Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
ie8 fix

names

Registrar denies 'front-running' Net registration

Contrary to claims that emerged Wednesday, Network Solutions said it isn't "front-running" the Internet address registration process, a practice in which a company registers a potential domain immediately after a prospective buyer searches to see if it's available. In fact, the practice that triggered the accusation is an attempt to counteract front-running, the company said.

Front-running can give a registration company an advantage over the customer who wants to register the site--for example by preventing the customer from registering it through a competing registrar or by selling it to the customer at an inflated price.

The … Read more

123-Reg gives its customers 60 hours without email or a website

Over the weekend domain hoster 123-Reg went down (taking my own company's website and email with it), taking customer service to all-new lows. No phone support. No email support. No web support. No notice of when the problem would be fixed, what the suspected problem was, how to deal with it, etc. Nothing.

Today, however, I woke up to this comforting (though bewildering) news from 123-Reg:… Read more

UK domain registrar 123-Reg crashes and burns, taking its customers with it

If you've tried to reach Alfresco's web site in the past day (Oh, come on! You know you have!), you will have been disappointed. There's nothing there (See right).

Alfresco, among many others, uses 123-Reg as its domain registrar, and 123-Reg is down. Completely. Calls to 123-Reg's technical support have gone unanswered.

123-Reg is owned by Pipex, one of the UK's leading ISPs (and has been for a very long time). It may be a denial of service attack. Or it may come from complete and utter ineptitude on 123-Reg's part.

Either way, for … Read more

A word of advice: On Facebook, don't play the name game

Paging Mark Zuckerberg: at least one of your 50 million peons would like to have her name back, please.

Elizabeth Kuhn is a junior at the University of California-San Diego, majoring in international studies and Middle Eastern studies. Except her name isn't really Elizabeth, it's Kristin; she changed her first name to her middle name on her Facebook profile as a quirky experiment, and now the social network won't let her change it back.

"I took my first name off because, well, I'm not really sure why," Kuhn told me. (Full disclosure: I know … Read more

Eleven steps to buying a domain name that doesn't suck

Whether you're a multinational Internet retailer or a lone human just entering the Web world, there are many things to consider when purchasing a new domain name, not the least of which are core SEO (search engine optimization) parameters. Following is a list of considerations I'd supply to either entity mentioned above or anyone in between. Some may seem ridiculously obvious, but a friendly reminder won't hurt.

Keyword research: Does the domain use popular and focused keywords? Make sure the domain and its associated URLs will be conducive to search engine visibility. Check it on tools like … Read more

Baby naming goes high tech

Baby naming has suddenly become a hot topic. News sources from Salon.com, to conservative commentator David Brooks have recently weighed in on the significance of a baby's moniker. The Wall Street Journal even framed the naming decision as "the art of 'branding' your newborn."

Parents' stress levels may be rising as the naming the baby becomes a high-stakes decision. Expensive consultants have even cropped up. The Today Show featured a self-proclaimed "nameologist," who charged a couple $300 to help them choose among combinations of Charles, Robert, and Matthew. I say keep the three hundred bucks and choose a name out of a hat if you are that undecided.

Luckily there are many free or low-cost naming tools that can add to the fun rather than the stress of baby naming. In addition to the many books on the topic, from the thematically-organzied Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana, to the encyclopedic 100,000+ Baby Names, there are many free resources available online.… Read more

Bust A Name: Best domain name helper ever

All of the good ones are taken. URLs, that is. If you've got a new business or site to set up, it can be difficult and tiresome to find a good domain name that's available. A new site, Bust A Name, makes the process go more quickly.

Like Squurl, which I covered a year ago, Bust A Name scans the database of registered domains as you type. You just enter in the domain you want and quickly see if it's available.

You can also type in a few words and let Bust A Name mash them together … Read more

How much is Business.com worth?

Domain name (and the business behind the name) Business.com is being auctioned off by the men who bought it in 1999 for a whopping $7.5 million. The Wall Street Journal cites unnamed sources "familiar with the matter" who speculate that Business.com could fetch as much as $300 million to $400 million. The site is a search engine, with pay-per-click advertising, for products and services.

Nymbler finds your taste in names

Want to know the origin and popularity of your name? Wonder why you love certain names and hate others?

Nymbler provides shorthand to figuring out what names you might like, based on 6 names you choose for inspiration. You can type in your own suggestions or choose from a list to start. You can then change your inspiration, as Nymbler makes suggestions.

Nymbler uses an algorithm that identifies patterns in personal taste, then makes educated suggestions based on those through its "Hunch Engine." Names are analyzed for things like ethnicity and historic popularity, as well as consonance and … Read more