Ok, some days the craziest press releases cross my email. They usually get deleted based on the headline, but this one caught my eye because the FUD factor just jumps out right from the title.

Ok, some days the craziest press releases cross my email. They usually get deleted based on the headline, but this one caught my eye because the FUD factor just jumps out right from the title.

Fear: Domain squatting has sucked up all the "good" names.
Uncertainty: If you don’t get the right name, you’ll be in a backwater.
Doubt: No other registrar can get you the right name.

I mean, come on already. Domain squatting may be a problem (or a business opportunity depending on your perspective), but it certainly is not a new one. Dotster claims to have a solution to domain squatting with a service that comes up with names. Hysterical fear mongering is simply uncalled for.

Ironically Dotster is part of the very problem they are trying to solve. One of the assertions in the press release, that customers are intimidated with having to purchase domain names at acution that range upward to $1,000,000. Dotster runs NameWinner.com, a domain name auction site is affiliated with afternic.com. Sorry, but a press release proclaiming the end of domain names by a company that they admit is part of the problem seems disingenuous to me.

INTERNET FORECAST: DROUGHT OF DOMAIN NAMES

Dotster Responds to Predictions of Upcoming Domain Name Shortages with Services that Uncover Marketable Domain Names and Drive Traffic to Customers' Websites

Vancouver, WA - According to the experts at Dotster, Inc., a leading provider of Internet domain name and hosting services, Web site developers are becoming increasingly concerned that domain names may soon run out completely. To date, over 70 million domain names have been purchased, and most-if not all-one-word domain names have already been taken on a global plane.

The shortage of marketable domain names has led consumers to select alternatives that are difficult for their potential visitors to remember, or do not adequately describe the brands or products. These domain names result in a lack of robust traffic to the site, confirming customers' insecurities about the value of creating Web sites.

Dotster notes consumers have become overwhelmed and intimidated at the thought of picking or searching for a domain name due to recent stories that domain names have been purchased at auction upward from $100,000 to $1,000,000.

Dotster is tackling the challenge with a three-pronged approach: First, Dotster invested in the systems and business relationships necessary to offer virtually every Top-Level Domain extension in existence, including boutique offerings such as .MD, .MOBI and .TV. This approach allows customers to secure their preferred domain name with a unique extension. Second, Dotster used years of registration search data to develop a tool with multi-layer logic to suggest alternative domains that are marketable and resonate with customers. Most other tools on the market today simply add prefixes or look for basic synonyms. Third, Dotster redesigned the search interface to load quickly and present information intuitively, making it one of the Internet's most-used domain name search tools.

While new top-level domains and natural word combination may help to eliminate a drought, this may result in lighter traffic to consumers Web sites, due to the new name only containing part of the site's specific area of focus. To garner heavier Web site traffic, Dotster offers consumers search optimization assistance as part of its comprehensive service offering.

"A new Internet horizon is approaching quickly to quell the fears of Internet users and Web site developers. ICANN will release new top level domains, as well as promote combined natural word domain names to prohibit a drought of domain names," states Kevin Kilroy, Chairman, Dotster, Inc. "More often than not, getting traffic to a newly designed Web site becomes an antagonizing issue. Dotster's highly skilled domain name specialists and unique service providing offer consumers a solution to this issue."

While limitations and obstacles surface during the creation of a Web site, Dotster provides the necessary services to overcome these roadblocks. With Dotster's domain experts available by e-mail and phone on a regular basis, consumers can rest assured that their Internet forecast will call for heavy traffic and a downpour of available domain names.

About Dotster, Inc.

Dotster, Inc. is one of the largest Internet Corporations for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accredited domain name registrars in the world.

Launched in 2000, Dotster was among the first to offer long-term registrations and discounted pricing. Dotster offers superior online account management tools and dedicated support from its customer care team. The company's services include web hosting, DNS management, website development and marketing services, and partner programs.