It appears that all the domain names have been taken - 90% of them by crappy domain name sitting companies. This really ticks me off because I have an idea for an Ajaxy Web 2.0 type site that will make me obscenely wealthy, until the next bubble bursts. Naturally I can't give out details of the site I have in mind, suffice to say it is on the subject of debating. So I would love to get a simple, catchy domain, that says debating, arguing, duscusion or similar. If anyone can suggest such a domain that isn't taken, I would be happy to give you 100 shares when I float on the stock market. And if you are thinking of reserving said domain name and selling it to me, be aware that I have no money - at least until I get venture capital.
To get you started, here are some good domains that are taken...
- loggerheads.com
- allinfavour.com
- debatesite.com
- debaters.com
I particularily like the last one, because visitors that did well on the side could be called master-debaters.
13 Responses to "The Domain Name Not Taken"
Shouldn't be too hard: notmoot.com sounds fun, for example.
Have you considered having numbers in the domain? Those are always available and not always hard for people to remember... plus the site is about web 2.0...
Maybe:
37debaters.com
7infavour.com
15loggerheads.com
etc
I hate people who sit on domains too... and I love how this numbers in domains fad ticks them off :D
Hi Will. Here's what I've come up with so far:
talkitoff.com (Maybe too risque)
debateforge.com
discussionforge.com
anvilofwords.com
anvilofdebate.com
wordwrought.com
debatewrought.com
discussionwrought.com
bornofwords.com
bornofdiscussion.com
bornofdebate.com
unchainedwords.com
unchaineddicussion.com
unchaineddebate.com
debatesetfree.com
discussionsetfree.com
debatefreely.com
discussfreely.com
This was actually a rather fun exercise. I agree that domain squatters can be annoying, but it's possible to work around them if you're creative enough. It's not too hard to find a nice name, because squatters generally aren't that imaginative.
http://www.discourse.com/
Don't forget about the cunning linguists ;)
I have had the same trouble. I, too, cannot reveal the nature of my site but I can as much as say that I started out hoping for "nowlines.com" and ended up settling on "wafiva.com", which I totally made up. I'm not sure how to pronounce it.
Some good ideas there, thanks people.
Robert, I like the word 'moot'. How about mootube? :-P
Joey, not sure I like numbers in domain names. Kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it? May as well just use IPs!
JRBJ, Great examples, but don't they dilute the concept? debate.com is infinitely better than debatefreely.com.
Christian, discourse.com is taken. And it sounds too much like intercourse.com.
Robin, tell me more of these 'cunning linguists'. Are they also 'master debaters'?
Calvin, wah-fee-vah? Good luck with your site.
I think I may be suffering from analysis paralysis again... :-(
Will, I agree that those names do dilute the concept a bit.
But, I don't think a focused name matters that that much, especially for a Web 2.0 venture. I'm noticing that there's a trend in Web 2.0 startups to embrace limitations and constraints. It seems to be part of the culture.
Being forced into a quirky name can actually be a blessing. Many of these companies are able to use their name to stand out from older established and less agile companies. (Then there's the phenomena of all these Web 2.0 companies sounding alike, but that's another topic.)
Regarding analysis paralysis: Don't get hung up on coming up with the perfect name. You can always change it later (one of the original names for reddit.com was Bread Pig). If your product is good enough, most people won't care what it's called.
Well, I think numbers in domain names is a bit easier than memorizing IPs - but yeah, it is better without them in general.
Have you considered going with a domain other than .com?
debatethings.com
rebut.it
webuttal.com (hehe)
yeavsnay.com
@joey: if you're going to use numbers at least have a reason behind the numbers. 30boxes, 37signals, 43folders, etc. are all contextual references, not just random choices.
7infavor makes just as much sense as 37signals "contextually." Or would you prefer that there were 37 people in favor rather than 7?
While 30boxes and 43folders are in context, I guess you could say 37signals isn't. But it has a STORY behind it. What's the story behind 7 people in favor? Is there a reason for 7, or could it be any arbitrary number? All I'm saying is that, when creating a brand, there should be a story, a reason behind the names you decide on.
OK. I got it. I have reserved becontrary.com :-)