Epik off to quick start.

It’s been a couple months since Rob Monster launched Epik, a semantic web domain monetization service. How’s it going? Quite well, reports Monster.

He says the company will turn the corner on profitability next month, so the company will be able to choose whether or not to raise outside money.

Epik 2.1 was just released and includes many improvements. A key improvement is a new parser that makes it easier to map domains to available Epik topics. Previously, submitted domains had to exactly match an available topic. Now, similar keywords are considered. More categories, such as geo topics, can also be mapped.

Epik also has many more content feeds and offers the ability to sell advertising directly on a web site. It also added a basic link building tool to help domain owners find link partners.

As Monster sees it, Epik allows domain owners to “prime the pump” to get their domains developed and indexed in search engines “instead of paying a couple hundred bucks for a basic mini site”.

Next month Epik will launch Epik Pro and Epik Enterprise. These will give domainers who have their own ad feeds and development resources a platform to leverage their strengths. They’ll be able to add their own advertising feeds, edit domains through the DevHub site editor, and maintain 100% of the revenue. (Some smaller domainers who’ve found success with their domains on Epik may also want to upgrade an individual domain to earn more money.)

The early success of Epik is dependent on the DevHub platform; and Epik Pro will rely on DevHub even more. Epik and DevHub are two different companies, although Monster is the largest investor in DevHub. Could the two companies become one in the future?

“Don’t rule it out,” says Monster.

© DomainNameWire.com 2009.

Review and rate domain name parking companies at Parking Judge.

Related posts:

1. Epik Provides New Monetization Option for Domainers
2. Epik Enhances Geo Domain Web Sites
3. Epik Acquires DNKO Auction Platform, First Auction on Friday

Epik off to quick start.

It’s been a couple months since Rob Monster launched Epik, a semantic web domain monetization service. How’s it going? Quite well, reports Monster.

He says the company will turn the corner on profitability next month, so the company will be able to choose whether or not to raise outside money.

Epik 2.1 was just released and includes many improvements. A key improvement is a new parser that makes it easier to map domains to available Epik topics. Previously, submitted domains had to exactly match an available topic. Now, similar keywords are considered. More categories, such as geo topics, can also be mapped.

Epik also has many more content feeds and offers the ability to sell advertising directly on a web site. It also added a basic link building tool to help domain owners find link partners.

As Monster sees it, Epik allows domain owners to “prime the pump” to get their domains developed and indexed in search engines “instead of paying a couple hundred bucks for a basic mini site”.

Next month Epik will launch Epik Pro and Epik Enterprise. These will give domainers who have their own ad feeds and development resources a platform to leverage their strengths. They’ll be able to add their own advertising feeds, edit domains through the DevHub site editor, and maintain 100% of the revenue. (Some smaller domainers who’ve found success with their domains on Epik may also want to upgrade an individual domain to earn more money.)

The early success of Epik is dependent on the DevHub platform; and Epik Pro will rely on DevHub even more. Epik and DevHub are two different companies, although Monster is the largest investor in DevHub. Could the two companies become one in the future?

“Don’t rule it out,” says Monster.

© DomainNameWire.com 2009.

Review and rate domain name parking companies at Parking Judge.

Related posts:

1. Epik Provides New Monetization Option for Domainers
2. Epik Enhances Geo Domain Web Sites
3. Epik Acquires DNKO Auction Platform, First Auction on Friday

My comments on expired domains.

As I wrote last week, ICANN is seeking feedback on the domain expiration process. Here’s the feedback I just submitted. The deadline for submitting feedback is September 10…

I believe most registrars do an effective job informing customers of upcoming expirations. For example, Go Daddy sends multiple expiration notices by email and even postal mail. Most registrars continue to send these expiration notices after a domain expires. GoDaddy also alerts people who call its support number if they have any expiring domains. Most major registrars follow similar procedures.

I have a few general concerns/observations that this Working Group should consider.

1. The number one reason people neglect to renew their domains is because they have incorrect contact information. When I view historical whois information for an expired domain, I typically find that it involves bogus or outdated contact information. I believe most registrars, and even ICANN, are doing enough to encourage people to use valid contact information. Those that use invalid information are likely doing so on purpose and don’t need to be protected for the purpose of expired domains.

2. The practice of changing DNS servers upon expiration is a Catch-22. On one hand, changing an expired domain’s DNS servers to a registrar landing page alerts a customer that their domain has expired. However, it also prevents them from receiving expiration notices via email if their whois contact address is something@expireddomain.com (because the mail servers have been changed).

3. Resellers may have an incentive to let domains expire since they can get a cut. It is normal practice for domain registrars to auction off expired domains and I have no problem with this. Most of these registrars still make best efforts to inform customers of renewal dates. I do have some concern with resellers, especially since some registrars compensate them with a portion of auction revenue.

4. Expiration dates are confusing. One complaint I receive from people who email me at Domain Name Wire claiming their registrar screwed them (and I get many such emails) is that it appeared the expiration date was a year away. They see the registry expiration date, which is usually automatically extended a year, and think this is their actual expiration date (as opposed to the registrar expiration date). Asking the typical domain registrant to understand the difference between registry and registrar expiration dates is asking too much. This working group should consider ways that registries can display this data without confusing customers.

© DomainNameWire.com 2009.

Review and rate domain name parking companies at Parking Judge.

Related posts:

1. ItsYourDomain Working to Fix Whois Bug
2. 6 Signs Your Domain Registrar is Going Defunct
3. Domain Name Expiration Practices are Under Review