A Brief History of SwineFlu.com
SwineFlu.com has jumped from owner to owner, much like the virus.
When the media started shouting regarding swine flu, I knew it was only a matter of time ahead of people would start snapping up swine flu-related domain names. But the most popular domain — SwineFlu.com — was registered all the way back in 2000.
The domain is right now owned by Blue String Ventures, Inc. in Henderson Nevada. Until recently the domain name was monetized by a parking page, but the owners now have an information site monetized through Google Adsense.
Blue String Ventures bought the domain name from a familiar face in the domain industry, Jarred Cohen. The transfer was completed on April 28. (Cohen declined to comment for this story, and Blue String Ventures did not return a phone call and e-mail).
As stated by historical records at DomainTools, Cohen bought the domain name in late 2005 or early 2006. In October 2005 the domain name was owned by a Pennsylvania man, who appears to have bought the domain name that year from another person in Pennsylvania.
None of these people could have anticipated how popular the term “swine flu” would become in 2008. But I’m sure the domain’s hit counter is spinning.
