Bicycling and Safety

I’ve owned a bicycle since 2012, and I consider myself a bicyclist. That doesn’t mean I’m always riding my bike but I always do aspire to it. Now, I’m at a place where I need to ride my bike regularly for my health. My doctor says to get about three to four hours of strenuous exercise per week. I’d like to do this by riding three or four days and going to the gym around the same amount. This should give me a balanced set of exercises and help me to get into better shape.

Bicycle Rider. This is not me but my bike is the same color (white) :-)
This is not me but my bike looks just like this and is the same color!

That’s a prelude. The purpose of this post is to start writing about my bicycling experiences. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and actually set up a category on my blog for this purpose. Bicycle riding offers a lot of benefits. It’s low-impact and definitely offers a way to burn calories. I’ve lost weight, as much as five pounds, in single bike riding days. I know that may not sound healthy, but I still can’t think of a faster way to shed a few pounds than a 30 or 40-mile ride.

On the other hand, bike riding can be very dangerous. A single accident can reverse years of health benefits. So careful consideration of the caveats of bike riding is a really important exercise. I’ve long wished to catalog all of the possible accidents and teach others how to consider them as they ride, a catalog per se of things to watch out for while bike riding. I want to make safety the utmost consideration as I ride. Many of these items are obvious, but there are a lot more that are not so obvious. These are the ones that I want to highlight in my “Bicycling List of Caveats.” I’m going to begin the list here:

  • Sand and Dust on the Road: If you have a road bike with thin tires, this is an easy way to scrape up your knees and elbows. This is especially important to watch for if you are riding near the beach. But sand, dirt, and dust can accumulate on park roads and anywhere near nature. I’ve fallen due to it in both types of places, both times adding some scrapes and scars to my elbows and knees. Be especially thoughtful of this as you go around a curve. That’s where you are most susceptible.
  • Car Doors Opening on the Side of the Road: If I’m riding on a road where cars are parked (parallel), I always watch inside any cars parked along the road. Look for people in the driver’s seat that can open the door. Slow down or give yourself enough room to maneuver away from the door in the case of them opening the door. This can be an especially damaging accident because riders are often going quite fast and an opening car door is a sharp and instant stopper. At the same time, don’t go out too far into the road to avoid car doors. You might find yourself the object of a car or driver who is distracted. More about this in the next item…
  • Watch Out for Cars Behind You: There are really two parts to this point. First, we need to ride our bikes on the right (assuming you are in the United States). You should be going along with the traffic. Second, get a suitable rear-view device. Each of us has our own preferred method. Some people like mirrors built into their helmets. My favorite method is the handlebar mirror, especially one on the left handlebar because it allows you to see behind you even while you’re head is looking down at the road in front of you.  
  • You never know if a driver behind you is not paying attention, so you have to be diligent and be in the habit of looking in that mirror. Don’t do it so much that you lose sight of what is in front of you, but do it enough to be aware. I don’t know where I heard this but I love the saying that we need to keep our head on a swivel, looking forward, back, and side to side rapidly. This is the surest way to see all that is going on around you.
  • Then there is the sad fact that some people just don’t like, understand, or appreciate bike riders. They think that we should ride on sidewalks and don’t belong on the roads. That’s not true, but it drives their behavior. They often “buzz” bike riders, getting too close to them or harassing them. Don’t get involved in any road rage. Be a good ambassador as related to bike riding behavior. Do your best to stay away from them. The worst of these can be young kids who come so close to you as you ride on the side of the road that they almost hit you. Just be aware and be alert.

Today, I’m out of time. But I’ll keep adding to this list.

Posted in Bicycling, Bicycling Safety, Health | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

To Any/All Email/Spam Experts

I’m not a big user of Microsoft Teams, but I’ve been receiving emails “from them” telling me I’ve won an Apple iPhone and asking me to do a survey. If Microsoft sends these, I’m disappointed because they look very spammy. I do not click anything on them!

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure these are not from MS and that they are just spam or phishing attacks waiting for me to click something. I have read quite a lot about spam and phishing, and I know how to find and read header files. I usually look for email addresses that don’t make sense. This header file doesn’t show anything that looks like an illegitimate email address. It has me a little baffled, and I’d appreciate any insight from my friends who really understand email.

The link below goes to a text file containing the header file for this email. For those who are suspicious enough not to want even to click my link, I’ll paste the text below as well. Please tell me what I am missing. I can’t see how to tell that this header file exposes a phishing problem. I’d really like to know what I should be looking for. Thanks!

Here is a link to a text file containing the header info:

I have also pasted the same text. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

Received: from NAM04-MW2-obe.outbound.protection.outlook.com (40.107.101.101)
by MW2NAM04FT006.mail.protection.outlook.com (10.13.31.17) with Microsoft
SMTP Server (version=TLS1_2, cipher=TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384) id
15.20.7452.24 via Frontend Transport; Mon, 1 Apr 2024 13:16:43 +0000
Received: from MW2NAM04FT006.eop-NAM04.prod.protection.outlook.com
(2603:10b6:303:83:cafe::f3) by MW4PR04CA0107.outlook.office365.com
(2603:10b6:303:83::22) with Microsoft SMTP Server (version=TLS1_2,
cipher=TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384) id 15.20.7409.45 via Frontend
Transport; Mon, 1 Apr 2024 13:16:43 +0000
Received: from SJ0PR13CA0159.namprd13.prod.outlook.com (2603:10b6:a03:2c7::14)
by SN7PR20MB5938.namprd20.prod.outlook.com (2603:10b6:806:344::10) with
Microsoft SMTP Server (version=TLS1_2,
cipher=TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384) id 15.20.7409.46; Mon, 1 Apr
2024 13:16:42 +0000
Received: from teams-ntfs-email-email-processor-74bd68f56b-gbj4b
(52.146.24.90) by CO1PEPF000044F0.mail.protection.outlook.com (10.167.241.70)
with Microsoft SMTP Server (version=TLS1_2,
cipher=TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384) id 15.20.7452.22 via Frontend
Transport; Mon, 1 Apr 2024 13:16:41 +0000
Received: from CO1PEPF000044F0.namprd05.prod.outlook.com
(2603:10b6:a03:2c7:cafe::76) by SJ0PR13CA0159.outlook.office365.com
(2603:10b6:a03:2c7::14) with Microsoft SMTP Server (version=TLS1_2,
cipher=TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384) id 15.20.7452.25 via Frontend
Transport; Mon, 1 Apr 2024 13:16:41 +0000
Received: from SA3PR12MB8809.namprd12.prod.outlook.com (2603:10b6:806:31f::20)
by SJ2PR12MB8011.namprd12.prod.outlook.com with HTTPS; Mon, 1 Apr 2024
13:16:46 +0000
Received: from MW4PR04CA0107.namprd04.prod.outlook.com (2603:10b6:303:83::22)
by SA3PR12MB8809.namprd12.prod.outlook.com (2603:10b6:806:31f::20) with
Microsoft SMTP Server (version=TLS1_2,
cipher=TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384) id 15.20.7409.46; Mon, 1 Apr
2024 13:16:43 +0000
From: “Microsoft Teams” [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Teams sent you a message
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2024 06:16:41 -0700
Message-ID: 90f06c62-ab16-4955-b841-48c20eab23ee@CO1PEPF000044F0.namprd05.prod.outlook.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/related;
boundary=”—-=NextPart_000_0000_01DA840E.37F14BE0″ X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 16.0 Thread-Index: AQKMR1FsmUu7+CmH0ue7o/hdMsgbwg== Authentication-Results: spf=pass (sender IP is 40.107.101.101) smtp.mailfrom=email.teams.microsoft.com; dkim=pass (signature was verified) header.d=email.teams.microsoft.com;dmarc=pass action=none header.from=email.teams.microsoft.com;compauth=pass reason=100 X-IncomingTopHeaderMarker: OriginalChecksum:E531660B3EF07B5FEAFBC523D1769924BEDA4F058EA1A38AFCEE8EE4293BD7DB;UpperCasedChecksum:739CE12A1574DFD8FA1A5138D8A5B271A73043656C871096C06DB885EB69878B;SizeAsReceived:5905;Count:36 X-MS-Exchange-Authentication-Results: spf=none (sender IP is 52.146.24.90) smtp.mailfrom=email.teams.microsoft.com; dkim=none (message not signed) header.d=none;dmarc=none action=none header.from=email.teams.microsoft.com; X-EOPAttributedMessage: 1 X-MS-TrafficTypeDiagnostic: CO1PEPF000044F0:EE_FirstParty-Teams-V1|SN7PR20MB5938:EE_FirstParty-Teams-V1|MW2NAM04FT006:EE|SA3PR12MB8809:EE_|SJ2PR12MB8011:EE_
X-MS-Office365-Filtering-Correlation-Id: f1009dd5-f6be-459c-feea-08dc524df9c4
X-MS-Exchange-SenderADCheck: 1
X-MS-Exchange-AntiSpam-Relay: 0
X-Microsoft-Antispam-Untrusted: BCL:0;
X-Microsoft-Antispam-Message-Info-Original: 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
X-Forefront-Antispam-Report-Untrusted: CIP:52.146.24.90;CTRY:US;LANG:en;SCL:1;SRV:;IPV:NLI;SFV:NSPM;H:teams-ntfs-email-email-processor-74bd68f56b-gbj4b;PTR:InfoDomainNonexistent;CAT:NONE;SFS:(13230031)(1800799015)(376005)(4143199003);DIR:OUT;SFP:1102;
X-MS-Exchange-AntiSpam-MessageData-Original-ChunkCount: 1
X-MS-Exchange-AntiSpam-MessageData-Original-0: LlvooLWj9LwhDddcH1g6PUWloqLePev++FOBMRsRXIWH4mZBVdbdLm/uG5DtWVFl3fvdsaN7D9oXcu4LR9+vzw4x1ELt6LeP8JuxXOe8IzHDm5HKV+0wOerirO5KqrzQH1hQL73nfeWH/ZOlEqzm1KF86QhXEwF0lWQL8jnjkbpQZhXiUdSbw3RwCyQk6lhW1QswPdT+VX4WR0bGD17DfBu8nqQ7LE14FEpjLbS5++ZjgZeY/1D57uKyaVGJ/9Ovw4qs0V+xe3cTAB3DFt3dhH+bowtmp6Ttda5pfvntJ7Cb2J6q0HDS+O0dN9IfND2aeWWm1DLf/NWFMz8Eerxze+G0jyfiotvkXhmrjmrVkQgPP4BB0ON1ujMuMHv3oD6/UE+nTE3yO4mVNjRtN5y+Jg==
X-MS-Exchange-Transport-CrossTenantHeadersStamped: SN7PR20MB5938
X-MS-Exchange-Transport-CrossTenantHeadersStamped: SA3PR12MB8809
X-IncomingHeaderCount: 36
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-ExpirationStartTime: 01 Apr 2024 13:16:43.6164
(UTC)
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-ExpirationStartTimeReason: OriginalSubmit
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-ExpirationInterval: 1:00:00:00.0000000
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-ExpirationIntervalReason: OriginalSubmit
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-Network-Message-Id: f1009dd5-f6be-459c-feea-08dc524df9c4
X-EOPTenantAttributedMessage: 84df9e7f-e9f6-40af-b435-aaaaaaaaaaaa:0
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-MessageDirectionality: Incoming
X-MS-Exchange-Transport-CrossTenantHeadersStripped: MW2NAM04FT006.eop-NAM04.prod.protection.outlook.com
X-MS-Exchange-Transport-CrossTenantHeadersPromoted: MW2NAM04FT006.eop-NAM04.prod.protection.outlook.com
X-MS-PublicTrafficType: Email
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthSource: MW2NAM04FT006.eop-NAM04.prod.protection.outlook.com
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthAs: Anonymous
X-MS-UserLastLogonTime: 4/1/2024 7:35:05 AM
X-MS-Office365-Filtering-Correlation-Id-Prvs: b968cc68-0fad-4ace-2fba-08dc524df899
X-MS-Exchange-EOPDirect: true
X-Sender-IP: 40.107.101.101
X-SID-PRA: [email protected]
X-SID-Result: PASS
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-PCL: 2
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-SCL: 1
X-Microsoft-Antispam: BCL:1;
X-MS-Exchange-CrossTenant-OriginalArrivalTime: 01 Apr 2024 13:16:43.5070
(UTC)
X-MS-Exchange-CrossTenant-Network-Message-Id: f1009dd5-f6be-459c-feea-08dc524df9c4
X-MS-Exchange-CrossTenant-Id: 84df9e7f-e9f6-40af-b435-aaaaaaaaaaaa
X-MS-Exchange-CrossTenant-OriginalAttributedTenantConnectingIp: TenantId=e36bbca1-9fe2-47ad-87fe-6012ed72a406;Ip=[52.146.24.90];Helo=[teams-ntfs-email-email-processor-74bd68f56b-gbj4b]
X-MS-Exchange-CrossTenant-AuthSource: MW2NAM04FT006.eop-NAM04.prod.protection.outlook.com
X-MS-Exchange-CrossTenant-AuthAs: Anonymous
X-MS-Exchange-CrossTenant-FromEntityHeader: Internet
X-MS-Exchange-CrossTenant-RMS-PersistedConsumerOrg: 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
X-MS-Exchange-Transport-EndToEndLatency: 00:00:03.1235671
X-MS-Exchange-Processed-By-BccFoldering: 15.20.7409.037
X-Message-Info: qZelhIiYnPkdpJxqIGk17kWX2YuH17Ueqi+sPEUol9xBT0uKOODyeAUDt1U6wxscakrHNnhN8ySxQTBo7iRUrig1QC/5EtKosHv4cbQ4rWdbhnfr1K6lAtrKMPjjSwb7aWUy/FN7Ycp2rNMrdDN5WIj60q96wjDURW6hgf5zW31ZKPbCnpPgcAwXeZxZVlFICS1w5jEXZSo=
X-Message-Delivery: Vj0xLjE7dXM9MDtsPTA7YT0xO0Q9MTtHRD0xO1NDTD0z
X-Microsoft-Antispam-Mailbox-Delivery: ucf:0;jmr:0;ex:0;auth:1;dest:I;ENG:(5062000305)(920221119095)(90000117)(920221120095)(90010023)(91010020)(91040095)(9050020)(9100341)(944500132)(4810010)(4910033)(9575002)(10195002)(9320005)(120001);
X-Microsoft-Antispam-Message-Info: =?us-ascii?Q?bUokDnms7P0vIMDq9DqiZVWMz19OXWORF+zdnhtwivKrqr9yt75szt44YOSy?=
=?us-ascii?Q?MOISaabfpCX2n8ui/TWkxaf8xFwVlZyQfC0V2HTLT5LV/tWvlIxxKhGGQzid?=
=?us-ascii?Q?BQjzqTottnb5xnJM29vEo3y00ROCYhnddiBWs2KAXiIr10QSo4OKHwxUTI8u?=
=?us-ascii?Q?moqmLuRV7YZSSjLeJMzNVWxzz3V5tuXY/6YrzZ39dk3CXRHjoAURVL0CjWp6?=
=?us-ascii?Q?kpdFnhn+zkH6YUI7mWueueOdrlMknMqaiphjpmncC5muGXfcFFBkB3j74KYC?=
=?us-ascii?Q?juuRUzhgEkIGbX2COgSjJk4Z/sDAosmvbWvdoNs2DyEys5i4Q9tDC4YVt/45?=
=?us-ascii?Q?weBt5M7x03Get8GeyxyOcfXG+ZEOoECVap5pYHyOO/IYT5wsrDbXB/UknYZq?=
=?us-ascii?Q?uUMmhkCMjN3LstFxuU/6q8Jj2h45pYeugIU6oLRwjaC6sWY2W6wNeKDw5CDJ?=
=?us-ascii?Q?tEfML3PfEhq9NzzEmm7dH1aZuwY4jpvuiIntU+Klbc1vpvXIndydYn5AeRBj?=
=?us-ascii?Q?cSkNxcFqrRwBRybJ7/jPcE5CpDOJRDlI+ntxKIAwZKBqJ/VZBbImr0vaurqi?=
=?us-ascii?Q?ioCfN1OoXoCmAkdsUeQf3z3bNykKi9gaBC0o1FSt078cTGBcNWwOfepsSBV1?=
=?us-ascii?Q?jP2QGHp03D1QNFgZSciy7EW582nR0erOcZwudi5pmcGkTbNeyZNEuKNBukD5?=
=?us-ascii?Q?DKvdwsWSxixbvTDsD9812kcSf5ZaN6er0cp8TcoqWPXPqJsdpkg
er5fthj6p?=
=?us-ascii?Q?gdrTG94g8ZtdAeHvHrgYODU9dux5uOkawU4I731P0nA+lei4TMYFHNFmsNjn?=
=?us-ascii?Q?EyY6+qOy/VNSLvagunoGYK0k9IIcTxjN93hyytlHYAQTCVhBDyM360WNvnm1?=
=?us-ascii?Q?O5cnyWzKBOhQEVt6mwTHapuhNJSTEiwCyPc2iQBjKh9JK4Bl5yw/YO7Iytzu?=
=?us-ascii?Q?FnjmdJfc49tLVR95fyq7wz00hcnOl1aiehQaWqbD8c67JCImXiifWtseCepB?=
=?us-ascii?Q?Y0a+voCuY3iJsHVR2BIVth4xcX34EPxn7G1o0Z37C/I5V1/76rP+c3pkSbKz?=
=?us-ascii?Q?rT5P7zgi3Np6+pj8WSLq0HvPCqAx3Qy0JxoS+hMroJg58IQWVreU56+IQ9I9?=
=?us-ascii?Q?u2bKavggp+WL47UcwkBnTY1VWIz8yiVFj95lZOGg2zVZtBvaTL4nZOZCqPPL?=
=?us-ascii?Q?F+M8bPGBpgnMFZ4h+DQXpDLgUsPEPzKQtGXKqivayfm44sY8uB6gCD1Y9TWq?=
=?us-ascii?Q?J93udOCaNktQyqiqqBtcRBSlMyojKEZsQJxEmVjBYQvITW2GUdLjuHJsGRTa?=
=?us-ascii?Q?hA4FIM7ImdGy0OVjpbnlXYGiYyzMwf8XkdjBiSf2+NXnIWWan3KB6MmjfYNl?=
=?us-ascii?Q?GTj9EXvhBUt+L2kq/ODY2o3wf791Cbh+KmIQkHeHkXB3WpSuYrGtETPqr5D5?=
=?us-ascii?Q?hTAqWVxgwWwCTIVyLsW5tv9vOh8OsFtdcT7AJe4uC5TG1B5KQmiII75OKGuR?=
=?us-ascii?Q?H3IApsKeu8N5FR8PKDbB+3FLNwEm0UF5feNFM
vIYPWnuo7HTxWv7JIPexKPn?=
=?us-ascii?Q?p1oNWt9IK1MjY4Cf8xuhT/c4QNgChX2SBqZzLzI4L8/rY14mKOSypV4bc6S7?=
=?us-ascii?Q?phTuKfGEC9drJsm7dCFEQqLSAwLBaa+LcXtpVzh9541FWqjYQKqB7RZYJMFR?=
=?us-ascii?Q?Y+IWvSXH58HjJAtjxzbA61xIodMpz/OeKtgUAwFofjIylDu86OIv56TFfIHs?=
=?us-ascii?Q?QFyURQ8LYTXQB+ygiawnTCfBZG6tbg5VAXZF33eMfK8vNKd44ZPXho0+1U4n?=
=?us-ascii?Q?nHYu25oBvCY/TiboXkwlGueG0wZXu1jvUtVsvvJ1dzx8qYL/uHmlh4fg?=
Content-Language: en-us
received-spf: Pass (protection.outlook.com: domain of email.teams.microsoft.com designates 40.107.101.101 as permitted sender) receiver=protection.outlook.com; client-ip=40.107.101.101; helo=NAM04-MW2-obe.outbound.protection.outlook.com; pr=C
x-ms-exchange-organization-originalclientipaddress: 40.107.101.101
x-ms-exchange-organization-originalserveripaddress: 10.13.31.17
arc-seal: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; s=arcselector9901; d=microsoft.com; cv=none; b=CZi+68LUnXoxLEynOPe4Z/jZb1gqcsVM3G1u2fEnQqDcvocDGrVuFYvVNSJ/toC0dcd8pHX+2JZt0ir4TbCMUB5OHsNzik1Rgf9vM0bWj2qS7YWd9oUJyxmMpxmLTev0IzeEddCPsy5Ntu845sjB5gKM1UGviFdNyLcjiRWav7qRJ9XSOnUbQoKbaJDh1TNgLFY+OP4sh9CrNFMQh+yqCKEy4RW43vZboPEqopcL7wCVbqISCfXp0uEv4WVvaJuzBLqPd+OSw+c7BSAvXmCW0/RWyQ4Af6gwYVqkC4pblYw9DCZYo9kc+1ovpeE0cMALeoVWS6tsZeFrsYMutVrDPQ==
arc-message-signature: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=microsoft.com; s=arcselector9901; h=From:Date:Subject:Message-ID:Content-Type:MIME-Version:X-MS-Exchange-AntiSpam-MessageData-ChunkCount:X-MS-Exchange-AntiSpam-MessageData-0:X-MS-Exchange-AntiSpam-MessageData-1; bh=cyqVY6usM/euVPp960TxY81RmsNJIAVpmw+gXxSrunQ=; b=h0GjlSXlC156Ovo164IvNvSzZdYTOlcvqsDFGYjqGXfx++oLS7uUBV/x8noYNREBHQF0WAbvJ6qoIsOjhCmIgsUjjLJcMJ56G2X6anElPuoCCGL41A/jlelImhEWAxQUx3fU/l5wqw23D5bOvyMXayOfqg3nzXH0BhizWrnHHOv0QOySML0t/oCN29KE2Esn245cfRLvN8s89g8mn7B5BTaRAO9S2hj6OJXl8FrHZX40qCVSL500t1pYC4DhAgzUcsUawgRbLgEba5kjUlcHFis7XbtAkj4Z3XP+P2Se3ObdXjvTQ55n1f2U+ZWwYxj27XnGRHRDgCOQi25v7pYtmA==
arc-authentication-results: i=1; mx.microsoft.com 1; spf=none; dmarc=none action=none header.from=email.teams.microsoft.com; dkim=none (message not signed); arc=none
dkim-signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=email.teams.microsoft.com; s=selector1; h=From:Date:Subject:Message-ID:Content-Type:MIME-Version:X-MS-Exchange-SenderADCheck; bh=cyqVY6usM/euVPp960TxY81RmsNJIAVpmw+gXxSrunQ=; b=grrArs70D5fWlpqgsd6/vrcL8pfzs3rvFgM24pa2X9IgyHVGm7wn2/GuQvOK8IfXc9avkw5DVGbGJKmyNi8RjSEEjSUxmJZ4UTFD/9E3wac+H8qt5fdh21AiKxrJWxyvpi7metmLt+qKht0TzH1iT14xD0RRi8Hz3mH7MTzT/i0=

#

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on To Any/All Email/Spam Experts

Domain Name Pricing Trends

As part of it.com Domains, I am constantly surveying the domain name market. I have accounts at many registrars to understand what works and what doesn’t. Today, I received a communique from our good resellers, ConnectReseller.com. They are a wholesale registrar that caters to people and companies who want to sell domain names as a product. They offer white-label domain seller websites and hosting, etc. Their prices tend to be at the lower end of the market spectrum.

An Example:

https://www.connectreseller.com/domain-prices/

There are good answers when someone complains, saying the prices for it.com domains are too high (or asking why we charge more than .com, for example). This can go for many new gTLDs, by the way.

  1. The trend in domains is higher prices. I’ve observed this for a long time, and the example in the link is typical and indicative. There is no crazy math going on here, but it’s evident that domains are not all $10.00 per year anymore.
  2. Memorable domains are valuable and are the foundation of a business. New domain endings like it.com allow clients to create truly memorable online personas. That is powerful and often misunderstood. But registries need to maintain balance.
  3. A suggested retail price between $25 and $50 offers value, and it keeps spammers away without tons of expensive technical wizardry.
  4. Retail domain name prices in that range are not too high or too low, and registries can always lower prices through promotions to compete. Pricing in that range is sensible and defensible.

Some Domain Registries are Finding Their Way

The domain name market is finding its way after years of experimentation. The value that good domains bring is worth way more than $10.00 per year. A niche valuation protocol is becoming de facto, where a registry knows they will never have 175M domains under management (like Verisign), so $10 per year is not a viable business model. They are going to the middle ground and charging between $25 and $50 per year.

Of course, there are a few registries who are simply saying, “Screw it, if someone wants our domains they have to pay our price to get them!” They’ll charge $1000 per year or something like that. They can get away with this. Nothing stops them, but it’s more damaging to the industry (and to these registries) than helpful. Regardless, this model can still work because the cost of running a registry can be minimized.

Finally, some registries like .bank charge more, but give or require more. .Bank is available only to banks. They require every registrant to use the latest security tools (SSL and DMARC, for example). These models at least have a reason to charge higher prices.

I hope that when the next round of new gTLDs occurs (just a few years), we’ll all have more experience and better pricing models.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Domain Name Pricing Trends

it.com Domains Sponsors the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) in Las Vegas

The ICA represents the interests of domain name registrants from all over the globe. From January 17th through the 20th, elite domain investors gathered to share their ideas, best practices, and concerns. It was also a chance for members to network and make new business connections. The ICA gathering is an annual event. Many activities are informal and allow attendees to network and do business.

On Wednesday evening, the event started with A Postcard from Earth at the fantastic new Sphere in Las Vegas – it.com was a title sponsor of the activity.
Joe Alagna, Richard Lau, Michael Cyger, and Tess Diaz at the Postcard from Earth at The Las Vegas Sphere.
Me, Richard Lau, Michael Cyger, and Tess Diaz at the Postcard from Earth at The Las Vegas Sphere.

This new venue features a 360-degree view and oversized, ultra-realistic sound and video. It featured a futuristic scenario where humankind expands into new planetary horizons.

On Thursday morning, the industry’s most influential domain name brokers gathered to discuss how ICA members could expand the namespace and promote the importance and value of domain names in the business. This group is comparable to the National Association of Realtors, except they ply their trade in digital properties.

The ICA has created a Domain Brokers Pledge for their broker members, allowing them to post this best practices pledge on their websites.

The afternoon was filled with various activities to encourage new relationships and discussion in a casual and fun environment. Attendees played pickleball, hiked, or visited local museums together.

Our own Tess Diaz, me, and about 30 others chose to climb the trails at the incredible Red Rock Reserve in the desert mountains about 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

Tess Diaz, Doron Vermaat , & Nikhul Sangvhi at the top.
Mark Goraffi, Joe Alagna, and Christian Voß on their way up.
When it comes to climbing, I’m never satisfied. I had to go further and wave it.com’s flag (my it.com hat & backpack) at the very pinnacle of this mountain.

In the evening, SquadHelp sponsored hors d’oeuvres and drinks for the whole group.

Friday’s agenda was full of informational topics and expert tables. Top domain investors shared their expertise and got to question domain name providers like GoDaddy, Namebright, Dynadot, SquadHelp, .art, and it.com.

After lunch, also sponsored by it.com, I addressed the crowd and shared the virtues of our new registry dedicated to the global IT community. Technical domains are in high demand now, and it.com domains fit the bill.

The evening was capped off with a memorial dinner and the Lonnie Bork Award presentation. Lonnie was a Domainer who passed away but exemplified how our community shares knowledge and expertise. ICA members vote for the annual winner. This year’s winner was Jason Sheppard, whose sister attended to accept the award on his behalf.

Before returning home on Saturday, we met one last time for networking and a discussion led by Tess Diaz on the history of the ICA and the domain industry.

The event was a great success and helped it.com to nurture relationships with some of the top domain name registrars in the world.

it.com Domains is committed to the rights of domain registrants and demonstrates that commitment by supporting the ICA’s mission. There is no other organization dedicated exclusively to this cause.

Posted in Aftermarket, Country Code People, Domain Name News, Domain Names, ICANN, Registrars, Registries | Comments Off on it.com Domains Sponsors the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) in Las Vegas