Why it's getting harder to get the domain names you want. Go Daddy rescues Registerfly customers.

Go Daddy rescues Registerfly customers.
You've probably heard that GoDaddy.com stepped up and made an agreement with Kevin Medina - the principal of de-credited registrar Registerfly - to accept the transfer of its 855,000 domain names. Once the transfer is complete, Registerfly customers will become GoDaddy.com customers and will once again be able to access and manage their domain names.

It's important to note that GoDaddy.com did not purchase Registerfly. All we did was agree to the transfer-in of the domain names. So those individuals who have claims against Registerfly will need to proceed against Registerfly.

Bye Bye Stratton.
Stratton Sclavos, the CEO of VeriSign, in a surprise move resigned last week. I've always found it interesting that even though GoDaddy.com has been and remains VeriSign's largest registry customer, I have never had the opportunity to speak with, much less meet, Mr. Sclavos. It will be interesting to see what, if any, impact Mr. Sclavos' departure has on VeriSign and the domain name industry.

A little fire from Danica.
Danica continues to make the news. After yesterday's Indy Car race held in Milwaukee, Danica had words with Target Chip Ganassi driver Dan Wheldon over his behavior during the race - which sent Danica's car off the track and contributed to her 8th place finish. When interviewed about the "words" they exchanged, Mr. Wheldon commented that Danica was reacting from being under pressure for not winning, and that he certainly could be tougher on the track than Danica. I personally found Mr. Weldon's comments to match his behavior on the track - he lacks class. Regarding this incident: I'm squarely in Danica's corner.

An old problem gets worse -- much worse.
Ever wonder why it seems more and more difficult for you to get the domain name you want? Quite often it's because the domain name tasting and kiting industry is alive, well and running rampant. The practice of domain tasting and kiting continues to rage out-of-control. In February 2007, 55.1 million domain names were registered. Of those, 51.5 million were canceled and refunded just before the 5 day grace period expired and only 3.6 million domain names were actually kept. With the exception of just a few names, 93.5% of those names were registered simply to see how much advertising revenue - paid by big search firms like our "do no evil" friends at Google - will generate when they are associated with a one page Web site and related links.

During a recent conversation with Dr. Paul Twomey who heads up ICANN, I once again brought up the issue of domain tasting and kiting and asked what his plans are to do something about it. He did express concern, but the bottom line is unless he starts receiving complaints about the negative impact of tasting and kiting, don't expect any action from ICANN.

Until next time.