Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello,

Let`s say you wanted a domain name like

www.thewidget.com

but it was taken

However, you don`t mind the following domain name

www.thewidgets.com

Do you think it is a good idea to take the one with the "s" at the end if
though the one without it is already taken? My initial thinking is that it is
not a good idea to be so close to another domain where one letter could
bring confusion, but I wanted to get your thoughts.

Thanks.

Probably not, as there will always be confusion.

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John Ahrens, President
John Ahrens, LLC

Unless there is an iron clad connection between your business / product and the domain name with an "s" ... no.

It can be easily argued that is the domain is used to confusing and mislead and thus could be taken away from you... especially if the domain without the "s" is trademarked or very well established.

~roland

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Web Design | Best Beef Jerky | ecommerce articles | Follow vwebworld on Twitter

I`ll add a vote in agreement with the prevailing thought: no...don`t do it.

Better to have some very different name, then build brand recognition. My favorite example is a site that focuses on solving problems involving Windows. That`s all they do, and they`re a function of O`Reilly Press.

The books that made them famous began with "Windows Annoyances." Instead of calling them "problems," they said these were the annoying inconveniences we have to put with in Windows, and how to fix them.

The Web site is www.annoyances.org.

Notice that it`s not a .com extension, but .org. It took me only 2 times to forever remember the correct URL. Why? Because when I go there, I always get help, always get answers, and always find out something I didn`t know. The name means almost nothing. The content is all I care about.

I would also say NO, don`t do it. There have been lawsuits about cyber squatters who by domains and hold them to make the rightful owner (or person who should own it) pay more. 

For instance...I purchase a domain name britneyspears.com.  What happens when Britney Spears wants the domain name as it’s her name? My name is clearly Gerald...do I have a right to the domain name britneyspears.com even though I buy it? Not in some cases.

Also, take for instance Microsoft.com there was a underground website called mikerosoft.com that supplied pirated software. What do you think happened to them when Microsoft found out about this domain name and what they were doing?

Say I ran a site called googles.com.  People will always remember google.com vs google.com as its name is out there and even though my site is totally different, people always leave off the S.

:)

 

That is just my two cents...I would go with a NO also.

 

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