter from Afternic about Zira.com yesterday "Unfortunately the following domain(s) have been withdrawn from auction and are no longer available." Zira.com
Again, no biggy as I’m certain the owner renewed it…. I mean it was in the fitting moment frame of the expired dates. It was additionally on the servers Tucows uses for expired domains. Well I checked whois and Tucows has owned Zira.com since around 12-05-2006 (whois history’s first listing with Tucows as the owner)!
Woodchip.com, ParkRangers.com and OrgX.com just dissapeared from My Domain Alerts with No mail from Afternic. Hmmmm Well again Tucows owns all 3 according to whois.
The fact is, Tucows/Afternic listed a great deal of domain names Tucows owned on Afternic and now have been removing them. Was that a clerical error? Just a mix up in the new adventure? A way to draw a buzz to the new match up? Just a mistake?
I know I am upset as all my hard work researching the domains went out the window since all the domains I was watching are now gone and no longer listed on Afternic. Will I be doing that hard work again, to only have it happen a second moment? No. Tucows did have the right to "renew" the domains which would remove the listings from Afternic, but all these domains should of never made it to Afternic in the first place IMO.
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Easy CGI Review
June 20, 2008
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Easy CGI understands hosting and their extensive range of products is a [...]
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Another Domain Name Scam Spam Email
June 19, 2008
I just wanted to warn society of another scam e mail attempt that I got today. The person sent me an newsletter stating they owned the ".com version" of a domain I owned. No biggie so far….
He wanted to sell his ".com version" for $195 to me since it’s the same domain but in another extension.
The problem: ALL extensions of the domain are AVAILABLE besides the .us. I own the .us version considering it get’s traffic and the only reason behind why I own the .us version of the domain and none of the others.
The scam here is, they are trying to sell you domain names THEY do not even own!
Email Address: shawnwilson50@googlemail.com / royalwoo@changi.nswebhost.com
The subject line was: Regarding your domain name SAMPLEDOMAIN.com
Email composition:
"Hi,
I own the .COM version of your domain name sampledomain.us and I want to sell it.
I was wondering whether you would be interested in buying that domain for $195 seeing as though you own the same domain but in another extension ?
Let me know
Thanks
Shawn."
Using the header, I checked the "real e mail address" which showed me royalwoo@changi.nswebhost.com . next checking whois on NsWebHost.com show Whois Privacy, but shows whois history records of 1,032. That is a Massive Number and clearly LOTS of public have been checking whois on that domain!
The Recieved from IP address was: 203.211.149.240 (QALA.COM.SG) QALA SINGAPORE PTE LTD. that appears to be a Broadband company, but the funny thing.. The site is 100% English, so I’m certain a Proxy was used.
I tried to go to the NsWebhost.com domain, but only get a white page. Compete.com shows Approx 47K visitors per month to the site….. which is Pretty Amazing, since it only carries a blank page!
Since that persons real newsletter was the subdomain changi.nswebhost.com , I ran a scan on the domains on the normal server! 217 total. Several of the domains were owned by "the same person" but not ample for me to signal out a name. While digging around I did found out that, nswebhost.com is owned by Hosting Zoom, Inc. . The Contact e mail address is Domain@nswebhost.com on HostingZoom.com and the couple times the privacy was removed, the mailing address matches what Hosting Zoom does business under.
I have sent an newsletter to the owner of Hosting Zoom to see what the standards are with all the spam leaving his servers. whether you do a simple search on google for "nswebhost.com" you will see many posts that say Spam that, Spam that etc. Watch out for anything from the servers NSWEBHOST.com and produce certain to check your headers in the emails!
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Off the wall Domain Name stats! A little different soon after normal
June 19, 2008
As many DotWeekly readers have seen, I do several posts about "Off the wall domain stats". They normally show stats that folks do not see everyday like how many domains moved from one parking service to another. I additionally talk about how many domains are with assured registrars etc.
Well today I wanted to do something a little different. (If you couldn’t tell, I like Numbers) 
Domain Name Listings! The following are totals of domain names that are listed with some of the most popular domain services. All stats are from today 6-19-2008 and taken from the respected sites.
SnapNames.com has 1,300,285 domain names listed. that contains "In Auction" and "Available Soon" domains.
NameJet.com has 257,287 Pre-Release listed domain names and 139 Public Auctions currently going on.
Pool.com has 9,203 domains listed for sale all in auction format.
TDNAM.com has 203,544 Expired domain auctions going, with 74,453 other auction which they consider "Fire Sale" domains. That totals to 277,997 domain names.
Today’s Pending Delete domain names total up, 57,668.
Sedo.com claims to have Over 11.5 Million domain names listed for sale.
Afternic.com claims to have Over 2 million "Premium" domain names for sale.
Bido.com has 7 domain names listed.
eBay.com shows 2,434 for the search term "domain name".
The next section will show who’s Home Page shows they are the "Leading" or "Premier" places or services! LOL These are all direct Quotes from the listed sites. I mean really, how many Leaders can one industry have?
SnapNames.com "the world’s leading source of domain names, and market of choice for top domain professionals."
NameJet.com "NameJet is the premiere, aftermarket domain name service with exclusive stock of some of the most desired expired domains."
Sedo.com "Sedo is the leading marketplace for buying and selling domain names and websites"
Afternic.com "List your domains with the industry’s leading marketplace and distribution network:"
Bido.com "Bido is the premier site for live domain auctions and domain name portfolio management"
eNom.com "Since 1997, the premier reseller registrar."
Dotster.com "Today, Dotster is proud to be a worldwide leader in Domain Registration, Web Hosting and online advertising"
MyDomain.com "Founded in 1998, MyDomain.com is a leading domain registration service and provider of self-service domain management tools."
Register.com "Register.com has built a reputation as a leading provider of global domain name registration, web design and management services."
DirectNic.com "We are an industry leader, offering affordably priced domain names backed by high quality customer service and support."
PublicDomainRegistry.com " PublicDomainRegistry is an industry leader in providing Domain Registration Solutions."
OnlineNic.com "As one of the earliest ICANN (The Web Corporation for Assigned Names )accredited domain registrar since 1996, we have been well positioned to be a leading provider of wholesale World Wide Web services to a global network of more thereupon 6,000 web hosting companies, World Wide Web service providers and other service providers worldwide."
I could keep going on but I’m certain you are as tired as I am.
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Is eBay’s affiliate the best for domainers?
June 19, 2008
I think so! There are so many things on eBay.com that you nearly can’t go wrong using the service! No matter what kind of sites you have, you can find something on eBay that matches. eBay has parted ways with CJ.com (commission junction) and they are finally rolling out some very cool tools.
With domain parking going down the tubes I think it is a very wise view to get to know Affiliate Programs and fast. The couple that I use are eBay, Commission Junction & Click Bank. CJ has the widest range of advertisers and several in the domain name industry like GoDaddy, Dotster, Network Solutions and more!
Companies like Sedo.com, Moniker.com & Afternic.com all offer there own affiliate programs but I have not had much luck with them besides Moniker.
With parking revenues heading south, development is going to be your next best way of profiting from your domain names. While making minisites or even full websites you will want to choose the best advertising for your site that is fitting to the composition but do not Overload your site with ads as that can hurt you. I do best with CJ.com, eBay’s and Moniker ads but The Best with eBay. I think it’s considering of the wide range of items on eBay and the Name! Who doesn’t know what eBay is!
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Tips for choosing a good web hosting company
June 18, 2008
If you’ve decided to get out there on the world wide web and start your very own website or blog, the first thing that has to be taken care of his finding a dependable web host. that chore might seem extremely straight forward, although, it’s not quite as easy as picking a new pair of [...]
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Feeling down with your domain name sales?
June 18, 2008
In the domain name industry you get your ups and downs just like any other business. Some weeks domain sales are HOT as can be and the following week can just flatline!
The reasons behind the spurts of offers and sales are normally unknown but the biggest reason behind each sale is date. The old saying "Good things come to those who wait" is a great line for domain name owners! I have said that in the past, but I think a sweet spot for getting a "good offer" or somebody showing serious interest in a good domain is in the 6-8 month range. certain some great offers and sales happen right after you purchase a domain, but the majority come with duration.
When you are feeling down it never hurts to get a boost of confidence. How do I get my boost of confidence when sales and interest in my domains are low? DnJournal.com’s weekly reported domain sales! Now whether seeing Five and Six Figure sales doesn’t get you excited and keep your hopes up, I am not certain what will. Seeing these weekly reports on Tuesday nights certain amps me up and keeps me driven each and every week!
There is such a wide range of sales ranging from One word domains, 3 letter, 4 letter, combo keywords, different extensions, hyphenated domains and so much more! I know you own at least one domain that is close to the ones that sold each and every week! I know I do and that drives me each and every week to keep plugging away, buying domains and keeping my head held high!
I want you to keep in mind that MILLIONS of businesses and society in general have yet to even come close to noticing the value of domain names! So many society that I talk to do not even know what a domain name is! whether you are a domain name owner, you are ahead of the game and there are many bright things to come! Keep your head held high and keep being innovative!
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