Would you use a good ".net" name without owning its ".com" instance?

[MD]

I've found a great ".net" name for a site that I own. However, the ".com" is owned and parked by someone else.

I mean usually when people hear about a web site name, they naturally assume it's ".com", which, in my case, will just grant traffic for the owner of the ".com" domain.

Would this concern you?

your views are much appreciated

 

[Midano]

Me personally - never.
Try to get the .com without revealing too much about your plans. See how it goes.

 

[TheBulldog]

Agree, make an offer on the dot com.

I will say that I did use a dot net for a personal site for many years. But only for a shell company that went to my dot com.

 

[Spade]

I wouldnt for several reasons. But the issue at hand is how comfortable I am, not owning the .com - I would build a site on the .net and really want to own the com - as I build more value in the .net the com continues to rise, making it ellusive to acquire - Nah, no thanks...

 

[hawkeye]

Personally, yep. I mean if you wanted an 800 phone number like '800-network' and it was gone and not being used, would you pass on '877-network' just because the 800 number was sitting in limbo land and abandon your plans? I use a .net for a site for our business as the .com was taken back in '99, and obviously for spec purposes as it is still not developed, and we are #1 in yahoo, and #2 in Google on this term. If you are using it for business or a site that you really want to put up, why forgo your plans just for ego that you 'must have a .com'?!? By the time someone has either boughten and/or developed the .com version, your site will already be indexed, known and already generating what you wanted, be it traffic, money, etc. JMO.

 

[yandig]

I would try to acquire the .com at a decent price, but I wouldn't be afraid to use the .net either.
I previously used a .com domain, sold it, and now use the .net instead.

 

[jiosis]

Never, while I have several .com domains that are getting traffic from people trying to go to .net/org ones and type it by mistake.
There is an exception:
If you are looking to create a Web Directory and just thinking of selling links based on your site's pagerank, the name really doesn't matter
Find another .com name, even if its not as good as the current .net name.(My 2 cents)

 

[lzy]

I did. A three word combo .net

So I recently made an offer on the .com (parked at Sedo) and the guy was asking for $750. Blah. I just told him good luck holding on to it.

 

[rocknrollo]

I have a .com name that the .net website is doing very well. I get a lot of traffic due to this but i dont think the .net site is suffering to much becouse he branded it as a .net site.

 

[RogueWriter]

I have several .nets that do well.

The primary consideration is whether or not this is going to be your only source of income? If so, try to find a .com. If not, then it does not matter as much. I own several .net web sites, and yeah some traffic might bleed off to the .com, but the.coms are undeveloped, so people will supposedly keep looking for me, if they have been to the sites before.

Plus, on my developed sites, I always put something like this near the top:

NEVER get lost, add us to your FAVORITES!

Once you are on their favorites, you are golden anyways.

 

[w1ww]

If the domain is for a big project when I can't have the .com, I don't reg net or org. I just look at other TLDs to see if anyone fits my project (FM for music related, TV for television and so on...). I know that I will loose some traffic to the .com, but people will get used to it and start to remember the right name!

 

[tdm300]

Now its really hard to get a good .com. You are better off taking the .net

 

[gazzip]

I'd first approach the .com owner to see if its for sale at a good price, if not and I just had to have the same keywords then I'd buy the .net

Concentrate on getting it placed high in the Google results as mentioned above, IF the information/products are good on your site then people will soon realise the .com one is not where they want to be and will go back to yours.

Also make sure you place a "bookmark this site" in a prominent place on each page of your website.



JMO


.

 

[AdoptableDomains]

I say maybe, but there a number of factors to consider.

1. Is the .com already developed? If developed is it a direct competitor. If not direct, then no problem. If not developed, would it hurt if a competitor purchased it later? If yes, find another name. If no, proceed to develop.

2. Does the name fit .net well. Some names like networking, forums, hosting etc., actually sound better with .net.

3. How will you promote the site? If by print, radio, or television, you could lose significant type-ins to the .com. If all your advertising is via links, banners, and email, then it's likely all customers will get there by links and it won't matter.

4. Is it trademarkable? If yes, you may be able to TM the domain and protect it later from direct competition (but not likely use for another purpose). The current owner would probably be exempt if they owned it before you, but you may have a chance in enforcing on a subsequent domain owner. Probably not through UDRP/WIPO, due to the strict rules, but maybe by lawsuit. However, it may be less costly to get now than legal cost later.

5. Will you ultimately have to have the .com? If yes, pay the money now. Once you develop and have traffic and they prove any type-in bleed off, you'll pay much more for it later when they know you and your site.

 

[Mark]

Long Term for Development on anything I care about - .com all the way

.net does fit well with "Networks" etc ... But I believe you'll lose Traffic to the .com eventually.

 

[Name Trader]

Like everybody else has said. I'd buy the .com now before you develop the .net because it's going to cost you a lot more to buy it later.

I don't really agree with the others about developing the .net without the .com. It can be done. Branding the .net to your website. You just have to accept that there will be a bleed-off of type-in traffic to the .com.

Of course the type of business, the domain name, and whether the .net is suitable are all factors to consider.

 

[Midano]

My main reason to never use a .net without a .com:
I pride myself as a web developer. Web development is all I do. Nevertheless, I catch myself typing ".com" subconsciously when I mean to go to .net/other sites. All the time!
What can I expect from a regular web surfer then?
Having said all that - I have clients whom I failed to convince to reconsider their .net choices because .com was taken.

 

[MD]

Thank you so much for your responses everyone.

It's not a business. It's actually a web development blog. I'm not making any money off it, but I still care about the traffic of course.

I find it a hard decision as I spend so much time to come up with a name as good as the one I have right now.

I've contacted the owner of the ".com" and i'm waiting for the response now. If he doesn't respond or refuses to sell it, I think I'll just go with the .net.

 

[1901gt]

Well I've had adiboy.net for so long that I refused to sell it away to the .com owner. It's the best domain that I've registered so far and its worth more than a million dollar that I think none of you can afford. :hehe:

 

[lzy]

Since it's a blog, I believe you shouldn't have any problems sticking with the .net

Just look at this guy. :D

www.problogger.net