discredit.org

I am in the process of creating a list of rules to follow while working on my domaining projects. One of the rules which actually applied to me today was “When In Doubt Register A Dot-INFO.” While searching for an extension to register my complete name in, I ran across several other extension which looked tempting. The extensions I ran into were Dot-IN, Dot-CC, Dot-WS and of course Dot-INFO. I have tried to contact the owners of JasonThompson.net and .org but none of the owners responded to my emails, which is there lost because I would of paid $x,xxx for my name in these extensions. Out of respect for JasonThompson.com I have my own reasons why I felt it wasn’t right to contact the owners. Since I was left with a number of extensions to choose from and the Dot-INFO of my name actually became available recently, I decided to register it. This was definitely a great acquisition because I only had to spend $1.07 through GoDaddy on a name which represents me as a brand in an extension that I actually respect. In addition to that I can market the future site by saying if you would like to learn more information about me, simply visit JasonThompson.info and you will be able to read my daily thoughts and activities. I plan to develop the site into a blog where people can actually get to know me, my family and friends on a personal basis. The site will also cover some of my business based activities and start to establish me as a brand that people can count on. My goal is to help people reach there goals and create situations that benefit the both of us. I don’t want to sound like a “Life Coach” but it is definitely something that I am good at and I can’t say that I won’t visit that arena sometime in the future.

To sum it up, if you find yourself in a weird situation while searching for a given keyword or term in a number of different extensions. Think about the rule! It will only cost you just over a dollar for that Dot-INFO. You can then either choose to register other extensions at a later date or develop the Dot-INFO you registered.

A spotlight is starting to form over the domaining industry. This spotlight has become large enough for DOMAINERS to be the focus of an article found in the July / August 2009 issue of INC. Magazine on pages 23 and 24. Now don’t get me wrong, we were not featured on the cover nor were we listed as a feature article in the magazine. Although this does bother me just a little bit, the fact that we were even included at all shows that the domaining industry is taking one step closer to becoming an industry which is valued and respected.

I won’t go into much detail about the article itself, as I want you to formulate your own opinions. One thing I will do is point out a few of the excerpts in the article which caught my attention. Here are a few excerpts from the article that sparked my creative juices:

1. “Some 80 million .com domain names are currently registered, a bit more than 800 times the number of domain-friendly words in Project Gutenberg’s online dictionary.”

I find this quote interesting, because once again the .com extension is placed ahead of all the other extensions available. I personally do feel that this might actually keep our industry from advancing. As domainers we need to make it known that although “.com” is king there is plenty of value and opportunity in registering alternative extensions. With the wide array of alternative extensions available we now need to start placing the queen, jack and joker on a pedestals and let them shine for a bit as well.

2. “Dot-com is just where customer’s minds are,” says Bob Parsons, founder of Go Daddy, the largest registrar of domain names.

Adding to the already over-hyped and over marketed .com extension, Bob Parson mentioned that customer’s want dot-com domain names. Again I will give my spin on this, customer’s want what is marketed to them. As an industry if our registrars are constantly pouring money into dot-com campaigns then it is only right that they will want a domain name which utilizes the dot-com extension. If we started off with dot-web everyone would have a domain name with such an extension. People are used to dot-com and until we really make an effort as an industry to get them educated on the idea of owning an alternative extension it will continue to stay like this.

Personally, I am glad that this article was even written. I am also glad that it was written for a magazine that I respect. I actually hold a subscription to INC. Magazine because I love reading about the entrepreneurial spirit. The magazine itself is one that tends to focus on the startup and I am definitely a sucker for startups. To read this article you can either pick up the latest issue of INC. Magazine at your local store or read it online.

To show my support for the domaining industry I will be writing a letter into INC. Magazine suggesting that they should write more articles about domaining as there is definitely a demand for it! I’ll make sure to post the letter once it is written and any feedback I receive from INC. Magazine.