In most of my articles, as well as most pages of my web site, I
keep telling people that the internet is changing and evolving
constantly. One of my favorite ways of putting this is that the
only thing NOT changing with internet is that the internet is
changing constantly. And this is especially important for an
online entrepreneur.
I am not going to get in too many details about this in
particular. This article is here to warn and inform you about a
relatively new trend.
What in the world am I talking about?
Have you lately clicked on a link and ended up on a website
looking like a directory or a mini-search engine which
definitely had nothing to do with what you expected to see? And
you start clicking on links hopping that the webmaster just had
a bad day when he/she designed his/her website. But it doesn’t
really take you too long to realize that what you are seeing is
nothing but a directory of “sponsored results”. So what is going
on?
This is a result of probably the latest gimmick in making money
online. Believe it or not there are people “stealing” popular
domain names. And then use them as their own money making
machines. Whoever came up with this idea in the first place is
absolutely a millionaire by now. Lately, though, more and more
people started using this “opportunity”. So, I believe it’s fair
to say that the level of income per person has gone down a
little bit. On the other hand more and more of those who spend a
noticeable amount of time on the internet know what’s going on.
But not to worry, there’s still plenty in the un-know about
this, so it will be a little while before we can talk about
saturation.
But let me go back to explaining the mechanism. There is one
site (actually, by now probably more than one) that lists the
most popular domain names - high ranking with search engines,
thousands of visitors a month etc. - together with the date they
expire. And all of its members have access to this list.
And this is where I wanted to get. Are you the owner of a
popular domain name? Do you know when it expires? Have you
renewed it yet? If the answers are Yes-No-No, then you might be
the next victim. One of the members of the above mentioned site
might be up for stealing your domain name. Once they do that,
they set up a PPC directory/search engine and the money kind of
start rolling in. The person benefits from all the traffic your
site (actually it is not yours anymore) gets from search
engines, affiliates, links from other sites, etc.
But how is it possible for someone else to steal your domain
name? Well, apparently, there is a grace period of 40 days in
which you can still renew your domain name. If you haven’t done
so in this period, there still are about 35 days before it
becomes available to others. How and who is the one that will
eventually get his/her hands on your domain name is a different
story. It’s a different battle that is not the topic of this
article. One thing is for sure though: all those hoping to get
your domain names place back orders on it even before it
expires. And if for some reason - it is quite hard for me to
imagine that someone would not claim back their domain within
the grace period, but, believe me or not, it has happened with
some of the most notorious websites - so if for some reason you
haven’t renewed your domain name within the grace period, off it
goes! You lost a whole bunch of hours and money spent on making
your web site a success.
Is it right what these people do? It seems that from a strict
legal point of view, there are no regulations against such
practices and chances are there will never be any. I personally
believe it is not a fair practice. But it is something it
happens. So make sure you renew your domain name on time, before
someone else steals it from you.
In 2002, a new top level domain extension called .info became available for people to register with no restrictions. This new domain option opened a whole new avenue for individuals who lost out in the .com registration process and had their desired name already taken by someone else. According to a press release issued by the Afilias, an organization that provides global registry services for the .info extension, .info has recently surpassed 1,000,000 registrations since it’s inception just over a year ago. The movement of the .info domain into the mainstream has been illustrated by companies using the extension for ad campaigns and by individuals using the domain for personal use. These individuals, often looking for a more fitting .com alternative, are also using the easy-to-remember .info names.
A more than fitting illustration of the .info creative versatility is Jeremy Robinson, who is using a .info domain name to break into the acting industry and one day fulfill his dream of acting on Broadway. As an actor, Jeremy has made numerous acting appearances in theater including West Side Story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Godspell, and Fiddler on the Roof. He has firsthand experience knowing that a .info domain name has the power to be an effective marketing tool when used in the right way.
I asked Jeremy Robinson a few questions about his new .info domain name. Here is what he had to say:
Shaun Cronrath: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Jeremy Robinson: I have many years experience in the acting industry mostly involving theatre. I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from The Hartt School, a music conservatory in Hartford Connecticut . I am currently living in the New York City area to pursue my acting career, and I guess you’d call me a starving artist, going back and forth to auditions, waiting for that “big break”. I aspire to be on Broadway one day so I can experience my passion for acting.
Shaun Cronrath: Can you tell us about your domain name?
Jeremy Robinson: My domain name is JeremyRobinson.info. I use my .info domain name on my resume and as an electronic portfolio so agency’s and casting departments can contact me, learn about my acting talent, and view my headshots. JeremyRobinson.info enables me to give 24/7 access to casting departments who are looking for the acting talent and image that I possess.
Shaun Cronrath: How did you think of this idea?
Jeremy Robinson: I didn’t really think of using a domain name and web site as a way to promote my acting career until I came across DomainPurpose.com. They gave me the idea to use a domain name as a tool to further my acting career. DomainPurpose.com inspired me to put my passion for acting on the Internet in the form of a web site and share my talents with an online audience.
Shaun Cronrath: Can you share with us any obstacles you overcame while registering your domain?
Jeremy Robinson: Being that .com is the most popular and most known domain name extension, I originally wanted to register JeremyRobinson.com, but it wasn’t available. When my first domain search returned the disappointing news, I had to figure a way to keep my full name and brand intact. After learning more about what .info had to offer, I chose the best alternative to .com and registered a .info domain.
Shaun Cronrath: When did you realize that promoting your acting career via a .info domain could turn into a successful marketing tool?
Jeremy Robinson: I realized that using a .info domain would be an effective marketing tool when I started to understand the meaning behind the domain extension. I didn’t want casting departments and other people to think I was trying to sell myself to them, so using .info gives the impression I’m looking to give. So now when I give my web address out to casting departments they know that JeremyRobinson.info is the place to go to find out more information about me and my acting talents.
Shaun Cronrath: As a successful .info domain name owner, do you have any words of advice for others who are thinking about using a .info domain name as a marketing tool to help promote themselves?
Jeremy Robinson: A .info domain name is the perfect domain extension for people who want to find information about you and what you have to offer. Don’t get discouraged if your .com name is already registered. Instead of being discouraged, rework your domain strategy by using the next best thing, a .info domain! It worked for me!
Shaun Cronrath is the President & CEO of DomainPurpose.com, a domain name registration company offering all the major domain extensions –.com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .name, .ca, .us, .cn, .eu, .de, .pro and more.
Domain Dispute is no longer news unless a Madonna or Julia Roberts type of celebrity gets involved. However, greater now than ever is the risk for domain registrants to lose their domain names when they get involved in a domain dispute. The risk is originated from the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (the Policy) approved by ICANN and the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) passed by U.S. Congress. The direct risk comes from reverse domain hijackers, biased panelists, and the unprepared registrants themselves.
Innocent registrants are prone to ignoring measures to protect their domain names. They tend to think they are safe and would win even if some party would complain to WIPO-the worst arbitration organization for innocent registrants. Thus, they often do not take steps to protect their domain names. As a consequence, they are likely to lose their domain name(s) in a domain dispute. Preparation both BEFORE and AFTER you receive a complaint is equally important. Generic domain names are no exception. Net-firms.com (usid.com received a complaint from netfirms.com) and netlearning.com (the registrant received a complaint from NetLearning, Inc.) are just two examples proving how easy it is for a common word domain name to get hijacked.
The following suggestions may be useful when preparing yourself for a potential battle for your domain name(s).
1) Make sure your domain record, including the ownership and administrative contact information, is complete, correct, and current. If it is incorrect, the panelists will take it as evidence against you. Therefore, check your domain record often to see if any change is made without your authorization.
2) Write down your idea or business plan about what you would use your domain for and get it notarized.
3) If possible, register your domain name, i.e., yourdomainname.com, as a trademark with the trademark authority in your country. If you registered your domain name as a trademark successfully, it is to your advantage. Once you establish your rights to your domain name(s), your domain name is entitled to legal protection even if it is stolen.
4) If you start up a business, register and or use your domain name as your business name, if possible. Use your domain name with the TM sign on your letterhead, envelope, business card, or wherever possible. When you design your web site, make sure to put the TM sign with your domain name. Print a copy and have it notarized by a local Notary Public. If your site is designed by others, make sure to get a certificate that shows your domain name on it.
5) When you do advertising, make sure your domain name shows up in the ad. If you do online advertising, even with goto.com, print a copy of your link ad that is properly dated. Keep a copy of that ad and all communications between you and your ad service provider as evidence.
6) If you are not planning to use your domain name in the near future, register it as an intent-to-use trademark with your trademark authority. For coveted domain names, i.e., mostly single worded and popular, yet generic names, you may not be able to get them registered as a trademark. For those domain names, use them as soon as possible for any legitimate purpose, such as for business, non-profit, or even a personal or fun activity.
7) When using a domain name, try to use a fee-based web hosting service that would enhance the impression of seriousness of your business. Free web hosting is costly because it will harm your business in various ways.
Never merely put simple links on the pages and never link your domain to porn sites. By doing so, you will be doomed if you come across some self-authorized or puritan panelists.
9) If you consider selling your domain, do not sell it until you establish your rights to it. When you receive any offer to purchase your domain name, do not answer unless you know who the person is. The inquirer may be a spy. Again, talk to a lawyer if possible before you do anything.
10) When challenged directly by a company or individual, you should never answer until you consult a legal professional. Any of your good-willed answers may be used as evidence against you later or help your challenger to shape a plan against you. Do not put out a web site for your domain in a hurry as a response to the challenge you receive. Such an action may prompt some panelists to believe you have done some thing wrong.
11) When you receive a complaint from WIPO, you should RESPOND if you want to defend your domain name(s). Many panelists would treat you lightly and rule in favor of the complainant if you fail to respond. If your domain name is critically important and you are well financed, hire a COMPETENT lawyer! The fee can be anywhere between $1500 and $5000 per response. Or, some lawyers will charge on an hourly basis, usually between $200 and $500 per hour. Do some searching and ask for references when you choose a lawyer. Furthermore, you should consider paying $1500 to have a three-panelist panel. With WIPO, you are likely to lose if only one panelist is assigned to your case. When you request three panelists, you have the right to designate one panelist for the dispute panel. By carefully choosing a registrant-friendly panelist, you will increase your likelihood of winning.
12) If you lose at WIPO, you have 10 days to appeal to your local federal court or the court that has jurisdiction over the registrar. 13) If the challenger goes directly to court to sue you, you should file your response timely. Do not get scared because the plaintiff may do this simply as a tactic to scare you by the fact that a court action is more expensive than dispute arbitration. The most important thing is to establish your rights to your domain name. Keep any and all evidence that is indicative of your using your domain name for a legitimate activity. And finally, be careful to avoid the traps that would endanger your rights to your domain names.
The tips in this article are intended for reference only and should not be construed as legal advice.
About The Author
Dr. Peter Liu is a consultant to Marsgerm.com web hosting service at http://marsgerm.com. He runs http://www.domainmanual.com. Contact him at shopseek2@yahoo.com if you have any comment.
new@domainmanual.com
With the advent of the internet and the ease of which information can readily be downloaded and compiled you would think that more people would realize that the public domain is a source of wonderful wealth that can be tapped into for huge profits.
I have spent the last 4 years “discovering” little known secrets of this information that is readily available to those who know where to look. Or should I say “prospect”. That’s exactly what it is. It’s Mining. When you mine the internet, you are not mining little rocks in a quarry or dredging a cold river looking for that elusive nugget of gold. You are searching for the gold of the future, and of the past. Information becomes your ore. You now become an information prospector. A “Millennium-Age Gold Miner.”
The tools of your trade are much different today than in the days of old. Your “pick-axe” has evolved into your mouse, and your “gold pan” is your hard drive. Your computer is the dredge and your internet connection is your “claim”. In the old days when a prospector found gold he would drive a stake in the ground and this would become his claim. You are doing the same thing when you sign the contract for your internet connection. You are staking a claim to the largest source of wealth in the world. Public Domain Information.
You transcend the boundaries of the physical world by entering a realm in which it is possible to find riches in the deepest recesses and crevices of the web. The public domain is the undiscovered country of the information age. It’s mysteries are deep as oceans and it’s knowledge as expansive as the universe. The public domain now becomes ultimate natural resource.
Information has always reigned king since the beginning of time. There are millions of us who know not the sheer power and value of the information that is freely available to anyone who knows where to look.
The new millennium, and the information-age is very much like the GoldRush of 1849 in which hundreds of thousands of people rushed westward in a stampede of gold seeking pioneers. Some were young, some old, some in between, but all sought a common goal. Gold. Only this time it is different, the gold we seek in this age is information, and it’s not mere thousands, but hundreds of millions people who are on this new quest blazing new trails and forging great new paths to wealth.
Information is abundant and widely available. You can mine this gold at anytime, from any place in the world. You do not have to travel vast distances facing the perils of the land to stake your claim. All you need is a computer and a connection to the web. From anywhere in the world you are able to seek out, find, download, and refine your treasure from the warm and cozy comfort of home.
Never before, in the history of man have you been able to procure such wealth so quickly. You are able to locate information on any subject in an instant, and your results are displayed before you faster than you could have ever imagined.
Your “gold pan” quickly become full of the valuable information-ore. Each time you find a nugget it motivates you to find more. You become entranced with the new found riches and it almost becomes obsession. The desire to find more pulses through your veins like a hot drug, steadily increasing your craving for more. The more you find the more you want. It the realization becomes obvious that you have “Gold-Fever” and now you can’t stop searching for more information.
This is what the public domain is. It’s an internet goldmine chock full of free information ready for the taking.
Stake your claim!
Eric Wichman is founder of PD Times a public domain resources site specializing in free resources for web content and references for webmasters, researchers, marketers, and businesses alike. Be sure to tell your friends about this great new resource for businesses using the public domain.
ICANN accredited registar Secura is announcing today, that the company offers is-domains to persons and companies outside from Iceland.
The is-domains, which are the domains from Iceland, belong to the domains, which become more and more attractive.
The is-domains are specially interesting, because in English, “is” has a meaning. You could make a combination with files, which form sentences like http://www.tommy.is/at/home or http://www.tommy.is/superman.
ICANN accredited registrar Secura can register an is-domain at once, if the domain name is available.
Only companies from Iceland can register is-domains. A company from Iceland acts as trustee and is registering the domain for the customer. The company from Iceland confirms, that you have all rights at these is-domains.
About The Author
Hans-Peter Oswald
CEO
ICANN accredited Registrar Secura
https://www.domainregistry.de/is-domain.html
secura@domainregistry.de
Don’t Replace Letters With Numbers:
Don’t ever replace letters with numbers, this will only confuse people, and will damage how well you rank in the search engines (I’ll talk about how search engines play their part later in this article). For example, this website is called makeagreatsite.com, I could have replaced the letters “e a and t” with an 8, to look like this makeagr8site.com.
Although it might seem clever to do this, it’s actually quite the opposite.
Remember, people will talk about your site verbally (At least you want them to anyway), so if someone says “Hey I found this amazing website called makeagreatsite.com” their friend will type in makeagreatsite.com, they wont even think to use an 8. Therefore, you’ll get far less traffic (People) to your website than if you just spelt it correctly.
Use keywords:
Ok this section will be quite long because there is a lot to explain.
The short version is to put words that your visitor are likely to search for to find your website, in your domain name.
That sounds easy and it is, but ONLY if you know where to start. Simply guess what your visitors are likely to search for is a good start, but unlikely to get you much success.
I recommend you use overture’s search term suggestion tool.
What you do is type in a word that is related to your site, so for this site it might be “website”, then it will come up with a large list of keywords that people typed into search engines, relating to the keyword “website”.
Not only that, but it also shows how many people typed in each specific keyword.
More often than not, you can’t just use the top few keywords in the list as a domain name, they are normally already taken. So you’ll have to use your imagination.
Look at the top few keywords and copy and paste them into google, see how many website’s have that search term. If it comes up with more than 1 million results, you’re probably going to have a hard time competing with the other sites to get to the top. If this is the case, try a few keywords down and see what you come up with.
Use Geo-Targeted Keywords:
This sound complicated, but it’s not at all. A geo-targeted keyword is a keyword related to a specific area. For example london-repairs.com would be an excellent example of a geo-targeted domain/keyword combination. If your audience is global then you wont need to do this, but if you’re only serving a specific area, then Geo-Targeted is for you.
An even better example of a good domain name for the above would be london-boiler-repairs.com if the website or business specialized in boiler repairs.
This is just to give you an idea of the possibilities, the more specific you are, the better.
Don’t Overuse Keywords:
It’s very important that you don’t overuse keywords in your domain name, for example london-boiler-radiator-plumbing-electrical-repairs.com
contains many great keywords, but it’s far too specific and very long to type in and probably very difficult to remember.
The shorter it is, the easier it is to remember and type in, 4 words maximum, even that’s pushing it a bit.
Make It Catchy:
That’s about all you need to know for usability and keywords, now you need to mix that all together and think of something catchy. For example, my site is called makeagreatsite.com, it’s descriptive and does exactly what it says, not only that but it’s got a few keywords in there too. It’s hard to give advice on being catchy as this will vary from industry to industry. It’s probably a good idea to get a notepad, write all your top keywords down, then right a bunch of descriptive words and words related to your website. Then you can just randomly pick a few words and see what you come up with.
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Stephen Warren is the creator of http://www.makeagreatsite.com. This article is free to republish as long as it is republished in full and the link back to MakeAGreatSite.com is clickable |
Content is King If you provide great content online users will
make sure that they can find your website. You can create a
domain with hyphens, longer phrases and words. You don’t want to
use the 67 character maximum allowed for domain names, but 15
plus characters is totally acceptable.
To make your domain name memorable, it should be a short phrase
that describes your website, your products or your particular
area of expertise. If you provide reliable, accurate
information, web users can use bookmarks or type the phrase
directly into a search engine to get back to your site. This
means that you will have to really focus on getting your domain
name listed on as many search engines and directories as
possible.
The other advantage to creating a domain name for an
informational site is that most surfers search by typing in
phrases and entire sentences into the search engines. A domain
name that uses all of the words of a small phrase or sentence
will easily filter to the top of the listing and keep your
customers coming back.
Hot tip: If you don’t trust the engines to help your customers
find you on a regular basis, make it easy for anyone to bookmark
your site with a reminder button on your home page.
When it comes to selection of a domain name, people are often inundated with several questions. One of the most important of them is which extension should I choose - dot-com or dot-net or dot-biz?
There are circumstances when you will think it is fit to register more than one extension. This article is aimed at helping you to make the right decision.
A common problem is that people usually type in .com all the time on net and land up on various other sites. This could be troublesome both for the business and the customer.
When you select a domain name, you are always given a list of different extensions to choose from. These extensions can help specify the type of products or services you are offering online or your geographical location.
To begin this article, I am giving some basic definitions of the extensions you can choose from:
* .com signifies “commercial”. It is the most well-known extension and preferred by all commercial enterprises. The acute scarcity of unforgettable .com domain names has led to creation of several other extensions.
* .net signifies “network”. It is generally used by internet service providers, web hosting companies, or other firms related to network or internet services.
* .org signifies “organization”. It is commonly used by non-commercial web sites. But, at present, many businesses register their matching .org extension to their .com domain names.
* .biz signifies “business”. It is used for business web sites. There are more chances of you getting this extension because of its low current penetration.
* .info signifies “information”. It is generally used for information sharing web sites. This too like .biz is gradually growing in popularity and there is more likelihood of you getting it.
Your first aim should be to get a perfect domain name for your business. Once you have done that you should then consider registering other extensions for the same domain name.
It is up to you to decide which extensions are most relevant for your business. It depends a lot on your customer base, range of products/services, and also your brand image.
You should always use domain forwarding service to redirect visitors from your other domains to your primary domain. This is quite essential since visitors may get confused about your web site address and may reach your competitor’s web site. For example, you domain name is home-appliances.net and your potential customers may reach home-appliances.com, which is your competitor.
Prevention is always better than cure. So, instead of buying a rival domain name from someone (at a high cost), it is always preferable to register that domain name yourself (at a low cost).
We find that name protection and greater coverage are the two key forces driving the need for registering more than one domain name. The accessibility of the site increases by registering more than one extension for a domain name.
There are other advantages of multiple domain name registration. It helps in creating a demand for similar domain names due to people realizing that so many domain names are available related to the primary one.
But some observers in the industry have a different viewpoint. They think that having more than one domain extension is very confusing for the visitors to these sites.
In conclusion, I would like to say that your primary target should be .com and thereafter, find out the relevant extensions for your business and try to register them also. I recommend you to register all relevant extensions so as to guarantee maximum coverage and minimum misguided competition.
Copyright © Active-Domain.com’s domain registration (www.active-domain.com) service. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted freely as long as an active link is maintained to www.active-domain.com
The domain name registration process can be confusing to first time buyers. There are a number of terms to worry about. Hopefully, with the information below, you’ll be able to successfully register domain names while avoiding the pain that can sometimes come from the domain registration process.
What the heck is a nameserver anyway? Nameservers refer to a service that runs on servers belonging to a web hosting company that hosts the account that the domain name will point to. Every domain name on the internet must point to an IP address but each IP address can have multiple domain names on it thanks to shared hosting. Entering the nameservers of the hosting company you have for the domain name you are registering lets the big DNS nameservers on the internet know where to find the hosting account for the domain name in question. Without this service, it would be impossible for any computer to find any web page. This is all usually done very quickly – in a fraction of a second.
Whois information is another thing to get knowledgeable about. Whois refers to the owner of the domain name. This information is provided by you when you register a domain name. This information in turn is offered to anyone who cares to search for it. For this reason, it is important to consider privacy issues when entering your information for a domain name. It is not advisable to falsify domain name information. At the same time, you may use the most generic information you can when entering your domain. If you have a work address and home address, use the work address. If you have a post office box number and a street address, include the post office box number only.
How many years should you consider registering your domain name? I would argue that it depends what you are going to use the domain for. If it is your business name and you intend to be in business for at least the next five years, I would register it for five years. That way, you don’t have to worry about it for a long time. In fact, you can register domain names for up to ten years. If you register your domain for that long, you won’t have to worry about it for a decade. Maintenance and stress free.
Make sure you lock your domain. After you’ve registered your domain name, log into the control panel for your domain name and confirm that it is locked. What does locking do for you? It prevents anyone from transferring your domain name to another registrar without your authorization. Most registrars require you to approve the transfer by clicking on a link but some registrars may simply allow the transfer if you don’t expressly forbid it. Miss an email and you could lose your domain name. Don’t take a chance. Lock your domain name right away.

Joe Duchesne is the webmaster for Yowling.com which provides domain name registration services along with business web hosting and a web site builder. Reprint freely as long as the live keyword link in this article points to our website.
So who is The Domain Jerk?
I am a lazy jerk that does not like to waste time at all. I never wanted to work and felt that I should never have a real job and that I should just be successful on the internet. It took a while to realize that if you are going to be successful on the internet that you need to conserve money on the smallest things. And by smallest things I mean small things like a domain name. Domain names are one of the most important things that you need on a successful website. It has to be a catchy domain name and why not purchase it for cheap? That is the reason why I created this website. Although I don’t think anyone deserves my help, I figured that I should create a website where you can purchase domain names for the best prices on the internet.
Why use The Domain Jerk?
The answer to that is easy. Why waste time searching around the web for that perfect website that has the best deals on hosting and domain purchasing. This website is easy to navigate and gives you all the information needed to purchase from the right website. I have personally searched for days looking for the websites with the overall best pricing and best service available. I expect only the best; therefore I only look for the best. I would not recommend a website that was not worth a second of my time. Also did I mention that not only did I set up this website to give you the best websites around for purchasing hosting and domains, but also you can easily qualify for rebates? Just think, your not wasting time looking for the best website, and when you do find the best website, you get money back. I am not talking about a small rebate either. I am talking about $15, $25 and in some cases even $40 rebated to you. How does that sound? Also ask your self one more question, how many other websites will give you a rebate for buying their hosting? The answer is probably none.
What will I get out of The Domain Jerk?
I know what I am doing when it comes to successful website building, I have made lots of successful websites, and I barely have to work for it. Making money on the internet can be an easy task, if you learn to not spend that much money. This website helps you save as much money as possible when it comes to buying from the right websites. Not only do you save money, but you also get a little back from the rebates that I offer to you.
What are you waiting for?
If you want to be successful don’t waste any more of my time. This website can’t guarantee your success, but it sure can help you out. I’ve got all the info that you need. Now the question is are you willing to work hard for all that success and that bank account full of money? If you don’t start now then the answer to that question for you is that you’re too afraid to be successful and that you’ll never be in my shoes. From here on the road ahead is up to you. Either way, I won’t be affected.
The Domain Jerk


