For the record, my full name is Kenneth Judah Freed. I've written as a journalist since 1976 under the name "Ken Freed." So, why do I use KF.com as my domain name?
The domain "KenFreed.com" belongs to the realtor Ken Freed in Bonnie Lake, Washington. I found on Google lots of other good people in the U.S. named "Ken Freed." Those who could have registered the "kenfreed.com" domain name include a former Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent who now teaches college in Ohio (people used to think I was him, but I doubt if he's ever been mistaken for me), a public schools superintendent in the Midwest, a public schools teacher in the Southwest, a nationally renown symphony musician and conductor, a prominent art collector and curator in Boston, a visual artist in Michigan, a digital video engineer with a leading electronics company, a street lighting engineer associated with the Dark Skies initiative (he actually knows my sister, an urban designer), a financial services executive in California, a Civil War buff in Pennsylvania, and an obscure namesake who's apparently known within intelligence circles in Washington DC, whom I gather may be a CIA spook -- if he exists at all.
The realtor Ken Freed registered our shared name first as his .com domain, and I honor him for it. KF.com was the best I could do way back in 1996. Overall, I'm happy with my choice.
By the way, some folks now know me only by my middle and last name, Judah Freed, the name I'm using since I released my book, Global Sense (I've registered "JudahFreed.com"). I cannot find on Google anyone else named Judah Freed. It's a nice change to have a name that's unique.
Friday, September 01, 2006
A Two-Letter Domain
Owning a rare two-letter domain name (KF.com) means that I get offers to buy the domain fairly regularly. I suppose if someone offered more than a million dollars, I might consider selling it, but probably not. For all intents and purposes, the domain is not for sale at any price.
What I enjoy most is the absurd ways the offers come in. Apart from one email from the Knight Foundation, these offers generally come from people who never really identify themselves properly or clearly say why they want the domain. While some offers have been as high as five figures, the offers usually are laughably low (as little as $50). Perhaps they're hoping that I'm just too ignorant to realize the long-term value of any two-letter domain name.
Maybe the Internet market will crash. Maybe the world will go to hell in a handbasket. Barring calamities, however, as the worldwide Internet grows exponentially over the coming decades, I figure a two-letter domain name will become increasingly rare and valuable. Maybe I'm wrong about this trend. Maybe I'm foolish in imagining a positive future. But there you go. I'm going to wait and see what happens.
This blog will be a space where I can tell you about some of the fun and games of owning a sought-after domain name. This blog also will be a space where I can express my expertise as a media trade journalist to talk about the future of the Internet and such public issues as Internet governance and net neutrality.
What I enjoy most is the absurd ways the offers come in. Apart from one email from the Knight Foundation, these offers generally come from people who never really identify themselves properly or clearly say why they want the domain. While some offers have been as high as five figures, the offers usually are laughably low (as little as $50). Perhaps they're hoping that I'm just too ignorant to realize the long-term value of any two-letter domain name.
Maybe the Internet market will crash. Maybe the world will go to hell in a handbasket. Barring calamities, however, as the worldwide Internet grows exponentially over the coming decades, I figure a two-letter domain name will become increasingly rare and valuable. Maybe I'm wrong about this trend. Maybe I'm foolish in imagining a positive future. But there you go. I'm going to wait and see what happens.
This blog will be a space where I can tell you about some of the fun and games of owning a sought-after domain name. This blog also will be a space where I can express my expertise as a media trade journalist to talk about the future of the Internet and such public issues as Internet governance and net neutrality.
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