FancyFree.com
Studio98.com
PassengerNews.com
poWWWer.com
Yurp.com
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This domain was registered for a project that never got off the ground, but I still think it's a good idea: online marketing of travel and tours for singles. As Shakespeare wrote, "foot loose and fancy free" describes a person who is unattached, single, no strings, available, looking for romance and ready to travel.
There
are many other possibilities for this domain name. If you are not in
the travel business, how about a web site offering free samples of high
end products to elite customers? But, we don't have to stop there. The
phrase "fancy free" is embedded in our culture and it will surely be
used in some future marketing campaign.
Here are some examples of how the phrase "fancy free" has been used. "No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)" was a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. In 1944, Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins produced the hit musical "Fancy Free". In 1947, Walt Disney produced the feature length cartoon "Fun and Fancy Free" -- (come on, Disney, make me an offer). "Foot Loose & Fancy Free" was Rod Stewart's eighth album, released in 1977. The Oak Ridge Boys had an album in 1981 titled "Fancy Free".
While not (yet) on the popularity level of Fred Astaire or Rod Stewart,
there is an electro punk group based in Mexico City with the unlikely
name of Los Fancy Free. The front man for this group, Martin Thulin,
was born into a Swedish Mennonite community in Mexico, and the group's
debut album was "Menonita Rock". (If you have been to Mexico City and
wondered about those blond Mexicans selling cheese on the streets,
well, they are Swedish Mennonites. Of course, this trivia has nothing
to do with selling a domain name, but I find it interesting.)
A Google search on the phrase "fancy free" produces more than 800,000 hits.
Getting back to the original idea, if you buy FancyFree.com with the intention of using this name for a site focused on travel and tourism for singles, I would welcome an invitation to contribute to your business plan.
Email: Ken Smith
Studio 98 could be anything and everything. I registered this domain a decade ago and used it for a variety of purposes, mostly for developing and testing web sites. The beauty of the domain name Studio98.com is that it is very easy to understand and remember. I would be on the phone with somebody and say, "Go to studio-98-dot-com" and I seldom had to repeat this web address.
Imagine yourself in a phone conversation, or being interviewed on radio or TV, or speaking to delegates at a conference. Your audience would know your domain at the first mention. Of course, you would want to mention Studio98.com a couple more times just to encourage your audience to visit the site.
Now, here's a test. Ask yourself tomorrow, what was that domain name you read about that was for sale? If you remember that it is Studio98.com, and I think you will indeed remember, you should consider making an offer.
Email: Ken Smith
There are hundreds of web sites that provide travel information from companies to be read by consumers. There are a half-dozen B2B web sites that provide news and information for managers and executives in the travel and tourism industries. There are some very good social media web sites that encourage consumers to write reviews of their travel experiences, most of which focus on hotels and the features of a destination.
But, it is the trip itself that is the most frustrating, aggravating, uncomfortable, and annoying part of almost all travel experiences. Think about your last trip. Fighting the traffic to get to the airport where there will never be enough space to drop off passengers. Standing in a long line where only one of eight stations is open. Taking off your shoes, belt and anything else that might sound the security alarm. Waiting an extra hour in the terminal because your plane is late. Being a captive customer of over-priced food stands. Crammed into a seat for hours. Waiting on the tarmac for a terminal gate. Worrying that your baggage is lost. Then, fighting the airport traffic to get as far way and as fast as you can.
How many passengers could agree with at least a couple of these annoyances? Millions, I tell ya, millions. And yet there is no web site dedicated to this, nor that focuses on the global movement for passenger rights.
The rough business plan for PassengerNews.com would have links of aggregated relevant news stories on other sites, some original articles, and a section for user generated content -- reviews and complaints of travel experiences. Every effort would be made to get a response from the airline or airport that was the subject of criticism. These reviews would not be all negative as site visitors would be strongly encouraged to write favorable reviews, assuming that at least a portion of their trip was positive.
PassengerNews.com is a good domain name -- easy to remember and it perfectly describes the purpose of the web site.
Where does the revenue come from? Advertising and sales through links to online travel agencies.
Email: Ken Smith
Here we have a domain name that yells about the power of the World Wide Web. Study the name poWWWer.com for a moment. Only seven letters. A dot-com. It's pronounceable. And, it's an easy name to give and easy to understand. Now, what more could you want?
Email: Ken Smith
This is a goofy domain name, but there was a serious thought behind the registration of Yurp.com. Earlier this decade with the launch of the euro replacing a dozen currencies, there was a general attitude in America that Europeans, particularly the French, were a bunch of socialists who produced very little and had a poor understanding of how to run a business. This attitude was mostly wrong, but even many successful American business leaders held this belief.
Then, when President George W. Bush in his Texas accent was heard to pronounce "Europe" as "Yurp", it seemed like a good idea to register Yurp.com with the thought of developing a web site targeting American business with news about business developments in Europe that might offer some opportunities. This news was going to focus on the less dramatic developments that could serve in the aggregate to illustrate what is happening in Europe -- no sense in trying to compete with the Financial Times.
This Yurp.com news site idea never got much beyond the talking stage. But, a web site named Yurp.com still has some merit in telling Americans something about Europe, although a news site may not be the best idea.
It should be noted here that the word "yurp" has crept into our language, quite apart from President Bush's Texas accent. The online Urban Dictionary gives as one of several definitions of "yurp" as being a combination of a yawn and a burp. And, rappers are using the word "yurp" -- particularly in the lyrics of 50 Cent. I don't know how to monetize this, but there are some clever folks out there who could grab the ball and run with it.
So, what we have here is a four-letter, pronounceable dot-com domain name.
Email: Ken Smith
