When does one own their own name? If you clicked on the above link, you see that the site is for sale. Now I am not silly enough to think that I am the only Bill Post in the world, but since no other Bill Post seems to be interested in this site, I thought: "heck, I'd love to have my own name as my domain name!".
It ain't that simple. I clicked on the "This domain may be for sale. Click here to inquire." button. So far, I have only received one response and it seemed rather odd to me: "Hi, please make us an offer". Not being a smart as the average computer geek, I didn't understand, I just assumed I would have my web guy go get the site and all would be happy in Bill Post Land, but NOOOO......
It seems I have run into what I am sure Al Gore foresaw when he invented the internet: "Domain Squatting". Yes, the act of buying up domain names in the hopes of "cashing in" if/when that person becomes famous.
Now I am a pure on Capitalist, so I admire the spirit behind this, but we do have laws on the books that address this: DOMAIN SQUATTING
(Otherwise known as ‘Cyber Squatting’, domain squatting is the act of
registering, trafficking in or using a domain name with the intent to
profit from the good name of an organizations trademark, brand or
identity.)
So, to the nice person who "owns" my name, would you please consider letting me have it? I don't think I'm bound for fame and riches beyond your wildest desires, I just think it'd be cool to have bill post dot com. I'm weird that way, I just think that a person ought to have the right to own their own name. Call me old fashioned.
2 comments:
So make him an offer! Lowball him, like $5.
Ha, we offered him $25!
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