GO DADDY TO AUCTION 42 SINGLE- & TWO-CHARACTER .ORG DOMAIN NAMES

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Oct. 9, 2012) — For the first time in the Internet’s history, the domain name A.ORG and other single-character .ORG names are available to the public. Go Daddy and Public Interest Registry (PIR) are teaming up to auction 42 valuable single- and two-character domain names like I.ORG, S.ORG and TS.ORG on www.GoDaddy.com. Short and memorable, these domain names are expected to demand high interest in the aftermarket.

The monumental auction of the 42 names is set to last 10 days and is available to pre-approved parties. Today, interested parties can review the available names and submit their contact details to receive auction updates and begin the approval process. While the auction date is not set, it is expected to take place in the coming months.

The .ORG domain name extension is one of the Internet’s original top-level domains. Reputed to be the most-trusted domain extension, according to a CARAVAN Omnibus domain consumer survey in 2011, large corporations, non-profits, special interest groups and even SMBs can benefit from leveraging .ORG domain names to strengthen their brand message world-wide.

“Companies want a short, snappy domain name, and these dot-ORG names are what you could call the ‘cream of the crop,'” said Go Daddy Director of Domain Name Aftermarkets Paul Nicks. “Go Daddy’s auction platform is extremely user friendly, making it easy to bid-on and track listings both online and via mobile devices. As far as integrating these very valuable names into an organization’s culture, we are offering personalized support to Go Daddy Auction winners to help ensure they are successful.”

Ninety-three percent of consumers want to know what companies are doing to make the world a better place, according to the Cone/Echo Global CR Study. A .ORG domain name is widely associated with serving the public interest and is a powerful tool for companies to communicate their commitment to corporate social responsibility. Combined with Go Daddy’s industry-leading products and unparalleled customer support, businesses can quickly and easily supplement their image and better leverage their online performance.

“Go Daddy met and exceeded all our requirements to handle the sale of our single- and two-character domain names,” said PIR Chief Executive Officer Brian Cute. “Go Daddy clearly understands and cares for our brand, and they offer their customers the very best tools required to grow an online presence.”

In the secondary marketplace, past sales of valuable .ORG domain names have included DIY.org for $60,000, AutoInsurance.org for $440,000 and Poker.org, which sold for $1 million. It is expected the historic auction of these single- and two-character .ORG domain names will not only generate high bids, but also help define the aftermarket prior to the introduction of new gTLDs.

Similar to other premium domain names, there will be some requirements for the winners of a single- or two-character .ORG domain name, although re-branding is not mandatory. Following Go Daddy’s .ORG domain names auction, PIR — a non-profit 501c3 organization — will forward its share of the proceeds to programs that enhance open development and Internet security, particularly in areas of the world where technology is lagging.

To view all 42 .ORG domain names available please visit: www.GoDaddy.com/ORGAuction.