Penguin Search Engine Services, Inc. Registers EggRecall.com

Well, only time will tell, but a few days back, Penguin Search Engine Services, Inc. obtained the domain name eggrecall.com through a back order/auction at SnapNames. It's in development with WhyPark. At the time of this writing, however, I am experiencing a very frustrating situation with a technical issue (I won't go into detail here, yet, but if you don't see a WhyPark site, know that this is being worked on).

As a company, we largely hand register what we hope to be some "forward looking" names; these are names that are keyword rich and are most all intended for resale or development.


When the news about this massive egg recall first broke, we began the standard drill of investigating possible domain names. I was quite surprised to learn that the domain name was in pending delete status. At that time, I came across a post by dotweekly.com in which Jamie Zoch, who was, by the way, interviewed by Chef Patrick. In his post, Jamie posed the question: "What are the chances that one of the largest egg recall is taking place and the matching keyword domain name EggRecall.com is in PendingDelete status? 100% right now!"

We were wondering the same thing.

Now, mind you, as I said, Penguin Search Engine Services is not usually involved in buying aftermarket names, let alone trying to get them on back order. So, with the odds against us, I did some research into the back order process. To many of you, I 'm sure this is old hat.

What I learned was that our best shot was to go with SnapNames, since they apparently have a strong relationship with Moniker. Not sure where I first found this out (assuming it's true), but in attempting to verify just now, I again found help from Jamie, who stated: "All expired Moniker domains go to SnapNames.com to be auctioned first and if the domain doesn’t get any bids, it would then later hit the PendingDelete list." [They say 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.']

So, into the forest I go. First time with an attempt to back order. I could go through the process, but I'll spare the details. Suffice it to say that I kept a pad beside my laptop and tried to capture adjectives that described the experience. And, [not that I'm promoting Jamie, but he was the only person I found who was covering eggrecall.com/btw, I do not know him], come to find out, after we got the name, Jamie had been following the progress.

What surprised me were a few comments on dotweekly's blog about how this name might just be a wash when the headlines fade. We take a rather different approach, with an eye to more of how the business community might see things. For easy reference, I'm posting part of my response here:

[comment begins]
One thing to remember, in cases like this, is that while news will taper off, there have been *thousands* of people who have gotten sick, so far. And, guess who's lining up to make hay? Lawyers… personal injury lawyers to be precise. And these sick people don't forget…

Basic business economics would dictate that it takes only a very small percentage of sick people who sue to make a substantial amount of money in the suit, and to make a good chunk for their lawyers.

In Texas, one law firm sent a press release that they were the first to file first. According to the article, the firm plans 50 more suits.

When the story began to break, in the news, ABC news devoted more than 4 minutes to the topic; usually a story will get 1.5 – 3.0 minutes…

Pretty soon, the big guns came out. Marler is big in the biz. For now, search traffic for the egg recall has skyrocketed.Compare that with the issues of peanut butter recall — and you see the scope.
[comment ends]

By the way, for those who missed another "recall name" registration that flew right under the radar, for the most part, you might want to check out Andrew Allemann's posts — this one is the second, but it "backs into" the first. After all, there were two major peanut butter recall's within two years. So, here's where we're looking strategically. I did register the other major extensions, with the idea that there may be either another recall down the line. It seems like they're recalling everything, except beer, at least for the moment.

O.k., I'm rambling a bit. But it's refreshing to be able to write without the constraints of either a client (AP Style), or  Ph.D. coursework (MLA, or other styles). I did attempt the degree, and got halfway through, but reality set in. Don't miss worrying about any of that.

It's getting late; I'm still trying to troubleshoot the tech issue I mentioned earlier. So, will sign off...

Tim