| Picking a name for your website is always difficult. | | | | intended names and deliberately making them |
| Hyphens or no hyphens? Is it a good name? Is it too | | | | unavailable so that you had to spend a lot more |
| obscure? Are you "in love" with the name? | | | | money to buy them. |
| I have been through it several times. | | | | I registered my eventual domain name. It was |
| But here is a WARNING on what I have noticed. | | | | available but I was still annoyed because I thought I |
| I went to do a domain search at a very big, popular | | | | had been conned at that other site where I had |
| domain registration company before I named my | | | | done my checking. |
| latest website | | | | Now I know that this is probably vindictive but here |
| That name was about the 4th favorite name that I | | | | is what I did... |
| had. | | | | FIRST, I chucked out the three names that I could |
| I spent two days brainstorming and I had a list of | | | | not have. I just purged them from my mind - no |
| about a dozen pretty good names. | | | | good dwelling on them. They were gone - either by |
| Anyway, I searched my two favorite names and | | | | honest or dishonest means. But they were gone. |
| BOTH were available - according to this domain | | | | Move on. |
| registration site. Yippee! | | | | Then... |
| I wanted to "sleep on them" before I made my final | | | | I made up some really silly names that included my |
| choice. I went back the next day and found, much | | | | keywords. They were really dumb. I went back to |
| to my dismay, that they had both been registered | | | | that "domain (un)availability" site and I fed in about 20 |
| overnight and that I had to make an "offer" to get | | | | of the worst names that I could come up with. |
| them. I guess that means they were now going to | | | | I hope the folks there took all of them. They might |
| be sold to me at a vastly inflated price. Hmm. BOTH | | | | as well have them - NOBODY in their right mind |
| of them... That seemed a really odd co-incidence! | | | | would want any of them. I never bothered to check. |
| I was rather depressed about this so, I checked on | | | | I suspect that place is running a nice little con and I |
| my THIRD favorite name. It was available. I went | | | | detest that sort of thing. Hence, my counter-play. I |
| back the next day just to check before I registered | | | | know. I shouldn't have done it but they bit me twice. |
| it and guess what? Yep, same thing. It had now been | | | | So, BEFORE you register just be really careful where |
| "taken." Double hmm. Or should I say: "triple hmm." I | | | | you do your checking. In fact, I'd advise not to |
| was beginning to smell a rat. In fact, the air was | | | | check any of your proposed names until you try |
| definitely tinged. | | | | your best name and, if it is available - buy it |
| Anyway, to cut a long story short... my 4th name | | | | IMMEDIATELY. |
| that I eventually registered was not going to get | | | | I hope this really helps people who are looking to |
| checked at that site or any other site. | | | | register a domain name. |
| I figured that somebody there was capturing | | | | |