June 11th, 2010
by Kelly Kohen
Almost a year ago, Lorrie wrote a post about being a domaniac. While it is important to gain control over different versions of your domain names (not only .com, but also .net, .org, .biz for example) it is even more important to RENEW those domains or at the very least the MAIN domain, when they are due to expire!
One of my favorite things to do in the morning before getting out of bed (and while my son watches Little Einsteins after having crawled into bed with my husband and I WAAAAAAAYYYYYYY before we are ready to get up) is to read AP News on my crackberry. I always hit the top news stories, then entertainment (yes, I’m a sucker for following all the gossip) and then if I have time, I’ll check out the “Wacky” tab. It typically showcases stories of people getting arrested for stupid things-like the woman in Alliance, Ohio that called 911 FIVE times demanding that the cops find her a husband-not HER husband, mind you,-A husband!
Earlier this week I was surprised to see one of the stories hits a little closer to home for some! It demonstrates a valuable lesson about retaining ownership of your domains and being in control of your name and brand!
A Tennessee police department allowed their domain to expire (apparently due to an employee being on leave) and a disgruntled recipient of a speeding citation took the opportunity to snap up the domain from GoDaddy.com and has since been using the site to voice his dismay with traffic camera’s that are used to issue speeding tickets.
This is a HUGE – UH OH! There is very little the police department can do to regain the domain and the current owner actually uses it to tell people how to get out of paying the issued tickets!
Yesterday I wrote a little about our new Web Marketing Records Worksheet and one of the items on the sheet asks you to record all of your domains as well as when they expire. Don’t let anyone else ruin what you have built through blood, sweat and tears! Be sure that YOU have knowledge about all aspects of your business so that you remain in control! The easiest way to be sure to renew your domains is to set the most important ones up for auto-renewal and be sure to mark your calendar to double check that the purchase went through!
This is one of those dates you CAN’T forget -right up there with birthdays and anniversaries!
Web Marketing Therapy Related Links:
- Embrace Your Inner Domainiac – get a .co Domain
- Control Issues – Secure all versions of your domain name
- It’s ok to be a Domainiac :)
