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GoDaddy adds search and watchlist capabilities to Investor App

by — Expired Domains 5 Comments

No more visits to GoDaddy Auctions.

Screenshot of the GoDaddy Investor app and a search for Geode, with the ability to add to watchlist or place a bid

You can now search for domains from within the Investor app and add them to your watchlist or place a bid.

GoDaddy has added search functionality to its Investor app.

Until now, domain name investors had to place an initial bid or place a domain on their watchlist on GoDaddy’s website before they could bid in the app. Now, investors can search for the domain name from within the app. They can then place a bid or add the domain to their watchlist.

The search function gives results related to the keyword, not just domains that include the keyword. For example, a search for ‘hockey’ shows results for domains with other sports topics, such as soccer, football and basketball. A search for ‘science’ gives results including physics and math.

The new functionality will be welcomed by domain name investors. Now, if GoDaddy could just fix the glitch where the watchlist and bidding list are null when you first log in to the app. You have to force close and reopen it to see the domains.

 

A four character domain for $16,500? Here’s why

by — Expired Domains 5 Comments

Kassey Lee explains why this seemingly random combination is valuable in China.

Screenshot of the website at 23zw.com in 2011

Here’s how 23zw.com looked in 2011 when an air conditioning company owned it.

It’s no fun watching the 4 character (4C) domain space everyday to see prices of many of these domains selling for only $10 to $20. However, once in a while, when a spectacular sale does occur, I want to know more about the domain. This happened last month when 23ZW.com sold for $16,500.

In fact, 23ZW.com has a rich history related to China. Wayback Machine at Archive.org indicates that the domain was first recorded in 2011. In that year, 23ZW.com was the corporate domain of An Shan Zhong Wang (鞍山众旺), a manufacturer of residential and commercial air conditioners. Here, 23 rhymes with An Shan (鞍山 = a city name in the Liaoning province) and ZW is an acronym for Zhong Wang (众旺 = multitude of prosperity). So, 23ZW matched the company name.

A year later, the domain was probably dropped. In December 2013, 23ZW.com was turned into a fiction portal called Ao Shi Zhong Wen Wang (傲世中文网). Here, 23 rhymes slightly with Ao Shi (傲世 = very proud) and ZW is an acronym for Zhong Wen (中文 = Chinese). Again, 23ZW was used in a meaningful way.

In April this year, the site displayed a message to direct readers to their new site 23ZW.me as 23ZW.com would be closed soon. In May 23ZW.com displayed only a simple landing page with links to some Chinese betting sites. 23ZW.com displayed the message “This domain name expired on 26/10/2019 and is pending renewal or deletion.” last month, so I guess the owner simply let the domain expire.

The history of 23ZW.com shows that this 4C domain was used in a genuine way by end users in China. Similar use of 4C domains can also be found in the 2018 Top 100 Chinese Internet Companies Report. Two companies on the list are using 4C domains.

One is 21CN.com, which is one of the top 10 portals in China. This domain is owned by 21CN (世纪龙信息), a subsidiary of China Telecom. Here, 21 refers to the 21st century and CN probably means “China”. Another one is 52TT.com which is owned by TT Yu Yin (TT语音), a social game developer. While I could not find any explanation for the domain, 52 rhymes with Wo Yao (我要 = I want) and TT may refer to names of some characters in a game.

As the examples of 23ZW.com, 21CN.com, and 52TT.com show, 4C domains do have genuine demand from end users in China—if they meaningful.

I’d bid more if…

by — Expired Domains 4 Comments

Both GoDaddy Auctions and NameJet could make small changes that drive more bidding.

picture of auction gavel with the words "I'd bid more if..."

I’ve acquired roughly 200 expired domain names this year. Most of these have been on the lower end, pricewise. I’d bid more on auctions, especially the higher-end ones, if the expired domain marketplaces made a couple of simple changes.

I’d bid more at GoDaddy if… the site let you bulk upload to a watchlist. Currently, you have to search for each domain individually and then click the watch icon to add it to your list.

I add domains to my watchlist at GoDaddy so that they show up in the app. Then I get an alert when the auction is ending so that I can place my bid.

But because the process of adding domains is so laborious, I only add a fraction of what I would otherwise.

GoDaddy should add a “bulk add to watchlist” feature that’s as easy as bulk backordering at NameJet.

I’d bid more at NameJet if… its app alerts worked. They don’t, and that means I miss the end of most domain auctions. It’s frustrating, and I end up usually not bothering with NameJet because of this.

GoDaddy launches updated Investor iOS app

by — Domain Registrars 7 Comments

Update app is a complete rebuild that will lead to new features in the future.

Screenshots of the new GoDaddy Investor app for iOS - iPhone and iPad

GoDaddy has launched an updated GoDaddy Investor iOS app for bidding on domain name auctions. A new Android app should be released in the coming weeks.

The updated app has a new look. It also lets you sort your lists by end time, price, alpha and auction type.

While the features aren’t a big upgrade from the last version, a lot has been done behind the scenes that will lead to big updates in the future, including the ability to search for domains. (Right now you have to add domains through the web interface for them to show up in the app.)

Also, the app fixes an issue for people that use a physical security key for two-factor authentication. They can use app-based two-factor codes to log into the app now.

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