Just hit my inbox;

Developers: Submit Your Mobile and Web Apps for use on Nokia Devices and Win $30,000

To have a qualified entry in this category, you will need to submit either:

* A WRT widget, submitted in the .WGZ format.
* A URL for your mobile-optimised website, along with any supporting screenshots and/or sitemap information that includes the optimisation logic, such as, whether it’s a mobile specific site (.mobi etc.) or browser optimisation with the same URL as the one for the desktop

Mobile and Tech kicking ass!

On twitter I follow JohnAByrne, Editor-in-Chief, BusinessWeek.com, Digital Journalism Advocate.

2 hours ago he reported this:

All 85 staffers at Portfolio magazine will be leaving Conde Nast due to its closure, writes BW’s Jon Fine. http://is.gd/cWUL

This is a mag I subscribed to eons ago as it was an exceptional show piece for artists and illustrators. I had a sketch published in one issue in the mid 80’s.

The cost of paper has gone up. The cost of printing ink has gone up. The cost of labor has gone up. The cost of retaining good talent and work team has gone up.

Meanwhile, readership was on the decline long before the recession for numerous magazines. PC World closed their Australian/New Zealand edition and office last fall. Several other magazines have either folded, cut out regional editions, or scaled back

Ten Major Newspapers That Will Fold Or Go Digital, An Update

Several newspapers have already folded. One analyst predicts 80% of daily papers will fold withing 18 months.

What this means to me is classified ads are going out as well. Seems like now, more than ever, is an ideal time to start building sites that are of directory type sites. Keeping them updated will also be necessary to ensure seasonal news and ads – push beach in the summer and snow ski in the winter.

It also looks like geo names are soon to be even more en-vogue. Something has to take the place of all that local, regional, and state news. Sure, the paper may end being an online edition. But some of these suckers are closing up shop PERIOD!

Just some food for thought to be learning or honing site skills. Know your market. An easy place to start is matches your personal interests with the locale you are in. If you have a favorite sport, past time, fishing spot, hunting story then share it. Start locally and broaden out.

It is hard as hell to learn something new and different.

Start out with and stick with what you know.

Looking at this morning’s headlines from various sources and found a couple of interesting bits of news involving domains.

Reallocation of Sunrise .info Domains

1,400 domains had never been awarded from the sunrise phase in 2001.

At the time, they had not cleared the challenge process or were subject to litigation.

I am anxious to see this list. This was the first time the sunrise period was used to allocate a gTLD.

Extremist Web sites are using U.S. host

This is exactly what does not need to be forefront at a time when internet security is being reviewed.

This just adds fuel to the fire. A recent discussion here and elsewhere condemned the proposed cybersecurity bill co-sponsored by Snowe and Rockefeller.

The fear was control of private internet space and loss of freedom.

Well, when you have headlines like this posted on MSNBC.com, it really strengthens their cause and their cry for further restrictions.

Domains are mentioned towards the end as a point to illustrate how quickly a site taken down can re-emerge using a different domain name.

The irony here is the bill proposed would grant tighter security yet at the same time how not to interfere with gathering intelligence by permitting the site to stay live.

Be sure not to glance over the Mumbai massacre and how the Pakistani authorities are pissed off at the Americans.

Lots of news to report going on in domaining and elsewhere.

Still in my taxes so here we go with some quick hits and quick picks:

NV.mobi is live

- The official mobile site of Nevada Commission on Tourism

Goggle warns go Mobile or Die

It was a warning to newspapers.

Domainers could get the Leading Role in a remake of The Wizard of Oz

Oh yeah, it was also a warning to domainers.

The Leading Role thing? I made that up.

All the nonsense I have been reading on the forums make me think of the Wizard of Oz Scarecrow singing -

If I Only Had a Brain

Save your dime is a older expression referring to pay phone calls costing a dime (10 cents).

The point was when someone was not there to get the call or if someone really didn’t care, then you didn’t waste your change making the call.

I wish that was the case this past week

I was contacted by someone who knew that I knew a great deal about medicine and I was an “insider” of healthcare. The person making the call had seen one of my domains I was selling and had one just like it and just as good.

How many times have we heard, I have one just like it, when we were growing up? I have to laugh here a minute. We train therapy dogs and freely donate our time to this. My wife and I started a reading program at a local elementary school. The children read to the dog. The point is to build confidence in reading, reading aloud, and reading with other people around. Kids lose all inhibitions when reading to a big fluffy dog. It also helps identify children who are introverted, speech problems, or just plain shy. The program has become so successful in the two years my wife has been doing this it is now written into the schools curriculum.

My wife tells me how much she loves it and the kids come in and exclaim, I have a dog just like that when they see Cotton. Cotton is a Labrador Retriever, white, and as the name implies very soft and fluffy. As the child goes on to describe their dog, suddenly their dog is smaller, bigger, white, red, blue eyes, shorter tail, shorter, taller and so on. By the time they get done they actually might have a Chihuahua or Great Dane.

The person who contacted me I do not know very well. The domain name they had was not just like mine but fit in the same specialty. I related to that person that without any direct marketing my fee was 10% of final sales price. They were in agreement with this if I sold it for more than they were asking. I had never encountered this before and told them that this applied to the entire sale. The other party disagreed. Their point was if they want XXXX and I get XXXXX then they would pay the comission on the amount over their asking price.

I attempted to explain that this is not how it works but was cut short by,

“I know how it works but I won’t agree to those terms. You should not get a commission on what I am asking but only what you make get above that. That is the incentive to work for your money. You work on commission.”

Hmm.

Any takers?

Some very nice names dropping on TDnam.

MetroLine.com Suberb 14 year old

$1,002 45 bids

1 day 3 hours

eVine.com $1,555 22 bids

9 Year old gem.

7 days 4 hours

Nearly a week ago, I mentioned the act of HostGator pulled the plug on the popular forum Mobility.mobi.

The reason given was because one individual made one complaint claiming that the site was responsible for his email spam.

I am not sure how much this has hurt HostGator financially in regards to members moving to a new host. Reputation wise, the cost can add up immeasurably in terms of any future business. Blogging about it is one thing. But with the viral microblogging services like Twitter any such news can spread like wild fire.

The posts on mobility.mobi added up to a total disdain for HostGator in fears that one complaint can shut down any site, or worst yet, take an entire server housing hundreds of sites off line. Someone(s) from host gator came onto the forum in attempts to quell the noise and offer an explanation. Ultimately it did not work and there seemed to be conflicting messages being sent. What seemed to further distance HostGator from the forum members is this person did not reveal their name or their position with HostGator. There was nothing to indicate that they were even in a position or qualified to handle an issue.

Credibility was rapidly being lost as well as customers.

When this happens, it is time to for someone to step in for damage control.

In this particular case that someone was CEO/Founder of HostGator, Brent Oxley.

In an effort to restore faith in his product and services, Brent came to introduce himself and offer his sincere apologies. I will post the letter in its entirety. I just want to say that for me, a HostGator user, it meant a great deal to see an admission of an error (”huge mistake”) and a effort to repair the damage done and to avert any other damage to HostGator’s name and reputation. It also showed that within the organization itself there appears to be levels of intervention and a chain of command in place with the matter ultimately ending up on Brent’s desk.

You don’t have to be a user or a fan of HostGator and its services offered to admit that this is a touch of class. And, it shows how powerful forums, blogging, and microblogging can be to a company’s bottom line. Not only did he come onto the forum to address its members but stuck around and stayed to answer specific concerns and questions by individual members.

We have just witness customer service at it’s finest.

I apologize for the lack of attention to the bloggingsphere.

But my efforts are going to be concentrated on my tax finalization.

My comments will be short and sweet (yeah, that would be a first) by commenting on what is already out there in circulation.

GoDaddy Gets Split Decision in Domain Dispute

I guess Daddy has a bone(r) to pick.

As posted on Twitter, does anyone else get the irony of GoDaddy taking to court someone infringing on their very own TM while ignoring the thousands (millions?) of TM squatting?

Senators Introduce Cybersecurity Overhaul Bill

Sens. Rockefeller and Snowe bring forward sweeping bill to revamp federal cybersecurity operations and establish better coordination with businesses.

Snoweing again.

The last time domainers saw this name creep into the spotlight was regarding cybersquatting.  Most of us know how other matters get swept into these bills as they are voted on. Look for this to be tacked on to be included as a threat to cybersecurity.

A panel of cable execs outline the challenges facing their industry in a brave new world.

Cutting the cord.

To those self pro-claimed experts out there that have yet come to grips with the fact that the mobile internet exists (the name Cindy Krum comes to mind) or that term is over-used, time to get a grip on reality. Perhaps you can join this group of Cable execs…er, future former cable execs?

Okay, enjoy.

Back to taxes.

Today, the largest tobacco tax increase goes into effect. The per-pack tax jumps from $0.39 to $1.01. Yes, that is per pack. I read that Texans will now be paying over $7.00 per pack. I quit smoking 4 years ago, this time I think for good. I know how tough it is to quit so to all who have that will, I wish you the best. I am always amazed that even in times of need or desperation a person can still afford a drink and a smoke. They may starve to death, but at least they won’t go sober or smoke free.

Also, as of today, the Conficker Worm is supposed to return to it’s roost after having robbed you computer of every thing and await on further instructions. The quickest way to tell if you have it is to type the address of one of the popular anti-virus sites, like Symantec.com. If the page does not resolve, you may have the worm. It has been instructed not to open those sites as a means of self preservation.

The government is going to back my auto warranty. Does that mean that, for the most part, the service will get better and I won’t be overcharged? Yeah, I thought so.

Speaking of autos, I read that Ford will cover your car payment if you lose your job. Restrictions apply: they will only cover up to $700.00 a month. I did not know Ford made anything worthy of a $700.00 vehicle payment. Apparently the rest of the US feels the same way.

None of the above is an April Fool’s Joke.

I’m ready to be humored.