A Brief History of SwineFlu.com
Friday, May 1st, 2009
SwineFlu.com has jumped from owner to owner, much like the virus.
When the media started shouting about swine flu, I knew it was only a matter of time before people would start snapping up swine flu-related domain names. But the most popular domain — SwineFlu.com — was registered all the way back in 2000.
The domain is currently owned by Blue String Ventures, Inc. in Henderson Nevada. Until recently the domain name was monetized by a parking page, but the owners now have an information site monetized through Google Adsense.
Blue String Ventures bought the domain name from a familiar face in the domain industry, Jarred Cohen. The transfer was completed on April 28. (Cohen declined to comment for this story, and Blue String Ventures did not return a phone call and e-mail).
According to historical records at DomainTools, Cohen bought the domain name in late 2005 or early 2006. In October 2005 the domain name was owned by a Pennsylvania man, who appears to have bought the domain name that year from another person in Pennsylvania.
None of these people could have anticipated how popular the term “swine flu” would become in 2008. But I’m sure the domain’s hit counter is spinning.
No related posts.
“But I’m sure the domain’s hit counter is spinning.”
That’s a new way of explaining a lot of traffic.
How about the offer counter? Hit counter is one thing, the offer counter was not far behind, at about one offer per minute at one point, as reliable as gravity. The buyer does also own the domain birdflu.com and I wish them nothing but the best with their new acquisition.
“How about the offer counter?”
It says 25 offers.
It would be a lot easier if you’d just talk about it
Congrats on the sale
I mistakenly registered FlueVaccine.com a year or so ago from Bill’s availabledomainnames.com newsletter not realizing it was a typo. I am closely watching the traffic on the name now. I was going to let it expire. We’ll see what happens.
If dying birds start collapsing into chimney flues, your typo won’t be a typo anymore
Perhaps 25 on Sedo
the Fabulous lander was where the traffic was funneled to and where most of the offers I speak of stemmed from.
That is not my affiliate link in the above post, its automatically parsing and linking there if you type the word here on DNW.
The owner of H1N1.com is now forwarding traffic to SwineFlu.com
Jarred – I wrote in another post that I’m working to fix that problem.
The traffic will slow it down, as the technical term now is “2009 H1N1 Flu” being use as directed by the government.
EM-the traffic will only go higher as this illness spreads and more and more people look for information…the govt can try to change the name all it wants…but it’s too late; as the people and media have already branded it as Swine Flu; something no govt has the power to change.
“the traffic will only go higher as this illness spreads and more and more people look for information”
Yes, even if the virus is not so strong now and its spread is eventually contained the Center For Disease Control said the virus could return in the fall with a vengeance.
Only time will tell.
Yeah, same happened with Hong Kong Flu – briefly popped up in the summer but petered out, only to return in the fall and eventually kill over a million people.
So, yeah, the domain could end up being worth quite a bit