Dynadot API Opened

I just received an email from Todd Han that Dynadot.com has now opened up it’s API to all users. This is great news for Dynadot customers who enjoy drop catching domains but were turned off by the $500 spending / pre payment. Now any Dynadot customer can tap right into the API system without having a bulk account.

In the past Dynadot required API users to prefund their accounts with $500 or spend $500 every year to qualify for a bulk account. The API was then enabled for bulk accounts and you are able to hook into the API system for catching domains & managing your domains.

For the past couple weeks, I have noticed a huge increase in speed with Dynadot’s API. It went from a 4-5 second pause between each try to less than one second per try. Sometimes, the API seems so fast, I swear it’s cramming 2 tries per second. I’ve never seen it operate so fast & this leads me to believe that Dynadot.com has acquired additional registrar connections or has accredideted additional registrar(s).

Dynadot.com’s API has always been my favorite. It’s been the easiest to use, it’s well documented & it actually works. Unlike other API’s like Moniker where you have to basically beg & beg for API access, Dynadot works for it’s customers. Out of all the drop catching software I’ve sold, the Dynadot tool is the one I’ve sold the most of.

It’s also nice for the company to have a president that cares. Todd Han & I have talked on the phone in the past. Todd is a good guy to work with and his concerns are for all his customers equally. Todd was very open to the software I create & how to make it easier for Dynadot’s customers to put the API system to use.

For those of you who are not aware, Dynadot.com’s API system allows users to create their own programs for registering domain names instantly. The API system ties into the live registry connections at verisign. While pending delete domains expire from the registry, various users & other registrars utilize these realtime connections to attempt to register the domains they’d like to own.

While Dynadot’s API may not compete with Snapnames & the like for the big money drops, it does work exceptionally well for low to medium grade domains. Alot of domains slip through the cracks daily & the API will surely beat out the hand reggers everytime. Dynadot’s speed increase should prove a success against other registrar API’s and drop catchers.

I will run some tests on the API and compare the speed difference. Off the bat, the API was attempting up to 10 domain registration attempts every 60 seconds. Now I am closer to 40 or more registration attempts every 60 seconds. This speed increase should yield more captured domains that I chase.

Dynadot’s API Offers the following commands to the best of my knowledge:

- Domain Registration

- Delete Domain

- Set Nameservers

- Check Availability

- IDN Domain Support

If you are looking for drop catching software which integrates with Dynadot.com’s API, you should visit my website: http://www.dropking.com. DropKing.com offers software which is used by many daily. I’ve receieved great feedback from the dropking tools & invite you to give them a try.

Fabulous Drop Catcher

I have been working with a few beta testers who have been testing drop catching software for the Fabulous.com API. The Fab API is XML based & easy to use. The software I wrote is available at DropKing.com for purchase & immediate download.

The software works on any windows based computer from windows 95 – Windows 7 (32Bit & 64Bit). The software allows you to enter a list of domain names you’d like to register. You save the list of domains to chase into a text file – one expiring domain name per line. Next, you enter your Fab account username & password. When you are ready, simply set the pause you’d like and click start. I usually recommend using the software with a 1 second pause between each domain registration try.

Fabulous API Domain Catcher

If a domain is available to register and you have enough prefunded money, the domain is registered right into your Fab account. You only pay registration fee which is nice. This becomes a huge money saver compared to backordering domains at high prices. Why backorder when you can drop catch the same quality of domains?

The feedback I am getting from the testers is great. One of the testers claims he can beat godaddy and some of namejet’s backorders. I have witnessed losing a handful of times to Fabulous’ API where I backordered the same domains at godaddy & Fab’s API won. I’ve heard that every once in a great while fab will beat a snapnames backorder on domains of much lesser quality that probably only received one backorder.

I think the Fabulous API is an untapped resource at this time. I believe the API is extremly useful because:

1.) Not a lot of people who know about or use Fab’s API. This leaves the highway open for the API users who are getting away with murder. Imagine having the strength of a registrar with realtime connections to the registry for your own drop catching without much competition.

2.) The API is one of the faster API’s I’ve used. You can tweak the pause to “0″ which really gets the API hits hammering to register a domain for you. From the TOS & what I’ve read & talked to Fab, it’s ok to use the API tool at this speed without any fear of a penalty.

3.) Since Fabulous has strict rules to join, not many people are accepted or meet the requirements. Therefore the members who have access to the API own portfolios or hundreds of domains and are more serious about drop catching.

4.) Fabulous specializes in the TLD’s: .com, .net, .org, .info & .co. This avoids amature domainers who are clogging up the API system chasing less desirable ccTld’s (like: .in, .co.in, .mobi, .me etc) around the clock.

Overall I am happy with the product I made. It is yet another tool that can be used to catch expired domain names at registration price. The feedback has been great & I don’t see other software being offered for Fab’s API.

For more information about the fabulous.com API drop catching software, please contact me or visit: www.DropKing.com.

wedlin.com
gazeboes.net
permissions.us

That’s all I was chasing for today & managed to grab 100%. Wedlin.com doesn’t look promising at all. My hope is to sell it to an end user. Perhaps someone with the surname Wedlin may become attracted to the domain or was waiting for it to drop. Maybe not.

Gazeboes are popular & the domain should at least double reg fee in a year minimum based on sponsored advertiers / ad spots – weather parked or developed. Permissions I picked solely based on the Estibot appraisal which was over $500.

I really thought about two other domains expiring: grades.net & rangers.net. However, last minute I pulled these out. Looks like at least one was backordered & secured. Both were instantly taken nonetheless.

berrettas.com
pewits.com
sarsens.com
gleets.com

Probably not the best selection, but for reg fee @ Dynadot.com, I’ll keep them & see what happens. The quality in the drops just seems to get better by the day

Have fun drop catching!

mixeurs.com
minuscula.com
vittoni.com
transferred.us

Nothing special & I’m not particular about: transferred.us as the US extension has been stinking in my opinion lately. Also Mixeurs.com, the chance of making it big would require a lot of non-usa traffic & the small traffic from the US, probably won’t help someone with a “mixer” of some sort.

Just sharing my list, I won’t get mad if you manage to hand reg some, but at least give me some credit. I always go into drop catching thinking I ain’t gonna get Jack. A lot of the time, I do catch stuff, store it & then a buyer comes along.

It’s a beautiful feeling to connect with the right end user & supply what their online business thrives – which is usually the right domain. For what they’re trying to do & you helped them out.

jacket.com
stubby.us

Stubby.us doesn’t concern me, but Jacket.com is nice. I am sure many have backordered this domain, but since the drop is public & anyone can grab it, I’m going to try. I’m sure I won’t grab it. But if I do, it would be awesome.

This is one of those “weird” domains that every drop catcher complains about. The whois is fuzzy & so is the origin of the domain. The current registrar is Tucows which will be releasing the name real soon. The major forums would tell you to backorder at NameJet, Snap & Pool.

However, note this.. Here is a copy of the whois:

Domain Name: JACKET.COM
Registrar: TUCOWS INC.
Whois Server: whois.tucows.com
Referral URL: http://domainhelp.opensrs.net
Name Server: DNS1.IN2NET.COM
Name Server: DNS2.IN2NET.COM
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 13-oct-2009
Creation Date: 31-jul-1997
Expiration Date: 30-jul-2011

Ok, so according to dnmeter.com, Jacket.com will drop around 1:51PM CST.

Tucows has a status of: clientTransferProhibited which should be pending delete.

I’ll make sure to keep an eye on it, but the domain will probably drop. It has to since Verisign has it on it’s drop list for tomorrow.

So far so good. The domains I was chasing were:

Snuffies.com & Afflick.com

I didn’t do any research on these & simply eye balled them out from the dnmeter list. I thought oh cool, Snuffies can be a brandable domain. First came to mind that this name qualifies as a brandable for a product or establishment. So I added it to my drop catcher. I like Afflick and thought of Surname. Not like Ben Affleck – no typo intended – but last names are hard to grab. Perhaps the spelling Afflick isn’t as popular, but I added it anyways.

I didn’t think I stood much of a chance. I noted the drop times. Snuffies was dropping around 1:41pm & Afflick around 2:16pm. So I waited & watched. Sure enough 1:42pm rolls by & I get the Dynadot email that the order has finished & I now own Snuffies.com

I waited over 30 minutes & decided to also hand chase Afflick.com. As it’s drop time was getting closer, so were my refresh intervals. Finally around 2:22pm, the domain dropped. I tried regging it by hand, but got beat. I thought for sure GoDaddy or Snap grabbed it, but to my surprise, my own Dynadot API I was running on the side caught it for me.

So It was a good day drop catching for me. I hope yours was too.

swishier.com
succinte.com
toolrack.net

I’m not too convinced they’re worth much, but you never know. I will update my blog with my success or no-success. And if I backout from regging toolrack.net. The .com is a parked page :S – I just felt it sounded cool.

Swishier & Succinte may have some type of traffic flow & typo potential imho. It’s the best of the bunch that I could chase & feel comfortable catching. We’ll see what happens in the next 12 hrs or so.

Hey, but you can’t say I didn’t warn ya Things have been busy at my fulltime job. They require a domainer to step back from domaining & give them undivided attention. The payback is great. You get the job done, things work & everyone is happy.

I would never domain at work & have to wake up hours before my real job & setup my drop catching scripts.

Then during my lunch, I have to resist looking up what I did or didn’t catch. It’s always a good ride home from work nonetheless.. Even if I didn’t catch squat.

Now that things have leveled off at work, I will be back to my regular drop catching. I am about to take a dive into 57,271 drops dropping in 12 hrs approx. Good thing I can filter the gems.

Good luck in your drop catching!

I guess better days are coming soon!

Hope your drop catching is doing better than mine.