New.net Domains

[Raf]

Recently I've been hearing many complaints about the New.net Domain Registration service and I was hoping we could maybe get a good forum discussion going here. If you wish you can post some experiences you had with this services or what you think generally about this service.

My Take: To tell you the truth when buying a domain extension that really doesnt exist is really something you shouldn't be spending money on, especially that you have to download a plugin in order to view the domains within their intranet really doesnt make much sense into really making a service.

Lets hear some suggestions/experiences from some of you guys.

 

[Raf]

We appreciate your concern on this matter dnbuydomain, I guess I started quite a good topic that has 24 replies.

 

[dnslife]

dotworlds is not listed in that "thank you" section. Fourth paragraph from the bottom guys. (screen captured)

http://www.icann.org/minutes/rome-resolutions-06mar04.htm

dotbogus

 

[Riceman]

Originally posted by dnslife
dotworlds is not listed in that "thank you" section. Fourth paragraph from the bottom guys. (screen captured)

http://www.icann.org/minutes/rome-resolutions-06mar04.htm

dotbogus

This is typical dnbuydomains, bogus/phony posts

 

[armstrong]

Thanks once again for wasting our time, dnbuydomain. You are *this* close to ending your welcome here.

 

[Raf]

I would have to agree with you on that one armstrong.

 

[AdoptableDomains]

As for the first question of sales. Yes, I sold a single new.net domain for just under $200 when they first came out. I also had another 12 or so I didn't sell and let drop. I lost more than I made, but I knew up front it was a long shot bet on a lottery ticket. I haven't owned one since that first year. Had they been $5 a year instead of $25, I might have held out another year or so in speculation. Another blunder of new.net. (If they'd undercut real domains and sold at $3 or $5, who knows how things might be different.)

I don't see anything wrong with alternate roots as long as they make it PERFECTLY CLEAR to the buyers how they work and don't work.

Actually, I think they are marketing then all wrong. They all try to market them as altenatives to the big domains on the internet and that they "could" be widely seen now or someday. If they were smart, they would market them as "private intranets" that only exclusive members that download the plugin can access. Newbies and teens might bite to get them for their own private friend only sites to keep info semi-private without having to worry about the public internet spybots, parent or teacher access, or expensive web security measures. Instead of marketing to the weak point, they could market toward the strong point of NOT being in the mainstream. Kids are always trying to buck authority and general trends and might actually like the "underground internet" kind of like the old semi-secret dial-in BBS sites before the internet became common. I think they are missing the boat by not marketing them as "exclusive club" type domains.

Adult and other controversial sites could also fly "below radar" if they used alternate roots/domains instead of the ones the general public uses.

Think how useful they could be as a secure pseudo-VPN type network if the plugin had some security controls to allow/disallow certain IP's or even serialized plugin serial numbers to assure true private intranets only accessible to those you want.

They are not useful for business, public access, or speculation, but they are not without a market to individuals if promoted correctly as true private domains instead of public domains.

 

[dnslife]

Very good insight! Have a look at this faq page when you get some time.

http://uniqueroot.com/faq.html

 

[DomainSage]

Brilliant idea Mark, as basically anyone can set up these ' fantastic ' new extensions maybe we should gather a group from NP and start our own

After all we have two established companies that are doing very well ( their figures ) and have missed a niche market .. which is one of the reasons they started in the first place.
I am sure we could find backing.

Imagine a worldwide intranet

You could have your offices around the world connected through the net without bothering with any of the thousands ( or millions ) you would normally have to spend to protect the network ... as no one else could see it
You could limit access to only your trusted partners / customers and provide them with a unique service, maybe even 'layers' so they could decide who they wanted to see and interact with their ' private ' sites and e-mails.

Anyway, I have said too much

Wishing you all the best.

Richard

 

[AdoptableDomains]

Originally posted by dnslife
Very good insight! Have a look at this faq page when you get some time.

http://uniqueroot.com/faq.html

Very interesting. I hadn't seen that before. Thanks for the post.

It's pretty close to what I'd suggested, except more corporate oriented than individual since you have to manage/host a DNS server and zone file on your own.

I recently set up a DNS server on my company's network. I can it's easy to do without a plugin for a corporate site with a DNS server. In doing a recent upgrade from a windows NT private domain network to a windows server 2003 domain using FQDN's, my own company was in effect using a "unique root" during the transition of our internal network. I now use a real FQDN instead, but had anyone else used that DNS server's IP's our old .uss internal domain would have been accessible over the internet much like the setup you linked above.

On a more individual basis, I see that new.net and the like could really do the same just by having willing users access their DNS servers instead of using the browser plugin and their ISP DNS servers. I think they prefer the browser control advantages they get with the plugin though.

Originally posted by bitshack
Brilliant idea Mark, as basically anyone can set up these ' fantastic ' new extensions maybe we should gather a group from NP and start our own

After all we have two established companies that are doing very well ( their figures ) and have missed a niche market .. which is one of the reasons they started in the first place.
I am sure we could find backing...

My point was really as illustrated in this analogy:

in effect new.net sees a huge market for apples. They can't grow apples, but found a lemon orchard. Instead of selling their harvest to makers of lemonade, candy, and cocktail bars, they are targeting consumers of apples, telling them they are round like apples and taste sweet like apples if you add enough sugar and water (plugins). Even though the lemons can't be used to make carmel lemons that will sell like carmel apples, they still think they have to market them just like apples. They are also priced twice that of the apples on the market, and are half the size of apples. Instead of marketing the unique tart flavor qualities of the lemon, they try to sell them as the sweeter apples. Apple juice is abundant and the public can drink it straight. Lemon juice takes some additives to make it tollerable, and some added hidden cost before it can be consumed. Yes, lemons are a smaller market and ususally not put in every lunchbox, but there is still a small but viable market for lemons as lemons, instead of a poor subsitute for apples.

 

[dnslife]

That analogy is right on the money. The method that I'm planning to use to secure funds is by implementing one dollar registrations per domain name per year. Since this isn't a money driven project, we are letting the registrants pay for implementing the unique root. For example, the first 1,080 registrations pay for the root server. Every registration after that pays for the upstream provider and so on. I plan on delaying activation of the root for six months or one year depending on how the registrations go. Since I’ve priced the registrations at one dollar, the registrants will be taking a very low risk in case the unique root falls through. The entry plan is kind of part of the exit plan. But the nice thing is that the registration fee stays at one dollar throughout the entire lifetime of the unique root. Any Ideas? Maybe someone can start a discussion about this here on namepros. Maybe build some public trust or aquire a panel of trustees for the unique root.

 

[Rob]

If they were ICANN approved then sure, they would be great. I know I have come in a little late in the debate... but I think they are a waste of money right now....

 

[dnslife]

"If they were ICANN approved then sure, they would be great. I know I have come in a little late in the debate... but I think they are a waste of money right now...."

Are you talking about new.net domains?

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by armstrong
Thanks once again for wasting our time, dnbuydomain. You are *this* close to ending your welcome here.

Falsifying ICANN minutes is a new way to bogus post, isn't it? And I thought the dotWorlds argument was bad enough!