Weird. Someone stole my domain

[JumpInTheFire.com]

on the 16th i was looking up a domain name on google and google images and on whois.net and it was available. then i goto register it on the 17th and someone registered it on the 16th. its a domain company that registered it. so i dont feel safe searching on google or whois.net anymore.

what is the safest site to search a domain on? internic.com?

does google list there Recent Searches somewhere? thats the only thing i can think of.

 

[Rich]

Are those the only two sites you searched on?(I would consider those to be safe) I have that issue a lot, but the domains i look at are gone within 5 minutes usually, on a non drop day sometimes I get the feeling I'm being watched! it's the whois monster!

 

[Kate]

It could be a taster.
Try again, the name may be released in a few days.

 

[ran_doank]

Agree with you kath, Try again a week or a month later.

 

[JumpInTheFire.com]

what is a taster? whats the purpose of it?

i never mentioned the name on a message board or anything. so someone had to see a "Recent Searches" list or my internet company has a employee that watched what i was doing and they registered it.

it says it doesnt expire until 2009. so i guess i'll wait until then to try again

 

[Kate]

Do a search on 'domain tasting' here or on google
Basically the party that registered the name probably is testing the name for traffic and will drop the name in a few days...

 

[JumpInTheFire.com]

ok

i still dont see how someone got the name from me. SpyWare maybe?

just found this on google

Who Is Monitoring Your Domain Searches?
By domainer on February 19th, 2007

It has happened to most of us:

A perfect domain name pops into your mind.
A quick check at your favorite domain registrar reveals that the domain is still available.
For some reason, you put off the actual registration for a few days.
And when you come back to finally register the domain, it's taken by someone else!
In many cases, this is simply a coincidence. But there are increasing reports of domain search data being sold to domain tasting companies which then register your domain ideas to see if they attract any traffic.

No traffic? No problem. The domain taster simply drops the domain after five days. But if the domain proves popular, the taster will keep it and monetize its traffic through PPC (pay per click) ads.

 

[HBK216]

First off don't use Google or whois to search for available names. I've seen names show up as having no whois record but actually be registered. Search at Moniker as I have searched for thousands of names over the last couple of years & never had one registered on me right after.

There is a possibility the name could have been on a drop list or something so don't assume you won't have a chance at it. Just check through Moniker a couple of times a few days after the fact. It just might be dropped & available to register again.

Whatever you do, do not directly type in & visit the url. You do not want to hint at any possibility of traffic existing.

 

[Epic]

Search at Godaddy! I've never had a problem there.
Although monitoring like that does happen, many times it's strictly a coincidence that the domain was registered shortly after your search.

 

[HBK216]

Search at Godaddy! I've never had a problem there.
Although monitoring like that does happen, many times it's strictly a coincidence that the domain was registered shortly after your search.

Go Daddy is the last place someone should search for a name at. Network Solutions is another.

Way too many "coincidences" for Go Daddy.

 

[weblord]

google is free and public search engine. don't blame it just because you used it to search a domain name, if it's listed there then it's not available anymore in the first place.

don't procrastinate and run a domain whois on some domain and then register it the other day, if you're serious, run the whois once it's available and you want it, then register. 1 day is too long to wait.

on the 16th i was looking up a domain name on google and google images and on whois.net and it was available. then i goto register it on the 17th and someone registered it on the 16th. its a domain company that registered it. so i dont feel safe searching on google or whois.net anymore.

what is the safest site to search a domain on? internic.com?

does google list there Recent Searches somewhere? thats the only thing i can think of.

 

[ulasbbtr]

Go Daddy is the last place someone should search for a name at. Network Solutions is another.

Way too many "coincidences" for Go Daddy.

Godaddy dilemma: Search name with godaddy and forget about it if it's a good name. Because, if it's a good name and you didn't register at your search time, then next day you won't find the name there.

If it's not a good name, then it will be available but this time ask yourself is it worth to register?

 

[Devil_Dog]

Your domain? lol

You never paid for it so it wasn't "yours".

 

[cache]

godaddy is not real time whois

 

[chandan]

Your domain? lol
You never paid for it so it wasn't "yours".

:D

btw i too used whois.net saveral times even for expired pr2 domains
and able to reg after 2-3 days too dont think so they are the catchers

and probably what you searched may be a dropped domain which get lists in saveral dropping domains sites and some domainer must have regged / tasting :p

 

[Epic]

Go Daddy is the last place someone should search for a name at. Network Solutions is another.

Way too many "coincidences" for Go Daddy.

Godaddy is fine. The WHOIS isn't always 100% up to date, so that's where most of the "coincidences" come from (the people who don't understand Godaddy's WHOIS).

 

[seamaster]

i believe it is 100% coincidence, as the matter of fact once i saw a post where the guy was yelling out the same thing and the registration email address was mine, so that guy was alleging me that i have stolen his domain, but wait i never knew what shit he was talking and it was mere coincidence that he searched and short-listed a domain and at the same time from other part of world i short-listed the same domain too...so before he could have registered it, I went ahead and did it, so moral of the story is when you find a good domain than reg it asap, as of today more and more people are coming online and everyone wants her/his own cyber space.

 

[ecigs.net]

Whois

There's lots of good advice here.

Your domain? lol
You never paid for it so it wasn't "yours".

Devil Dog is right that the domain isn't yours. However, ideas are property. If somebody is watching what you search for and registering your ideas in order to sell them to you at a higher price, it is an ethical issue. That said, you can't do anything about it so forget it and move on.

don't procrastinate and run a domain whois on some domain and then register it the other day, if you're serious, run the whois once it's available and you want it, then register. 1 day is too long to wait.

I agree totally with this sentiment. If you have an idea and you have the money. Buy it. If you are not willing to put up $7, it probably wasn't worth it. I avoid actually searching for names until I am ready to buy. If you don't have the money to buy domains, it is a waste of time to keep looking. Searching for domains to make lists of available domains is an addiction. Search and buy or don't search. That's my personal advice to myself and stops me from spending all day looking for great names. Also, when I find what I want, I buy it immediately. There are millions of people domaining. Chances are there is somebody out there thinking about the same domain you are.

Godaddy is fine. The WHOIS isn't always 100% up to date, so that's where most of the "coincidences" come from (the people who don't understand Godaddy's WHOIS).

I've never had a problem at GoDaddy. I've probably done 100,000+ searches there using their bulk search option. I think at lot of the complaints are because people looking at drop lists. Well, guess what, so is everybody else.

Lastly, waht Kath said about the domain probably being tasted was 100% on. I often get back domains that I want a few days later. You have to be quick and on top of it, however. As soon as it drops it might get tasted again. So, be waiting and ready with your $7.

(By the way, if you are buying it to park it, remember this: if it was tasted and dropped, it isn't earning enough traffic to pay for itself. That might be a domain that won't work with the parking concept.)

 

[Slick Domains]

Go Daddy is the last place someone should search for a name at. Network Solutions is another.

Way too many "coincidences" for Go Daddy.

I've registered well over 1000 names with GoDaddy and never had this problem. If it is a great name, I reg it right away, but with about 90% of those I will add the names to my cart and reg them a day or two later after I've thought it over.

I definitely recommend GoDaddy!

 

[Rob J]

As has been suggested many times on this board, don't ever go looking for domain names without a credit card in hand. If you find a name available and don't register it immediately you have nobody to blame but yourself.