Internet domain snafus: corporate minefields

UPDATE: Fellow ZDNet Bloggers Dan Farber and Russell Shaw report on Google related possible domain snafus:

FARBER: Google, please take my gOffice
SHAW: GooTube domain owner speaks to me, and I’m impressed

Perhaps Google will take notice, now. DELL took notice of my reports this past Summer on its very blatant domain snafu, and changed their blog URL!

SEE Dell blog tames a ‘wild ride’: Dell ‘listens,’ but does it understand?

In my July 12 scoop “Dell blog or One2One: Which is fun?” I shared my first-hand discovery of a major Dell blog strategy snafu, lack of domain research...

In addition to my blog post recounting my search for the Dell blog, but arrival at a XXX porn site, I also sent a personal email to the Dell Webmaster advising of the Dell blog domain snafu.

Reacting to blogger “pundits,” Dell changed the name and domain of its corporate blog August 3 to “Direct2Dell,” instead of “One2One.”

Dell’s explanation of its change, however, reconfirms Dell’s strategic decisions are not always well thought out. Dell says it knew about the one2one XXX porn site in advance of the launch of its corporate blog under the same name, but was not concerned.

Yesterday, I let the word out on Dell’s lack of a domain research strategy to back the launch of its corporate blog.

In “Dell blog or One2One: Which is fun?” I point out that Dell has used phraseology to brand its blog which matches the brand name, and direct URL, of an online porn site:

Here is another Dell blogging faux-pas: lack of domain research…

I navigated to one2one.com. I knew that Dell promised "real people," eager to listen. Contrary to my expectation of arriving at a staid, boring corporate shell, however, aiming to put forth "corporate speak," I was greeted by a very "live action" experience featuring "online babes" eager to chat.

Dell has branded its blog “One2One.” Direct navigation to One2One.com, however, leads directly to a hardcore porn site.

Today, Wired News reports “Google Has No Adsense.com”

The owners of the domain adsense.com have been fielding hundreds of customer service e-mails and phone calls regarding Google's AdSense program since the advertising service launched in March 2003.

Unfortunately for the domain registrants, they have no connection with Google, except for the fact that they happen to share the name.