Domain name rant continued :-)

Please excuse these long posts. I hope that they will help other small businesses in some way. Maybe you can use our trials and tribs to learn what to do or….not to do.  

Last time I posted here I was ranting and raving about the fact that I discovered some obscure website had our loooong domain name.  I was not able to purchase it after the local website designer let it expire & someone else came in the “back door” and purchased it.

I am still royally pissed off that this stuff is legally allowed to occur…if it is legal!!! Our name is associated with a random page with Thai language on the side. I copied some of the Thai and translated it over a site online. It took me to a facebook page of some young man (assuming Thailand) with horrid photos of abused dogs, some skinned alive.

A couple of friends taught me about the “whois” links to find out who owns our domain name and the expiration date…...
Terry McDermot   
Wild West Domains, Wild West Domains dns@wildwestdomains.com
Wild West Domains
14455 N Hayden Rd Suite 219
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
+1.4805058800 Fax -- +1.4805058844  

 I chatted w/Intuit rep-  How can I get ownership when it expires soon? He said:  domain name was purchased through GoDaddy.  I had to contact them & to relay details.

Chatted w/GoDaddy rep explaining in detail the situation. 

Some of the information gained:

• Wild West Domains LLC owned it
• Once domains expire it can take up to 90 days to be released by the Registry in order to be able to register the domain again. So you wouldn't be able to get it back right away. 
• You can try and see if the current registrant will sell it to you, 
• otherwise you can attempt to capture it with a backorder or wait until it is released a register it again.

His suggestion: use the backorder option. I created a GoDaddy account. OLR paid $20.98 to backorder our domain name. It will be monitored and we’ll be alerted if there's any other buyers. If not, we'll buy it for $20.98  OR if so,  get into a bidding war via domain auction. Hopefully no one will want it. (side note: if you ever need to actually speak to someone at GoDaddy, there isn’t a toll free # & the wait was 18 minutes when I tried...  did the online chat instead)        Please WISH US LUCK with this!

I became more curious. Obviously Wild West Domains LLC’s business is buying expired domain names and “holding them for ransom” to sell to the actual business or person that created it. I did some more research. I wondered if I should add WildWestDomains.com on my backorder list and buy that too OR what if I just kept the bidding going to get the SOB to have to pay a tidy sum for it?  Revenge……  fun to think about. ;~)  

As I researched, I began to connect the dots. Something  “smelled rotten in Denmark"…or Arizona this time.  Go Daddy is located in Arizona. Wild West Domain is located in Arizona….same area code too. hmmmmmmmm    

Then I found this article from 2008:

http://domainnamewire.com/2008/12/03/standard-tactics-llc-how-godaddy-profits-from-expired-domains/

I do believe I hit on something. Now what to do with this? (Maybe we should all backorder the domain name GoDaddy.com and make them pay big $$$ thru the auction process. ) Seriously though, I’m wondering if there is some agency out there that I should report this too. Nothing like wasting time on this when there is soooo much to do otherwise but this is just not right!

What do you think?  Would love to see the comments here on the blog!!!

Pissed off and had to vent….

Recently,  I said that I was now going to use this blog to chronicle the trials and tribulations of being a small business owner plus the typical promo info.

This post is venting. I am P.O’d right now. Was on Intuit and typed in our looooong name of Old Linn Run Coffee Bean Roastery to see if it was available for the .com domain name. We do own several other versions. However, it is still unavailable. Out of curiosity I searched it to find some obscure website with another language written on it as well. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Now, let me explain why we did not own it to begin with. In the beginning stages of our existence the domain name was the least of our worries. Purchasing the names and having a website were a frivolous expense. We needed other items to get our business up and running. In fact, we still are not ready to get that website going but plan to in the near future. 

Fast forward to about a year or so after we began. The word was out, our business was getting a local following etc. I was still neglect in purchasing those domain names. A website designer inquired as to how our business was going etc……a bar conversation. He asked if we had a website. Reply: not yet, we are using facebook for now and can’t justify the cost ++    

(Background info: I am a do it yourself kind of gal and I had no intention of paying him to design a website. I planned on using Intuit or GoDaddy. I might also add that I am very protective of “our baby” and do not want someone else having control over this business unless we think it will be to our advantage. As a mother with a Mother Grizzly bear attitude of “Don’t mess with my cub!!”, this attitude also transfers to OLR.)

Back to the story, about a week later I bump into the website designer and he informs me that he bought our loooong name .com domain name and that he linked it to our facebook. After hearing my angry response, I was told that I had given permission. Remember the background info?? Not a chance!!! Plus Dave was there and insisted that did not happen.  Now on first thought you would say, “That was a nice gesture linking it to our facebook page.” However, this person is infamous for this and does so in an effort to get your business as a web designer/host.  I preceded to buy up as many other versions as possible. 

When the domain was due to renew I was alerted and told that I could get it transferred if I contacted him or I would have to wait it out til it was officially available again. Now, it is not available and belongs to some strange person/company with what appears to be Thai???                                      copied part of it,  Ex: หยุดเคร่งเครียดติวคณิตศาสตร์เกี่ยวกับกระดาษคณิตศาสตร์

I am so pissed off I cannot express it!!! Now what? I’ve read about hacking and theft of websites and domain names. This is ridiculous that you have to be fearful to the point of purchasing domain names for your new business almost before you’ve done anything else. There isn't much you can do but hope that your customers find you. Fortunately,  unless you search the entire name with the .com on it the  search is routed to us…. I hope.

Anyone else have this type of bullshit happen to them?  I would love to hear from you!

What’s Saint Patrick’s Day without Irish Coffee?

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day blessings to all!

Irish Coffee recipe

Ingredients
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee  Old Linn Run coffee, of course! 
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 jigger Irish whiskey (1 1/2 ounces or 3 tablespoons)
Heavy cream, slightly whipped
Directions
Fill footed mug or a mug with hot water to preheat it, then empty. Pour piping hot coffee into warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full. Add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Blend in Irish whiskey. Top with a collar of the whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over back of spoon. Serve hot.

Tips for the Perfect Irish Coffee

The taste of a cozy winter - Irish Coffee

• Heat your glass, it stops your drink from going cold!
• Make sure the sugar is well dissolved in the coffee – check the bottom of the glass for granules
• One measure of whiskey is plenty – but make it an Irish measure!
• Be gentle with the cream. A light whip is all you need to layer it on top
• Pour the cream over the back of the spoon (yes, we noticed Gareth used the front, but he’s a pro!)
• Top off with a little sprinkle of chocolate

Take a little sip and enjoy!

Getting ahead of ourselves. ;~)

Like the looks of this bottle! ;~)
Coffee Stout? 

Roasting away!

Dave just finished roasting for orders and samples. 

Our favorite destination for one order…. to Jansen and his troop in Afghanistan. Got word from his mother that this may be the last to be sent there. He will be coming home soon.  
To quote Cathy: "this is it for Jansen he will be heading home the end of april beginning of may so this should cover him.  Though he told me the last batch went quickly because they have been doing 22 hour days and coffee is a good thing.”  Good news for Jansen’s family!  

We have very nice people donating to help with the coffee shipments to Jansen. We wanted to thank you, if you are reading this. Now the next question is, should we try to continue to send to Jansen’s Special Ops troop even though he won’t be there anymore? The rest of the troop still will be “doing 22 hour days”. What do you think? I’m wondering how we could do this. Anyone interested in continuing the “Adopt Jansen’s Troop” with or without Jansen? Please let me know.


We are taking samples to a couple businesses in Pittsburgh if everything works out connecting. There is a new cafe opening, a catering business plus a small microbrewery that wants to try our coffee in their recipes. Will keep you posted. 

Also, have word from Matt and Laurel Highlands Meadery. The batch using our coffee “is going good just ageing now. Will taste and sweeten in 2 weeks and should be good by the end of April.”  We hope to have a taste!!  http://www.laurelhighlandsmeadery.com/