The economy is in recession, the stock market near a twenty year low, and unemployment figures worrisome. But the internet is healthy. Just another sign of this is the re-auction of Toys.com which had been sold only weeks ago for $1.25 million.

Update: Toys-R-Us just won Toys.com for $5.1 milllion dollars. The Washington Post article described a heated bidding war between several players with all but two bowing out around the $3,000,000 mark. National A-1, a domain holding company, and Toys-R-Us went on to bid against each other for nearly two hours with National A-1 calling it quits when Toys-R-Us moved up to $5,100,000. Premium domains. Gateways & assets. Say no more.

.COM Domains .com, toys.com

Whispers and comments have been getting louder and louder in the domainer community regarding the growing emergence of country-code top level domains (ccTLD’s). Domainer attitudes sometimes foreshadow the next wave. On the other hand, domainers sometimes only echo that which is obvious.

.US is the official country code of the United States, and a fantastic alternative to the much loved .com domain extension. This I know.

While watching ABC network TV today with my wife, a well produced commercial came on for a product line called Tena. A visit to their site indicates that Tena make absorbent hygiene products. Not what I would classify as the next hi-tech, exciting market phenom. But, probably the kind of product that works very well and for which there exist a loyal market.

Their official United States website –> Tena.US. Excellent! Displayed clearly across the television screen “Tena.us“. That’s the kind of marketing commitment that makes a statement.

So what about the .com? Well that page resolves to a country selection page which actually lets you choose from many different countries and respective languages.

To Tena’s credit, they registered their company name in almost every country code so that Tena in France resolves to Tena.fr, and Tena in Canada resolves to Tena.ca. Impressive. They are actually using the country code as it was originally intended and designed. This model represents a forward thinking company who not only recognize the inherent value of the classic .com, but who also grasp the importance of utilizing the official web address of all the countries in which they sell their products.

This registers a strong “A” … for global brand intelligence & smart marketing strategy.

.US Domain Names .us, tena, USA

BusinessWeek have covered a story about an irrigation contractor, from Florida, who began a complaint website aimed at identifying deadbeat customers. That’s customers who hire for services, but then do not pay their bill.

The BusinessWeek writer, Rebecca Reisner, details the story of Robert Bodi who has worked all of his professional life to provide quality services to his customers. However, like most of us, Robert became sick and tired of dealing with dishonest & difficult individuals who won’t pay their bill!

With the help of his daughter, Robert created BusinessBeware.biz, a database of contractor experiences in trying to work with deadbeat clients. “Bad clients” are named, and prospective contractors can check the database to see if a particular individual has a history of defaulting on payment. Pretty useful in my opinion.

Both humorous and educational, another business owner harnessing the power of the internet … in a practical, yet unexpected way. Cool use of the .BIZ (Business) web address.

Fact: –> .BIZ broke the two million worldwide registrations mark in June, 2008.

.BIZ Domain Names, Internet Domains .biz, businessweek

As an advocate of the Internet’s official .BIZ (Business) web address, I like noting positive developments with the extension. This evening I happened upon several government institutions who have done a great job building out their sites on the .BIZ web address. 

The Nevada Secretary of State have acquired SecretaryofState.biz and produced a huge, beautifully designed site sporting a ton of information. Historically, local governments have opted for .us, .gov, and on occasion the .org. However, most State governments have a dedicated department which oversees the State’s Business & Procurement Division which is very “business-centric” making the .biz selection an appropriate choice.

The State of Illinois’ Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity run their site at IllinoisBiz.biz, and once again, we see a very deep site with a wealth of online information and functionality for Illinois businesses. 

The U.S. Census Bureau have their official website at CensusBureau.biz providing not only news about the upcoming 2010 national census, but posting all kinds of statistics regarding American households & families as well as “Business & Industry” economic indicators.

The National Small Business Association site at NSBA.biz is a tremendous advocacy group representing over 150,000 small businesses across America. They lobby for reforms that are advantagous to small business owners and strive for fair taxes and affordable health benefits for American workers.

Business and government seem to be moving along parallel routes these days with government moving into, and taking over, certain elements of the private sector.  Government has always been inextricably tied to big business in the USA. .BIZ should have no problem fulfilling both roles in the years to some.

.BIZ Domain Names, Internet Domains .biz, business

Real estate is one of the most popular business categories on the web. People love to house hunt, and statistics clearly demonstrate just how important the internet has become for successfully marketing and promoting properties online.

Geo-targeted domain names are perfect for serving the real estate industry. There are a number of relevant keywords that constitute the most popular, and effective, search phrases. They are:

• Real Estate
• Homes
• Condos
• Apartments
• Properties
• Property
• MLS
• Rentals
• Foreclosures

City specific real estate domains are among the best choices for those working in the real estate industry. For example, “Miami Real Estate” is one of the most utilized, widely searched phrases for obvious reasons. Closely associated are “Miami Condos“. Performing a basic Yahoo or Google search produces a multitude of companies and realtors advertising under these search phrases.

All of these variations on the real estate theme make good investment and development opportunities. Experimenting with search engine results should give you a clear indication as to which geographical areas are drawing the most advertisers. But don’t overlook some of the less populated areas too, which are often not yet registered.

This map, published by Zillow, shows how home values have recently changed in some of the larger metropolitan areas across the United States. Many of the “hot market” regions are now suffering home value drops. Nonetheless, buyers and sellers are in the market constantly looking for great opportunities. And the real estate industry is a 24/7 non-stop arena representing trillions of dollars in equity investment.

For domainers, active business markets suggest excellent premium domain investments & acquisitions. I recently picked up the premium name: Condos.biz, knowing that a nice quality real estate business domain will only appreciate in value. I may develop Condos.biz in due time (time being the operative word). Domain portfolio development … is a great outlet! Happy hunting.

.BIZ Domain Names, Internet Domains condos, homes, real estate

You are holding a rather nice domain name. It has appeal. It is pure enough to serve a certain market, special interest, or location. Offers trickle in. Some are anonymous. But you’re not interested, and politely decline. Other offers come from straight up businesses who are commited to buying. The source of offers is diverse. The wheel turns.

The key:  Possess prime internet real estate that is the ”Park Place” of cyberspace, i.e. a perfect web address that suits an end user’s need.

End-user buyers are all around the world … looking for opportunities, and weighing their alternatives. There is no guarantee that a domain name will sell at a certain time, or for a certain price. But, if it is nice quality, the odds are in your favor.

Ideal internet real estate, gets the second look, and a third. And it gets people to thinking, and wishing. This leads to the inevitable dreaming (what if … ?), and then the creative/strategic planning as the acquisition goal comes into focus. Human motivation is driven by desire, and by need, be it a lone individual or an international conglomerate. To improve and move forward … is the natural human instinct. The competitive drive pushes one to find the best opportunity available.

Just look at the internet. And the unbelievable abundance of usable content and functionality that has been constructed in so short a time. Literally, millions of driven people are logged on right this moment. And multiplying day after day after day. High quality domain names are the wide open doors that serve these millions.

Where does the money come from? From everywhere. The internet is gigantic, and the world … even larger. You may be holding a domain name right now that the future buyer hasn’t even considered. Yet.

Domain Sales, Internet Domains buyers, negotiation

Maybe you prefer the term Maverick, or perhaps entrepreneur. Domainers seem to be the new global internet entrepreneurs.

I think about the many domainer profiles written over the years by Ron Jackson of DN Journal. People from all walks of life, and from all over the globe, who shared a similar dream.

Some were young, some were not so young, but all of them had a belief that separated them from the pack. Something indescribable that led them to think, maybe even unconsciously, “I can do this. I will do this.” And they did.

A good number of domainers came from humble beginnings. Were tested and strengthened by facing challenges, overcoming adverse situations, and not folding. Whatever their origins, domainers as a group have struck me as inquisitive people, somewhat intense, and reassuredly determined.

Yes, some are half crazy and need a spanking. But you can say that about 3 of 10 people I pass on the street.

Domaining as a true business has developed into quite an attractive undertaking. A certain critical power of analysis is required to succeed … despite the misconception of some folks who think you simply register a domain and resell it for 50x three months later.

I was speaking to a friend and co-worker about my domaining, and he gave me that automatic glazed look that seems the typical reaction. His wheels were turning, and he was intrigued, but it was as if he was hearing a foreign language for the first time. To my surprise, he registered a domain name the very next day (that related to a favorite pastime of his). I felt compelled to educate him on the many caveats of his name selection, but chose instead to leave him with his proud new accomplishment. People have to crawl before they walk, and walk before they run.

Corporations, of which there are many both national and global, definitely exist outside the concentric circles of the domain industry. Companies are really only beginning to understand and appreciate the importance of the internet to their business. Many are still struggling to form a cohesive strategy for taking their business online. However, it is inevitable that they will adopt a strategy. They have to. The global economy will demand it.

An evolving communication will begin in 2009 to 2010 between select domainers and corporate business development representatives. In fact, it has already begun, somewhat covertly, with some major sales already making it into the press. While still others are quiet buyouts of specific domains and/or complete portfolios. My point being, the tide is rolling in, and the word is getting out about domaining and the value of premium domains. Time is on the side of domainers. Global corporations are waking up to reality. So are the Mom-n-Pop operations, and the list goes on. Domaining is a sweet niche … if pursued intelligently. Have a nice day, global entrepreneur!

Internet Domains corporate, domainers, entrepreneurs

Moving forward in time, an investor forms his decisions within the context of history while also speculating on potential future developments. Domainers are pretty eclectic in their tastes & strategies. Same is true for investors in other markets too. Opportunities always vary. And there are many paths to the journey’s end.

Global top level domains (tld’s) include the well established .com/.net/.org plus newer released alternatives .biz/.info/.mobi. Two other popular country code extensions in America are .us and .tv (all pictured at right in the global graphic).

The success of a tld depends on eventual adoption and use by segments of society, especially businesses. Businesses have a specific incentive, and funding, to build out a domain name into a functional asset. Smaller companies all the way up to the Fortune 500 have acquired high-quality domain names to support their internet expansion & marketing plans.

For sure, all of the tld’s mentioned have increased their registrations by large fold year after year. This, of course, is a great trend for domain investors and developers. The trend has been fueled by:

• global internet growth & its assimilation by societies
• the specific migration of businesses to the internet
• domain investment by those who recognized the potential

As of today, the total registrations for major tld’s are –> .com (79,243,372 ), .net (12,077,702), .org (7,392,611), .info (5,081,111), .biz (2,008,779), .us (1,385,171), .mobi (844,357), and .tv (undetermined).

What we envisioned is coming to fruition, in that the world is embracing the internet in ways which naysayers could not imagine. I am an anti-naysayer, while also valuing pragmatism. Naysayers, as a glass half empty group, are only partially served by their cynicism and skeptical nature. Their excessive “that’ll never happen” attitude often keeps them on the sideline where speculative opportunities are missed.

As the collective world continue to find never ending uses for the internet, people (naysayers included) will come to understand the growing importance of all the tld’s mentioned above. The meaning represented in the domain’s extension will increase in importance as continued organization of the internet becomes essential to worldwide users.

This phenomenon will elevate the importance of the familiar, like .com, while also boosting the recognition and use of newer tld’s (already in use) like .biz (Business), .info (Information), and .us (United States).

.BIZ Domain Names, .COM Domains, Internet Domains domains, tld