Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> Paul Montgomery wrote:
> > It is the business community, not the Internet community, which has
> > attached to domain names an artificial and misplaced value by which it
> > thinks domain names are similar to brand names....
>
> > ...People assign value to a domain name, but it is not really
> > worth anything.
>
> A couple of interesting statements there.
>
> "artificial and misplaced value" and "not really worth anything."
>
> Value is value is whatever someone pays for it whether it is
> artificial and misplaced or not.
I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but this extract from the Pocket
Macquarie is necessary:
PM] value, n., 1. that property of a thing that makes it highly regarded,
PM] desirable or useful; worth; merit. 2. the worth of a thing as measured by
PM] the amount of other things by which it can be exchanged.
PM]
PM] worth, n., 1. good or important enough to deserve (what is specified)
My point here is that worth is an inherent feature of an object, but value is
an abstract property of an object which is subjectively assigned by people. It
is the difference between desirability and goodness - an object can be one
without the other. Windows NT is a pertinent example.
What I am saying is that people desire to use domain names as brands, and
treat them the same way as brand names, but this does not mean that domains
have an inherent worth as brands. It means people desire to use them as brands.
> Domain name ownership issues do end up in court and people do spend
> money (over and above their registration costs) acquiring them. And
> they do use the same arguments for domain names as they do for
> brands.
More fool them. Just because people are being stupid about it, doesn't mean it
is A Good Thing (tm). In the words of that great philosopher and social
theorist, Mr Spock: "That is illogical, Captain."
Further discussion should be off-list, Bernard?
-- Paul Montgomery, features editor for Image & Data Manager and assistant editor for Internet World. Lives like a JavaBean. Fan of Robert Rankin. Tel: +61 2 9318 2644. Fax: +61 2 9310 4608. mailto:monty@knapp.com.au http://australia.internet.com “I am a railroad track abandoned.” (JB)