When picking a new domain name what value do you put on having a .com domain? Assuming most of the 'good' .com's have been taken I go straight for something like an .io rather than having some strange .com (or of course paying for a cool .com).
Was this a big decision for you? Do you worry having something other than a .com looks a bit amateurish?
I don't find other domains amateurish, but certain domains I'm unlikely to give information to: such as .ru and .ly and maybe in the future .ng but haven't seen evidence for that yet.
I think the main advantage of .com .net .org is the google boost but that might change in the future and if your product is right it shouldn't matter.
Personally I really don't like when the domain name is part of the name it makes it harder for me as typing a period in between a word seems unnatural: bing.com is easier for me than bi.ng.
I'm working on a startup with a friend and past colleague and the domain we want is (not surprisingly) already registered. It is not a parked domain, but it is simply a graphic for some technology group with an "All rights reserved" from 2000 and a mailto link.
We emailed the owner of the domain and asked if the person would entertain offers to buy the domain and received the simple response:
"The domain is not for sale"
I'm curious, has anyone ever encountered a stonewall on a domain like this and was anyone successful prying it away from the squatters with a generous offer?
If you are squatting on a domain for over 10 years without putting it to use, isn't there always some amount of money you would sell it for?
I think at first it doesn't matter. Facebook was originally thefacebook.com, delicious.com was del.ico.us, dropbox was getdropbox.com.
I know those examples are all .com, but the point is that you can change your domain once your product gains traction and you have a proven product. Then you can spend the big bucks on the domain you really want.
I had a similar question. I had planned on registering a domain name a week back for a webapp/blog that we were developing, which at that point was available, however as of now, the domain.com is gone. It was registered yesterday. Should I settle for that domain.net/org or go with something like theDomain.com ? Are there any implications ?
I went through something similar recently, and have settled (for the moment at least) on the non-.com. I guess the other question is do you approach the .com owner about a potential sale before or after you have launched? If you are successful, you will pay more for it post launch but at the same time if you are successful without the .com you probably didn't need it in the first place. On the other hand, it's difficult to justify splashing out for a .com when you haven't even shipped. I agree about going with a .something over a strange .com though.
The change in price is a good point, what initially made me think about this problem is pinboard.in, one of the first .in addresses I came across and it doesn't seem to have done them/him too much damage. I'm sure pinboard.com would cost a lot more now.
Our corporate IT department blocks most foreign domains, such as .ly, .io, .tv, and .ng. A special exception has been made for bit.ly, but this won't help me with your new startup.
I think the main advantage of .com .net .org is the google boost but that might change in the future and if your product is right it shouldn't matter.
Personally I really don't like when the domain name is part of the name it makes it harder for me as typing a period in between a word seems unnatural: bing.com is easier for me than bi.ng.