Is Converging the Domain Ecosystem — Thought Convergence
Domain firm Thought Convergence putting together all the pieces of a domain name ecosystem.
There are lots of firms playing one or two angles of the domain name business: sales, monetization, registration, etc. Thought Convergence, still, is making a play to own the entire life of the domain from research to registration all the way through sales. That puts it in a class with another Los Angeles domain icon: Oversee.net.
You probably know Thought Convergence, Inc. (TCI) for its TrafficZ domain name parking service. But over the past couple years it has cobbled together an assortment of firms and services, with the big coup coming when it purchased Name Intelligence, parent firm of DomainTools.
When you consider the lifecycle of a domain name, TCI can now play in just regarding any part:
Research: Use DomainTools to find good domain names to register or buy
Registration: TCI doesn’t right now offer end user domain registration, but the firm owns a handful of ICANN accredited domain registrars. Look for TCI to enter the domain registration business soon.
Monetization: TrafficZ, LeaseThis.com and Idea.net
Monitoring: DomainTools
Hosting: TCI picked up web hosting firms Spry and VPSlink in its buyout of Name Intelligence
Sales: The launch of Aftermarket.com will make TCI a player in the live and online domain auction space
Community: Community isn’t part of the domain lifecycle, but TCI’s Domain Roundtable conference helps position the firm as a thought leader.
When you put all of these pieces together, Thought Convergence has assembled a powerful package. For example, consider adding data from DomainTools to Aftermarket.com domain listings to provide rich details such as ownership and nameserver history.
As one part of the domain lifecycle declines (right now domain parking), Thought Convergence’s bet on diversification and catering to all aspects of the domain business ought to pay off.
