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I like the automated ranking. The issue you see with popular websites could be fixed by asking for a panel to review your website against a fee. Reviewing who s

I like the automated ranking. The issue you see with popular websites could be fixed by asking for a panel to review your website against a fee. Reviewing who should own google.com would cost 5 euro, other more complex reviews would be more expensive. The conclusion could also be that there should be an index page listing all of the tools on [say] video-converter.com which in turn could be claimed by a website that reviews video converters. Any converter company can request that website to be reviewed (for a large fee) afterwhich it may revert back to a flat list type of index that also lists the review website. The review should be subject to specific rules and regulations and aim to serve the end user. Now if only I could figure out who reviews the reviewers...

keenmaster 7y ago
I could see the index idea working, but there's one issue to resolve: traffic hacking. What if I create a startup called X, and successfully petition to convert x.com to an index. I'll be on the index, and if I get big enough, I'll be able to win any bid to become the "primary" domain owner rather than a secondary registrant. However, a VC firm that didn't invest in my startup can realize that I'm gaining traction. What they could do is fund another "X" startup that does the same thing and gets listed on the same index. Their version of "X" could steal my thunder, and they can use the resulting profits to justify their investment in the highest bid for x.com. Under the system that I described, they can still bid for the domain, they just wouldn't be able to blatantly hack attention by listing their website next to mine in the index. I would be the very obvious first name in a small window showing the top secondary x.com's by traffic. Almost everyone would click the first one, and then default my website if they like it. Of course, they can expand the modal window into a de-facto index, but that would be if they really want to see everyone beyond the top 3 x.coms.
- kingludite 7y ago
  A review by humanoids would consider historic context. End of the day the end user should benefit. Killing off your thunder isn't good for anyone, until it is.
  - keenmaster 7y ago
    That makes sense. I was referring to the most egregious cases of traffic hacking, where a startup’s value is entirely derived from stealing a namesake competitor’s startup. The scenario I’d try to avoid is this: a world where, even if you create a startup with a reasonably unique name, you can nonetheless 100% count on someone trying to steal your thunder once your idea is validated. If they succeed, and they win when bidding opens, then you and your investors will get a haircut for losing your brand. You might never fully recover, or it could be a fatal blow. I must admit, I can’t say that’s an unmitigated bad outcome. In the end, your investors didn’t help increase the bid when they had the chance, which means they value your potential less than that of the other X. I could see the whole system resulting in a market for domain bidding loans, and the terms of the loan would be more favorable (low rate, long maturity) the more mature your company is and the more credible the vision. At least a ton more names would be available, so the potential competitor would be more likely to pick another name to begin with. Savage competition would only appear on obvious names like X. I would still be concerned about large companies trying to squash startups and make life as hard as possible for them, but I’m sure there’s a way around that. The rules governing the system would have to effectively outlaw such actions, as adjudicated and penalized by an independent committee. The system would have to be as fair as possible to startups, and perhaps even biased towards them, so that society may reap the positive externalities of competition. A hybrid between my idea and yours would only force the index schema on the most extremely simple domain names. Most combinations of two words (not a common phrase) and most “non-words” that do not correspond to a valuable company would be really easy for a startup to grab. They’d be able to force bidding to open immediately, skipping the index stage. The domain owner would have some amount of time to notify pre-existing businesses with the same name, if they exist, so that they have a chance to bid. Example: let’s say kentmobile.com is parked and you are a UK-based 5G startup. For whatever reason, you want to be named after the UK province of Kent. The only other business actually named Kent Mobile is a seedy mobile repair shop in the province. You can force bidding to open, and only you and that seedy store will be able to bid. Your business has much more potential, so you will definitely win the bid without paying an enormous sum to the domain owner. Without such a system, the domain owner can neglect to even list their domain for sale, intentionally preempt competition (ex: if Facebook parks some of the best potential social network names), irrationally strike down offers, or ask for an unreasonably high sum.

keenmaster 7y ago

I could see the index idea working, but there's one issue to resolve: traffic hacking. What if I create a startup called X, and successfully petition to convert x.com to an index. I'll be on the index, and if I get big enough, I'll be able to win any bid to become the "primary" domain owner rather than a secondary registrant. However, a VC firm that didn't invest in my startup can realize that I'm gaining traction. What they could do is fund another "X" startup that does the same thing and gets listed on the same index. Their version of "X" could steal my thunder, and they can use the resulting profits to justify their investment in the highest bid for x.com. Under the system that I described, they can still bid for the domain, they just wouldn't be able to blatantly hack attention by listing their website next to mine in the index. I would be the very obvious first name in a small window showing the top secondary x.com's by traffic. Almost everyone would click the first one, and then default my website if they like it. Of course, they can expand the modal window into a de-facto index, but that would be if they really want to see everyone beyond the top 3 x.coms.

kingludite 7y ago
A review by humanoids would consider historic context. End of the day the end user should benefit. Killing off your thunder isn't good for anyone, until it is.
- keenmaster 7y ago
  That makes sense. I was referring to the most egregious cases of traffic hacking, where a startup’s value is entirely derived from stealing a namesake competitor’s startup. The scenario I’d try to avoid is this: a world where, even if you create a startup with a reasonably unique name, you can nonetheless 100% count on someone trying to steal your thunder once your idea is validated. If they succeed, and they win when bidding opens, then you and your investors will get a haircut for losing your brand. You might never fully recover, or it could be a fatal blow. I must admit, I can’t say that’s an unmitigated bad outcome. In the end, your investors didn’t help increase the bid when they had the chance, which means they value your potential less than that of the other X. I could see the whole system resulting in a market for domain bidding loans, and the terms of the loan would be more favorable (low rate, long maturity) the more mature your company is and the more credible the vision. At least a ton more names would be available, so the potential competitor would be more likely to pick another name to begin with. Savage competition would only appear on obvious names like X. I would still be concerned about large companies trying to squash startups and make life as hard as possible for them, but I’m sure there’s a way around that. The rules governing the system would have to effectively outlaw such actions, as adjudicated and penalized by an independent committee. The system would have to be as fair as possible to startups, and perhaps even biased towards them, so that society may reap the positive externalities of competition. A hybrid between my idea and yours would only force the index schema on the most extremely simple domain names. Most combinations of two words (not a common phrase) and most “non-words” that do not correspond to a valuable company would be really easy for a startup to grab. They’d be able to force bidding to open immediately, skipping the index stage. The domain owner would have some amount of time to notify pre-existing businesses with the same name, if they exist, so that they have a chance to bid. Example: let’s say kentmobile.com is parked and you are a UK-based 5G startup. For whatever reason, you want to be named after the UK province of Kent. The only other business actually named Kent Mobile is a seedy mobile repair shop in the province. You can force bidding to open, and only you and that seedy store will be able to bid. Your business has much more potential, so you will definitely win the bid without paying an enormous sum to the domain owner. Without such a system, the domain owner can neglect to even list their domain for sale, intentionally preempt competition (ex: if Facebook parks some of the best potential social network names), irrationally strike down offers, or ask for an unreasonably high sum.