It could be done on a much bigger scale than someone reading this list. Maybe some people are targetting all blogspot addresses for example, monitoring all new account names and getting the equivalent url's.
On a seperate but vaguely related note, one of the reasons so many web 2 companies have strange names, is that they want short .com url's and nearly all combinations of real words that arent too long, are long since taken. Im guilty of buying a dozen or so domain names over the years and then not doing what I planned with them, although Ive never bought a name based on what anybody else is doing. I still feel guilty that I am wasting these domains, but then again I still foolishly hope I will use them one day, and nobody has ever contacted me to ask if any of them are for sale. I had the domain name reali.tv for some years, did wonder if it was a saleable name at one point but never tried, just let it lapse in the end. Ive a slight concern with the domain name I care most about at the moment, carbondown.com. Ive not done enough with the site but I still have big dreams for it. Ive just learnt that the Australian government have called their scheme to help small & medium sized businesses reduce their carbon footprint the same name, carbon down. I dont mind them using it, I just hope they dont mind me having the .com, it might appear as though Ive squatted the domain after they announced their carbondown project, but I was first. Does this mean I should really be taking out a trademark here in the UK? Is this where the discussion of rights to domains leads? Should all people building a 'brand' via a website, vlog, show etc, be trademarking their name to cover themselves? Probably yes, but its dull oldworld stuff that involves cost and lawyers and having to get the right classification, and other things thich arent usually at the forefront of the minds of people who wanna do this stuff? Cheers Steve Elbows --- In [email protected], Rupert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I don't like to do this, and I'm not even particularly fired up, but > I think it needs to be said. > > Somebody bought up Twittervlog.com in May - and Twittervlog.net - and > Twittervlog.org - anonymously, of course. > > This was a while after I started Twittervlog at Twittervlog.blogspot.com > > They correctly predicted that one day I'd want to move to my own > domain. In fact, I thought I'd bought Twittervlog.com, but something > went wrong with the transaction, and then I forgot to do it again. > And then this person pounced. > > Happily, I much prefer to be at Twittervlog.tv - so it's worked out OK. > > Oh, except for when my non-tech friends and family get confused and > just type in Twittervlog.com and get a Godaddy advertising holding page. > > I thought MAYBE it was someone who knew my site, or maybe it was just > someone random who was buying up domains that began with Twitter - > twitterblog, twitterpodcast, etc - but I didn't look into it. > Twitter's not my trademark, after all... > > So anyway, I just typed in the URL of another vlog on this list - and > guess what: the same Godaddy page came up. Turns out I'd got the > real domain one letter wrong (it was spelt funnily on purpose), so > I've gone there now. But the lookalike domain was taken by someone > else. > > Now, I could be wrong, but it occurs to me that there might be > someone reading this list who's buying up the domain names of the > blogs he or she sees here. Perhaps in the hope that we'll try to buy > them back. Perhaps to try and get advertising dollars from those > people who enter the domain wrong. Perhaps because they're addicted > to a sort of domain-buying goldrush mentality, and they have some > money to burn in speculation. > > If that's the case, then whatever the reason, I think it's shitty > behaviour - and it makes me sad. Whoever you are, if you're reading > this... you're probably smiling and sneering. I don't really care. > I don't expect to appeal to your better nature. But what you're > doing is pretty distasteful, and you're probably a pretty > unsuccessful and unhappy person. Does this really make you any more > successful or happy - or does it just give a short, cheap thrill? > Next time you're on Godaddy, stealing someone else's ideas and > identity, stop yourself for a second- and then go and spend that > money on a session of therapy. Or buy yourself a treat. > > Rupert > http://twittervlog.tv/ >
