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I think I’ve made it to the big time, why do I think this? Because The Frager Factor blogged about me today, and as he was writing about me, my site got hacked and taken down, that is a sign right? Apparently everybody does not love me as much as Owen does, but I will say my small time sites don’t get hacked like this one, this site is under constant attack, and this makes me feel like I have made it to the big time.
I see NameWinner.com is on todays list. This brings back memories, NameWinner.com was a site started by Dotster.com sometime in mid 2001, this is when the registrars got in the expiring domain game. SnapNames had started earlier in the year (more on that later), and registrars like Signature Domains were now in the game also (more on that later too), so now Dotster figured they would also get in on the action and they fired up NameWinner.com.
Prior to this only a few folks were successful at running scripts and getting domains the instant they expired for the reg fee, now that was all changing. Sites like NameWinner would get the domain and send it to auction, if you had a pre bid in on the domain you were in the auction, sound familiar? The upside was expiring domains were now available to everybody, the downside they cost much more than the reg fee now. Here are a few old NameWinner memories.
I remember I got outbid at NW by Rick on RacingForm.com, no surprise, Rick could easily outbid me and if Rick wants a name he gets it, and this was a good name. I did win some domains at NameWinner, they had a pretty good success rate for a while.
Here is a another NameWinner story that stands out, a guy from Jersey threatened to come out to New Mexico and kill me if I didn’t give him back a domain he let expire. I picked it up at a NameWinner auction and I paid about $500 for it, I was sure it was a generic term but it turns out the company he worked for had a long standing TM on the term. I got Howard Neu involved and he was just as rude to Howard, he was screaming at the top of his lungs in a conference call with Howard and I, you could just feel this guys veins popping out of his neck and forehead, if he was in the room I am sure he would have strangled me.
He insisted I give him the domain back, I explained that I paid about $500 for it and I would gladly give him the domain back but that he should consider covering my costs, I was not looking to make any profit at this point, and after all he is the employee that did not do his job and let the domain expire, not me. He threatened me more and was acting like a real Soprano so I said fine, and I canceled the registration instead of transferring the name to him (rude I know but perfectly legal), a guy from China instantly picked it up and it took this guy months and a UDRP to get the domain back.
I normally do not handle things like this but this guy was extremely rude and very threatening. That was a $500 write-off and after that I was very careful about checking for TM’s even on “obvious” generic terms.
So what is up with NameWinner.com now? I wrote about the problems Dotster.com/Domain.com/MyDomain.com has been having lately and I wonder if they were still the owners of this domain and if so do they even know it’s expiring, they have had lots of issues since their migration started last year.
Here are the domain picks dropping on May 25th 2013:
ArchitectsToday.com – Seems like a decent for an architect information site
DIYCooking.com – Here is a decent name for a learn to cook site
FullSpread.com – It’s a term used in the magazine business
InsulationGuide.com – Lots of people looking for information on insulation recommendations
InternetSexy.com – No shortage of sexy on the internet
LadyboyPics.com – Doesn’t everybody love looking at ladyboy pics, ok i was just curious, lol
LDJU.com – It’s a 4L .com, I am sure some lawfirm wants this domain
NameWinner.com – Somebody willbe a lucky namewinner with this one imo
NaturalHealthExpo.com – Lots of these around the country and world and no TM
OpMail.com – It’s short and I think op is something, I know mail is
ParanormalFacts.com – I have the feeling that some fiction might get thrown in here
PressureVessel.com – It’s a product, I don’t have one though, also $12k estibot appraisal?
Pujian.com – I looked it up, Pujian adalah menyatakan sesuatu yang positif tentang seseorang
StyleAndMore.com – I love style and fashion domains, and this is style and more
TLPA.com – I figure somebody in Pennsylvania can do something with this
UJNH.com – I figure somebody in New Hampshire can do something with this
VeryInviting.com – It actually isn’t very inviting to me but it’s cute, I’ll list it
AmazingApps.net
BestBank.net
BlackUmbrella.net
Bootie.net
Friendlier.net
GetGold.net
GreenApps.net
HotelItalia.net
Indiscretions.net
Trespassers.net
VictorianHomes.net
BrandYou.org
FWE.org
HealthyFastFood.org
MyCash.org
Rigorous.org
Finally.me
Hauling.me
Headway.me
Instinctive.me
MusicMan.me
Premonitions.me
Spaceman.me
FilmNoir.tv
Rainy.tv
RomeItaly.tv
Make sure you also check out Domain Shane’s Big List of names.
Domain of the day: Oops.tv – Make me an Offer I can’t refuse!
Thanks for reading my blog…
I’ve new to your blog but following it last week. Now usually i go to address bar and type http://www.domainpick.com and I failed thrice but now I add ‘S’ to it.
Well, the story you shared is not a Domainer can expect and I think you did right communication with that person but some people as you know just don’t think as you think.
Thanks for the info on today’s dropping. Some good names there to pick.
Yes I saw namewinner.com was dropping.
Couldn’t believe it. I remember the graphics were great.
Do you recall compare.com, picked up YunYe via namewinner.com?
The price? $6,000. And everyone gasped
I think also WWF.COM was picked up on namewinner for not just a song, but for the first bar of a song 
Thanks for that Alan. I couldn’t remember what the domain was but I think you are correct, I think it was Compare.com, what a great name. I remember calling everybody I knew trying to get some capital together so I could get the domain, everybody just said I was out of my mind and I only had about $5k myself. What is Compare.com worth today?
You should have called ME!!
I got you on speed dial now…