Work at Tucows: Be an Associate Domainer

Because I am fascinated with the world of domain names, I truly believe I have the coolest job in the world as the General Manager of the Tucows Domain Portfolio.

Now I have the pleasure of adding a new person to my existing team. That’s right, I’m looking to hire someone in the role of Associate Domainer. Maybe that someone is you or someone you know?

Here are some more details about this special role:

Associate Domainer at Tucows

Tucows is currently seeking a unique individual to join our Domain Portfolio team as an Associate Domainer. As a key member of this exciting and rapidly evolving business area, you will report directly to the General Manager, Domain Portfolio. (That would be me.)

Tucows has one of the largest domain name portfolios in the world, and these domain names are currently monetized through domain parking and domain sales.

In this full-time position, located in our office in Toronto’s Liberty Village, you will assist in reviewing and selecting domain names from daily lists for possible acquisition by Tucows. You will also grade and price domain names, manage, restore, renew and transfer names, and optimize the landing pages of parked domains. You will generate daily, weekly and monthly reports on data trends and patterns as well as respond to internal and external email and phone sales and support inquires about domain names in our portfolio. Your ability to work in a fast-paced environment will contribute to the growth of this evolving business area and the ongoing success of Tucows.

The ideal candidate will have kick-ass Internet research skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills. Proficiency in Word, Excel is a must, while database experience (MS Access/SQL) would be a nice bonus. Previous experience in and/or passion for the domain name industry, domaining, or PPC advertising would be very useful.

If you can multi-task, are detail-oriented and have the ability to manage your time effectively under minimal supervision, then this is the job for you.

Head over to the Careers site for more information and to apply.

I have to say that this is an amazing opportunity for someone who wants to break into the booming but still relatively unknown industry of domaining (domain name investing). Here’s a fascinating and seminal article on the topic of domaining that got a lot of people buzzing about domaining and domainers (those folks that practice domaining) when it was first published a year ago. It provides a rare ‘behind-the-scenes’ perspective on this fascinating industry and some of its key players. With any luck it will also inspire a few people to apply for the Associate Domainer position at Tucows.

Does Your Domain Name Have a Dirty Secret?

When it comes to choosing a domain name for your business, it helps to have a ‘dirty’ mind. Otherwise you might end up being stuck with a domain name that will get you into trouble with word-based content filters.

That’s right, if your domain name inadvertently contains a ‘naughty’ keyword or phrase, your entire Website may be blocked by content blocking filters still commonly used by large corporations, libraries, schools, and overprotective parents. Your site might also be hindered from showing up in some search engines, and some of the email messages you send from your domain could end up being blocked by spam filters.

Here are some fictitious examples of what at first appear to be innocent domain names:

  • HireThisExCopper [dot-something]
  • EssexWorld [dot-something]

Look closer, however, and you will notice that the first domain contains the word “sex” and the second contains the phrase “sex world.” Both of these domains could end up running into trouble with filters, especially the second one.

And can you spot what’s problematic with these domain names?

  • ScanAlley [dot-something]
  • CanalTours [dot-something]

Both contain the word “anal” which also poses a risk of running afoul of filters.

You get the idea…

So before deciding on your next domain name, be sure to scrutinize it carefully. Look for any and all ‘troublesome’ words and phrases. The last thing you want is to have your seemingly innocuous domain name misinterpreted by word-based content filters.