March 2009

March 2009- Issue #44

Sedo buys RevenueDirect

Domain name giant Sedo and parking company RevenueDirect announcedin Februarythat Sedo has taken over the smaller parking company. The two platforms will continue operating separately for the time being, but I expect that eventually we will see a merger of the back-ends, with Sedo’s landing pages predominating. It doesn’t make sense economically for them to operate two different back-ends. Below is a Q&A that RevenueDirect provided to its customers:

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Q: Will I need to make any changes to my domains?
A: At this time you will not need to make changes to how your domains are parked or optimized through RevenueDirect (including name server or other traffic forwarding settings.) You will be notified if future changes are required.

Q: How will I be paid?
A: RevenueDirect will continue to issue your monthly payments until otherwise communicated. Your payment cycle and method will not change at this time.

Q: Will I earn more/less?
A: Your earnings are expected to remain consistent, or even improve as we integrate RevenueDirect into Sedo’s platforms.

Q: What will happen to my RevenueDirect account if I already have a Sedo account?
A: Initially, your RevenueDirect account will continue to function independently from Sedo. Eventually, Sedo’s staff will be available to assist you directly with any transition-related questions or instructions
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Why the purchase? It seems like there is a bigger deal involved here. The Sedo press release contained the following sentence: “In addition to the acquisition, Sedo has formed a strategic long-term partnership with registrar heavyweight and former RevenueDirect parent company, Dotster.” Did Sedo take RevenueDirect off Dotster’s hands in order to get special access to Dotster’s registry services?

 

Video Interviews – Domain Parking and Monetization in 2009 At the recent DOMAINfest Global conference I had the chance to sit down with three leaders in domain monetization.Hear their future plans, their thoughts about thecurrent downturn in domain parking income, and their suggestions about parking versus developing domains.Click the links below and a browser window will open with short (8-15 minute) interviews with:

Jeff Kupietzky of Oversee.net and DomainSponsor

Donny Simonton of Parked

Daniel Law of NameDrive

 

NameMedia Upgrades their Platform

NameMedia announced last month that they have upgraded several aspects of their parking platforms, and that additional improvements are planned. The improvements apply across the board to their SmartName, ActiveAudience, and GoldKey services.

When you first log-in to your account you will be greeted by a new dashboard that replaces the old control panel. The interface seems friendlier and easier-to-use. NameMedia claims the following improvements:

  • Timeout Issues: We have improved the physical hardware, as well as modified database and application indices and code. All of these have resulted in a significant improvement in overall application performance.
  • Data Discrepancy Issues: We’ve improved our in-house notification tools which will provide us with information on data discrepancies for prior days.
  • Site Downtime: Successfully completed a data center move to improve the overall site stability.

I didn’t even know that they had so many issues, but the site does seem more responsive.
NameMedia New Tempaltes The make over includes some new templates on the front-end as well. Here are some thumbnail screenshots that they provided, but be aware that different color schemes and designs are also available.

Recommended Services – There were no changes in our recommendations this month.

Coming in April Howard Hoffman returns with another ‘By the Numbers’ column, looking at the metrics of domain parking and monetization.

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