The Dangers of Searching for Your Perfect Domain Name

[WhoNet]

The Dangers of Searching for Your Perfect Domain Name

One of the most popular ways to search for the availability of a domain is to type the name directly into a registrar like Go Daddy dot com. It makes sense to check there, because if you confirm the availability, then you can simply register the name right then and there. If you do this, there is absolutely no problem. However, and this is a huge however, if you decide to wait and think on it, you run the risk of losing this name to a domain squatter. In fact I can almost guarantee if you have even a remotely useful domain name, it will be gone. Domain squatters are doing absolutely nothing illegal. They are simply staking a claim of internet real estate albeit with a little inside knowledge garnered from your seemingly innocuous search. Instead of paying $6.95 and some change for that great domain, you’ll be faced with a request for $500 and up depending on how desirable the domain is.

Here are some ways to prevent this. First and foremost, if you even begin to consider looking up domains names, and I don’t care where you look it up, have a credit card in hand and pull the trigger! Buy the name right then and there. If you decide not to develop it, you can sell the domain, park the domain for future use, or let it drop back into circulation losing only the initial $6.95 investment.

Second, if you aren’t ready to buy the domain and prefer to search and mull it over, then do not use a registrar like 'Go Daddy' to search for domains. Using the 'Go Daddy' search option, I lost FossilCreek.com and Webistics.com clean furniture the day after I looked them up. I naively thought it was a freak coincidence. I have since been educated.

It is also important to note that 'Go Daddy' is doing nothing wrong. Their search mechanisms often place previously searched names in the domain suggestion fields on future searches. They just do what they do best, and that web hosting a whole bunch of domain names for a low cost. A lot of domaineers use Moniker.com to do domain availability searches and swear by the authenticity and security of Moniker. I haven’t personally used this site, but it has been recommended to me by several different esteemed sources. Again, the best policy is to register the domain if you even remotely like the domain.

In closing it is a real drag to come up with a great domain just to lose it the very next day. When I came up with the name, Info Aces, I had two credit cards in hand with my registrar account information all ready to go. I for sure was not going to lose this one.

I don’t know what happened to the FossilCreek website, but I followed up on the Webistics domain name and learned that it sold for $100. Thankfully, it wasn’t thousands of and upholstery cleaners in but it’s still $93.05 that could have gone to my pizza and Diet-Pepsi fund! If you have any questions, tips, or suggestions, please feel free to email me. I enjoy the feedback, and I especially like the success stories. Leona.

http://www.corsavoo.com/domains/0,2577,345978,00.html

 

[DotWeekly]

This was my reply to the writer of this:

The process can and does happen with what you talked about, but in the case of the two domains you stated, this is not the case.

FossilCreek.com was first registered in 2000 so it was never available when you searched it. This is the problem with Godaddy.com . They do not use a Live whois registry search and their system has glitches. The glitch is they show domain names are available when they really are not.

The same thing for Webistics.com which was registered in 2006, so again was not really available. You can use www.whois.sc to verify the Creation Date for each domain.

The best and safest way to check to see if a domain is available, is to check at the domains Registry. For .com and .net domains, the registry is Verisign http://registrar.verisign-grs.com/whois/ Basically, if you see information provided, the domain is taken (registered) if you do not see any information, the domain is available.

Then you would want to go to a registrar that uses a live whois check like Moniker.com, enomcentral.com, dynadot.com, name.com to mention a few. Or you could check the availability at any of these above as they are live and to the millisecond correct.

 

[soggyindo]

whaam! good reply

 

[Name Trader]

Using the registry whois may be the most accurate method of whois look-up. But it isn't necessarily safe, because Verisign is the one one selling lists of unregistered whois lookups (according to domaintools.com... I forget the link to the blog).