News Bytes for Wednesday, July 22 — Domain Name

A brief look at domain name news.

.cm, .info, and other stories worth reading.

Is the .cm landrush a blight on domainers? Chad Kettner thinks so. I tend to agree. Rightly or wrongly, it’s easy for the media to point to major domain name firms supporting the .cm landrush and saying “see, they’re all cybersquatters”. I also question the amount of .cm typo traffic. Personally, I think .co is much more common. You also wonder if parking ad feed providers will monetize .cm traffic. Don’t forget it’s also a country code domain, so keep in mind there’s little oversight. Cameroon could decide to take your domains away.

.Info deals. If, like many spammers and sploggers, you are a fan of .info domain names, this news is for you. .Info registry Afilias has a fresh page dedicated to special registrar offers for cut-rate .info domains. Keep in mind most specials are only for the first year of registration. (Hey, I actually like .info. But the low price has led to quality concerns.)

SnapNames auction tops $100,000. SnapNames first monthly themed auction brought in over $100,000 in sales. DegreePrograms.com led the way at $31,555. Submissions for the August Showcase Auction are due by July 28; September submissions are due by August 25.