EURid suspends 74,000 .eu domain names

EURid has gained quite a reputation in the domain name business for establishing the European-centric .eu domain name suffix.

Now, this non-profit organization, operating the .eu top level domain, has decided to take legal action against what it sees as abusive behaviors from a syndicate of registrars who have systematically acquired .eu domains with the obvious intent of selling them. This activity is generally refered to as warehousing and it’s not permitted.

In this sweeping move, EURid has suspended 74,000 .eu domain names while suing 400 registrars for breach of contract.

Herman Sobrie, Legal Manager of EURid was even more specifici about the issue: “In this case we are convinced that the domain name holders of the 74 000 .eu names (Ovidio Ltd, Fausto Ltd and Gabino Ltd) are acting as a front for a number of registrars. The domain name holders and the registrars can be regarded as one and the same. Since registrars should only register domain names for existing customers and not warehouse the names in order to resell them at a higher price, this is clearly in breach of the registrar contract”.

Within the limits of the EC regulations (733/2002 & 874/2004), EURid is said to “strive to maintain .eu as an attractive top level domain for Europeans who want to convey a European Identity on the Internet”.

When the system is found to be abused, to such an alarming extent, there is a risk that the perceived value of the .eu domain name will decrease, not only for the almost two million legitimate holders of .eu domain names but also for all fair registrars.

That’s the main motivation behing EURid’s decision to act firmly against any improper behavior regarding .eu domain names.

In order to control quality, EURid consistently monitors the registrations of .eu domain names in order to make sure all holders of .eu domain names are based in the EU zone, as required by to the Public Policy Rules for .eu. In a similar fashion, EURid verifies that all accredited registrars are acting in the best interest of the end user in accordance with their contract with EURid.

A mere handful of .eu domain names have already been suspended as their holders have not been able to show that they are based within the EU.

The outcome of the suspended domain names now awaits a court decision while EURid would later like to make those names available for registration again.

Tags: eurid, domain names, domains, europe, european, legal, .eu

Google Analytics delivers valuable activity reports

The tagline for Google Analytics is “Sophisiticated. Easy. Free.” so most web site enthusiasts will instantly love it.

If you haven’t already opened an account, now would a good time to do so. Why? Because Google Analytics transparently records and analyses your web traffic to help you understand what’s going on when your web site goes live.

Inside your account, you can setup all your web sites so it’s easy to switch from one web stat set to another, all with a single login.

The reports can be viewed from the perspective of either an executive, a marketer or a webmaster. The numbers stay the same but the reports reflect the needs of each type of “analyzer”. This means the boss can examine more general reports while webmasters get all the details. Marketers are somewhere in the middle.

The instruction system is wonderful since a basic instruction excerpt is always featured at the bottom of the web pages. It’s clear there was an intent to help “average Joes” understand all Google Analytics could do for them.

If you’re like most users, you’ll probably find Google Analytics to be flawless. It truly delivers what it promises.

Tags: google analytics, analytics reporting, web traffic reports, web visitors, statistics

Google Alerts helps you monitor the web

If you already took a look at Google Calendar, Google Video, Google Base, Google Finance or Google Trends, you already know the Mountain View web leader can deliver a steady stream of quality online services.

Some users might even feel the array of offerings to be overwhelming but that’s no reason to ignore the latest service, named Google Alerts “beta”, which is sure to become useful as web users need to monitor information as it becomes available.

It takes only a few seconds to sign-up for this very straightforward service in which you can add all the keywords you wish to monitor, either in the news or in the web. The interface is, in many ways, a masterpiece of simplicity which should pose no problem, even for novice users.

These alerts can help you spy on the competition or learn what others have to say about your company. For most people, following important news stories might turn out to be the most popular use.

Most users will be happy to know the alerts get delivered directly in the E-mail account you supply when signing-up.

Tags: google alerts, web monitoring, news surveillance, e-mail, monitor news stories

Domain names using creative morphemes

Almost every single quality, generic, intuitive word has been registered with the major gTLDs and most ccTLDs.

Dictionary words, especially the best of them, are now traded for amazing amounts, usually in largely undocumented private transactions so startups need to look at the more affordable alternatives if they don’t have access to huge “name purchasing” funds.

That means words like “marketer.com / .net / .org / .biz / .info / .us / .ca” and so on, have all been registered so what’s the new kid on the block to do if he wants to be known as a “marketer”?

The answer may come from a creative manipulation of the most popular words. Such transformations are called “morphemes” and in the case of our “marketer” example, names like “marketr“, “mrktr” or even “mrkr” could be considered interesting alternatives.

Already, Flickr, Pluggd and Mpire have branded their company with familiar names… with a twist. Experts agree, quality and easy to remember names help a company grow, in every way.

Since morphemes are basically innovative naming playgrounds for inspired individuals, it’s most probably going to be very fashionable, for online companies, to choose a “morphemed” name to launch engaging new ventures.

Tags: morphemes, creative morphemes, domain names, web publishing, flickr, pluggd, mpire

Google found its way into the M-W dictionary

The latest edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary has added a new word into its pages. Netizens from around world will surely rejoyce when learning that “google” is now considered to a verb, a transitive verb, to be precise.

There are two inflected forms to this verb, such as “googled” and “googling”. Who hasn’t already heard a prospective employer say “I googled your name, before this interview”? Another example could’ve been chosen but this one seemed funnier, especially since employers are usually the ones being “googled” the most, before an interview!

I found it interesting to read about the etymology of this new verb: “Google, trademark for a search engine: to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web“. The word “google” is now considered both a trademark -and- a verb so, in accordance to this logic, can anybody -legally- use “google” for their own needs? For instance, will “googling-the-web.com” be considered trademark infrigement if it’s used for a personal homepage by someone blogging about what he, or she, “googled” on the web? If there’s a lawyer in the audience, please speak up!

Surprisingly, Merriam-Webster didn’t include this new verb in their online sampling of new words being added to the 11th Edition of their Collegiate Dictionary. In the technology and computers theme, words like “mouse potato“, “ringtone” and “spyware” were listed. While being significant, there’s little logic in not mentionning “google” in this sampling.

Of course, to be added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a word has to be more than a flash-in-the-pan fad. It definitely needs staying power.

In your opinion, does “google” fit the profile?

Tags: m-w, merriam-webster, google, googling, googler, dictionnary, new word, trademark