I could well have replied to any number of contributors.  Saliya - it's not
personal :)

There is NO intrinsic value in a generic name, but there is huge marketing
and brand recognition value once that generic name becomes known as
associated with particular commercial entity.  Or, as a marketing person
will tell you, where that generic name ultimately gets to be used
interchangeably with that of the business.

It's the POTENTIAL value of a generic name for which businesses bid.  And
it's worth buying a generic name as a pre-emptive measure, to stop a
competitor from realising that potential.

And how is that value realised?  By marketing, extensive publicity and
through search engines that associate that name with a particular business.
The name in and of itself?  Of no value at all.


Ron Stark
Business Park Pty Ltd
mail: ronstark§businesspark.com.au
phone: +61 (0)3 9592 6895   fax: +61 (0)3 9591 0729
mob: +61 (0)41 812 9922


-----Original Message-----
From: Saliya Wimalaratne [mailto:saliya§hinet.net.au]
Sent: Wednesday, 16 January 2002 6:59 PM
To: dns§lists.auda.org.au
Subject: Re: [DNS] thread.119


On Wed, 16 Jan 2002, Michael-Pappas wrote:

> Mark,
> 
> > That's why the company that has 'phone.com' stopped using it and changed
> to
> > 'openwave.com' - because they worked out that you can't successfully
brand
> a
> > generic name.  Go to www.phone.com and you'll see.
> 
> Sorry but they have never opted to STOP using the name. On the contary the
> name redirect to their site which would get hundreds if not thousands of
> direct typeins. It's the generic name would be greatly responcible for the
> successful website.

You people *just don't get it*; do you ?

People don't *randomly guess at names*. That's akin to randomly stabbing
in the last 4 digits of a phone number, secure in the knowledge that your
Aunty Beryl lives in town 'foo' and you know the first four digits that
belong to 'foo'.

They use search engines.

Search engines do not rely on domain names for ranking.

Any more questions ?

> Would you pass on sex.com or news.com if it was offered to you?
> 
> These generic names get direct targeted traffic, people do not have to
think
> in order to find books, toys, sex, cars, etc etc. It's an easy way to gain
> market share on the net. Simple and effective.

And *how* do they get direct targeted traffic ? 

1) A user stabs blindly in the dark for a name (demonstrably, doesn't
happen)

2) A user remembers the name promoted elsewhere (demonstrably, does
happen, but *any* three or four-letter name that was similarly easy to
remember would do).

Leading us to the conclusions:

short names have intrinsic value (foo.com is better than
foo.bar.a.b.c.d.xxyz.com, because it is easier to remember and easier to
input directly)
 
short, easy-to-remember generic names have value for the same reason.

generic names do not have intrinsic value.

> you services think and use their head just to find you. I would hope that

or perhaps just type in what you have told them via other media, or use a
search engine like normal people.

People demonstrably do NOT stab blindly for a name in the hope they get
the 'right' name. They are going to use a search engine - that is what
search engines are for.

The only people that 'generic' names are worth something to is those that
are selling the names, or those making a percentage on the sale of the
names. Anyone falling into the the two just-mentioned categories need not
respond to this post: we already *know* that you have a position to
justify.

Fortunately for me, there *are* people dumb enough to pay extra for a
generic name: meaning that the fees that *I* pay are going to be reduced.
Win/win :)

Regards,

Saliya


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