Recently in Announcement Category

It is with a huge amount of pride that we announce the launch of two new domain registrar sites:

In conjunction with a great partner in the Netherlands we've created Benikvrij (Am I free), a Dutch language version of our service. With all the functionality of our existing site, local web apps, plus full Euro currency integration Benikvrij introduces the iWantMyName platform to one of the largest domain markets in Europe.

But we aren't just stopping there. We've also opened a wholly owned and operated German language domain registrar site and we called it simply meinName (my name).

The German language site is a special achievement because ideegeo in part has its origins in an idea that began in Germany. So meinName is a little bit like a return home for us.

The new sites demonstrate how we can powerfully leverage the underlying platform technology behind iWantMyName and how we can make other partnerships work in new markets. Expect to see further rollouts and cool new services in the future as we change the face of domain name management.

ICANN, the internet's governing body, yesterday officially announced the introduction of Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) extensions for nations and territories. This means that a full web address including the domain suffix can contain non-Latin characters such as Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew or Greek in the future.

"The coming introduction of non-Latin characters represents the biggest technical change to the Internet since it was created four decades ago," said ICANN chairman Peter Dengate Thrush. "Right now Internet address endings are limited to Latin characters - A to Z. But the Fast Track Process is the first step in bringing the 100,000 characters of the languages of the world online for domain names."

Watch the video with people from around the world explaining how localized domain names will help them using the internet in their native language:

The introduction of internationalized country domains is an important step towards a global internet and we would like to congratulate ICANN and everybody involved in achieving this long-awaited milestone.

Having total DNS control has been one of the most requested features of our power users. DNS is not only the underlying technology for our Domains for Apps but also probably the most overlooked cloud service. Hence we are pleased now to offer a low-level DNS editor which gives you full control over your domains and lets you manage DNS records completely in real-time.

The new DNS editor supports A, CNAME, MX, AAAA, TXT & SRV records. Have a look at this shiny new tool:

In addition to being Apple geeks, we're also big suckers for simplicity and productivity at iWantMyName. So we thought: why not offer a domain search feature for a service where we spend lots of time anyway? Hence the concept of our iWantMyName Twitter Search Bot was born.

As of today you're able to check domain name availability by sending a direct message to the @iwantmyname Twitter account. Just start following us, send "d iwantmyname thedomainyouwant.com" and we'll reply with the search result including a link to immediately register the domain:


Search for alternatives if a domain is taken:



Immediately register the domain if it's available:

The main reason why we've built iWantMyName was to make domain management much easier. From searching for available domains to the domain registration process and finally helping you to use domains your favourite way, we aim to simplify the entire experience. No matter if you want to start your own business or just launch a personal website or blog, iWantMyName streamlines the process of promoting your brand with a custom domain name. So that's why we're really excited to introduce our revamped domain configuration service "Domains for Apps" featuring some of the most popular applications on the web.

You can now configure your domain names using our easy domain setup feature for 17 web services:

• Google Apps with Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar and Google Sites
• Apple's MobileMe website hosting
• Online website builder apps: Yola, Weebly and Squarespace
  
• Blog services TypePad, Blogger, Posterous, Tumblr and Soup
  
• Hosted wikis from PBworks and Wikidot
• E-commerce software: Shopify and Big Cartel
• Whitelabel Social Networks: Ning, GROU.PS and KickApps

See how it works for a Posterous blog in the following video:



We will be adding more  services over the coming weeks. Please feel free to contact us or leave a comment if you have any suggestions about which web apps you would like to see supported on iWantMyName.

Don't miss the chance to win a $10,000 iTunes gift card, a MacBook Pro, an iPod touch, or a Time Capsule from Apple. These are the prizes you can win in their contest to celebrate the 1 billion app downloads for their iPhone / iPod Touch platform.

The rules are simple: Any app download entitles you to win. So if you haven't downloaded our our free iWantMyName DomainApp this is the perfect time to do so. With DomainApp you can now use iWantMyName on the go to search and register domains just as easy as you're used to on our website.

.TEL is now available to the public and is already gaining momentum. Yesterday a CNET article brought a record number of visitors to our site after mentioning the possibility of registering a .TEL domain via the iPhone using our our DomainApp. Thanks for that!

We've uploaded a new .TEL video to our Youtube channel. Hope you like it ;)

The new .TEL domain extension is available for general registration from March 24th, 2009 and a lot of you may wonder what this new address stands for. While .COM, .NET, .ORG and the country extensions are meant for general websites, the .TEL domain is completely different:

"The .TEL allows you to store, publish and update online all your contact information and keywords under your unique domain name, without the need for a website."

What does this mean?

First of all, you cannot use a .TEL domain for a regular website but only for managing contact data and related keywords. After you registered a .TEL domain you'll get access to the so-called .TEL hosting service at tel.iwantmyname.com. There you can enter all your contact details like address, phone number, web site, Skype username, Twitter profile etc. Could you do this in an old-school phone book? Of course not. A .TEL is basically an entry in an internet phonebook or better address book that can be updated in real-time. So wherever you are, be it on a business trip or on vacation: You can change the details at any time and people have instant access to your address details at your current location. You don't want everybody on the internet having access to this data? No worries. Visitors of your .TEL domain can contact you and ask for permission to see your details. You are only exposing to the world what you really want to share.

No website required?

That's correct. Whether you are an individual, small business owner, consultant or startup. You don't need a website developed for your .TEL domain. It is already included in your domain name registration! A perfect way to get a quick website or business profile with all contact information up and running. Furthermore it offers a single entry point for all ways to contact you.

Can I be found in search engines?

Yes, you can. You have the possibility to add keywords to your domain name in order to be found in search engines like Google. Have you ever wondered why your company name does not show up in Google? A .TEL might be the solution. Get YourCompanyName.TEL and add industry-specific keywords to it and visitors can contact you immediately when found through a search engine. No need to spend money for search engine optimisation (SEO) for a .TEL domain.

There's a lot more that .TEL domains offer from a technical perspective. As all information is stored in the Domain Name System (DNS) it is extremely easy for external services to access this data. We expect to see many applications from Telcos or on mobile phones that start using this new extension to complement their address book software in the near future.

.TEL is managed by registry Telnic, based in London, UK. Further information can be found on the Telnic website, in their "Top 10 reasons to buy your .TEL domain" and CNET Asia's "10 things you didn't know about .TEL domains".

We have also published two videos on our ideegeo Youtube channel that explain .TEL for businesses and individuals in more detail. To register a domain please proceed to our homepage and enter your desired .TEL name in the search box.

Over the last couple of weeks we were primarily working under the hood of iWantMyName with necessary back end changes for the new version of our iPhone DomainApp, preparing the site for new features and migrating our DNS infrastructure to a more flexible solution.

Furthermore we welcome a new domain extension at iWantMyName: .LC, the country code top-level domain of Saint Lucia, an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. More domain extensions will follow in the coming weeks, starting with the new .TEL domain which will be available for general registration from Mar 24th.

Don't forget to follow iWantMyName on Twitter to be notified of new features and other announcements.

As of today we're adding two new country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) to our list of international extensions:

• .HT - the Haitian domain and
• .COM.SB - the web address of Solomon Islands

Both .HT and .COM.SB domains can also be transferred to iWantMyName.

We are also working on the implementation of the new .TEL domain extension which will be available on our site from March 24th 2009. For more information about .TEL please visit the official registry Telnic.