Geo domains are a niche within the larger domain name industry pertaining to domain names containing cities, states, countries, or other geographical names. A new organization for geo domain enthusiasts has sprung up at GeoPublishers.com.

GeoPublishers is staffed/led by some familiar names in the geodomain industry including the Castello Brothers (David and Michael) who own such greats as PalmSprings.com and Nashville.com, Fred Mercaldo of Scottsdale.com, and Jessica Bookstaff of PigeonForge.com.

GeoPublishers aspire to become the new voice of the geodomain industry. Many of its members and/or partners were previously involved with the Associated Cities network although differences led to an eventual split.

Geodomains are a special interest of this writer as well as a focus of investment for Menius Enterprises, Inc. (dba PremiumDomains.US). Pure generic city and state domain names offer a unique angle since they have natural appeal to local residents & businesses as well as those planning to travel to a particular city or state location.

GeoPublishers will be open to geodomain owners in a variety of top level domains. Already listed in the site’s membership directory is Louisville.US, an attractive website providing information on local business, attractions, restaurants, hotel booking, etc.

GeoPublishers will provide periodic conferences for its members for the purposes of networking, learning, and information exchange. The first such conference is already being scheduled, and is entitled “GeoPublishers.com Expo 2011″. It will be held in Chicago on October 1-2. More information is available here.

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Skip Hoagland is a well known geo domain developer and owner of such beauties as Atlanta.com and Portland.com. Today, Ron Jackson reported in DNJournal that Skip sold MyrtleBeach.com for $6.5 million to Intellistrand.

Not only did the deal deliver a $6.5 million payout to Skip, but he also acquired the remaining 50% interest in a number of other super premium domain properties in which he had been a 50% partner. These included Baltimore.com, Daytona.com, SouthCarolina.com, and Honolulu.com.

This is a huge domain industry news event and a very exciting illustration of geo domain relevance and power. Myrtle Beach is an extremely popular vacation destination and attracts a tremendous number of beach lovers year after year.

Skip Hoagland has one of the most prolific domain name portfolios on the planet. He is known for taking premium geo domains and then constructing functional websites around them. MyrtleBeach.com is a notable example of the synergy created when high-quality generic domain name meets content rich website. 

Congratulations to Skip Hoagland. A well-earned success along the road of hard work.

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City domain names and state domain names are among my favorite internet properties. Dan Pulcrano of Boulevards New Media hit the gold mine in the 1990′s acquiring many .com city domain names in advance of the eventual dissolution of print media.

Boulevard’s portfolio of city domains is simply stunning, and the collective value almost priceless. Examples of their properties …

Following some years later came the official releases of .info (information), .biz (business), and .US (United States) domain name extensions. The competition was global and intense for city domain names in these addresses. Many individuals and companies had “seen the light”, and recognized the incredible opportunity before them.

A parallel story which was unfolding alongside the domain name evolution was the unraveling of traditional newspapers and print media. Many newspapers did not understand that their own demise was at hand. In short, their print advertising plummeted. Moreover, newspapers failed to grab the brass ring … which was to acquire a pure city domain name and to adequately position themselves for the internet future.

There were exceptions, however. The Charlotte Observer obtained Charlotte.com, The Boston Globe acquired Boston.com, and the former Knight Ridder Publishing (who owned the Miami Herald) captured Miami.com. All good moves.

Further illustrating the current emergency underway with print newspapers in America is the recent bankruptcy declaration of the Denver Post. They are the 13th newspaper bankruptcy filing by a U.S. newspaper publisher in only 13 months. Read about it here.

Menius Enterprises worked diligently beginning in year 2001 to acquire a number of high value geo domain properties, including: Charlotte.US, Detroit.US, Portland.US, California.biz, Miami.biz, NewOrleans.biz, NorthCarolina.info, Indiana.info, and Sacramento.info. Since then, we have sold a number of pure geo domain names and geo-targeted domains.

Morris Communications (based in Augusta, Georgia) obtained cities such as Nashville.biz, Cleveland.biz, and StLouis.biz.

City domain names are rare and have few substitutes. They appeal to a large clientele yielding relevance for local residents, both local and global businesses, and international travelers to the area. Cities have their own unique personality. And a timeless, enduring quality.

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