Heads Up! FireFox Add-on to block parked domains!

[Sameh]

I just found out about it on another forum.


Apparently, www.ivegotafang.com created FireFox Add-on to block parked domains. They claim that this project was created to avoid typo websites.

If you're like most people, you've probably been to these domains unwittingly, usually either through search engine links or by slightly mistyping a Web address. In essence, they are at best a waste of time.

We partnered with the Parked Domains Project to develop this toolbar, which is a project that identifies parked/spam domains. These blocked domains have also been removed from our search results, e.g. it tells you to go to youtube.com if you type in yotube.com

Check this image to know exactly what they do:

EX: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/images/p/30122/1236005503

Their list currently has 42,489,313 parked domains on it according to their website.

I checked at least 20 generic & llll.com of mine (no typos) which parked with different companies (Parked, Sedo, NameDrive, etc..) and all of them were in the blocked domains list. apparently they scan Parking Companies name servers and add all domains to this list.


I'm not sure if this scam will run for too long or eventually Mozilla will remove it soon but I just wanted to warn everybody about it.

 

[FathomJH]

Scam? Lot's of people don't like going to parked pages. I hate when I mistakenly type in the wrong address. :yell:

 

[Sameh]

Scam? Lot's of people don't like going to parked pages. I hate when I mistakenly type in the wrong address. :yell:

Please read my post again. It's not about typos. It's about any parked domain.

 

[FathomJH]

I understood the post. If this would go "mainstream" so-to-speak, this would have a negative impact on the income for many domainers with parked pages/sites. I see lots of possible set-backs this could cause. Do the pros out-weigh the cons? - not sure. I don't know if they're out do get domainers, maybe they only made the add-on to help frustrated users. Honestly, I agree that its bad for us and maybe it would get yanked by Mozilla.

 

[Jackie]

This is why I think parking is not a viable strategy in the long run.
I do not think that a browser addon like this will kill the parking model overnight, as only more experienced computer users are likely to go to the trouble of manually installing it and that demographic is not the most likely to click links on parking pages anyway.

However, it only takes one large company, such as Symantec (Norton Antivirus, Internet Security makers) to bundle a parked page blocker with the popular software packages. Even computer novices are too scared to not have security software on their computer nowadays, and once the makers of a major security program decide to release a parked page blocking system as an update to their users...millions of Internet surfers around the world may never hit a parked page again.

I don't believe in parking much and I don't think there's anything we can do, or should even try to do to stop a scenario like the above from happening. It's inevitable and I believe that if Internet users do not like to use parked pages (and believe me, almost all users who know what a parked page even is try to avoid them), then they will have their way and we need to evolve from that outdated business model to survive.

 

[-Adam-]

Hmm, this is going to get quite interesting. Parking for me really hasn't been all that rewarding so it doesn't bother me that much. However I do know many others that still make nice profit off of doing so. But my concern is not with typo's it's with sites that are already parked and then become developed. How will their lists handle those type of situations?

How can I report a false positive?
First, we're very sorry for any inconvenience this false positive may have caused you. Seriously. Second, find the domain in the list, using the alphabetical directory above. Finally, click the X next to the domain to report it as a false positive.

...answered my own question.

 

[ZeRohiLL]

If you click the "x" to remove your domain:

Please note: we visit each parked domain regularly (about once a month). If it is no longer parked, it is automatically removed from the list. So if you recently put up a site at a parked domain, you do not need to submit this form.

 

[Fork]

It was bound to happen eventually. Fortunately, it probably won't see many installs unless, like Jackie said, it gets picked up by a large antivirus or popup blocker distributor.

 

[FreakySteve]

Hmm, this is going to get quite interesting. Parking for me really hasn't been all that rewarding so it doesn't bother me that much. However I do know many others that still make nice profit off of doing so. But my concern is not with typo's it's with sites that are already parked and then become developed. How will their lists handle those type of situations?

...answered my own question.

Once you start to develop the domain, you would probably change servers and if they are scanning parked DNS servers, that would probably get you off the list.

 

[snicksnack]

if they do it by DNS, use a free DNS service and redirect to the parking service

 

[enlytend]

Not a scam - aside from domainers, most people hate parked pages. Parking was nice while it lasted, but there's a growing backlash and it looks like, as we know it, parking's days may be numbered.

I thought I read this, regarding the Working Group on Registration Abuse Policies, elsewhere in this forum but I can't find it:

There was also after-breakfast speculation that some participants in WGRAP may seek to characterize general, non-infringing domain parking as an “abuse”

Source: http://www.internetcommerce.org/node/164

it only takes one large company, such as Symantec (Norton Antivirus, Internet Security makers) to bundle a parked page blocker with the popular software packages.

Very true - they've already managed to convince people that affiliate tracking cookies are "spyware" .

Anyone using their own DNS to park a domain that's check to see if theirs is on the list?

One more thing to do if you develop a formerly-parked domain...

 

[mis_chiff]

I just checked through several different parked domains,
they only have 1 of my parked Google AFD domains.
a .biz - none of the cctlds are in the lists.

Looks like only .com .net .org .info .biz and .mobi
are affected.

I also checked the .ca's I have at Bodis and their
not on the list either!

So ccTLD's seem to be unaffected - so far!

umm, is this legal? What gives this dude the right to
block everyone's domains?

 

[banners]

Glad that I just recently made my own custom parked pages

 

[-Adam-]

Mis chiff, It probably just falls under the open source and GNU law. He is not forcing anyone to download his add on and has been up front in exactly what it does. The concept is almost exactly how a spam blocker program would work as well.

 

[FreakySteve]

Mis chiff, It probably just falls under the open source and GNU law. He is not forcing anyone to download his add on and has been up front in exactly what it does. The concept is almost exactly how a spam blocker program would work as well.

:bingo:

 

[deleted984054565403]

I'm not sure if this scam will run for too long or eventually Mozilla will remove it soon but I just wanted to warn everybody about it.

Not going to happen. AdBlock Plus is one of the most popular extensions, which is along the same line as this.

 

[whitebark]

As someone else said - those who install this extension are the same ones not likely to click on parked page ads anyways so it's no huge loss in the bigger scheme of things.

 

[ripley]

As someone else said - those who install this extension are the same ones not likely to click on parked page ads anyways so it's no huge loss in the bigger scheme of things.

I agree for the moment. The real problem, I think, would come when/if someone packages something like this with a popup or spam blocker.

ripley.

 

[labrocca]

I like the idea.

 

[tricolorro]

Apparently, www.ivegotafang.com created FireFox Add-on to block parked domains. They claim that this project was created to avoid typo websites.

I'm not sure if this scam will run for too long or eventually Mozilla will remove it soon but I just wanted to warn everybody about it.

Hi,

Mozilla makes a fortune from Google each year with the Google Search Box on Firefox.

Mozilla can only hurt their bottom line if they allow this add on to continue, I think.

See here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=9829

Excerpt: "That little search box in Firefox basically bankrolls Mozilla. In 2006, Mozilla had $66.8 million in revenue, up from $52.9 million in 2005... The revenue from Google has enabled Mozilla to build a portfolio to fund itself on an ongoing basis."

If the Domain Parking block only affects direct type-ins on the search bar
and NOT the Google search box then the above will not apply.