.Cm domain name registry NETCOM loses financial files.

The “relaunch” of Cameroon’s .cm domain name stuttered out of the gate after many technical difficulties. Apparently those problems continue, and it highlights one of the risks of buying certain country code domain names.

.Cm registry NETCOM has emailed its registrars informing them of data loss in its accounting systems, and admitting it didn’t have a data backup plan in place:

Dear Registrars,

our accounting system suffered a major problem, due to a power surge, which destroyed the harddrives. Unfortunately our accounting department didn’t backup the data properly before the incident.

We have sent the harddrives to a data recovery specialist, but we are unsure if the data can be restored and if so to what extend.

In order for us to get back on track quickly, we would highly appreciate if you could send us the invoice files as well as the domain detail files, which we have sent to you in the past.

Please send to [email address removed]

Your clients domain data has not been affected by this. We keep various backups of the domain and registrant data.

We like to thank your for your support in this matter.

Best regards,

Moustapha Saya Kaigama
CEO – Netcom.cm Sarl

.Cm’s launch was delayed after Council of Country Code Administrators (COCCA) felt the registry was not ready. To move ahead with the launch, NETCOM decided to run the registry software on its own software rather than with COCCA. .Cm registrants should hope that NETCOM actually has sufficient “various backups” in place for its registrant data.

Better late than never, Apple gets iPodNano.com domain name.

It took about four years, but Apple has finally gotten its hands on the iPodNano.com domain name.

Apple filed for arbitration with National Arbitration Forum to get the domain name. The owner of the domain name, Fusion Media Ltd., did not respond to the complaint and the arbitrator found in Apple’s favor.

Fusion Media registered the domain name in September 5, 2005, two days before Apple officially introduced the iPod Nano. Some product manager at Apple must have been asleep at the wheel. Apple famously paid through the nose to get the iPhone.com domain name, a name it could have secured prior to launch for much less.

iPodNano.com is the second domain name Apple has won through arbitration this month. Earlier this month it won the domain name iTunes.com.mx, a country code domain name for Mexico.

Which was bigger, Adwords or Adsense? The latter changed more.

The Webby Awards has put out its “Ten Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade“, and I take issue with one of the listings. The list includes this entry from 2000:

Google AdWords launches (2000)
With the launch of AdWords in October 2000, Google turned advertising on its head. The self-service ad program opened up the marketplace to any business, no matter how big or small, and allowed advertisers to target their customers with laser-sharp precision.

Although Google Adwords has certainly transformed the industry, Adwords was merely a copy of GoTo’s innovative system from the late 90s. Google didn’t turn advertising on its head; GoTo had already done that.

I’d argue a more important moment for the decade would be the introduction of Google Adsense; that is, syndicating Adwords ads across millions of small publishers’ web sites. Before then, it was very difficult for small publishers to monetize their sites. Adsense gave them an amazingly simple way to monetize their sites, even if the topic was as niche as the Barton Springs Salamander in Austin.

DOJ probing advertising contracts for Yahoo-Microsoft search deal.

Domain Name Wire has learned that Yahoo! advertising partners have received a notice that the company will be providing copies of their advertising contracts to the Department of Justice. The disclosure of this information to the Department of Justice is in conjunction with the DOJ’s review of the Yahoo-Microsoft search deal.

The request by the DOJ is being made pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act of 1976, which established the federal pre-merger notification program. Section 7A(h) of the act requires that the documents not be made public except in administrative or judicial actions made by the DOJ or Congress. As such, the contracts will not be made available to Microsoft.

If Yahoo later learns that the DOJ plans to make the documents public, it will notify its advertising partners in advance.

The Yahoo-Microsoft deal could be a boon to domainers, but the effects won’t be seen for at least another year or two.

If you see any of these warning signs, run for the hills.

A number of domain investors, myself included, have invested money in newer top level domain names. Many times these investments haven’t panned out. So here are five warning signs that the top level domain you’re investing in is a money loser.

1. Domain registrants spend more time on forums writing about how the domain is the next great thing than they spend managing their own portfolio.

2. The registry starts giving away domains for practically nothing..

3. Domainers suddenly pay ridiculous aftermarket prices for the domains at auctions, while potential end user buyers sit around scratching their heads in wonder.

4. GoDaddy refuses to be a registrar for the top level domain.

5. The domain was introduced this century.

Any other warning signs you can think of?