Bobby Carroll - Real Estate Marketing

Frustrated by the lack of good .com domain names? What if you could purchase MLS.search or Raleigh.realestate. In a ground shaking move, 1500 members of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) organization meeting in Paris this week annouced a sweeping expansion to the naming convention of domains. This domain extension expansion most likely will radically alter the way users navigate the web.

The Current Standards for Domains

As you know all web addresses currently in use today fall under one of 21 top-level domain names. They are:

• .country
• .territory domains

And some generic ones in current use include:

• .com (the most popular and prefered)
• .net
• .org
• .gov
• .edu
• .aero

What Could New Domains Look like?

So what would the new extensions look like? Try .realestate as in CrystalCoastBlog.realestate or Raleigh.realestate or DrinkPepsiProducts.Pepsi for your favorite soft drink or DrinkBud.Budweiser or BuyF150.Ford. You get the picture. Of course, ICAAN stated it would consider preserving the integrity of trademarked names through what they call an "objection process". Implementation of the new extensions is slated for the second quarter of 2009.

I Hear the Domain Squatters Coming Out of the Woodwork!

So if this happens, all you domain squatters get your wallets ready. The race will be on for the prized new .RealEstate domains with this possible extension.

Helping you stay informed on the latest happenings in the world of domains,

Bobby

Your Crystal Coast Blogger

Many of you conduct business in your hometown. Others, bring a different perspective having relocated to your area. Either way, why not share your perspective in your blog to capitalize on your viewpoint. Having a lot of history in your area or possessing a little both have their advantages. The idea is to share your memories (emotional connections) to your area via your blog. This can be accomplished in many meaningful ways. Providing an interesting perspective of history and the resulting change an area has experienced often helps people view you as the local authority. So how can you pull this off from a practical perspective and even add some personality to your blog? Great question!

Be Human - Connecting Emotionally to Site Visitors

While each of you know where you should draw the line with personal memories, be comfortable with what you write about (some folks are private people and others are out there). It may not be for everyone, but used correctly personal experiences can connect with many people and let your site visitors know you are emotionally vested in your area.

The New Crystal Coast Blog Project

As some of you know having read my last post here on Active Rain, we recently launched a new project and our new blog for the Crystal Coast is off to a great start. The site is humming along as we add content on schedule and we have even had a couple of comments made on the new blog albeit from family members. One of the recent post was written by my wife Pam and it really conveys her strong feelings and memories of the Crystal Coast. Be sure to checkout Pam's post "The Crystal Coast - Where a Lifetime of Vacation Memories are Made." You'll even see a 1971 photograph of yours truly skiing on the ICW with the brand new Cameron Langston Bridge in the background. I even remember traveling from Cedar Point (the mainland) over to Emerald Isle on the ferry before the state had built the bridge in 1971. What great memories of those ferry rides. (See, I just proved my point!)

Identify Long-standing Landmarks

Like memories provide landmarks in our lives, so to do legacy family-run businesses to a community. In her post, Pam lets her readers know of a few of the old landmark businesses that have existed for many years on the Crystal Coast and even provides some link-love to those businesses so we are viewed as networking partners in the community. If you have ever visited Morehead City, there really is no better example of a legacy family-run business than that of the Sanitary Fish Market Restaurant. Once the word is out about our blog, I'm sure those who own these businesses will come to our site to checkout what Pam had to say in the post (hmmm.... even more eyeballs!)

Creative Blogging Ideas

So the next time you hit the wall with writers block, think about writing a post about how you remember when... and don't forget to include your own "emotional seasoning" to add some flavor to your blog. Pam and I are eager to hear your feedback. And don't forget to head over to the Crystal Coast Blog and read Pam's post. I know she would like your feedback there too!

Helping you blog smarter,

Bobby