It would be and easy process to automate.
When you finally find that perfect and available domain name, you’re not yet done securing your online identity. And someone might be lurking to “front run” your Twitter username.
That’s what Ross Duggan thinks happened to him. He finally found the perfect unregistered domain name for his new project. He checked on Twitter and the same handle was still available. So he registered the domain name.
When he returned a couple days later to register the Twitter username he found that it was taken. The user hadn’t done anything with the Twitter account other than register it.
It would be really easy for someone to front run your username. Getting new registration information typically takes a day if the frontrunner is downloading the zone file. But if they’re monitoring new entries to the DNS they could get the info faster.
I recommend getting your Twitter handle at the same time you register your domain.
Hat tip: Jorge Monasterio.
Steve Jones says
I wouldn’t be surprised if some non-bots do the same with public sales of domains…all the more reason to get everything without days of delay to ensure all is secured.
matt says
May not be the bot, may be the human at the registrar. Or any of the 100 people he told about his new business? Why did he wait a few days??? When he checked availability he should have grabbed it. Now he needs to hire —
Kate Hutchinson says
This was part of the idea behind the site that we run: http://www.namecheck.com, which looks for SoMe names and domain names at the same time, to save you having to think of it later.
I’m still waiting to see when someone will start a username brokerage service for Twitter. It wouldn’t work for FB, because those vanity URLs are non-transferrable, but there’s definitely a market for Twitter.
Eric says
I’m with Matt, why did he check on the name, find it was available, and do nothing about it for two days? You snooze you lose I guess. Sounds like somebody’s trying to make a few bucks. Nice post.
Simon says
Perhaps another person just had the same idea? There might not be a conspiracy theory here.
Jose Augusto says
Or you could try http://www.brandier.com to verify if the vanity URLs are available and still get a glimpse on how valuable that keyword could become as a brand!
Tameko Miller says
That’s Ross’s fault!
If he had taken the time to check the Twitter account and found it available, as soon as he decided to buy the Domain Name, he should have created the Twitter account too!