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Domain Tasting "Officially Dead" Thanks To Cancellation Policy

Ars Technica is reporting that domain tasting has been all but eradicated now that the full penalty for excessive cancellations has taken effect. "In 2008, ICANN decided to act. It allowed domain registrars to withdraw as many as 10 percent of their total registrations; they would face penalties for anything above that. Initially, ICANN adopted a budget that included a charge of $0.20 for each withdrawal above the limit, which was in effect from June 2008 to July of this year. Later, it adopted an official policy that raised the penalty to $6.75, the cost of a .org registration; that took effect in July 2009. The results have been dramatic. Even under the low-cost budget provisions, domain withdrawals during the grace period dropped to 16 percent of what they had been prior to its adoption. Once the heavy penalties took hold, the withdrawal rate dropped to under half a percent."

14 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. The Many (Miss) Uses of Domain Tasting by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So the semi-legitimate use you can dig up is that companies want to buy up bundles of DNs and drop ads there to see if type-in traffic or google searches can make them enough bank to warrant keeping it up. Personally, sounds like a get rich quick scheme providing nothing -- maybe even negative confusion -- to society and should therefore be discouraged.

    Next you got domain kiting. Where a jerk "tastes" under one registrar and then cancels five days later and "tastes" under another an then cancels five days later and then "tastes" under yet another registrar ... do we see where this is going? Again, free DN registration, stupid that this should even have a term even stupider that it works for people with a lot of patience aiming to save $12/year.

    And what's left? Domain Name Front Running like our friend Network Solutions? Remind me again what sound logic caused domain name tasting to be introduced in the first place?

    Lastly, after reading the short report, I'm lead to believe that we're still allowing 10% AGP deletes. My question is simple: Given the above reasons for domain tasting, why allow it at all? I mean everyone's spinning this move in a positive light except for scam artists and con men. So why not just seal the deal and make it "Officially Officially Dead" in a policy?

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    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:The Many (Miss) Uses of Domain Tasting by Ex-Linux-Fanboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think the thinking is that it allows people to get refunds if they made a typo during the domain registration process.

    2. Re:The Many (Miss) Uses of Domain Tasting by Daniel_Staal · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Because there may be actual reasons for people to want to immediately cancel a domain? (Heck, enough people make typos in forms...)

      There is probably enough legitimate demand for this service to support something like 5% or so, maybe even the current 10%. Sure, we want to strongly discourage it, but actually disallowing it would be going further than we need to.

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      'Sensible' is a curse word.
    3. Re:The Many (Miss) Uses of Domain Tasting by nametaken · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Setting up DNS records" is (in some ways) vague and is relatively hard to enforce.

      What they have now apparently accomplishes its goal. Best I can tell there's no problem left to be solved.

    4. Re:The Many (Miss) Uses of Domain Tasting by natehoy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Then you accept you've made a mistake, pay your $5-15, and move on. Stop buying lattes at StarDucks for a week and pocket the difference.

      The instant a "money back" UNDO button goes into place, someone will just go back to tasting again. A well-intentioned system to allow people to avoid the consequences of their mistakes has allowed significant abuses of the system for the rest of us.

      And by "rest of us", I will freely admit that I have acquired a couple of incorrect domain names in the past. Recently I got one for an informal camping/hiking/kayaking group I'm in, and one of the members said she didn't like the domain name I chose a couple of days later. So I just got a new domain name. My registrar charges $6 for the first year and $8 a year afterward, so it literally wasn't worth the time and effort of getting my money back for the mistake. I'll just let the domain lapse next year if I haven't found a use for it.

      I think a lot of the need for an undo comes about simply because it exists. If people knew that a domain order was irrevocable, they'd probably spend an extra 5 seconds closely examining their domain name before hitting YES.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    5. Re:The Many (Miss) Uses of Domain Tasting by coryking · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, but for every registrar I've ever used the DNS records are set up the second you purchase the domain.

  2. Oh how true ... by neonprimetime · · Score: 4, Insightful

    One of the unfortunate aspects of networked computing is that the cost of antisocial behaviors is so small

  3. Sudden? Not quite. by sootman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We need a new tag: "eventualoutbreakofcommonsense"

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    1. Re:Sudden? Not quite. by MarbleMunkey · · Score: 2, Insightful

      My personal favorite is a modification of one of your examples:

      "Why put of until tomorrow what you can put off indefinitely"

  4. Re:What was the point anyway?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I find it hard to believe that any legitimate business couldn't afford to register even a hundred variations on domain names, and pay the full year in an attempt to test whether they get hits.

  5. Not a Valid Use, Submit a Change Request by eldavojohn · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think the thinking is that it allows people to get refunds if they made a typo during the domain registration process.

    So what you're telling me is that the process for making an error in your form is to delete everything and start over? You're telling me that they do this instead of having you submit a request to have it changed? Am I the only one that thinks it would be easier to make a form for requesting changes to your account?

    People are human, people err. But it benefits everyone involved if you just fix the mistake when you notice it. The registrar retains your business and you get the domain you wanted. No big deal. But it stops scammers from allocating 300 domains and keeping 3 of them to squat on or whatever they want to do. They should be stuck with 300 domains they have to pay for.

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    My work here is dung.
  6. Re:Heavy Penalties by ArcadeNut · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeah, now multiply that by the 10,000 domains that some SPAMMER registers, then decides to cancel when they don't pan out...

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  7. Re:It's 'tasting,' not 'testing' by binaryseraph · · Score: 2, Insightful

    you must have been trying to use the wrong port.

  8. Re:Doesn't matter anyway by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What did I drink this morning if it wasn't coffee?

    I'm not sure but Starbucks made a business out of selling it.

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    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.