[LINK] Fwd: [WEB4LIB] Re: Chemistry website content change

Linda Rouse linda@databasics.com.au
Fri, 17 Aug 2001 11:19:50 +1000


Linkers
This is happening increasingly in Australia also. Not quite as nastily
perhaps...I built and registered the NETS Australia site a couple of years
ago, hosted on real.net who disappeared some time later - when new managers
of NETS went to update the site earlier this year we found that the domain
name had lapsed (www.nets-aus.org) and been bought by  bestoftheweb folk
and re-delegated to a firm in the US. No wonder I am getting urgent emails
from INWW  about DNS renewals months before they are due to expire!
regards
Linda

 4:13 PM +1000 16/8/01, Tony Barry wrote:
>Linkers
>
>These postings to the web4lib list (a librarians list) was a follow
>up to a number of postings warning that a variety of sites, once
>containing useful information, had become porn sites.
>
>Tony
>
>>Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 07:41:09 -0700 (PDT)
>>Reply-To: WMinkel@cahners.com
>>Originator: web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu
>>Sender: web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu
>>From: "Minkel, Walter (Cahners -NYC)" <WMinkel@cahners.com>
>>To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu>
>>Subject: [WEB4LIB] Re: Chemistry website content change
>>X-Comment: Web4Lib Information - http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/
>>
>>Folks-- Hi from School Library Journal. There seems to be a flood of domains
>>that have lapsed & then bought by brokers & sold to porn sites (at least
>>that's how I've heard it reported). Just recently both a site for children's
>>authors & illustrators, and another for homeschooling families, became porn
>>sites, to the great embarrassment of many folks in children's literature &
>>education. My understanding is that unscrupulous domain brokers (are there
>>_scrupulous_ domain brokers?) look for sites to which many other sites link,
>>& snap them up as soon as ownership of those domains lapses. You can
>>understand what a sensitive issue this is in many public & school libraries
>>serving kids.
>>
>>I'd like to write something about this, but I'm not certain of the best way
>>to approach the subject. Is anyone aware of why this is happening so
>>frequently these days? I have guesses, but no documentation. Are there any
>>authorities or organizations I could contact who could talk about it with
>>some expertise? All suggestions as to tracking this story down are welcome.
>>Thanks, W
>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Walter Minkel * Technology Editor, School Library Journal * www.slj.com
>>wminkel@cahners.com * (212) 463-6721 * fax (212) 463-6689
>>
>>>  -----Original Message-----
>>>  From:	Peter Scott [SMTP:scottp@moondog.usask.ca]
>>>  Sent:	Wednesday, August 15, 2001 10:00 AM
>>>  To:	Multiple recipients of list
>>>  Subject:	[WEB4LIB] Re: Chemistry website content change
>>>
>>>  I received a bunch of messages about this one as well yesterday:
>>  >
>>  > http://www.science-kids.com
>>  >
>>  > Now a pornography site.
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>>Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 07:50:33 -0700 (PDT)
>>Reply-To: dan@riverofdata.com
>>Originator: web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu
>>Sender: web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu
>>From: Dan Lester <dan@riverofdata.com>
>>To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu>
>>Subject: [WEB4LIB] Re: Chemistry website content change
>>X-Comment: Web4Lib Information - http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/
>>
>>This is a growing trend.  Companies in the porn business buy up domain
>>names that have recently expired and then link them to porn sites that
>>they own.  They get the benefit of visitors they'd probably never
>>otherwise get, and if only a few of them sign up for memberships,
>>they're ahead.  Also, they're generally willing to sell the name back
>>to the original owner.
>>
>>As a local example, the site http://www.caldwellid.org/, which was
>>owned by the Caldwell, Idaho, Chamber of Commerce, wasn't renewed.
>>When I discovered it and notified them, they were shocked.  It turned
>>out that they'd moved their office and the bill wasn't forwarded, as
>>it had been more than six months since they'd moved.  The email
>>addresses that were on the domain registration were for people who
>>were no longer employed there and no changes had been made with the
>>registrar.  Basically, a combination of errors and ignorance.  That
>>kind of thing isn't at all surprising in a membership organization.
>>Rather than try to buy the name back for several thousand dollars,
>>they simply registered http://www.caldwellidaho.org/ and are now
>>running it.  The old URL links to the same site as a couple of others
>>that have been mentioned here, so I'm not sure how many companies are
>>doing this as an attempt to make money.  Will this experimental
>>business model succeed in the long run?  I personally doubt it, but
>>only time will tell.
>>
>>That's why idaholibraries.org is registered in my name personally. It
>>is paid for by the Idaho Library Association, but I know that I'll
>>keep it paid, renewed, and so forth.  When I retire, I'll transfer it
>>to ILA and by then there should be someone who knows the details of
>>keeping it all up to date and paid for.  It should probably always
>>have "personal care", as association officers and mailing addresses
>>change much too often in most cases.
>>
>>I also can understand how people start up a project and it eventually
>>falls by the wayside for various reasons.  When I started
>>www.postcard.org it was almost the only postcard collecting related
>>site on the web.  Now there are hundreds of them, the vast majority
>>much more comprehensive and up to date than mine.  I'd like to find
>>someone to take the domain off my hands (for very little money...I'm
>>not a speculator).  But so far that hasn't happened and I've just let
>>it sit out there and languish.  And so it goes.....
>>
>>dan
>>
>>
>>Wednesday, August 15, 2001, 7:33:13 AM, you wrote:
>>
>>
>>EOM> FYI:
>>
>>EOM> Our reference librarian recently brought to my attention that
>>EOM> the content of www.webmolecules.com has....um...changed
>>EOM> to a discussion of a different type of chemistry altogether.
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan@RiverOfData.com
>>3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115 USA
>>www.riverofdata.com  www.gailndan.com  Stop Global Whining!
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>And a different slant -
>
>>Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 09:24:07 -0700 (PDT)
>>Reply-To: tdowling@ohiolink.edu
>>Originator: web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu
>>Sender: web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu
>>From: "Thomas Dowling" <tdowling@ohiolink.edu>
>>To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib@sunsite.berkeley.edu>
>>Subject: [WEB4LIB] Re: Chemistry website content change
>>X-Comment: Web4Lib Information - http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/
>>
>>  > This is a growing trend.  Companies in the porn business buy up domain
>>  > names that have recently expired and then link them to porn sites that
>>  > they own.  They get the benefit of visitors they'd probably never
>>  > otherwise get, and if only a few of them sign up for memberships,
>>  > they're ahead.  Also, they're generally willing to sell the name back
>>  > to the original owner.
>>
>>I'm not convinced that the bulk of this activity is from porn companies.
>>It appears to me that domain name squatters simply slap porn links all
>>over their newly acquired properties as a way to get the most immediate
>>reaction from the previous owners.
>>
>>FWIW:
>>
>>whois webmolecules.com
>>
>>Registrant:
>>    <a href="http://domains.nicgod.com">ForSale</a>
>>    19, Bondarenko square
>>    Obninsk, Kaluga 249020
>>    RU
>>
>>    Registrar: Dotster (http://www.dotster.com)
>>    Domain Name: WEBMOLECULES.COM
>>       Created on: 30-JUL-01
>>       Expires on: 30-JUL-02
>>       Last Updated on: 14-AUG-01
>>
>>    Administrative Contact:
>>       Ginsberg, Allen  allen@elazy.net
>>       <a href="http://domains.nicgod.com">ForSale</a>
>>       19, Bondarenko square
>>       Obninsk, Kaluga  249020
>>       RU
>>       626.772.1440x7719
>>       2089759867
>>
>>    Technical Contact:
>>       Hostmaster, The  admin@eeex.net
>>       eeeX
>>       1052 W. Alameda Ave., # 211
>>       Burbank, CA  91506
>>       US
>>       213.401.2100x5769
>>       213.401.2100x5769
>>
>>
>>whois nicgod.com
>>
>>NicGOD Domain Services
>>    19, Bondarenko square
>>    Obninsk, Kaluga 249020
>>    RU
>>
>>    Domain Name: NICGOD.COM
>>
>>    Administrative Contact:
>>         Charles Bukowski    admin@elazy.net
>>         Buy This Name
>>         19, Bondarenko square
>>         Obninsk, Kaluga reg 249020
>>         RU
>>         Phone- (626) 722-1440 ext7719
>>         Fax- (626) 722-1440 ext7719
>>    Technical Contact:
>>         The Administrator  el394@elazy.net
>>         eee X Hosting
>>         1052 West Alameda Avenue # 211
>>         Burbank, CA 91506
>>         US
>>         Phone- 213.401.2100x5769
>>         Fax- 213.401.2100x5769
>>
>>    Record updated on 2001-03-18 22:20:49.
>>    Record created on 2001-03-18.
>>    Record expires on 2002-03-18.
>>    Database last updated on 2001-08-15 06:00:39 EST.
>>
>>
>>If you're near Burbank (or Obninsk, for that matter) I'm sure they'd love
>>to hear from you.
>>
>>Thomas Dowling
>>OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
>>>tdowling@ohiolink.edu
>--
>phone  +61 2 6241 7659
>mailto:me@Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
>http://purl.oclc.org/NET/Tony.Barry


=================
Linda Rouse
Contractor: Internet Training, Website Design, Libraries
Email: linda@databasics.com.au                Voice: +61 2 9327 2998
1/49 Drumalbyn Rd  Bellevue Hill NSW 2023     Fax +61 9362 1595
Resume: http://www.alia.org.au/~lrouse/resumelr.html