Domaining

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Domaining is the business of buying, selling, developing, and monetizing Internet domain names. Domain names are the addresses of the web and come in a wide variety of extensions (.com, .net, .org being the most commonly used).

Domainers are professionals who deal in domain names. They buy, sell, and develop domain names in a similar way to real estate investors. Often income comes through domain parking and development, as well as resale. This speculative practice often prevents companies from acquiring and using domain names related to their trade marks and legitimate business. Domaining is often carried out as an advanced form of blackmailing, exploiting differences between different countries' intellectual property and trade mark laws.

Some practitioners prefer the terms domain investing and domain investor to the terms domaining, domainer or domain speculator.

As of May 2006 there are an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 individuals who make a living buying and selling domain names, although at least half prefer to remain anonymous to avoid competition, according to Ron Jackson, editor and publisher of Domain Name Journal.[1]

Sales of 5,851 domain names generated $29 million in 2005, compared with the sale of 3,813 names for $15 million in 2004, according to market researcher Zetetic.[2]

An example of a prominent domainer is Yun Ye, the secretive founder of UltSearch.[3]