question What is "hand reg" and what other ways to register a name exist?

[Vertibox]

I am curious to find out what other method (s) exists for registering domain names other than "hand reg", which I assume means typing out a name at your registrar and searching for it. Then registering it, if it is available and you want to go ahead.

I have never acquired any name I own through any other method than by "hand reg", as I am simply unaware of any other methods.
I am excluding any form of buying domains at auctions, expired domains websites, drop catch stuff, domain agents, or a straight purchase from the current owner, etc.

I see the references to "hand regs" all the time on this forum, but I have never ever seen any alternatives mentioned in the same postings, by anyone.

 

[bmugford]

"Hand reg" generally just refers to a term that is available to be registered.

It doesn't necessarily refer to physically typing a domain in and registering it.

People who hand reg still often use tools to go through long lists of domains to see what is available, then decide what is worth registering.

Brad

 

[Vertibox]

People who hand reg still often use tools to go through long lists of domains

Brad

What tools?

 

[bmugford]

There are many from sites like ExpiredDomains.net to Estibot.

For instance someone might generate a list of keyword combos, then scan to see what is available.

I might take the top 100 cities in the format (City)+(Something).com and see what is available.

If you see some good combo available, while all the others are taken, it might be worth registering.

There are plenty of websites and tools where you can generate combos to scan, or just use tools like excel and do it manually.

Brad

 

[Bravo Mod Team]

Hand reg = hand register/registration.

There's also auto reg where software automatically registers domains that are available for registration, based on predefined criteria, algorithms, or requests.

Dropcatch regs can be a form of that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_drop_catching

There are domain reservations, which are supported by some registries and allow you to pay a premium for domains before they become available for registration.

Aftermarket purchases may involve negotiations, contracts, and escrow providers re: already taken domains (i.e., not available for registration).

And so on.

We can even imagine others, such as a crowd reg, where the domain is only registered if there is a consensus on it.

Hand reg is limited to checking by hand (manually) and pressing the Buy button because it's available for registration, at a standard or premium registration price, but it does not include reserved domains, aftermarket domains, etc.

If a transfer or special assignment is involved, then it's not a registration.

New TLDs sometimes have various phases, too: Sunrise, Landrush, Early Access Period (EAP), and finally, General Availability (GA) or Restricted Availability (RA) for restricted TLDs like .bank.

There are so many scenarios.

 

[Future Sensors]

The term handreg pops up in all sorts of domain conversations, but one of the more interesting uses is when sellers mention it in sales reports to point out that they grabbed the name at the basic registration fee instead of paying big money on the aftermarket. That detail makes the return look more impressive, since the profit margin is clear and easy to grasp. On the flip side, when a domain was bought from someone else and later resold, the original purchase price is usually left out, which makes it harder to know how much risk or investment was involved.

 

[forge]

Generally when I "execute" a hand reg, soon after I have serious reservations about the reasons for having done so.

 

[Future Sensors]

Generally when I "execute" a hand reg, soon after I have serious reservations about the reasons for having done so.

It complements your current signature really well.

May you be surrounded by strength and encouragement.

 

[marijuanadomain]

"Hand reg" generally just refers to a term that is available to be registered.

It doesn't necessarily refer to physically typing a domain in and registering it.

People who hand reg still often use tools to go through long lists of domains to see what is available, then decide what is worth registering.

Brad

ALL domains were hand reg.... it there were not hand reg than how did the domains get registered?

 

[bmugford]

ALL domains were hand reg.... it there were not hand reg than how did the domains get registered?

Yeah, that's kind of pointing out the obvious.

If a domain was originally registered 30 years ago or 1 year ago, it is still registered and not available to be hand registered now.

The vast majority of valuable domains have already been registered. That has been the case for many, many years.

Brad

 

[Bravo Mod Team]

ALL domains were hand reg.... it there were not hand reg than how did the domains get registered?

You can buy reserved domains from various registries, and when you do, those registries change the domain's status from reserved (not available for registration) to assigned to you (akin to a domain transfer).

There is no hand reg involved in that process.

 

[marijuanadomain]

You can buy reserved domains from various registries, and when you do, those registries change the domain's status from reserved (not available for registration) to assigned to you (akin to a domain transfer).

There is no hand reg involved in that process.

It takes the fun out of your creativity

Yeah...all it takes is money...
Please tell me something That I don't know yet about domaining...

.

 

[alop]

It takes the fun out of your creativity

Yeah...all it takes is money...
Please tell me something That I don't know yet about domaining...

.

can you retire please youngens as I are still learning thanks

 

[nicenic]

Hi, Vertibox

Checklist-based scanning is the closest alternative, treating availability as inventory rather than discovery.