[WEB4LIB] Re: domain name squatters

[Dan Lester]

Wednesday, January 5, 2005, 2:23:24 PM, you wrote:

PG> During those 2 1/2 years we received repeated, and often emotional,
PG> e-mails from patrons who stumbled onto the .com site (which displayed
PG> graphic photos of aborted fetuses). Anyone interested in more details of
PG> this saga should feel free to contact me off-list.

Something somewhat similar happened to the Caldwell Idaho chamber of
commerce.  They registered and had their own content at
caldwellid.com.  Well, this was late nineties, they were new to it,
and weren't on the ball.  They moved offices across town shortly after
setting it up.  They changed email addresses of the owner of the
domain.  They forgot about having to renew it.  Because of moving more
than six months before the snailmail renewal was sent, and changing
email with no forwarding, they never got a renewal notice.

Some time after that I clicked up their site from a link we had on the
library page, and what did I find but some nice hardcore porn.  I
called and let them know immediately.  They subsequently bought
caldwellidaho.com and put up a new site.

Since then both of those names have been taken by (presumably legal
means) Cities Unlimited, which does a zillion such sites.

Now caldwellidaho.org redirects to the Chamber's page at
cityofcaldwell.com.

Don't we have fun?  And no wonder patrons are confused.....

dan

-- 
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com 208-283-7711
3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115 USA
www.riverofdata.com  Fair is whatever God decides to do.