eNom, is ICANN accredited and the world's second-largest domain name registrar, providing domain name registration, hosting and other online services.[1][2] Paul Stahura founded the company in 1997.[3]

Type: Privately Held
Industry: Internet, online domain name registration
Founded: Bellevue, WA, 1997
Founder(s): Paul Stahura
Ownership: Demand Media, 2006
Headquarters: 5808 Lake Washington Blvd, Ste. 300
Kirkland, WA 98033
Country: USA
Website: eNom.com
Twitter: @eNom
Key People
Taryn Naidu, General Manager

Chris Sheridan, Vice President of Sales
Billy Watenpaugh, Product Manager and Registry Liaison
Chris Ambler, Chief Software Strategist

eNom has a portfolio of vertical web properties that reach more than 100 million monthly visitors.[4]

Demand Media

In May 2006 eNom was acquired by Demand Media, and in 2007 eNom acquired BulkRegister.[5] It rose to become the second largest registrar following its acquisition of BulkRegister,[6] although it continues to be run as a separate service.[7] Demand Media went on to acquire Name.com in January, 2013. The reasons for the acquisition were noted as adding a new outlet to sell as many new gTLDs as possible, and bolster Demand Media's line-up by adding a "retail registrar", given that its current eNom service is a "reseller registrar". Name.com frequently positions itself as a fun and safe alternative to GoDaddy, the world's largest registrar.[8]Demand Media is itself an applicant for 26 new gTLDs, with a partnership with the largest applicant, Donuts, to partner on an additional 100.[9]

Company History

Paul Stahura founded the company in 1997, it initially was run out of his garage using a single computer with an ISDN line.[10]

In 2007, eNom became the second largest domain registrar in the world,[11] with over 8 million registered domain names in 70 different domain extensions.[12] eNom's resellers are mostly web hosting and web development companies that use eNom's application programming interface (API) to buy and sell domain names on their own web sites, or eNom's hosted reseller solution—a customer retail website branded as the reseller's but hosted by eNom.

Their back-end systems can handle about 2 billion DNS queries a day, and maintains its name server constellation across six datacenters around the world. They forward over 11 million emails and block over 28 million spam messages every day.[13]

In October, 2007, eNom sunsetted its drop catcher website, ClubDrop.com, to partner with Network Solutions to create the aftermarket auction venue NameJet.com. NameJet became the auction venue for the expired domain inventory of Network Solutions.

The site auctions active names, dropped names, and names that are post-expiration.[14] Much of the Network Solutions inventory is classified as "Pre-Release" names. Features include: public auctions, private auctions, ascending-price and reverse auctions, proxy bidding, reserve price auctions, buy-it-now auctions.

eNom's Reseller Model

eNom sets up resellers two ways, through its Instant Reseller storefront tool, a customizable domain name selling kit, or through an API used by software developers.

eNom resellers add revenue streams to their existing businesses by offering domain names and eNom's Value Added Services (VAS). eNom's VAS products and services include web site hosting, web site creation kits, SSL Certificates, ID protection services, email services, website monitoring and traffic-counting tools.

In August, 2012, eNom launched a new service targeting prospective registrants for domains on new gTLDs and resellers who plan to offer new gTLDs. The service provides the ability for end users to register expressions of interest in specific domains through a Watchlist. Using this tool, resellers can understand the demand for new gTLDs by their customer base and build appropriate marketing plans for the new extensions. When each new gTLD is ultimately delegated, the tool adapts to let end users participate in the Sunrise, Landrush and General Availability phases. Resellers can implement this tool through a javascript widget or an API. To date, eNom and its resellers have collected more than three million expressions of interest from end users. [15]

Affiliations

References

External Links