September 4, 2008 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- The .ME Registry (domain.me), the governing body in charge of the .ME domain extension, announced on Thursday it will launch two auctions for its premium domain names, starting September 25, giving the general public the opportunity to register sought-after .ME domain names.
The live in-person auction will be held at the TRAFFIC Conference (TargetedTraffic.com/NY_Show), held on September 25 from 3 p.m. through 6 p.m. at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott in New York City.
The online auction will runs from September 25 through October 2, for those who are unable to attend the event to participate remotely.
The premium names for the LIVE AUCTION includes high-profile domains such as Love.Me, Buy.Me, Date.Me, Meet.Me, Ask.Me, and Show.Me. The ONLINE AUCTION, on the other hand, includes notable domains like Kiss.Me, Rent.Me, Watch.Me, Marry.Me, Loan.Me, and Play.Me.
"This is the public's first shot at bidding on dot-ME's extraordinary list of names," says Predrag Lesic, the .ME registry's executive director. "We are bracing for a lively bidding process, given dot-ME has proven to be the Internet's fastest debut seller ever, in terms of top-level domains available for registration."
Ther public auctions follow the July 17th launch of the domain name extension, which has already seen more than 100,000 domain names registered.
The record-setting volume was captured in a little more than two weeks after opening for live, real-time registrations by the general public and less than four months since launching the new registry.
The online .ME auctions will be handled by Moniker (moniker.com), a domain monetization company that produces live domain auctions around the world. The company is known for its past TRAFFIC conferences, as well as the Affiliate Summits it co-organizes.
In previously held Landrush auctions, domains like Only.Me and Oglasi.Me took more than $30,000, while other .ME domains like Insure.Me drew more than $68,000.
