Power of .ME – Get Ready for 1st-Ever Public Auction

September 4, 2008; 03:07 AM

PODGORICA, Montenegro--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Later this month, the .ME Registry will commence auctions for its premium domain names. This means the general public will have an opportunity to secure sought-after .ME domain names. Beginning Sept. 25, there will be two auctions, one will be a live in-person auction and the other will be online. The live in-person auction will be held at the TRAFFIC Conference in New York City. Those unable to attend the event can participate remotely in the online auction.

The list of premium names for the LIVE AUCTION includes impressive domains such as:

• Love.Me
• Buy.Me
• Date.Me
• Meet.Me
• Ask.Me
• Show.Me

The list of premium names for the ONLINE AUCTION includes notable domains including:

• Kiss.Me
• Rent.Me
• Watch.Me
• Marry.Me
• Loan.Me
• Play.Me

“This is the public’s first shot at bidding on dot-ME’s extraordinary list of names,” said Predrag Lesic, the registry’s executive director. “We are bracing for a lively bidding process, given dot-ME has proven to be the Internet’s fastest debut seller ever, in terms of top-level domains available for registration.”

The .ME Registry already has more than 100,000 domain names registered. The record-setting volume was captured in a little more than two weeks after opening for live, real-time registrations by the general public and less than four months since launching the new registry.

The online .ME auctions will be handled by Moniker, a company known for conducting live domain auctions throughout the world and a company with a superb track record at past TRAFFIC conferences.

“Moniker is the premier provider when it comes to domain auction providers,” Lesic points out. “We think putting this all together at this year’s TRAFFIC conference is the right place, at the right time.”

In previously held Landrush auctions, names like Only.Me and Oglasi.Me (Serbian for “advertiser”) all went for more than $30,000. Other .ME domains went for even higher prices, including Insure.Me, which drew more than $68,000.

Information on first-ever Public .ME Auctions:

• The live in-person auction takes place at the TRAFFIC Conference Sept. 25^th from 3 p.m. ET through 6 p.m. ET. (Brooklyn Bridge Marriott, New York City, NY)
• To find out more about the TRAFFIC Conference, visit TargetedTraffic.com/NY_Show.
• The extended Online Auction is Thursday, Sept. 25 through Oct. 2.
• To find out more, visit Moniker .ME Premium Auction.

More than 100 registrars around the world currently offer .ME domains through their registration platform. A list of registrars offering .ME domains is available at www.Domain.ME.

About the .ME Registry:

.ME Registry (the d.b.a. of doMEn, d.o.o.) was chosen by the government of Montenegro to operate the new .ME domain name extension. .ME Registry partners include ME-net, GoDaddy.com and Afilias Limited. Me-Net is located in Montenegro and its principals have been leaders in the ICT sector in Montenegro, including the privatization of its largest ISP. GoDaddy.com is located in the USA and is the world’s largest domain name registrar and the largest paid hostname provider in the world, according to Netcraft Ltd. Afilias Limited is headquartered in Ireland and is a leading registry services provider, supporting more than 13 million domains worldwide.

Contacts:

.ME Registry
Robbie Birkner, 604-306-0680
[email protected]

Source: www.businesswire.com