SN.IM - status update
SnipURL Editor
Please know that it's doubly frazzling for me than it is for you to
have this domain name in limbo for so long.
SnipURL has been my labor of love for over nine years now while many
such sites have come and gone. FYI, the "sn.im" domain alone costs GBP
495 per year, and I pay it out of my pocket to offer to my loyal users
a free service. Hosting a database with millions of data sets is not
cheap either. I pay these sums with joy because of the touching
comments I have received over the years.
To see it being abused in such a manner is heartbreaking, and very
baffling. Please think twice before sending disparaging remarks. There
is no disregard or oversight from my side, there is just delay because
I'm waiting for the speed of operations of people in "Isle of Man".
Some of your comments to me make me wonder about the wisdom of
revealing this publicly yet, but I'll share a heads-up here--basically
the domain has been usurped by a domain squatter. The "nic.im" (domain
registrar) says that this was allowed to happen because the domain was
unpaid for. Which is not true.
We have now established this with a full trace of the telegraphic
transfer, where their own bank has now faxed me proof that the money
in fact was credited to their account well in time for my domain to be
auto-renewed without any problems. I'm wondering why NIC.IM is
claiming that the payment was not made. This is not $10 kind of an
amount that is customary for ".com" domains these days, this is nearly
US$ 600, so I wonder how it can go AWOL in this fashion!
Not only this, while we are in these discussions, I tried and politely
asked the new owner of the sn.im domain (some guys in the UK who run a
"singles network") to at least consider putting a 404 page that would
allow older sn.im URLs that have been shared in books and on twitter
etc to be live and active. New sn.im URLs could not be created but the
404 would redirect my older sn.ims to their proper destinations and
alleviate the frustration that we are all feeling. Sadly, the domain
owners have decided to be discourteous instead.
Anyway, NIC.IM is now investigating the matter and is to get back to
me to respond to their *own* bank saying that their account was
credited in time. I will keep this group posted. But please know that
I am trying everything possible to get this domain back. A domain I
lost for absolutely no "fault" of mine.
Appreciate your patience and support.
IMPORTANT: If any of you can send me a screenshot of the sn.im domain
containing smutty or inappropriate links, we can get it discontinued.
That would greatly help us.
Many many thanks,
Shashank
SnipURL Editor
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kitson
Thank you for the transparency and honesty - I'm sure this is very
difficult for you.
But why is your Twitter account (@snipURL) twittering with sn.im
URLs? (The most recent three tweets - from 1/29, 1/30, and 1/30.)
What message are we supposed to take from that?
If I can be of any help, please let me know -- I'm happy to barrage
the Isle of Man with phone calls if it'll help.
I really need those links back.
j.
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Cliff
> To see it being abused in such a manner is heartbreaking, and very
> baffling. Please think twice before sending disparaging remarks. There
> is no disregard or oversight from my side, there is just delay because
> I'm waiting for the speed of operations of people in "Isle of Man".
Have you tried phoning them? +44 1624 825278.
Better still, have you tried getting your lawyers to contact them. Do
you need
contact details for a good London firm of solicitors?
> I'm wondering why NIC.IM is
> claiming that the payment was not made.
Probably incompetence and/or lethargy. Both can usually be fixed by a
call from
a high-power lawyer.
> IMPORTANT: If any of you can send me a screenshot of the sn.im domain
> containing smutty or inappropriate links, we can get it discontinued.
> That would greatly help us.
Emailed separately.
Incidentally, my post yesterday seems not to have turned up. Is this
a problem
with Google groups or did I do something wrong?
Regards,
Cliff.
Watson Fru Nji
We really hope and pray that this problem is resolved no matter how long it takes!! The number of sn.im links I have are in their thousands!! We are talking about One year of full internet marketing efforts just gone. No more sales and no nothing for me! I am almost ruined. I tried fixing the few which could be fixed, Still I cant go anywhere near fixing 1/1000 of everything!
Thanks once more for letting us know what is going on.
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allgood2
issue of domain theft. I hate to say this, because I know you are
working diligently, and are incredibly hopeful to get the domain back.
But the NIC.im is probably being somewhat deceptive. Admittedly,
you've paid almost $600 a year for the domain; but the countries that
have realized that their domains are being used for short urls, and
are in high domain are charging up to $5,000 annual for these domains.
Possibly, more, but $5,000 was the highest I found when I was doing a
search on finding a short domain. A number of the NICs make it fairly
clear that it's a matter of money, and if someone else offers them
more than you maybe done for.
I'd hope the proof will be enough to get the domain back, but in all
honesty even if you get it back, I expect the issue might arise
annually for you in the future. I loved the sn.im domain, but admit,
that I probably won't go back to using it, because i've already
labeled the NIC predatory. Which means their lack of honesty would
allow the situation to occur again in the future.
I'm very sorry this is happening to you. Your service is great, and no
one should be held hostage or experience theft/fraud from there domain
registrar but I fear more and more people will suffer the same fate,
since ICANN seems to have little influence over how these matters are
handled.
Alnisa
Cindy Sue Causey
Yeah, next year it might become.. $10,000..
Or 20.......
Most UNhumbly :: If you get sn.im back, fandabulous.. If it was me
walking in your Shoes at that moment, I would consider posthaste
(IMMEDIATELY) making use of working it to specifically and near only
redirect those old snipURLs to something new with a more reputable
entity.. Chances are good not all will ever be recovered, but over
that year's time some congruous, parallel continuity could *possibly*
be regained in anticipation of "the next time"..
Might be completely unfeasible, might not work under any circumstance,
but couldn't help thinking out loud anyway.. Maybe it will trigger
someone's memory of a deeply buried method that *would* work.. My
Heart goes out daily to all affected.. :)
Warmest wishes from Talking Rock, Georgia.. :)
Cindy Sue
- :: -
Celebrating Disability Independent Living!
http://www.facebook.com/ametrinebutterfly
Georgia Voices That Count, 2005
Talking Rock, GA, USA