Much like domain names, there is a finite number of Twitter account names available to the public. The account name acts as another form of online real estate. With short and simple pieces of information being passed to millions of people worldwide, it’s easy to see why people and businesses are willing to cough up a good amount of money for an account name that’s just right. The website has grown so influential, that even the North Korean government has set up an account.
In the spring of 2009, London-based entrepreneur James Cox held one of the most followed Twitter accounts, named CNNbrk, which tweeted about CNN’s breaking news stories. It was acquired by CNN, who could greatly increase their site’s traffic with nearly one million twitter followers. The details aren’t completely clear, because selling and exchanging accounts is against Twitter’s rules.
Even though it’s technically against Twitter’s terms of service, markets for buying and selling Twitter names have grown with the site. One website, called Tweexchange, works as an online account exchange for Twitter users, but it’s caught up in controversy with Twitter, because it breaks their terms of service. Another online application, known as TweetValue, uses information such as followers and number of tweets, and calculates an estimated value of an individual’s Twitter account. Barack Obama rings in at the highest estimated value, even though he has the 4th most followers (After Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Ashton Kutcher).
- Tags:
- twitter
There’s little more than a week until the Forward Technology Conference comes to Madison, and here at the Entrustet office, we’re looking forward to meeting with other entrepreneurs and learning a lot.
There’s a great group of smart and successful entrepreneurs lined up to speak, which can be found on their schedule:
- Bryan Chan, President and Founder of SupraNet Communications, Inc. will be moderating the ‘Startups 101′ panel.
- Joe Boucher, a lawyer from Neider & Boucher SC, and Kevin Kelbel, a CPA from Smith & Gesteland LLP, will serve as resources during the ‘All About LLCs’ panel, with Matthew Younkle, President of Y Innovation LLC moderating.
- Our own Nate Lustig will be facilitating the ‘Unconference,’ which allows attendees to discuss hot topics in smaller groups.
- The ‘Branding and Identity Panel’ will be covered by John Besmer (Planet Propaganda), Shanan Galligan (Swink, LLC), and Andy Wallman (Knupp & Watson & Wallman), and moderated by Dan Merfeld (TheoryThree Interactive LLC).
- Attendees will enjoy an ice cream break courtesy of SupraNet.
- The keynote speaker will be Fred Foster (CEO of Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.), with an introduction by Bob Vanden Burgt (President of Yahara Software).
- An evening social will take place at Madison’s Memorial Union Terrace, sponsored by Neider & Boucher, SC.
It’s going to be a very interesting and fun day, and we’re looking forward to meeting with other tech-related startups.
- Tags:
- Capitol Entrepreneurs · Forward Tech Conference · Forward Tech Fest · Madison Tech · Madison Tech Scene
Does this image look familiar to you? Hopefully it does, because it’s one of the most widely printed images in the world, with 16,650,000 copies printed each day. It’s a portrait of George Washington known as The Anthenaeum, painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796. But you most likely recognize it as the face on the one dollar bill. Though it was never completed, it is still the most recognizable and prominent portrait of one of our nation’s most important founders. Currently placed in the Smithsonian, this portrait puts a real human face on a crucial part of our history.
Stories from long ago have a lasting effect upon our history and are part of our nation’s pride, but the images from our past have a profound effect on our emotions and sense of patriotism. Famous photos such as American soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima, and the American sailor kissing a woman in Times Square at the end of World War II, allow us to see and feel a precise moment in our country’s history. As far as our legacy goes, a picture really is worth a thousand words.
Back in George Washington’s day, acquiring a portrait was expensive and time consuming. With modern-day technology and the prevalence of digital cameras, photos can be taken and deleted in seconds. And with the invention of the Internet and popular photo-sharing sites like Flickr and Picasa, we can access these photographic memories from any corner of the world, at any time. The prestige of oil and canvas to preserve ones visual legacy has been replaced by digital cameras and websites.
Even the White House has established a Flickr account, where anyone in the country can see recent photos of President Obama and his family in action. On July 25th, 201o, Buckingham Palace, the image of old-fashioned monarchy and portraiture, launched a Flickr account. Whether it’s an old fashioned black-and-white photo that represents national or familial history, or a modern digital photo that represents a fond memory, a picture can convey emotions that other mediums can’t. It’s important to securely guard these digital assets, and make sure that they are accessible to future generations to look back on the lives of the people of the 21st century. Note: we’re still waiting on Barack Obama to set up an Entrustet account!
- Tags:
- barack obama · digital legacy · digital photos
With so much of our lives and business taking place on the Internet, domain names have become a significantly valuable digital asset. They serve as the real estate of the Internet, and like physical real estate, can oftentimes be as valuable or more valuable than the content it holds. Since 1999, more than 500 registrars (domain name dealers) have entered the domain name registration services market. The domain name market is heavily dominated by GoDaddy.com, but the top 10 registrars (in total domains under their management in millions) are as follows:
1. GoDaddy (36.85)
2. eNom (9.69)
3. Tucows (7.8)-Canada
4. Network Solutions (6.38)
5. 1&1 Internet AG (5.05)-Germany
6. Melbourne (4.51)-Australia
7. Wild West Domains (GoDaddy reseller) (3.43)
8. PublicDomainRegistry.com (2.72)
9. Moniker Online Services (2.58)
10. Register.com (2.36)
The price of a domain name tends to be between $7.50 to $35.00 a year, with some of the cheaper domain names going for as low as $5.00 per year. Registrars also charge a renewal fee of $5.00 to $15.00 to renew a domain name for another year. GoDaddy, for example, charges $10.99/year and it costs $4.99/month for hosting. This may seem like a lot of money for a simple domain name, but some of them can grow to become extremely valuable. Here is a list of 10 popular domain names and their prices:
1. Business.com: $8 million
2. AsSeenOnTv.com: $5.1 million
3. Altavista.com: $3.3 million
4. Wine.com: $2.9 million
5. Auto.com: $2.2 million
6. Express.com: $1.8 million
7. Wallstreet.com: $1 million
8. Rock.com: $1 million
9. Websites.com: $970,000
10. Drugs.com: $830,000
That’s right, Business.com is worth $8 million dollars. It’s very simple and relatively cheap to buy a domain name that you think may gain value, and some people hold on to hundreds of domain names as one would invest in real estate. With such high-value digital assets, it’s important to make sure that they are passed on to the right people in the event of the unforeseen. Make sure you include any domain names you hold in your Entrustet Account Guardian, and talk to a lawyer in your area to draft them into an official will.
- Tags:
- domain names after i die · pass on domain names · transfer domain names · transfer godaddy account · what happens to my domains after i die
