Put Your Business on the Map! Moniker.com Brings Geo-Specific Domain Name Auction to the 2007 GeoDomain Expo

POMPANO BEACH, Fla., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Moniker (http://www.moniker.com), the first and only provider of Domain Asset Management(TM) services, today announced its inaugural auction of geo-specific domain names at the 2007 GeoDomain Expo in San Francisco, CA on Saturday, November 17 beginning at 12:00 pm PT. The auction is part of the fourth-annual GeoDomain Expo and is hosted by Associated Cities (http://www.associatedcities.com).

More than 250 domains will hit the live auction block and an additional 3,000 will be available during the online auction, including domains with various top-level and country-code extensions. Some of the top contenders include:

    -- Africa.info
    -- Auckland.com
    -- BajaCalifornia.com
    -- Baltimore.net
    -- BeverlyHillsEstates.com
    -- Brussels.net
    -- CalcuttaIndia.com
    -- CapeVerdeIslands.com
    -- ChristmasIsland.com
    -- Europe.info
    -- Gambia.com
    -- Guatemala.com
    -- Hackensack.com
    -- Holland.net
    -- Iran.com
    -- Iraq.com
    -- Kuwait.com
    -- LosAngeles.net
    -- MalibuCalifornia.com
    -- OklahomaCity.com
    -- Perth.com
    -- SanFrancisco.us
    -- SanPablo.com
    -- SanSalvador.com
    -- Somalia.com
    -- SonomaCalifornia.com
    -- Stockholm.net
    -- Tijuana.com.mx
    -- Union.com
    -- Wallstreet.com

Geo-specific domains are becoming the go-to destinations for a variety of industries, including travel and tourism, as well as local business and media. Online advertisers are beginning to recognize these sites as way to market their products and services to targeted audiences.

According to a September 2007 eMarketer report entitled, "Local Online Advertising: Measuring The Market," the research firm projects that local online ad spending in the U.S. will reach $2.9 billion in 2007, up from 12.1 percent from 2006 when it measured $2.1 billion. By 2011, those figures will be $7.8 billion and 17.7 percent, eMarketer projects.

"The expected increase in localized, online advertising provides the owners of these domains with the ability to capitalize on the trend, and generate significant return on their investment," said Monte Cahn, co founder and CEO of Moniker.com. "Investing in these premium domain names is similar to investing in their terrestrial cousins, but often with a greater ROI. The real estate market might not be strong in the U.S. at the moment, but the domain name industry, virtual real estate, is steadily on the rise and stronger than ever."

"Associated Cities is pleased to host the first auction dedicated to Geo names ever," said Associated Cities chairman Dan Pulcrano, whose company owns the hometown domain, SanFrancisco.com. "This event, especially with Moniker's participation, is confirmation that these are some of the most prized properties on the net. Operators have built companies on the strength of these kinds of names, and after November 17, there may be a few more."

Concurrent Online Auctions Brings an Additional 2,800 Domains to the Auction Block

While the Live Domain Auction will feature premium high-value domains, the online auction inventory has a much broader range of quality, traffic- generating domains, including additional premier domains that weren't selected for the live auction.

Moniker's online auction will run in conjunction with the live auction in San Francisco with thousands of additional names on which to bid. The online auction will run online beginning Saturday, November 17 until Wednesday, November 28.

The online auction gives individuals additional opportunities to purchase domain names that will in turn help their businesses grow, as well as build their portfolio.

"By running the online auction in conjunction with the live auction at the GeoDomain Expo, we are allowing people to participate in the purchase of great domain names directly from their computers at home," Cahn noted.

GeoDomains Expo Auction Rules and Procedures

Only attendees of the GeoDomain Expo will be automatically eligible to attend the Live and Silent auctions. Individuals not attending the GeoDomain Expo will also be able to participate by purchasing an absentee bidder registration for $299.

Moniker will also be offering absentee, telephone proxy and online bidding for individuals who are unable to attend the event. Those interested in learning more about this process should visit http://marketplacepro.moniker.com/auction/detail.html?auction_id=181.

Official auction dates, rules and procedures for all Moniker Live and Silent Auctions can be found by visiting www.moniker.com/liveauction.

Domain Name Financing Available

Moniker, along with its partner Domain Capital, will offer domain financing to leverage domain purchases made at this event or for other transactions. Moniker and Domain Capital have been pioneering the same concept for virtual real-estate for years in a fashion similar to real estate mortgage financing. Please contact a sales representative at sales@moniker.com for more information.

About Moniker.com

Moniker is the first and only provider of Domain Asset Management(TM), a complete set of business services that provide companies a single-point-of- access to help manage and maximize the value of their domains. These services include name creation, registration, acquisition, portfolio management, appraisal and escrow services, traffic monetization and after-market sales - all backed by unsurpassed customer service and security.

With more than a decade of experience, Moniker is a top 10 domain registrar, holds the industry's highest customer retention rate and pioneered the industry's first domain appraisal formula. It is considered the industry's premier marketplace to buy and sell domain names.

Moniker, with headquarters in Pompano Beach, Florida, is an operating unit of Seevast Corporation, a company of marketing services firms that drive sales, build brands and leverage core assets for their clients.

About the 2007 GeoDomain Expo

For more information about the 2007 GeoDomain Expo or if you are interested in sponsoring the conference, please contact Associated Cities Executive Director Patrick Carleton at patrick@associatedcities.com.