The R-Word, and One Embarassing Domain Name — Special Olympics

Domain tasting operation picks up a domain and parks it with the “r” word.

[Updated: eNom is now forwarding the domain name to r-word.org and states it will transfer ownership to Special Olympics.] In many ways President Obama’s gaffe on The Tonight Show last night was the best thing to happen to the Special Olympics in a long time. (Obama, speaking regarding his lack of bowling skills, suggested his performance was like the Special Olympics). Not only can the organization be assured that Obama won’t cut government support anytime soon, but the organization was readying a fresh ad-campaign called “the r-word”. The Special Olympics is trying to compare the word retard to some other words that most people wouldn’t mutter or print, such as the n-word. It’s campaign is now in the limelight.

Special Olympics is using the domain name r-word.org for its campaign. Regretfully, a domain tasting operation owned by Demand Media — eNom467 Incorporated — snapped up r-word.com earlier this year and is parking it. (In November, eNom467 added 748 domain names and deleted 10,346). You can even buy the r-word.com domain name through another associated eNom firm, AcquireThisName.

Oh, and here’s the parking page:

I suppose if you’re going to blindly test domains for traffic, you have to suffer the embarrassing consequences of occasionally picking up a domain name you’d rather not own.

RWord.org, without the dash, was registered just days following Special Olympics picked up r-word.org. Its parked page isn’t pleasant, either.