I've just come across an interesting article from Richmond.com, entitled "Domain Name Causes Controversy." It's all about the domain name PowhatanVA.com, which was acquired by Powhatan County Government for $1,630 on NameJet in May 2015.
According to the article, a public comment called into question the acquisition of the domain name, but Powhatan County government defended the acquisition by stating that "If the county had not bid on it, someone else would have gotten it."
Which is true. The NameJet auction attracted 31 bidders and 46 bids - with the next highest bid being $1530 from user AXILLA22.
The county administrator for Powhatan also made another very interesting statement: "For years the county has fielded numerous complaints from citizens and others who have been confused because they thought the former website that was on PowhatanVa.com was the county’s official site."
The domain name now forwards to PowhatanVA.gov, and so any confusion over Powhatan County's official site is now gone. I think this is a smart acquisition by Powhatan County and something that other administrations may wish to take into consideration; if you operate a website on a .GOV domain name, then it's wise to own the .COM.
I feel that $1630 may have been an expensive price when looking at the domain's metrics, but looking at it from another point of view: the county have paid just $1630 to ensure that Powhatan residents are sent to the official website, rather than a parked page or an unofficial Powhatan VA guide.
According to the article, a public comment called into question the acquisition of the domain name, but Powhatan County government defended the acquisition by stating that "If the county had not bid on it, someone else would have gotten it."
Which is true. The NameJet auction attracted 31 bidders and 46 bids - with the next highest bid being $1530 from user AXILLA22.
The county administrator for Powhatan also made another very interesting statement: "For years the county has fielded numerous complaints from citizens and others who have been confused because they thought the former website that was on PowhatanVa.com was the county’s official site."
The domain name now forwards to PowhatanVA.gov, and so any confusion over Powhatan County's official site is now gone. I think this is a smart acquisition by Powhatan County and something that other administrations may wish to take into consideration; if you operate a website on a .GOV domain name, then it's wise to own the .COM.
I feel that $1630 may have been an expensive price when looking at the domain's metrics, but looking at it from another point of view: the county have paid just $1630 to ensure that Powhatan residents are sent to the official website, rather than a parked page or an unofficial Powhatan VA guide.
