What is the price of cheap?
It is simply mind boggling to realize how many companies - big or small - still don't have a website. That got the geeks at Website Geeks TM Inc set to think about this strange phenomenon... Is it because people are still intimidated by anything remotely connected to computers, is it because they are still under the impression that it cost more than they can afford.... Or maybe its the time factor. They simply don't have the time to get to something as mundane as a company website!
While we have John in the office, furiously waving his arms at the unfairness of the geek world, we try to understand what has him so upset. Inbetween sneezes and a lot of cussing we finally heard the whole sordid tale...It seems he bought a domain name 2 years ago from GoDaddy at only $6.oo per year registration fee. He wasn't sure he was going to use the name extensively so he put it on manual renewal - you just know where I'm going with this don't you? Well two years flew by, John did actually use the name and went as far as to put it on his company literature, business cards, brochures you name it. It's even painted on the delivery van that constantly drives through downtown making deliveries 24 hours a day.
So what's the problem?
John forgot about his manual setting. He has changed his contact email address since he registered the name and lived happily ever after. Not.
He lost the name. Worse someone else picked it up and is using it for their business, something entirely different to John's and not even in the same state... Heck its not even the same country.
You think he's got a chance of getting the name back.... Not in a million years.. Maybe a million euros if the new name owner is small enough to fall for a good acquisition...
AUTOMATICALLY RENEW YOUR DOMAIN NAMES! What is $10 a year or even $25 bucks as some places charge. Compare the loss you will face if you loose the name to the $10 you need to pay a year.
We sometimes get so lost in negotiations that we loose track of the big picture. If the domain name you are looking for is for sale at a certain price, only you can determine if the money is worth it. If you buy the name from a Domain Name Broker then you might pay considerably more than the basic $10 registration fee, but it might be worth it. Be careful of trademarks, if it is in the US and you're in Europe changes are you can still get the name, but if your business is in the US and infringe on copyright laws you're going to have to give it up. Oh and even if you are in Europe and got the domain name for a copyrighted trademark in the US.... You better make sure you're website is not being accessed in the US.... Fair is fair in competition and war isn't it?
So what was left for John to do? Get a new name, run a huge publicity campaign to get the word out and put in a backorder to have a small change of getting the name back just in case the new owner made the same mistake. He could have been vacationing in Hawaii instead of spending money on advertising and awareness projects to fix a small innocent yet stingy mistake.
Be careful with your money - you work hard for it after all - just don't get caught being penny wise and pound foolish!
While we have John in the office, furiously waving his arms at the unfairness of the geek world, we try to understand what has him so upset. Inbetween sneezes and a lot of cussing we finally heard the whole sordid tale...It seems he bought a domain name 2 years ago from GoDaddy at only $6.oo per year registration fee. He wasn't sure he was going to use the name extensively so he put it on manual renewal - you just know where I'm going with this don't you? Well two years flew by, John did actually use the name and went as far as to put it on his company literature, business cards, brochures you name it. It's even painted on the delivery van that constantly drives through downtown making deliveries 24 hours a day.
So what's the problem?
John forgot about his manual setting. He has changed his contact email address since he registered the name and lived happily ever after. Not.
He lost the name. Worse someone else picked it up and is using it for their business, something entirely different to John's and not even in the same state... Heck its not even the same country.
You think he's got a chance of getting the name back.... Not in a million years.. Maybe a million euros if the new name owner is small enough to fall for a good acquisition...
AUTOMATICALLY RENEW YOUR DOMAIN NAMES! What is $10 a year or even $25 bucks as some places charge. Compare the loss you will face if you loose the name to the $10 you need to pay a year.
We sometimes get so lost in negotiations that we loose track of the big picture. If the domain name you are looking for is for sale at a certain price, only you can determine if the money is worth it. If you buy the name from a Domain Name Broker then you might pay considerably more than the basic $10 registration fee, but it might be worth it. Be careful of trademarks, if it is in the US and you're in Europe changes are you can still get the name, but if your business is in the US and infringe on copyright laws you're going to have to give it up. Oh and even if you are in Europe and got the domain name for a copyrighted trademark in the US.... You better make sure you're website is not being accessed in the US.... Fair is fair in competition and war isn't it?
So what was left for John to do? Get a new name, run a huge publicity campaign to get the word out and put in a backorder to have a small change of getting the name back just in case the new owner made the same mistake. He could have been vacationing in Hawaii instead of spending money on advertising and awareness projects to fix a small innocent yet stingy mistake.
Be careful with your money - you work hard for it after all - just don't get caught being penny wise and pound foolish!
posted by Website Geeks at
10:10 AM
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