Check us out at http://www.StartupStoryRadio.com.

Registrar assisted squatting is just as bad as holding a site for ransom. The fact that putting a “Search page” behind the domain name makes it JUST legitimate enough to keep you out of court doesn’t make it right.

Pick any two words that wouldn’t be a standard “saught after” name combos (I grabbed these at random)
“Camera and stand” “closet and hanger” “yard and grass”

yardgrass.com, camerastand.com and closethanger.com are obviously sites engineered to get you to try to buy the domain name. The “search links” are all re-directs from a major engines that re-direct to hundreds of these “acceptable squatting” sites.

The “advertise on this site” is a front and just used as an excuse to hold the site hostage from the person who needs/will eventually need it.

All the major registrars engage in similar behavior and it’s a very devious business practice. (the third one on here even proudly proclaims “Buy this domain now $1449 Network Solutions”

Being a “Guiding force” in the battle against front running while you allow this kind of activity is like patting yourself for putting a gate on a yard with no fence.

I work at Network Solutions. We know how important this issue is for everyone, and not only did we listen, we’re acting.

On June 26, 2008 ICANN can vote an important issue to resolve to resolve front running for once and for all. Network Solutions is advocating that ICANN acts now, and we have published an official statement on our web site to that end.

Please excuse this URL, but given the seriousness of this issue, it was appropriate to provide a link: http://tinyurl.com/63yaox

Shashi

God bless you for this!

My wife, Julie, and I are unique, but never had to take “the leap”. Instead, we worked in parallel to building business early in our career. Me, I always worked directly with the founder doing something new, even in college. I was a High School baseball umpire so I could thicken my thick skin while building the first ever advertising strategy and training program for Beau Joe’s restaurant (for the restaurateur)…while helping someone start a record label…while launching a tech support company (I am not a tech support guy, but “they” were)…while, well you get the point. All starts from when I was eight years old and started earning my own cash for baseball cards and the ice cream man.

Also, while in college, my first insightful mentor wanted me to join his firm buying companies but wanted me to be an executive recruiter first so I could, as he put it, “build best in class teams and hang out with grey hairs”. He also said “you are in training for two years, David”. I did it while moonlighting some deals with him. But I was so successful as an executive recruiter, I stayed in the business longer and even moved to CA to run the western region during the dot com boom. I had 33 reports, worked for the owner running half of the fastest growing retained search firm in the country, made money and lost money - perfect! While in CA, my mentor, Chuck, died.

Meanwhile, my wife started a business monetizing childhood talent and boy is she. Julie is shy but steps out of her comfort zone in huge ways starting with raising $ and traveling the world for a year with Up with People. Her first business is a success (with mistakes all along the way) and now we take it retail on and offline with sales pending before we even turn it on. A customer created company! Ingenious, sorry, but it is. - Customer development baby!

Julie and I feel we are just getting started so we are willing to compromise other important things like living/owning in the Mountains and starting a family of our own. Even with that, we give back with time and money to our community and other start-ups that inspire me - which creates more risk, maybe, but so what - every day ROCKS!

Yes, I think being an entrepreneur does have it share of stress. However, in my case, being corporate had much more. How about you?

Of course, I do miss the benifit of having 3 weeks of vacation each year where I can leave it all at work!

Great Post.

I had written about this topic previously in an article entitled, “Is Corn a Food, a Fuel, or Both?” on BiomassAuthority.com.

Corn is so cheap that it costs less than firewood to burn as a heating fuel. Farmers have endured $2/bushel corn prices for nearly a decade which doesn’t even cover the cost of producing it. Now with another ready market for corn, namely biofuels, growing corn is finally starting to make economic sense for farmers. It may be what allows them to become self-sufficient and not so dependent on taxpayer subsidies.

The annual energy budget for a human is about 1% for food and 99% for energy required for transportation, electricity, and heating fuel. We’re oblivious to this today because much of the fuel for the latter activities come from 100 million year-old biofuels in the form of natural gas, coal, and oil. Someday they’ll be gone and we’ll realize that food and fuel are really the same substance, i.e., energy that was once part of the sun and subsequently converted to biomass through photosynthesis.

We’re starting to get an inkling of it now because as traditional fossil fuels increase in price, alternatives like biofuels are getting to become economic alternatives to them and so we are starting to see the food/fuel connection.

Networking is a very competitive field. Others told me that using some kind of web marketing as a business coach, might make a difference in getting found. Does this work for you?

All kidding aside, while the decrease in supply does contribute to it the price increase, I think it’s the slope of the demand curve that is the main force behind the price increases. Simply put, there are more people on the planet who like to eat on a daily basis, and certain commodities like corn and rice are good foundations in many food products.

I don’t think Malthus is right here, but given the fact that the world population is increasing, the price of corn will continue to increase in the foreseeable future. The rate of the price increases when you add in things like biofuel mandates, government subsidies to NOT plant certain agricultural products, etc.

Most people are already pressed for time & unless there are strong factors (such as yours) they won’t be inclined to buy ingredients. More people will either switch to generics or move to a diet that fits their financial rather than their nutritional requirements.

Please update your RSS feeds, as we will be podcasting more often now.

Thanks for listening.

They also have a lot of other info on merchant accounts, credit cards, etc.

Any sites you can suggest that compare pros / cons of various online merchant accounts / processing companies (i.e. - rates & fees, features, services, etc.)?

Thanks!

To respond in more detail, I am aware of the differences between squatting, domain brokers, etc. The link provided to the Denver Business Journal goes into more detail about all of these topics, as well as tasting. This wasn’t meant to be an all inclusive report on domain scandals, but rather a discussion of my recent experiences and how they related to the DBJ article.

I never mentioned GoDaddy, nor have I ever done business with them. I don’t think you should assume anything about what registrars we were using just because these domains got snatched up. The reason I don’t think this was all a random coincidence is related to the timing between my search and when the domains got purchased each time. Network Solutions cannot be the only viable place to register domains, and it isn’t always possible to register a domain immediately for a variety of reasons, including the uncontrollable, like an internet outage.

Working out your domain name choices on paper doesn’t get you anywhere if every option you like ends up being taken already, which happens quite frequently.

Also other registrars like GoDaddy have been accused of this same practice. Honestly which company would I trust more? One that airs SuperBowl ads exploiting women and can’t even go public because they can’t turn a profit (Godaddy) or one that has been around forever and is quite profitable and more importantly STABLE (Network Solutions)? I pass along the cost to my clients who are more than happy to pay for peace of mind and a decent brand name behind them.

It’s annoying how badly this issue is being distorted in the media.

Additionally, I won’t deny you that front-running occurs, but front-running isn’t necessarily always what is happening when you come back later and find a domain name is taken. Many “domain brokers” (as you call them) are actually registering massive (1m+) lists of domains in a process called domain tasting. They buy the domains for a period of 4 days and test them for traffic, etc and then delete any that they decide are not valuable for traffic (or resale). The name you searched may have just been one of the many names they picked up.

As for NetworkSolutions front-running. NSI even admits that they are registering domains that are searched on their home page. You can see the story unfold here:
http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/domain-registrar-network-solutions-front-running-on-whois-searches/1359
and
http://www.domainnamenews.com/registrars/network-solutions-pr-damage-control/1362
and
http://www.domainnamenews.com/registrars/network-solutions-responds-to-front-running-allegations-part-ii/1364

They aren’t charging more for these domains than they normally would but they are charging more than other registrars. So for example, you could search for whateveryouwanteddomain.com at NSI one day and they would register it and hold on to it for 4 days and you’d have to pay their fees to register with them and only them. OR you could wait 4 days, hope no one else registers the domain and that NSI indeed releases the domain name back into the available pool. Many people would tend to search at NSI and then maybe make a decision to buy elsewhere (because it’s MUCH cheaper at places like namecheap.com) and if they did the search the domain name would then be unavailable to register anywhere else. NSI is forcing people to buy from them because they showed interest in a domain.
You can probably make your judgement not on our stories but on the comments alone in the article. NSI is also being served a class action law suit over this issue.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/class-action-suit-against-network-solutions-and-icann-underway/1450

Lastly and most importantly, your suggestion of typing it in the browser and seeing if a domain resolves is a HORRIBLE suggestion. This is a sure-fire way to increase the chances that the domain will be registered before you come back after mulling things over. When you type in a URL in a browser you are passing informatio on to multiple computers that you are looking for a specific domain (mainly at the ISP level and hops in between) This is all information that is logged and reported. That information (that someone typed in/searched for the URL) is what is sold to these so-called brokers you refer to. ISPs , dns providers, search box companies, spyware, adware, etc are the ones that can be potentially harvesting this data and selling the information. The best way to check availabilty on domains is to go right to the source … the registry, in the case of .com and .net that would be verisign (http://registrar.verisign-grs.com/whois/) You still would have to even put a little bit of faith in Verisign not selling off searches but that’s the direct source of the information really with no one in the middle. Here’s an article about verisign selling data to the registrars though so really there’s not many people you can really trust but for sure the way you are describing is the most common way that people know what domains are being looked up and then register them.

One more thing, what you describe is not necessarily squatting either I’ll grant you that track what people do and registering the domains before them is devious but it’s a loophole that you should know is not illegal. It should be a loophole that is closed . . . and the best bet is to tell ICANN (www.icann.org) Call them up and complain about front-running. Cybersquatting though is defined quite well here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersquatting . Unless you have a trademark on a term, the other guy is just using “insider information” to beat you to the punch.

My advice : Fight back . . . Don’t wait to register a domain. It’s first come first served and you’ll get lose more than you’ll win if you wait. Mull over your ideas on paper. Pick a few or 10 or 20. Domains are cheap (especially at places like namecheap) so just register it if you think of the idea.. . .it’s less than $10 . If you have 10 ideas register all 10. If you don’t use one sell it off at a place like sedo or afternic or just call it a loss. Otherwise you snooze you loose and it can cost you much more.

Anyway was my comment longer than your post ? Hope it helps. Adam

This is exactly what you *shouldn’t* do. If you type it into your browser then your ISP has a record of you entering a domain that doesn’t exist. Many ISPs sell this data.

In practice, domain registrars rarely sell or use the data themselves. You’re much more likely to experience “front running” by typing your future domain into the browser.

Great post. Twitter definitely has some great marketing potential for businesses who use it right. Nice knowing you from Twitter, BTW.

Kim

If there is one thing that always brings me back, it is the never-ending stories that entrepreneurs have to tell. Just when you think you have heard it all, somebody has a new story to tell.

See you in March.

– Jack Krupansky

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I encourage our readers to drop by your site and download that info!

Interestingly, while we were very pleased with the coverage in the Denver Business Journal, we were disappointed with the comment indicating the hard evidence for ROI isn’t there. If anyone is truly interested in this information, they are welcome to download the White Paper on our site (see the Wellness Quotient tab at http://www.USCorporateWellness.com and it’s available for free).

Keep up the good work Mr. Start-up!

You guys were spot on in identifying a “risk-averse corporate culture” as one of the main barriers to innovation and, in my experience, once an organization has grown to a certain size, it’s nearly impossible to change.

My company uses the “early-stage startup” model to help drive innovation in larger companies and we’ve limited our prospecting efforts to companies (or autonomous groups within larger companies) with less than 1,000 employees AND a management team committed to supporting and promoting innovation throughout their organization from the top down.

Without that support, and at least the possibility of changing the existing corporate culture, it’s not worth the effort to focus on the other dynamics that drive innovation (at the individual level and at the process level). In fact, it’s counter productive to get everyone fired up about innovation, or set up any new innovation tools or resources, without also focusing on the organizational dynamic as it creates a vicious cycle where, in the words of Tom Peters, “cynicism often occurs, followed by disengagement of talent when they wonder why they should bother.” That’s why the recent series of commercials from IBM baggin on innovation have gotten so much traction.

It’s an interesting topic though and is certainly one of the reasons that talented people leave Corporate America to strike out on their own. But what a waste this is when you really think about it. With all of the advantages that established companies have in term of resources, wouldn’t it be better for everyone involved if they found a way to promote innovation within the constraints of their larger corporate vision (and appetite for risk) and harness at least some of the great ideas and energy that currently lie dormant or stagnant in their employees?

I truly think that this use of cell phones instead of family or house phones is going to have some social impacts. I wont’ write all my thoughts here, but this is good food for thought.

Kristie you covered most of the main topics but I would add

1 - tell me what you do - I have cards from people and I have no idea what it is they do - just a name, company name and contact details

2 - use the back of the card to tell me more about what is special about your business.

3 - look out for the designer card, very pretty but impossible to read. Be wary of reverse print, watch colour contrasts and please don’t make me reach for the magnifying glass because the writing is so small. Yellow reverse printed on an orange background in tiny print - a complete waste of time.

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to get new cards check out http://www.GigglePrint.com. They offer 250 free business cards. What better way to update your cards? They have over 60 designs to choose from. Type your info in and order. You only pay for shipping which is about $5.

They look great and are way better than do-it-yourself business cards and are cheap!

Business cards do make an impression on your potential clients! Put a little more effort into them.

Hope this helps your readers! Have a happy holiday!

Regards,

Sondra

Profiles/resumes/bios: absolutely should be on there. How MBA is highlighted will be determined on accomplishments - not many = highlighted MBA…many accomplishments tends to minimize the MBA. I know I have hired more MBAs than non-MBAs. There is a relationship, but I care about the experience more.

Court

I wanted to share a great story with you; well it is actually 8 stories about successful Latinas who from scratch made millions in business. The stories are highly inspirational and would be a great topic here in your blog. The first story is Mrs. Maria de Lourdes Sobrino’s story, how she began by making gelatins in her kitchen and now even sells to Walmart. Quite extraordinary.

The 8 stories are all in a book that is coming out this month, Thriving Latina Entrepreneurs in America and you can read that first story here: http://www.wbusinessbooks.com/pdf/thriving-latina-sample.pdf Hope it helps your blog or maybe even you personally.

Thanks and best of luck.

Jonathan