What would you pay for your name?

: Image by SideLong via Flickr

Hi. My name is Steve Dembo. If you do a Google search for “Dembo” I have four hits on the front page. Considering all the famous Dembo’s, that’s quite a mediocre feat! And that’s how I identified myself to most people for the first few decades of my life.

About five years ago, I registered the domain name Teach42.com. Since then, there are thousands of people who know me primarily by that name. It has become my brand, my online identity, my signature. People know that if they see Teach42 on a website, that’s me.

This is nothing unusual though. Anybody who registers for just about any website has some sort of alter-ego now. An alias that they use to refer to themselves. Use the same one often enough, and you become quite attached to it.

How disappointed would you be if you had visited Twitter, intending to register, only to find that YOUR username had already been taken? Somebody else was online and communicating under the name that you had dibs on. Deliberate or not is irrelevant. First come, first served.

This has led to hundreds of thousands of URL’s being snatched up and squatted on. The cost is so low that it’s easy to grab them, either to hang on to or to put up for sale/auction. Heck, for only 8 bucks, I can register any open domain I want. 8 bucks is nothing, right?

Well, mull this one over. Twitter accounts are free. And considering that Twitter is now one of the largest social networking sites on the internet, are names on Twitter as valuable as domain names? Some sites seem to think so. People are snagging up Twitter names and putting them up for sale. After all, there’s only a finite amount of ‘good’ ones, right?

Of course, why stop at Twitter? While it may be the flavor of the month, who knows what will be replacing it. With new sites being launched daily, perhaps the next big thing went public this morning. How can you ensure that you will be able to get in there and get that perfect username, the same one that you used everywhere else?

: Image by cgo2 via Flickr

Sites like UsernameCheck.com provide lists of Web 2.0 and social sites, and will check your username against all of them, to let you see where it has been registered and where it as available still. You could easily use that to see where you haven’t registered yet and start chasing windmills, registering your username on every site out there. But more will be coming out tomorrow, and the day after that. Can anyone really keep up?

Which leads me to KnowEm.com. It’s similar to UserNameCheck, but with one small twist. They’ll check where you’ve registered … and for a small fee they’ll register you on the rest. Then, for $20 a month, they’ll keep registering you on any new sites that they add, an estimated 15-20 per week.

I puked a little when I read that at first. Really?? I’m going to pay more than I currently pay for Tivo to have somebody register my name at every site that gets released? But then I started thinking about how bummed I’d be if I didn’t have Teach42 registered on Twitter. Or on Flickr. Or anywhere else for that matter. It’s my own personal brand. It has led to my current job, speaking gigs around the country, and an audience that I’m eternally grateful for. Is that worth a few bucks per month? Well, I haven’t plugged in my PayPal account yet, but I no longer think it’s such a crazy idea.

And that’s for me on a personal level. From a business standpoint, I think it’s almost a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t you want to maintain a tight leash on your brand and online identity?

So the question is, just how valuable is your online name? Can you put a price on it? And how upset would you be if it wasn’t available? What, if anything, would you spend to ensure that you maintain control of it and to be 100% positive that you have it reserved for you when the next big thing hits?

25 Comments

Mathew
5/6/2009

At least in the case of Twitter, I believe that if you are a business and can prove that you are a representative of that business, they will hand over your username to you. I heard of this happening in the case of the punk band, The Vandals.

Thanks for the the tip about usernamecheck that’s a cool site.

KnowEm
5/6/2009

Our subscription service is for 10-15 sites a month, not per week.

KnowEm´s most recent blog post.. Twitterjacking, the New Fear in Online Reputation Management

Mike Maddaloni - The Hot Iron
5/6/2009

Hey Steve – Like you, I use an alternative name – thehotiron – as it is the name of my blog.

When it comes to domain names, I own most all permutations of my full and short name, but when it comes to social media, it varies between my id and my name, and only on the larger services.

Domain names have traditionally been sold on a first-come, first-server basis. Why does the Boston Globe own boston.com? Because they were the first who registered it…. and that was a quote I heard back in the 90’s. However, trademarks and rightful names have a court in WIPO and of course local/national courts of law. The same may be true for social media sites.

As new domain name TLDs come on line, you have a “goldrush” period and some “premium” names are reserved. The same could be done for a social media service, but for a new one, it is hard to determine if the service will be popular or even remotely successful.

For social media services, this is a “good problem to have” – but a pain for individuals, companies and brand holders. Without any other valid options, keeping up with service launches is really the best way to look out for yourself, or pay someone to do so. Today that is..

mp/m

Mike Maddaloni – The Hot Iron´s most recent blog post.. Next likemind Chicago on Friday May 15

Matt Mazur
5/6/2009

Steve,

I run the site: Domain Pigeon.com, which helps people find available domain and Twitter names. We currently have over 90,000 names and more are added daily.

The site has faced criticism related to the fears you mention in your post. The thing is, I created the site for the exact opposite reason that most people think. I wanted a specific domain name, but it was taken, so I set out to find quality available ones. I created the site to help people like you find good names so you don’t have to pay squatters. Unfortunately, it goes both ways — squatters can register the names on the site too.

I wish you the best of luck — hope you get to the names you want before others

Sean
5/6/2009

Steve,

Personally I value my personal brand like you do, but I don’t think it’s worth paying a service to register me at various sites that I’m unlikely to use. At the minimum I’ll be able to use a variant of my name and my avatar will be consistent across all sites as will the link to my site.

I do see how a large business would get value out of that, but for the individual it just seems like another expense that is difficlt to justify. It’s only $15 but so is every other thing we register and pay for these days and all that adds up.

For you with a rather unique name like Teach42 I think it is highly unlikely that it would be taken on other sites.

Just my 2 cents

Sean
5/6/2009

Currently reading – What would you pay for your name? – by @teach42 http://is.gd/xk4E – pay a service to register your username everywhere?

Heather Sullivan (heasulli)
5/7/2009

My mother-in-law looked at me like I had THREE heads when I told her the birthday present I bought for my son this year (he’ll be seven next week). I bought him all of the domains available with his name. Then again, she also though it was silly that I banked his cord blood when he was born…

Chance favors the prepared mind

Heather Sullivan (heasulli)´s most recent blog post.. Students & Internet Resources: 21st Century Cavemen?

Steve
5/7/2009

@Mike: Makes sense. I guess the issue is making sure you’re on the forefront of the gold rush, rather than the tail end. With unique names like we have, I know it isn’t so much an issue. But for people with potentially more common names, it could be a big deal.

@Sean Yeah, I hear you. And do agree. And yet, the bigger you get, the better the chance that someone could snatch it up. And where is that line drawn? If somebody comes up with a way to mass register Twitter names, it could become a major issue very quickly. And as I said, what’s the next big one? While I don’t think it’s a major crisis for me right now, I could see the potential for abuse growing rapidly.

@Heather My dad registered Dembo.com. After doing nothing with it for several years, he let it go. Someone snatched it up. Now if we want it back, we’d have to pay out the nose. So I totally get it

Majo
5/7/2009

I use to be domainer and to be honest thing with the Twitter is just non-sense when it comes to selling names. Why?

Here is true example: I own http://www.mwd.com right? Well somebody on twitter already registered http://www.twitter.com/mwd

All I did is contacted twitter and @ev told them I need that user as it’s not being used and I have more authority over it. Guess what I am getting it by next week or maybe I already have it I just didn’t log in yet;)

So selling twitter profiles is dumb to spend money on, because the real authorities can always take it away UNLESS! My name is Steve Jobs and I register SteveJobs on twitter, they can’t just give it to the Steve Jobs from Apple…if they do they could face discrimination and legal issues. At least I think so

As far as the domains, is anyone for 35.000 domain list that’s going to be deleted tomorrow?

Raj Boora
5/7/2009

Like you, I use the same name in just about every service that is out there (except for YouTube, where idarknight is some kid in Spain). So if I was going to sign up for something and find that my name was taken, I would be a bit pissed off. I know it will happen one day as there is likely a service that gets big that I won’t be first to register.

So at least for domains, I’ve got myself covered. I own the .com and .ca domains for idarknight and the .ca and .org names for boora. boora.com is an architectural firm in the US, so I guess the .com works for them. But there is another registered boora out there. The owner of boora.net recently contacted me to see if I was interested in buying it. I was interested until I saw the price they were asking. Not a large sum, but enough not to be pocket change. So I didn’t bite, but the story would likely have been different had I not already had boora.ca, which to me is more valuable.

I look at this as the reverse of the “name on the mug” problem. Back in the day, you wanted a common name so you could get mugs or keychains with it. Today, you don’t want to have the same name as another and the ‘net is the place to celebrate and build that individuality.

Sean
5/7/2009

Heather,

When both of my children were born I bought domains for them and feel fortunate to have gotten a .com for my son and a .org for my daughter as my family name is smith.

I will be renewing these until I can pass ownership to them. All parents should seriously consider doing this if they can. yourname.com is incredibly valuable.

Topics about Domains » Archive » Comment on What would you pay for your name? by Heather Sullivan…
5/7/2009

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5/8/2009

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Topics about Domains » Archive » Comment on What would you pay for your name? by Sean
5/8/2009

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5/9/2009

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Topics about Domains » Archive » Comment on What would you pay for your name? by Topics about Domains
5/10/2009

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Chad Lehman
5/12/2009

http://bit.ly/KhBOP I think this is a great post by @teach42

Michelle Nebel
5/12/2009

Reading http://bit.ly/KhBOP by @teach42

Sean Nash
5/18/2009

I know what you mean. “nashworld” is a really silly thing that I typed into the welcome screen of the first simple little Nokia phone I ever owned. I think I did it just because it was sort of cocky or something.
Wow- has that stuck. And really… for many of the reasons you talk about here. A few years back I generally found that I could easily score that username on pretty much any site I stumbled onto.

It never really bothered me much that someone could register this name before me until about a year ago I used Usernamecheck to do a little poking around. I must say it was a wee bit unsettling to find that “nashworld” had already been taken on two sites. (neither seemed all that important to me, but hey- it does mean that someone else is using that name as well. So yeah, it’s not all that unique.

Off to score a couple of domain names for the girls!

Sean

Sean Nash´s most recent blog post.. Compare & Contrast: With regard to what?

Sean Nash
5/18/2009

Off to score a couple of domain names for the girls!

Sean

Thejesh GN
5/20/2009

Most of the time I use my real name. Luckily i got .com domain of my name too. But I spent extra money to buy variations of my name too.

When it comes to social networks, I prefer to have userid that match my name. But i wouldn’t spend money on it.

John Beck Review
5/26/2009

I’ve been reading your post and found it interesting! I’ve read almost all your blog posts. I even run a blog on Real Estate and John Beck’s program. Thanks for the post.

Dave Solon
6/11/2009

Interesting thoughts here, Steve. I was approached for my domain name by a car dealer in CO. Apparently my name is not worth the $25+k of a new car! LOL

(I’m glad they turned me down though – it was a moment of weakness on my part to even consider it. I’d now be heart-broken if I had actually sold it.)

As far as I’m concerned, it’s *almost* priceless. (Hey, everyone has their price, no?!!)

Dave Solon´s most recent blog post.. Family and Consumer Science Tech Integration

Kathy
6/13/2009

Great post. Here is some caution we all need to look out for!!

The beautiful thing about a good domain name is that every domain name is unique and can be a sustainable competitive advantage even for the “little guy”.
But beware, I do put a word of caution out into the community that there are a lot of registrars that when you type in the name to see if it is taken, they immediately register it for themselves (if you don’t). This is a disgusting practice and from what I understand http://www.rnrstuff.com does NOT do this. That is why I use them to do the first uploads. Cheaper than almost all the big time sites but honest thus this far. Work 1 to 2 hours at any job or odd job and own yours for a year.

The domain business is still “finding its way” so be careful out there.

Internet Domain Name Confusion – Don’t Be Confused By Domain Names | Purchase & Register A Domain Names
8/23/2009

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