For a limited time, 1&1 Internet AG is offering .info domains at no charge for the first year of registration. "As less .com domains are available, it is important to give people the flexibility and alternatives they need to still have the Web identity that's best for them," said 1&1 Chairman Andreas Gauger. "This offer will allow more small businesses and individuals alike to make their distinct mark on the Internet."
1&1 cited recent studies finding that .info domains are becoming a viable addition or alternative to .com addresses. Some 2 million .info domains have been registered worldwide and Gauger said there are still plenty to go around. "As quickly as the .info extension has grown in popularity and acceptance, there is still a lot of room for new registrants to get their ideal address," he said. "And for those that do have a .com extension, it's very wise to register at .info as well. And now is the perfect time to do that with 1&1 because it's free!" The company did not say how long the free domain names would last.
Posted by RichM 
March 2, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
February 24, 2006
Grassroots.org Offers Free Domains for Non-Profits
Grassroots.org is offering free domain names and free hosting to non-profits in the U.S. and Canada. The domain name is free for the first year for users of Grassroots.org's hosting, which includes 100 megs of disk space, 5 email accounts and 2 gigs a month of data transfer. See the announcement here. Go to this page to sign up. Applicants must provide proof of 501c3 non-profit status to qualify for one of the free domain names.
How are they doing this? Grassroots.org was founded by domain industry investor Michael Mann of BuyDomains.com, who earlier this year sold a majority interest to venture capitalists Highland Capital and Summit Venture Partners. The goals of Grassroots.org are nicely summarized in a recent profile in Domain Name Journal:
Grassroots helps eliminate �Digital Divide� issues that impact many nonprofits by providing them with free website development, hosting, and tech support. They are also working to add web-based advocacy tools to allow organizations and their constituencies to distribute nonpartisan action alerts, sign petitions, register to vote, contact Congress and more. Other technology will assist nonprofits and charities with fundraising, budgeting and database management. Grassroots.org also provides free management and legal consulting to help guide nonprofits in areas including organizing a 501(c)(3) (tax-exempt non-profit group) and ongoing IRS compliance.Not surprisingly, Mann has acquired a number of premium domain names that can help gain traffic and visibility for Grassroots.org's charitable initiatives. These include Homeless.org, Shelters.org, Diseases.org, Relief.org, PlanetEarth.org, PublicService.org, SpeakOut.org and VoterRegistration.org.
Posted by RichM February 24, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
December 4, 2005
iPower Offers Free Private Domains
IPower, which recently lowered its domain price to $2.95 per name, has now announced that it will offer WHOIS privacy at no additional cost. This follows the lead of 1&1 Internet, which in October began offering private registration for free, in what appears to be an effort to undersell Go Daddy
, which has a substantial business selling WHOIS privacy for $9 a name.
The pricing war between major hosting companies is good news for domain buyers, who can now get private domains for $2.95 a year. IPower is not widely known outside the hosting industry, but has a substantial shared hosting operation.
Posted by RichM December 4, 2005 | Permalink | Newsletter
July 7, 2005
.name Domains Offered Free (for 60 Days)
The operator of the .name registry is offering a "free trial" on its domains, and appears to be encouraging registrars to mass-register .name URLs for existing customers. The Global Name Registry, which oversees .name, is limiting the freebie to a 60-day trial period, after which the registrant must pay for the name or return it to the registry.
The promotion refines Afilias' offer of free .info domains, but places a shorter time frame (60 days versus one year) before the domain fees must be paid. "All Free Trial Names are registered in bulk, i.e. an ISP/Registrar can allocate a free trial name to each of its customers at no charge," the offer notes. eNom affiliate Sipence used the Afilias offer last year as an opportunity to bulk register 1 million .info domains for customers who owned the same name in .com or .net.
Posted by RichM July 7, 2005 | Permalink | Newsletter
April 25, 2005
Free Domains for Life (Sort Of)
Web hosting company Brinkster is seeking to attract signups with a one-week promotion offering up to seven free domain names for life to customers who sign up for one of the company's paid hosting plans. The promotion, which runs only until April 30, allows customers to register between three and seven domain names (depending on the plan chosen) in popular top-level domains (TLDs)including .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .us, and .ws.
The fine print: to get the free domain names, you need to prepay one-year on hosting plans that range from $3.95 to $17.95 a month. The domains can only be used with a Brinkster hosting plan, so the deal is only "for life" if you plan to host with Brinkster until you die. Still, it's an interesting promotion in that it grabs your attention and holds the possibility of locking in a long-term customer relationship.
Posted by RichM April 25, 2005 | Permalink | Newsletter