Master of Your Domain

As I delve into the formulation of the web strategy plan for my candidate I started to think about a seemingly minor element but an element that is often overlooked.

Domain name registrations.

How exciting, I know.

BUT....

I recalled a story a few years back involving Warren Sapp, a football player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the time.

A Cyber-squatter decided to buy up a bunch of sportstars names with the .coms and hold them for ransom if the unwitting celebrity ever wanted to launch a web site in their name.

To be sure, the squatter managed to completely piss off a very very large man.

The fact is there is money to be made in the cyber-squatting market...even at risk of having a 300lb Defensive Tackle pile driving you into cyber-space.

Corporations have been known to get into bidding wars over seemingly inconsequential things like Business.com which spent a record $7.5 million to get the rights to the name.

When launching a campaign web site, buy all possible combinations you can think of AND those of your opponents. It is guarenteed to drive them batty. Even better, turn it into an anti-site. The classic example being gwbush.com, a parady site directed at you know who.

Here's a fun game. Type your name in a web-browser and see what happens! Does someone own your name? Are you a porn site? Perhaps a crazy stalker has a website shrine devoted completely to you. Or better yet is there an anti-you site already in existance? Apparently, I am an HIV clinic in Indiana... Damien.