Registering and managing generic domains like .COM, .NET or .ORG is not a science... or is it?

What's the auto-renew grace period and when does it hit redemption? If I miss the renewal date, have I lost my domain name? To answer these questions on domains, visit our domain laboratory to see what's cooking.

Moz.com (formerly known as SEOMoz) combines analytical marketing tools with a vibrant online community of over one million digital marketeers. In addition to educating the masses and changing the way we think about search, they also have a totally transparent company philosophy which sits between genius & crazy. We were lucky enough to catch-up with co-founder, former CEO and now the official Wizard of Moz, Rand Fishkin. This is what happened:

ICANN, the guys who look after the Internet, have recently introduced a new policy. It concerns contact validation and it's designed to remind customers once a year to check and update their contact information. As an ICANN accredited registrar we're authorised to sell domain names, which means there are rules to follow. This article explains what you have to do when you receive a contact validation email.

The new domain extensions have brought not only exciting choices for domain names, but also new procedures. One of these is the new claims check notification email; this article explains why we’re sending these email and what to do if you receive one.

Whenever a new domain extension is launched it usually follows a sequence of launch phases, starting with Sunrise, then Landrush, and ending with the open-ended General Availability. Donuts, the registry for hundreds of new domain extensions has chosen to replace the Landrush period with something called the Early Access Program or EAP. This article explains how the Early Access Program works and what it means for you.

Creative Commons is the non-profit organisation that provides an alternative to the automatic “all rights reserved” copyright that is automatically created whenever someone creates something new. It hopes to build a richer, better and more vibrant culture, through a more open, and shareable Internet. I was lucky enough to catch up with Elliot Harmon from Creative Commons to find out more ...