Domain auctions have a history of technical glitches.

Shortly after Moniker‘s domain name auction at DOMAINfest in NYC concluded yesterday, I saw a couple blog posts heralding it as a great success. I was a bit confused, because I didn’t see the same thing in the actual auction room.

You don’t need to point fingers at the people who blogged about the auction, as apparently it did look like a huge success online thanks to problems with the online bidding interface. Domains were marked as ‘sold’ even though they weren’t.

At one point or another, all live domain name auction companies have experienced technical problems. One of the most talked-about this year was when Latona’s postponed its Las Vegas auction while it was running because of online bidding problems.

Yesterday, the auctioneer stopped multiple times to wait for the “internet clerk” to update the pricing online. Even to some people in the room, it appeared that certain domains sold that didn’t actually go under the hammer. Although there was certainly some human element to it, there are numerous technical challenges to staging a simulcast auction. Internet connections all across the world don’t see the same thing at the same time. It’s not really “real time”.

The good news for Moniker is that, although the live auction results during the show yesterday weren’t spectacular, the company closed a seven figure sale just before the auction and removed the domain from the live set. It is also working on closing more deals from this auction as we speak. In the end, the sales number will be OK. It’s just a shame that technology tends to slow down live auctions rather than adding to the excitement.

© DomainNameWire.com 2010.

Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.

Related posts:

1. 3 Online Domain Name Auctions Going on at Once
2. Latonas.com Domain Name Auction Postponed
3. Domain Auctions: Chill Out, But Let’s Re-examine

DOMAINfest draws a large crowd.

DOMAINfest’s Power Networking day in New York City attracted more than 200 people for the all-day event.

The morning started with Oversee.net CEO Jeff Kupietzky delivering a strong talk on five myths of the domain name industry, which you can read here.

Next, Naresh Rekhi of comScore gave an overview of trends in internet usage that are applicable to domainers, especially as they choose which domains to build out. Rekhi was followed by a fireside chat with David Mason of AOL’s content platform.

Then there was a networking session where attendees networked with experts in four areas: local search, legal, affiliate marketing, and online advertising trends.

The auction was a bit slow on sales, but when added to the Tshirts.com sale the number will end up being respectable. It appears that a deal may be in the works on another one of the big dollar domains in the auction, so I hesitate to report an auction total yet. There were a lot of excellent but expensive domains, so I suspect there will be a lot of post-auction dealing with big buyers.

Tonight there will be a closing dinner and party at the hotel.

A few take-aways from this conference:

-Moniker has proven that its Power Networking days are a strong draw, with over 200 attendees for a one day conference.

-Taking place in a large city and with a low admission cost, the conference attracted a lot of first-time attendees. Many of them are web developers who are interested in domains. I also met a building contractor who has discovered the power of keyword domains.

-A lot of media came for the auction, including a cameraman for CNN.

© DomainNameWire.com 2010.

Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.

Related posts:

1. Are you going to DOMAINfest NYC Next Week?
2. DOMAINfest NYC Should Draw a Big Crowd
3. DOMAINfest Global Moves to February for 2011

Moniker has sold Tshirt.com and four other related domains prior to Wednesday’s auction for $1.265 million. The domains include tee-shirts.com, t-shirt.com, t-shirts.com, and tees.com.

The buyer is Costumes Galore Inc., which is apparently making a push into the t-shirt business.

Separately, I’m aware of another Moniker sale for $736,000, but the domain name will not be disclosed.

This is certainly a good start ahead of Moniker’s main auction tomorrow.

© DomainNameWire.com 2010.

Get Certified Parking Stats at DNW Certified Stats.

Related posts:

1. Moniker Auction Nets $4.4 Million, SkiResorts.com sells for $850,000
2. Moniker Trims Silent Auction List for TRAFFIC Auction
3. Jackpot! Slots.com Domain Name Sells for $5.5 Million