Hackable Passwords: Just What The Hackers Ordered!

Can you imagine building an awesome collection of highly valuable domain names, only to have them all stolen from you because a hacker was able to guess your password and transfer your names away? What a nightmare, eh?

Well, it happens to domainers all the time, believe it or not, and, sadly, it is so very preventable. To put it simply: the #1 reason hackers are able to gain access to domain name accounts and steal domain names is because too many people are using weak passwords to secure their accounts.

What is a weak password? Here are some examples:

• "54321"
• "yankees"
• "football"
• your first, middle, last or maiden name
• "cowboys"
• "poetry"
  

I think you get the picture.

I used to work in the IT department of a large law firm, and I learned back then that using a weak password for an "administrator" account would be asking for some serious trouble, trouble that could easily cost a company many millions of dollars in losses.

"How can I make my passwords more secure?" You ask? Easy. Use special characters and numbers in your passwords; by special characters I mean, e.g.

"+" or "$"or "%" or "^" or "!" or "#" or ")" or "(" ...

etc.

Here's an example of a strong password:

"!frag-me^23"

Most registrars will let you use just about any special character you want, and if you find that your preferred registrar doesn't allow you to use a particular special character, simply try another one. There are plenty to choose from.

Click here to read a recent horror story @ NamePros.

Don't make it easy for the hackers! Use strong passwords for all your online accounts, especially for those accounts and activities that really count like online banking, online credit card account management, domain name accounts, etc.

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Municipal Wi-Fi: Not A Matter of "If", but "When"

The Wi-Fi fever that I caught a few weeks ago is still raging, with no signs of abating!

I've been reading a lot of exciting news about municipal Wi-Fi this week. People want it, and they want it bad, and local governments want to provide it. But municipal Wi-Fi has some powerful enemies, i.e. the telecommunications industry and the cable TV industry: these industries stand to lose some serious profits if local governments start offering cheap and free wireless access to the Internet. But cheap and free Internet access is good, and it's right; it'll help to close the digital divide, and should also cause the price for wired broadband service to come down. My guess is that municipal Wi-Fi is a snowball that's just starting to tumble down the hill; it will quickly grow into a massive and unstoppable force that not even those highly paid lobbyists on Capital Hill can do anything about. Viva municipal Wi-Fi!

Here a list of some related names I registered today:

MunicipalWi-Fi.com
MetropolitanWi-Fi.com

MunicipalWi-Fi.us
MunicipalWi-Fi.info
MunicipalWi-Fi.org
MetropolitanWi-Fi.org

MuniWi-Fi.us
MuniWi-Fi.org

CityWi-Fi.com
USWi-Fi.com
USAWi-Fi.com
Wi-FiUSA.com
Wi-FiUK.com
Wi-FiEU.com

LAWi-Fi.com
NYWi-Fi.com
NYCWi-Fi.com
PhillyWi-Fi.com

SDWi-Fi.com
Wi-FiSD.com

USBWi-Fi.com
Wi-FiUSB.com

Wi-FiSafety.com
Wi-FiSafety.info
Wi-FiSafety.org

Wi-FiCommunity.com

VOWi-Fi.info

In a few months, I'll report on how these names have been performing traffic-wise. Stay tuned!

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What Would You Do With The Official Domain Name of The bin Laden Family?

Guess what? The domain name that used to be the official Internet address for the bin Laden family business is now up for sale. Question is: what would you do with such a domain name?

The domain name in question is Saudi-binLadin-Group.com, which was abandoned by the name's original owners--the bin Laden family--back in 2001. OK, now I'll give you one guess as to the exact date when this domain name expired. Yup, you guessed it: September 11, 2001.

I know what you are thinking: too much of a coincidence, right? That was my first thought as well, especially because the folks who now own the name are going to auction it to the highest bidder. Over the years, I've seen a lot of less-than-honest tactics that domain traders have employed in an effort to improve the attractiveness of a domain name for sale, and at first I thought this was just another case of a snake oil salesman trying to create a fascinating story in order to create the best possible buzz and market for a domain name auction.

However, a little bit of research revealed that this story is probably true. First, I went to www.archive.org (a.k.a. "The Way Back Machine") to see what was going on with name before and after September 11, 2001. So far, so good. I then found that wikipedia.org has an entry about Mohammed bin Laden, and in that article there's a link to the domain name Saudi-binLadin-Group.com, which the articles explains was "The Saudi binLadin Group's corporate website."

So, now that the story pretty much checks out, I ask again: what would you do with a domain name like Saudi-binLadin-Group.com? Park it and see how much revenue it can generate? Resell it to the highest bidder? Or maybe develop it into a forum or a blog? How much do you think Saudi-binLadin-Group.com is worth? What say you?!

Feel free to post a comment and share you thoughts. Thanks!

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A Small Name Drop Alert...

A few .US, blog-related domain names dropped from my portfolio today. Here they are:

BusinessBlog.us

CEOBlog.us

MedicalBlog.us

ShoppingBlog.net

I'm spending most of my time on the development side of things these days, so there will be a lot more names dropping from my collection in the near future. Some future name drops will include premium .COM, .NET and .INFO domain names, so stay tuned to The Domain Blog for more lists.

For more of my name drop lists, use the following links:

Domain Blog Domain Name Drop Lists

Domain Blog Cancelled Domain Names.

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I'm Back Into The Pay-Per-Click Game, Thanks To The Yahoo! Publisher Network Beta Program (YPNBP)

It's seems like yesterday, but it was in fact some months ago when I was having a very interesting online conversation with some folks over @ The Digital Point Forums about the use of images to enhance the visibility of text ads, specifically: Google AdSense text ads. I had visited the website of forum member "ALANG" where he was employing a clever image coupling technique that I had never seen before. Basically, he positioned a small graphic above a small AdSense unit. The AdSense unit had an invisible border, but there was a thin border surrounding the two parts (part one being the small image, part two being the small AdSense unit) and the resultant effect was great: it got my attention right away; remove the small image, I thought to myself, and I probably wouldn't have paid any attention to the AdSense ad unit.

I was inspired by what I had seen, and I had an idea to take the technique one step further. So I constructed a simple, 4-celled HTML table above a 728x90 ad unit, and added 4 small, generic and uniform images to each of the cells. This enhancement to the original technique, I thought, would not only get my ads noticed without going overboard, but it would also be more efficient (because I would be able to display up to 4 ads on a single ad unit.) I noted a nice increase in clicks on the sites where I had put this technique to work, and, after re-reading the AdSense Terms of Service to make sure that I wasn't breaking any rules, I got to work implementing the technique on more sites within my network.

It was at this point that Digital Point Forum member "CRITTERS" started a thread about how his average click-through rate increased by 400% (that's right: four hundred percent) after he implemented this technique on his popular "Draw a Pig" website (needless to say my student credit cards website has been getting non-stop traffic from this particular Digital Point thread ever since!) This thread grew very quickly, as webmasters from around the globe--folks with all kinds of websites--reported meaningful to incredible increases in click-through rates after trying the technique on their sites. As you might have guessed, "CRITTERS" became an instant forum celebrity for sharing his experiences with the technique, and I'm glad that he did (he's a cool guy.)

Now I see this technique being used all over the place; the word has been propagated (excuse the geeky term!) across the Internet, as folks who blog about contextual ad programs spread the news around the blogosphere and beyond.

I'm now starting to use the technique with Yahoo's Publisher Network Beta Program (YPNBP). I'll only be adding the YPNBP code to a handful of my developed websites; after my experience with the other popular pay-per-click program, I think it would be wise for me to start slow and see how it goes (placing AdSense code on too many of my websites may have been the reason for my account getting "disable," but, alas, I shall never know for sure, as I never did get a full explanation as to why the program managers decided to kick me to the curb.)

FYI: if you try the technique, just remember to email the Google AdSense Team (or, if you are in the YPNBP, then you should call the toll free number provided) and make sure that they are OK with your implementation of the technique, just to be on the safe side. Also, try to use the most generic (and legal!) images related to your website or blog that you can find. If the images are too specific, then it may seem like you are trying to trick surfers into clicking for something that may not be delivered once they reach the destination website. You don't want that, and neither do the advertisers who are paying for those ads.

Earlier today, I placed 3 phone calls to the YPNBP toll free support line (the last call was to get approval for the image coupling technique that I had implemented on my nascent Debt Forum website as a test.) Not only did they answer on the second ring each time I called, but they were also patient, efficient and reassuringly straight with their answers. I think this may be the beginning of a beautiful relationship! Kudos to you, YPNBP; I'm looking forward to doing a lot more learning--and maybe even some more earning--with this new partnership.

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.JP Makes A Grand Entrance At Domain Name Ball...

Finally, a high profile, precedent-setting, publicly reported sale for the .JP TLD! Hallelujah!

Sedo just reported the sale of HOTELS.JP @ $40,000; it's a fair price for this ultra-premium domain name.

I am sure that there have been many private trades of .JP names over the years, but private sales are no help to domain traders like me: the more we know about previous sales within a particular namespace, the better we able to set the fairest possible prices for our own domains.

I tip my hat to AfterNIC for appraising a .JP domain name I'm holding, CELLULAR.JP, at $41,000 (with a potential market value of $123,000.) Cellular.jp is an ultra-premium domain name in the same class as hotels.jp, but the AfterNIC appraisal team didn't have much previous sales data in the .JP arena to go on when they appraised cellular.jp back in March of 2004, yet they were able to attach an impressively realistic dollar amount to the name. Kudos to you AfterNIC!

It's interesting that Sedo was lucky enough to broker this sale, as Sedo was the very same domain exchange that a couple of years ago wouldn't even list my .JP domain names in their website! It's a good thing--for both Sedo and domain traders--that Sedo eventually decided to rethink their listing policy with regard to .JP names.

I expect that a lot more domainers will be investing in .JP domain names as a result of this sale, so if you plan on snagging some names, don't procrastinate!

My current list of .JP names is pretty strong, but not as long as it used to be. I decided to trim a number of names off my list over the past 2 years, so as a courtesy to Domain Blog readers, I'll post some of those names here (let's call it a special .JP name drop alert):

Commodities.jp

Drinking.jp

Eating.jp

Golfing.jp

LuxuryHotel.jp

SlotMachine.jp

Wager.jp

Feel free to post a comment if you decide to invest in any of the above.

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I'm Jumping Onto The Free Wi-Fi Bandwagon!

I was so excited when the Mayor of my home town announced free Wi-Fi access at certain spots--er, hotspots-- in the center of the city. I was so enthralled that as soon as I found the time, I drove down to the city library (which was reported to be putting out the strongest signal) to see if I could get my Wi-Fi-enabled laptop online via a free hotspot. After hours of sitting on my car outside the library, trying desperately to get the free Wi-Fi juices flowing, I failed; I wasn't able to get it working properly. All I could access was the city government's homepage! When I got home later that evening, I sent an email to the tech support folks in charge of managing the free hotspots in town. I didn't get a reply to my first email asking for help, so I emailed them a few times over the course of 3 weeks.

I never got a response. Furthermore, I tried a few more times at different spots around town and failed!

I was disappointed, certainly, but I am to this day still in love with the idea of free Wi-Fi access to the Internet. To think that I can access the web for free @ speeds rivaling those of my wired LAN here at home, and to be able to be outdoors enjoying the sun and fresh air...it's like a fairy tale come true (for an Internet geek like me, anyway.)

And now I'm reading stories about Google gearing up to offer free Wi-Fi Internet access. From what I've read and heard, big "G" has recently established a lobbying presence in Washington, D.C. so that they can have someone representing their interests at the nation's capital (telecommunications is a very serious, high stakes game in D.C, no doubt.) You can rest assured that I'll be following Google's progress in the free Wi-Fi arena, especially because I know that when Google goes live with their free Wi-Fi service, they'll get it right!

I registered a couple of free Wi-Fi-related domain names today to see if I can attract some free Wi-Fi related traffic to my domain name empire:

FreeWi-FiHotspot.com
FreeWi-FiService.com

I have some development ideas bouncing around in my head, but for now these names will stay parked @ AfterNIC. Wish me luck, and feel free to post a comment with your free Wi-Fi web access experiences. Thanks!

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A Medium-Sized Name Drop Alert...

Some domain names dropping from my portfolio today:

AsbestosLungCancer.us

BlogDiary.net

BlogDiary.us

CyclingBlog.net

CyclingBlog.us

DatingBlog.us

FemBlog.net

FemBlog.us

FitnessBlog.us

HealthBlog.us

LawBlog.us

MyBlogs.us

SportsBlog.us

TradingStocks.biz

TradingStocks.us

Post a comment if you end up taking any of the above. Thanks!

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Are You Ready For The Web-Based Office? Or Perhaps The Web-Based Desktop?

I've been ready a lot of buzz about the "web-based office" lately. Numerous technology pundits think that the web-based office is the next step in the evolution of productivity software, and the reasoning behind these predictions is pretty solid. Imagine being able to work on your documents, spreadsheets and presentations using software applications as powerful as Microsoft (MS) Word, Excel and PowerPoint, except the software will run off the Internet. Advantages? Oh yes: you'll run these web-based programs off of any platform (Windows, Macintosh, Sun, PDA, etc.) You'll be able to create, edit, access and store documents and other critical files online, thus drastically reducing the need to lug around a heavy laptop to Nairobi, London, Tokyo or where ever (though you might want to have a super-slim laptop that you can use to get some work done on the plane); all you'll need is an Internet connection and you'll be ready to attend to all your projects. Yup, I think that's where things are heading. Corporations will end up saving millions in tech related costs--and we all know that cutting costs is like sugar to corporate executives--and overall employee productivity will almost certainly increase.

So why hasn't the web-based office taken hold yet? Actually, there are a number of web-based office suites available today, but they are all diminutive players when compared to MS's Office suite. Right now, I think that security is the main concern, as hackers and scammers are constantly thinking up new and clever ways to reverse engineer software packages. But it's just a matter of time before one of the big players puts together a super-secure system that their bread-and-butter clients--the global corporate community--can rely on.

For many years, it seemed that Google had been content with producing tools and services that didn't compete with MS's monolithic (and extremely profitable!) offerings, but it would seem that they now feel confident enough to stalk the giant software maker. First, it was a soft yet bold volley, taking on both MS's Hotmail and Yahoo's (Y!) free web-based email product. Then came Google's Desktop Search, and you know that really got Microsoft's attention, no doubt. What's next? I think either MS, Y! or Google will be unveiling either a web-based office or a web-based desktop system sometime soon. Of course, this is pure speculation on my part, as I don't work for Google, Y! or MS, but I have picked up on a pattern of behavior in the market, and I think it's just a matter of time (Google recently announced a distribution partnership with Sun Microsystems. How does it go? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Yeah, something like that!)

Is the world ready for the web-based office now? I think so. As I expected, the typical Internet user hasn't been entering the search term "web-based office" into search engines like crazy, but this doesn't concern me. It will take the rollout of a fully developed, web-based suite of office applications offered by a major player to get the average computer user's attention. But once it happens, it will be the next big thing. Nobody was searching for Google email before Google came out with Gmail, but once it was out, it became a very hot commodity! In fact, in my opinion, Google's brand is so strong right now that they could buyout one of the makers of the currently available, web-based office suites today and turn it into the Internet's next big craze. Yup.


So how does all this relate to domain names? Good question! Answer: I think the future is bright for web-based applications, and have recently registered the following names:

Web-BasedOffice.com
Web-Based-Office.com
Web-BasedOffice.net
Web-Based-Office.net

InternetBasedOffice.com
Internet-BasedOffice.com
Internet-Based-Office.com

Internet-BasedOffice.net
Internet-Based-Office.net

Web-BasedDesktop.Com
Web-BasedDesktop.Net

WebBasedDesktop.Com
WebBasedDesktop.Net

Web-BasedConferencing.Com
Web-BasedConferencing.Net

Web-BasedMessenger.Com

Of course, these names are all perfectly generic, and therefore fair game. I'm looking forward to seeing how much traffic each of these puppies can generate in the coming months. Wish me luck!

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A Great .TV Thread @ NamePros

Curious about the somewhat mysterious .TV domain? Dot TV names are becoming much more popular these days, and the rise of .TV really shouldn't surprise anyone. After all, the namespace has many advantages over it's generic top level domain siblings like .COM or .NET.

The most obvious strength of the .TV domain is that this particular combination of letters--"T" coupled with "V"-- is recognized across the globe; people everywhere associate "TV" with a visual medium, and since the Internet is just another visual medium, .TV is easily accepted and embraced by both novice and experienced Internet users. Dot TV is also very short--as short as a top level domain can be--making domain names much quicker to type into a web browser (folks like me who are obsessed with efficiency like this a lot.) And with Dot TV, there are no registration restrictions: Dot TV domain names can be registered by anyone or by any company no matter where in the world the registrant is located.

The future looks very bright for Dot TV: domain name sales are becoming far more frequent and I am discovering newly developed .TV names all the time (I am personally developing DebtHelp.TV as a debt forum.)

Want to know more about .TV? NamePros veteran "equity78" started popular and highly informative thread on the topic; recommended reading for anyone curious about .TV!

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