Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Waiting Room Patients Targeted In Sick Scheme

VISI Networks Teams with LabCorp(R) to Launch LabCorp Health Network; A Direct-to-Patient Digital Signage Network for LabCorp's Patient Service Centers Nationwide
 
LabCorp Health Network (LHN) - a direct-to-patient digital signage network for LabCorp's Patient Service Centers - is a customized channel of healthcare information specifically designed to provide patients using LabCorp's patient service centers a comfortable waiting environment through the delivery of quality commercial, educational, informational and entertainment segments via an internet driven, nationally networked narrowcast system. (Photo: Business Wire)
 
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 28, 2006--VISI Networks and Laboratory Corporation of America(R) Holdings (LabCorp(R)) (NYSE:LH), a leading, national provider of diagnostic services and a pioneer in new diagnostic technologies, have teamed to create the LabCorp Health Network - a direct-to-patient digital signage network for LabCorp's Patient Service Centers.
 
The LabCorp Health Network (LHN) is a customized channel of healthcare information specifically designed to provide patients using LabCorp's patient service centers a comfortable waiting environment through the delivery of quality commercial, educational, informational and entertainment segments via an internet driven, nationally networked narrowcast system. Presented on large, flat-panel screens installed in LabCorp's Patient Service Centers, LHN provides an opportunity for advertisers and content partners to reach a health conscious audience with known demographic and statistical data.
 
"Through the LabCorp Health Network, we are providing a dynamic channel to educate patients and visitors as to the latest testing procedures and preventive measures they can take to lead happier and healthier lives," said Joseph Erhart, CEO of VISI Networks.
 
"We are extremely excited about this network. This private channel represents an opportunity for LabCorp and their content partners to reach a sizeable health conscious audience with relevant messaging that connects directly with their customer base in a way that was previously impossible," said Michael Erhart, VP of Business Development for VISI Networks. "By being able to deliver messages directly to real patients - ensuring they receive the most up-to-date information in a timely manner - this narrowcast network establishes itself as a superior alternative to traditional media."
 
Currently, the LabCorp Health Network can be found in over 300 of LabCorp's more than 1,300 Patient Service Centers in the U.S.
 
About VISI Networks
 
Founded by nationally recognized wayfinding and signage information display system expert Joseph Erhart, VISI Networks develops proprietary network information display systems capable of delivering high-impact digital multimedia messages to targeted consumers. VISI Networks has tested their infrastructure with networks in Florida Hospital Critical Care Centers, SunTrust Bank and Orlando-Sanford International Airport. To learn more about VISI Networks, visit www.VISInetworks.com.
 
About LabCorp(R)
 
Laboratory Corporation of America(R) Holdings, a S&P 500 company with an investment-grade credit rating, is a pioneer in commercializing new diagnostic technologies and the first in its industry to embrace genomic testing. With annual revenues of $3.3 billion in 2005, approximately 24,000 employees nationwide, and more than 220,000 clients, LabCorp offers clinical assays ranging from routine blood analyses to HIV and genomic testing. LabCorp combines its expertise in innovative clinical testing technology with its Centers of Excellence: The Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology, in Research Triangle Park, NC; National Genetics Institute, Inc. in Los Angeles, CA; ViroMed Laboratories, Inc. based in Minneapolis, MN; The Center for Esoteric Testing in Burlington, NC; DIANON Systems, Inc. based in Stratford, CT, US LABS based in Irvine, CA, and Esoterix and its Colorado Coagulation, Endocrine Sciences, and Cytometry Associates laboratories. LabCorp clients include physicians, government agencies, managed care organizations, hospitals, clinical labs, and pharmaceutical companies. To learn more about LabCorp, visit www.LabCorp.com.
 
Contacts
Media Contacts
Tier 1 Public Relations
Dan Dyer, 513-478-7818
ddyer@tier1pr.com
or
LabCorp
Pam Sherry, 336-436-4855
sherryp@labcorp.com
OR
Advertising Contact
VISI Networks Inc.
Jenny Sue Rhoades, 407-566-1437
jennysue@visinetworks.comAt A Glance
VISI Networks
Source: via Business Wire
Updated  03/24/2006  by company 

[Editor's comments: Great. Now when I have to see a doctor I can look forward to having my desperate-for-a-distraction mind feed commercial messages not unlike waiting for a plane at the airport. I predict the day is near when you use a public restroom and close the door you will sit (or stand) to have a yammering screen that wants to take your moment of privacy and join you for a little marketing one-on-one.
 
It's information.  It's advertising.  It's intrusive.  And It's obnoxious.
 
(hris ]

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Republican Domain Re-direction Looks Stupid, Petty

I just got a message that someone had posted on a forum:

 

This fall's US Senate campaign in the state of Tennessee will likely be between Republican Ed Bryant and Democrat Harold Ford Jr. Both are currently in the US House of Representatives.

I just read that Bryant's campaign registered the domain name www.FordforSenate.com. If you type that in you go to the Bryant campaign web site.

If you're so inclined to complain, here's Bryant's contact info:

Ed Bryant for Senate
5214 Maryland Way Suite 304
Brentwood, TN 37027
Phone: 615-373-2327
Fax: 615-373-9851
Email: info@edbryantforsenate.com

 

Leave it to a politician to make themselves look stupid. Do they think that someone looking for Ford will then be interested in Bryant? Do they think this will sway voters? I think the petty meanness of this action WILL help to sway voters, but not as intended.

(hris

Friday, March 24, 2006

Pundits Poo-Poo Google Print, Possibly Prematurely

Whoa, it seems that Google's first attempt to enter the print advertising world was not a hit right from the start.
 
 
My, how quickly we are to condemn a first effort...! I was just reading an article today in 2/7/06 DM News about this and realized the vast potential of what Google is trying to do.
 
They should have purchased ad space in the same style as their on-line ads and put that up for bid right into AdWords. Small, deftly-worded ads that move from the online world to the off-line world complete with the Google brand. Once they make this kind of adjustment and stop trying to fit into the existing format they will have another winner, IMO.
 
It would be SO AWESOME to have our AdWords ads start to appear in newspapers and magazines like they do now on the content networks, and aside from the additional exposure, there's NO CLICK FRAUD! Plus we get to reach all those people that don't mind killing trees to get their daily fix of news.
 
I webmaster for a small Minnesota newspaper, The Watchdog News (http://www.watchdog-news.com) and I am going to suggest to the editor that we adopt the same type of ad format with content-related ads that you see from Google and other providers. Don't tell me I'm the only one that sees the potential here and the slap-your-head, simplicity of the concept...?
 
Hey, I dusted off the crystal ball, and guess what I just saw? HDTV sets in just about every home. No surprise there, but what DID take my breath away was seeing some content on those beautiful screens along one site of the screen and it looked to me to be damn 160x600 skyscraper ads!!! I couldn't make out if it was Gooooogle or Yahooooo! but I would lay some money on which one it will turn out to be... :-)
 
(hris

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Domain Names to Sell for $300?

 
One and Two-Word Dot-Com Domain Names to Sell for $300

Domain name liquidator BRANDomains announces new sale

Sacramento, Calif. (PRWEB) March 14, 2006 ? Domain name liquidator BRANDomains.com announces a special domain name liquidation sale. The portfolio includes 129 dot-com domain names and five other domain name extensions, including several one-word dot-com domain names. All domain names are offered for $300 each via BRANDomains.com using an escrow service.

The rich portfolio includes many popular domain name and search keyword categories, including IPO, stock, investment, movie, photo, book, auto, weather, music, search, ticket, job, sports, fitness, poker, New York and employment domain names.

Sports
--------
adventure sports guide
arena sports bar
football pulse
sports fan gear
supreme sports picks

Fitness
--------
body energized
fitness toolbox

New York
--------
experience new york
nyc job hunt

Poker
--------
pokermania
poker visors

IPO
---
IPO quotes
IPO contact
IPO hunters
IPO prices
IPO topia

Stock and Investment
--------------------
Invest Week
Stock User
EquaTrade
Quote Lines
Quote trax
Stock Fest
TradEquity

Movie
-----
Relic Movie
Movie Types

Photo
-----
Photo Hound
Photo EZ

Book
----
Nu Book
Financing Books
Barter Book
Book Upload
New Age Book

Auto
----
On Time Auto
Acme Autos
Tire Lookup
Parts Truck
Tire Vendor

Beef
----
Nebraska Prime
Nebraska Steaks

Weather
-------
Map Weather
Weather Models

Music
-----
Reno Music
Music Lair
MusiCritic

Search
------
Electro Search
Secondary Search
New Crawler
Find Topic

Job and Employment
------------------
Job Oupost
Hire Ideals
Hire Revenue
Skill Indicator
NYC Job Hunt

The portfolio includes fourteen one-word, dot-com domain names, including: Caribi, Geocentrism, Parthians, Piraque, Polycentrism, Spiralling, Stirk, Beverageous, Zicar, Cargaecia, Mononym, Matronym, Tetralogy, Recockulous.

In addition, there are many popular ?brandable? and two-word domain names, including: Greek Services, Dine Detroit, Gear Tips, Lawn Quote, Notebook Light, Red Carded, Searing Hot, Xtra Xtra, Author DVD, Facial Imagery, Active Interest.

Finally, the portfolio includes many domain name industry related terms.

To purchase any of these domain names via secure escrow service, please visit http://www.BRANDomains.com.

###

Press Contact: Keith Pieper
Company Name: BRANDomains
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 877-938-3842
Website:
www.BRANDomains.com

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Author Uses Proven Long Form, Inflated Offer To Hawk Book

 
Author Uses Proven Internet Marketing Strategy to Make His Latest Book a #1 Bestseller on Amazon -- Again

Joe Vitale, an Internet marketing strategy expert, has seen his latest book, "Life?s Missing Instruction Manual: The Guidebook You Should Have Been Given at Birth," vault into the #1 bestseller slot on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online, proving once again that his advice on advertising promotion works.

(PRWEB) March 14, 2006 -- Austin, Texas author Joe Vitale, Internet marketing strategy guru and author of numerous books, used a clever advertising promotion to make his latest book, "Life?s Missing Instruction Manual: The Guidebook You Should Have Been Given at Birth," a #1 bestseller on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online.

He has a screen shot of his Internet marketing strategy success on his
blog. Vitale?s book quickly hit #1 on Amazon on March 7 and stayed there throughout the next four days. While Amazon updates their book sales ranking every hour, Vitale?s new book stayed in the #1 position throughout.

His secret?

?I offered people an ethical bribe to buy my book,? explains Vitale, author of The Attractor Factor, an earlier #1 Amazon bestseller, and The Greatest Money-Making Secret in History, yet another Amazon bestseller.

In this case Vitale compiled a catalog of more than $13,500 bonuses, collected from list owners who wanted free publicity and would promote Vitale?s campaign to their own lists. The advertising promotion offer was posted at TheMotherofAllBribes.com.

All list owners who provided bonuses then promoted Vitale?s book to their lists, which meant there was never any spamming. Vitale estimates more than one million people saw his advertising promotion.

Vitale says this Internet marketing strategy will work on anything you can sell.

?People need encouragement to take action,? explains Vitale, who is president of Hypnotic Marketing Inc. and an expert on advertising promotion and
Internet marketing strategy.

?The ethical bribe is there to get them to buy now, else they may wait and forget,? reports Vitale. ?This strategy is simply working with human nature, and it?s a win-win for all. People get an incredible collection of bonuses and I sell books. Everyone is happy.?

And he becomes a #1 bestselling author ? again.

For more information, contact:
Suzanne Burns
Website: www.lifesmissingmanual.com
Phone: 512-278-1610

# # #

Press Contact: Suzanne Burns
Company Name: Life's Missing Manual
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 512-278-1610
Website:
www.lifesmissingmanual.com


[Editor's comments: It seems like more of the same from a well-known name in the business. Can you see beyond the marketing hype...? Bestseller? :-)  And exactly how many copies sold IS that...? Oh, and thanks for mangling the meaning of "bribe". There is no such thing as an "ethical bribe".  It's like saying "honest marketer"... (hris ] 

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Friday, March 10, 2006

No Click Fraud Guaranteed By Advolution

 
Advolution, The Next Revolution in Search Engines, Guarantees No Click Fraud

Advolution, the next revolution in search engines, guarantees absolutely no click fraud for its advertisers.

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) March 10, 2006 -- Advolution (http://www.advolution.com), the next revolution in search engines, guarantees absolutely no click fraud for its advertisers.

With the recently announced $90 million click fraud settlement made by Google, advertisers are waking up to one of the main drawbacks of pay-per-click advertising.

Google and Yahoo have shown that the amount an advertiser is willing to pay to be associated with a search term correlates well with how valuable that listing will also be for the searcher.

However, under their pay-per-click systems, advertisers have to pay for each and every click and are increasingly victims of "click fraud" (competitors clicking on ads to deplete the advertiser's budget and/or search engine affiliate partners clicking on them to make money for themselves).

Under Advolution's pay-for-position system, advertisers pay only once to have a listing associated with a search term. Search results are ranked by the dollar amount paid for each listing. In case of a tie, the older listing takes precedence.

Advertisers (and searchers) receive the benefit of pay-per-click without having to pay for each click (or worry about click fraud).

Advolution listings are similar to the search results at other search engines, except that with Advolution advertisers have full control over:

* How their listing looks.
* What search terms it is associated with.
* Where it shows up in the search results.

ABOUT ADVOLUTION

Advolution provides a compelling new search engine alternative for searchers, advertisers, and affiliate partners ("the benefits of pay-per-click without the actual pay-per-click" - and thus without any click fraud). Searchers receive quality Advolution listings and can also click through for additional results from other search engines. Advertisers free themselves from having to pay for each and every click. An affiliate program with a generous revenue share is also available. Additional information: http://www.advolution.com

# # #

Press Contact: Ed Nusbaum
Company Name: Stealthmode Partners
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 602-999-8866
Website:
http://www.advolution.com

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Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Bloggers Sloggers For Wal-Mart?

Wal-Mart Recruits Bloggers for PR Battle
 
March 7th, 2006 - MarketingVOX - Under fire for its less-than-employee-friendly policies, among other reasons, Wal-Mart has apparently been rallying a force of blogger loyalists and mercenaries, supplying them with PR ammunition in hopes of beating back the assault, writes the New York Times. Pro-Wal-Mart propaganda produced by public relations firm Edelman has appeared in blogs, often verbatim and without attribution - clearly counter to the norms and unwritten rules of civilized blogging behavior, as well as word-of-mouth best-practices.
 
In what is escalating into an all-out war for the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of the citizenry, Wal-Mart - along with others - is looking beyond the mainstream media and "working directly with bloggers, feeding them exclusive nuggets of news, suggesting topics for postings and even inviting them to visit its corporate headquarters," writes the Times.
More...
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Saturday, March 04, 2006

Search Engine Submission Service Guarantees Listings In Sponsored Links

 
Wpromote Launches Enhanced Website Search Engine Submission and Promotion Service

Wpromote, one of the world?s leading search engine marketing firms, has officially launched it?s highly anticipated upgrade to it?s acclaimed search engine submission and promotion service.

Redondo Beach, CA (PRWEB) March 4, 2006 -- Wpromote, one of the world?s leading search engine marketing firms, has officially launched it?s highly anticipated upgrade to it?s acclaimed search engine submission and promotion service to better serve the needs of small and medium sized businesses online.

This new service, which costs $99.95 per month, includes guaranteed 48-hour listings in the sponsored links of every major search engine, including Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Ask.com, AltaVista, Lycos, Excite, Dogpile and much more, all without any per-click charges, contracts, or hidden fees.

Additionally, the service includes organic submission, using Wpromote?s superior, proprietary submission software as well as genuine hand submission, to virtually every search engine on the planet that matters, including Google, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, Ask.com as well as hundreds of regional and topical search engines and directories. Wpromote?s software automatically determines the language, region and categorical specifics of each website to be submitted and optimizes submission for each website.

The new promotional service is unique in it?s blend of organic and paid listings, and is designed for businesses who want to increase their visibility, website traffic and leads generated online at a minimal investment.

?From day one, our goal was to design innovative and efficient solutions for small and medium sized businesses that want to get more from the web,? says Michael Mothner, CEO of Wpromote, Inc. ?We listened closely to their needs and created a product unique among online advertising offerings, one that brings real benefit at a fraction of the cost of most online marketing campaigns. Additionally, it is a great way to test the waters of advertising online, and many clients move on to launch larger campaigns with our flagship pay per click management service.?

Signing up for the newly upgraded search engine promotion service is quick and easy, and can be done in just minutes right from Wpromote?s website at http://www.wpromote.com/ses

About Wpromote, Inc.

Founded in 1999, Wpromote is one of the world?s leading search engine marketing firms. Wpromote has helped over 9,000 clients in over 50 countries achieve their online marketing goals using cutting edge technology and superior personalized service. Wpromote, Inc., is headquartered in Redondo Beach, CA. For more information, visit http://www.wpromote.com or call 1-866-WPROMOTE (1-866-977-6668) or 1-310-421-4844.

# # #

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Friday, March 03, 2006

this is an audio post - click to play
Free Audio Blogging Service

This is a test of the service from Audioblogger.com. I'm not sure how much I will use it, but I can't believe it's free...! (hris

Index The Unindexable

 
New Web Engine to Redefine Searching on the Web

Otavo's Intention Engine is poised to redefine searching on the web by allowing its users to simply state what they are looking for instead of typing keywords and sifting through irrelevant results.

St. Catharines, ON (PRWEB) March 3, 2006 -- Otavo, has developed the first intention engine. A technology designed to index the unindexable content by pooling together the intentions of its users.

Intention is what drives people?s web activity. By pooling similar intentions and grouping resources according to intentions Otavo's new Intention Engine, is able to allow users to spell out their intentions in a search box, and have meaningful results returned.

The search results are generated from information found and shared by people that have had similar intentions. "It is like taking pages and pages of Google results and selecting the best ones and putting them all in one place" said Matt, one of the beta testers.

"We call each intention a quest. People join these quests for information and knowledge and are truly enriched by sharing what they find together" said Amanuel founder, and social ambassador of Otavo.

Amanuel added "The inspiration came 3 years ago, as my wife complained about being unable to find what she was looking for using the search engines" This started a 3 year obsession to finding a solution to the problem.

According to Amanuel, Otavo has made the preview version of its Intention Engine available to a small number of 'heavy web surfers' and select bloggers.

With luck, Otavo will prove popular to them ? and to the original user who sparked the idea.

Otavo.com Inc. started the intentional web revolution with its intention engine redefining the web from the visitor's point of view. For more information, visit http://otavo.com.

# # #

Press Contact: Amanuel Tewolde
Company Name: Otavo.com Inc.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 905-324-1777
Website:
http://otavo.com


[Editor's comments: VERY interesting idea, but I'm worried that this is like trying to improve a hammer so users don't hit their thumb, when a small amount of training might be more effective with less effort.

From what I have seen, users don't know how to search. They think Boolean logic is some type of European stew, and quotes are only used to embarrass politicians. There is a large percentage of the population that continually says, "Oh, you know what I mean...!!" and of course we don't really because we don't have a copy of the code book they use. If this company can really help to understand the intentions of web searchers, then perhaps the same technology could be use to improve interpersonal communications. Now THERE'S a market opportunity...! (hris ]

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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Domain Lost Over $9 annual renewal fee, Would Cost Nearly $2,500 To Regain

'Drop Catchers' Buy and Sell Web Names Others Let Slip

By DAVID KESMODEL
February 22, 2006; Page B1

Last month, Chicago real-estate agent Judy Orr discovered that a Web site she used to showcase area homes had gone off-line. It turned out she had failed to pay the $9 annual renewal fee for her Web address, oak-lawn-real-estate.com.

But getting her site back online wasn't as easy as she had hoped: Another company had snapped up the domain name and wanted nearly $2,500 to return it to her. "I was sick to my stomach," Ms. Orr says. It took two years of work to build up the site so it would rank prominently in Google's search results, and that time "went down the drain," she says.

The new owner of the address was Lease Domains Inc., which is run by a 21-year-old graduate student, Anthos Chrysanthou, who works out of his parents' house in a Chicago suburb. Mr. Chrysanthou says his two-year-old company owns more than 2,000 domain names, many obtained through a process called "drop catching" -- snagging names owners have let expire, either accidentally or because they no longer want them.

"I liken the whole situation to tangible real estate," says Mr. Chrysanthou, who is pursuing his master's in business administration at St. Xavier University in Chicago. "If you're not paying your mortgage or your taxes on it, it's going to get taken away."

Mr. Chrysanthou is one of hundreds of drop catchers who either resell names or use them for Web sites loaded with advertisements. (Ms. Orr's former site now features text ads for real estate.) Many drop catchers have learned the trade in the past year, seeking a piece of the booming market for domains spurred by a surge in online advertising. The practice also has gotten a lift from providers of domain services, such as SnapNames.com Inc., Pool.com Inc. and GoDaddy.com Inc., which have introduced tools aimed at helping people grab expiring domains.

The services circulate lists each day showing which domains are about to go up for grabs. Auctions are held for particularly in-demand names, and prices can go sky-high: A1.com sold for $260,250 in December, after its previous owner let the registration lapse.

Drop catching "has pretty much changed completely in a few years' time," says Michael Berkens, who runs MostWantedDomains.com, owner of about 45,000 domains, which range from 4nudepictures.com to 401kplans.com, out of his Fort Lauderdale, Fla., home. "There's more people," he says, and "prices have just escalated."

DNJournal.com, a publication that tracks the domain industry, reported 2,291 sales of expired domains in auctions last year, with winning bids totaling a combined $11.5 million. That was up from 885 sales totaling $4.2 million a year earlier. Auctioneers don't report all deals to DNJournal, and the site doesn't track deals valued at less than $500.

Roughly 20,000 expired domain names become available each day, according to industry executives. While many were consciously discarded by their owners, others, like Ms. Orr's, are the product of a domain-registration system that many users don't understand well.

When a user registers a domain name, it can be reserved for as many as 10 years, typically for $80. But many choose a one-year registration because it is less expensive, often about $10, and because they may not want the site for a longer period. At the end of the year, the domain registrar generally sends renewal notices to the owner, but such messages can be missed if the owner has changed email addresses in that time.

Under rules administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the group that oversees the assignment of Web addresses, domain registrars such as GoDaddy and Network Solutions LLC have as many as 45 days after the expiration date to notify the official domain registry whether a name is being renewed or deleted. Typically, registrars have given users a grace period -- sometimes as long as 45 days -- to renew their name.

If a name is deleted, ICANN guidelines then call for a 30-day "redemption grace period," during which the original owner can still claim the name. If there is no claim in the redemption period, the name is dropped from the registry after a five-day holding period, and anyone is entitled to seek it.

For the .com and .net registries, managed by VeriSign Inc., names drop starting around 2 p.m. Eastern each day, all year long. What follows is a process that some in the industry call "pounding." As the names drop, Internet companies that help users acquire expired names send rapid computer commands to the registry, seeking to grab the most valuable names. It is "a mad rush," says Dan Rubin, who runs justdropped.com, which helps people identify and acquire expired domains. Registries for other domain suffixes drop names at different times of day.

The drop process underwent a key shift starting in late 2004. That is when SnapNames started a new service for grabbing domains. The company has signed exclusive agreements with more than a half-dozen registrars, including Network Solutions and Moniker.com, under which the registrars transfer expired domains to SnapNames, and SnapNames auctions them off. That way, names that people are interested in don't go through the traditional drop process that is open to anyone.

GoDaddy, the largest domain registrar, has introduced its own auction service for expired names that were registered with it, as have other registrars, as they seek a cut of the action for expired names. They begin auctions for names even before the names have officially expired but warn auction participants that the original owner could still redeem the name.

For domain owners, the new system means names can be grabbed from them even more quickly than they could before. Instead of going through the full deletion cycle -- which went as long as 75 days -- names are being transferred to new owners in 30 to 45 days.

Paul Twomey, chief executive of ICANN, says some people in the domain industry recently have raised concerns that the guidelines governing expired names are "being utilized in ways that were not originally intended." But Mr. Twomey says no one has proposed a formal change in policy to address the issue.

Ms. Orr's name, oak-lawn-real-estate.com, is one of those that was transferred before going through the full deletion process, says Jay Westerdal, who runs Name Intelligence Inc., a Bellevue, Wash., company that tracks the industry.

Tim Ruiz, vice president of domain services for GoDaddy, which transferred the name, says, "We make every attempt to give ample opportunity for registrants to renew." He says the company gives registrants 30 days to claim a name after it has expired.

If a corporation loses a domain name that it believes is copyrighted or trademarked, it can seek to recover the name by appealing to an arbitration panel under ICANN's dispute-resolution policy. It also could take the domain's new owner to court, though that can be more expensive.

Ms. Orr says she lost her site's name, which wasn't copyrighted or trademarked, because she made the mistake of relying on her Web-hosting company to keep track of her registration. She says she didn't see renewal notices from GoDaddy because it had an old email address for her. Ms. Orr plans to use another site -- oak-lawn-il.com -- to replace the one she lost.

Write to David Kesmodel at david.kesmodel@wsj.com

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