Back when FriendFeed launched I blogged about how typosquatters jump on new launches and quickly register similar domains to try and benefit from user mistakes.
Let’s see what has happened around Google’s Lively launch:
- The dot net (lively.net): Owned by Russell Lively since 2001. Currently a dead site. My guess is that Google tried to buy the domain, he said no, and is now entertaining offers 🙂
- The www variant (wwwlively.com): Registered at the end of June (leak!) and now redirecting to a competitive 3d web product: http://www.exitreality.com/. Boo! if ExitReality is involved with this redirect.
- The com variant (livelycom.com): Registered today and redirecting to a page of PPC ads.
- The most common misspelling (livly.com): Seemingly unrelated and registered since 2002.
To set the record straight: the lively.net domain is <>not being squatted upon<> – I am the registrant and I am using it for email addresses. Just because there is no website up at that address does not mean the domain is unused – an internet domain is more than a web site (there are other internet protocols). I also could put up a web site at some point in the future, so I’m reserving the domain for that purpose. In addition, I’d just like to correct the notion that Google ever tried to purchase the domain. They did not, and I am not entertaining offers either.
hi russell – my suggestion was tongue-in-cheek – since you’ve had the domain since 2001 your motivations are clearly different than the other folks i highlight