Are .xyz and Network Solutions "Cooking the Books"?

[Ms Domainer]

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Very interesting article at The Domains:

http://www.thedomains.com/2014/06/03/did-networksolutions-com-give-away-free-xyz-domain-names/

According to the article, when someone regs a domain at Net Sol, he/she automatically is "given" the matching .xyz. One has to opt out by going to a separate link.

Indeed, I checked a couple of The Domains samples (both crap domains in any gTLD) in both .com and .xyz, and, yes, they are owned by the same person.

But I noticed something else that's interesting: the registrant email for .xyz is under privacy, but the .com isn't.

Check for yourself:

00938625.XYZ (privacy email)
00938625.com (regular email)

03304cjp64ubzd1.xyz (privacy email)
03304cjp64ubzd1.com (regular)​

I bet that the registrant doesn't even know that the .xyz has been awarded to him/her and that renewal notices won't even go to the registrant.

It does look fishy, I'm afraid.

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[jmcc]

Just finished the TLD DNA pages for all the new gTLDs and .xyz does not look like most other active new gTLDs. The number of com/xyz domains is very high. There is some speculation in the TLD (the same phrase being registered in com/net/org/biz/info) but that com/xyz pair is way out of kilter for a gTLD. This is turning into a bit of a PR problem for the .xyz registry.

Regards...jmcc

 

[Kate]

...
But do the numbers hurt anyone? Are the numbers violating any laws or agreements? If they do then THAT is an issue. Inflating numbers is just that - inflating numbers. I have multiple car dealers near me insisting they are the largest volume dealer in the State! Perhaps I should check their numbers... might be buying from them under false pretenses!

Registries doing "zone stuffing" is not a new phenomenon at all. Illegal ? Probably not. Ethical ? Debatable. But I wonder, what would be the legal qualification when somebody registers domain names in your name, that you didn't ask for ? Impersonation ? Identity theft ?
It's an issue of trust here.

You know, corporate swindles also rely on inflating the figures. For instance, there have been some famous stories about companies building up huge lists of customers, that don't really exist, or not as active buyers anyway - they are just records in a database.
The whole trick was to increase their credit lines with the banks, based on projections of growth and claims of revenue that were falsified. What happens next:
money is siphoned away
or:
the company pursues a growth strategy on steroids, that is unsustainable, and then it goes bust.

I have spoken to people who now feel embarrassed to have regged just 1 .xyz name because the extension looks like a joke.

How ".xyz" could look different than a joke ? I couldn't ever take it seriously.

 

[enlytend]

I don't have a problem with them giving the domains away - I do think it's questionable to use those numbers to brag about the number of registrations when so many of them were without deliberate action on the part of the registrant. Clever though, I'll give them that.
(But IMO I think this gtld is so pointless that none of this is going to make it a success.)

 

[Ms Domainer]

I don't have a problem with them giving the domains away - I do think it's questionable to use those numbers to brag about the number of registrations when so many of them were without deliberate action on the part of the registrant. Clever though, I'll give them that.
(But IMO I think this gtld is so pointless that none of this is going to make it a success.)

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I'm also okay with giving away domains -- that is, if the giveaway is an "opt-in."

Just because I register Brandzz in .com doesn't mean I want it in .info or .xyz.

To stick someone with a "free" domain as a default is not only unethical but it may also be illegal.

Example (albeit somewhat exaggerated): If someone dumps a pile of "free" rocks on my driveway without my permission, I'm going to have issues with that and will call the police.

I'm concerned, too, about the deception inherent in this business plan and some of the ho-hum industry response to it.

Remember: if this guy lies to you in small ways (passing off padded numbers as "success"), he will also lie to you in major ways.

NOTE: This guy has a past history in alleged dodgy real estate dealings:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Bever...TA-NEGARI-AND-DANIEL-NEGARI-BEVERLY-HI-446350

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

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[jmcc]

This is the cross TLD comparison for .xyz gTLD:
http://www.hosterstats.com/xyz-new-gtld.php

This is the cross TLD comparison for .guru gTLD:
http://www.hosterstats.com/guru-new-gtld.php

The effect of the Network Solutions deal is quite visible because the .xyz/.com pairing in the .xyz is so high that it bounces even the brand protection and single word keyword domains shares off the top of the chart. In other new gTLDs, there is a concentration on the brand protection and keyword domains because either the registry or domainers consider these domains valuable.

The nature of the deal is bad for .xyz as a TLD. It makes it appear, on registration volume, that the gTLD is popular. However it is likely that most of these registrations will ever be developed into working websites or services. This opens the possibility for the gTLD becoming a Dead Zone - one where no real development takes place. In marketing terms, the publicity does draw attention to the gTLD but for the wrong reasons.

Regards...jmcc

 

[DU]

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http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Bever...TA-NEGARI-AND-DANIEL-NEGARI-BEVERLY-HI-446350

... allows users over the age of 14 to post free, un-moderated and uncorroborated complaints ...

Where there's profit, there's usually a crappy company there to make money. The web would be better without ROR imho.

 

[DU]

Registries doing "zone stuffing" is not a new phenomenon at all. Illegal ? Probably not. Ethical ? Debatable. But I wonder, what would be the legal qualification when somebody registers domain names in your name, that you didn't ask for ? Impersonation ? Identity theft ?
It's an issue of trust here.

That's the issue here, I agree - trust, my name, my legal position (risk potential is low I think) - not the raw numbers which people seem to care about. I don't see how registration numbers matter here unless there's some weird investor bonus kicker for the CEO or something?

 

[jmcc]

That's the issue here, I agree - trust, my name, my legal position (risk potential is low I think) - not the raw numbers which people seem to care about. I don't see how registration numbers matter here unless there's some weird investor bonus kicker for the CEO or something?

The registration volume for new gTLDs is a kind of bragging right or marketing tool. The registries like to be able to claim that they have had the biggest Landrush or most domains registered on the first day of general availability. This xyz/NetSol deal is like throwing mud at a wall in that it boosts the current registration figures and some of these registrations may be renewed. The downside of the strategy is that it could force the TLD into becoming a Bubble TLD like .info where registrations are driven more by promotions rather than by end-user interest and development.

Regards...jmcc

 

[DU]

The registration volume for new gTLDs is a kind of bragging right or marketing tool.
Regards...jmcc

So..

ceo.xyz is saying of other gTLDs:
My penis is bigger than your penis?

And you're saying:
Size doesn't matter

And Others are saying:
Look at his ruler... it doesn't look right

Or something.

 

[jmcc]

And Others are saying:
Look at his ruler... it doesn't look right

At the moment, it is like .xyz is claiming to have won the world's tallest midget contest. The .CO registry did it too but its numbers were slightly higher.

The boost in .xyz registrations might make it appear that the gTLD is popular and drive some fanboy and fangirl adulation but the bad vibes from the NetSol deal are going to hit the renewal figures like a case of Brewer's Droop from Hell if there is no growth after the Landrush period. And this compressed Landrush (where the Landrush lasts a few weeks instead of six months) is a feature of most new gTLDs. After the Landrush, the daily growth falls to a few hundred registrations at best. That's small ccTLD territory.

Regards...jmcc

 

[iowadawg]

Please leave my monster out of this discussion.

 

[Ms Domainer]

So..

ceo.xyz is saying of other gTLDs:
My penis is bigger than your penis?

And you're saying:
Size doesn't matter

And Others are saying:
Look at his ruler... it doesn't look right

Or something.

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We may not always agree, but this is classic.




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[jmcc]

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We may not always agree, but this is classic.




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Well xyz is measuring in micrometres while everyone else seems to be using inches and feet.

Regards...jmcc

 

[The New Guy]

That's the issue here, I agree - trust, my name, my legal position (risk potential is low I think) - not the raw numbers which people seem to care about. I don't see how registration numbers matter here unless there's some weird investor bonus kicker for the CEO or something?

Publicity. Maybe they thought no one would see the man behind the curtain.

The real issue will be seen a year from now - if register.com is going to auto-renew these opt-out xyz domains and have thousands of people suddenly become very upset with their 'free' gift. That's where it crosses over from a domainer / icann issue to a legal "call the attorney general's office / class action attorney" issue.

 

[DU]

... using inches and feet.

Feet?!

 

[iowadawg]

I have two feet.

 

[Ms Domainer]

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To go with DU's classic:

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[DnEbook]

it sounds like extension envy

 

[Ms Domainer]

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Now for a serious note.

Ron Jackson weighed in on this situation and recognizes the seriousness of the situation as it pertains to ICANN rules:

http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2014/dailyposts/20140605.htm
​

He would like to give Daniel the benefit of the doubt, and that might be nice if Daniel recognized what his company and Net Sol have done, come clean on his blog, apologize to his customers, and then build his numbers the right way.

As long as he remains silent or tries to spin the situation with his "I'm educating the public" BS, benefit of the doubt will be a tough sell.

So how about it?

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[domainventure]

Good Lord! What are those OTHER things hanging on to those guys?

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To go with DU's classic:

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[ecalc]

Rubber necking at the netsol xyz pile up is fun but domain investors might learn more watching registration trends at corporate domain managers MarkMonitor & CSC. Their clients are corporate whales, end users with a capital E, who pay an arm and a leg for domains and prefer dot com. That’s all you need to know but if you walk on the wild side you can drill down to see that the top 3 new gtlds held at MarkMonitor & CSC combined are dot clothing (539), dot reviews (378) and dot technology (343). Big rag leads by a nose.

 

[JB Lions]

Latest stats, #1 - http://ntldstats.com/tld/xyz

69,156 total
56,049 at Netsol - 81%

So picked up about another 30,000 last couple of days.

Wondering how many more freebies are left? Another 2 days like that, it would be around 100,000

This would make quite a drop next year wouldn't it? If most of those Netsol regs don't get renewed, plus others, 80% drop or so won't be a good look.

Domain Incite blog on it -
.xyz is now the biggest new gTLD (kinda)

Rick Schwartz interview with Danial - http://www.ricksblog.com/2014/06/in...sing-inflated-xyz-registrations/#.U5IOyiiaZRo

 

[Ms Domainer]

Latest stats, #1 - http://ntldstats.com/tld/xyz

69,156 total
56,049 at Netsol - 81%

So picked up about another 30,000 last couple of days.

Wondering how many more freebies are left? Another 2 days like that, it would be around 100,000

This would make quite a drop next year wouldn't it? If most of those Netsol regs don't get renewed, plus others, 80% drop or so won't be a good look.

Domain Incite blog on it -
.xyz is now the biggest new gTLD (kinda)

Rick Schwartz interview with Danial - http://www.ricksblog.com/2014/06/in...sing-inflated-xyz-registrations/#.U5IOyiiaZRo

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The sign in at Rick's blog requires a sign-in via one's own social media credentials, so my response to the two-hour phone interview is here:

Thanks to Daniel for the "education" that reveals the difference between a registry and registrar... Not sure that domainers needed to be educated on that point, however.

Why would Net Sol (registrar) "give" away domains and then pay the .xyz registry for the privilege? What would be in it for the registrar? It doesn't make sense at all.

Sorry, if it doesn't pass the smell test, then it still stinks and will continue to stink.​

I smell a sweetheart deal.​

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[wot]

Latest stats, #1 - http://ntldstats.com/tld/xyz

69,156 total
56,049 at Netsol - 81%

So picked up about another 30,000 last couple of days.

Wondering how many more freebies are left? Another 2 days like that, it would be around 100,000

This would make quite a drop next year wouldn't it? If most of those Netsol regs don't get renewed, plus others, 80% drop or so won't be a good look.

Domain Incite blog on it -
.xyz is now the biggest new gTLD (kinda)

Rick Schwartz interview with Danial - http://www.ricksblog.com/2014/06/in...sing-inflated-xyz-registrations/#.U5IOyiiaZRo

Hmm, still smells like very old fish!

 

[DU]

Not that it matters - Daniel clearly doesn't know how Coke distribution and sales works either