5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Domain Techie Question

by Mark Singletary
5 replies
  • OFF TOPIC
    • |
I have run into something I don't understand and frankly it's shocking that it could possibly work this way. I'm hoping some techies may be able to tell me why this happened.

I have a domain name, XYZ . com let's say. The name was registered with GoDaddy years ago but I've never put a site on it nor even hooked up email. I have plans for the domain but not right now.

A couple months ago I transferred it from GD to Namecheap. Because I had no site associated with the domain I didn't change the DNS information from GD to NC. I didn't think there was really a reason too.

I had set up a Google alert for something associated with this name and was surprised to get one today with a full site on XYZ .com.

I checked the name and it's still safe and secure at NC but with GD's DNS info.

The WHOIS info at DomainTools.com is all mine except it does list the title page of the website that isn't mine and isn't authorized to be using my domain name.

Now I am changing the DNS info as we speak but my question is how could this happen?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Mark
  • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
    Banned
    Hi Mark,

    You didn't mention if the domain had been registered previously, or if a page was ever placed by GD or other entity. Anyway, I'm just guessing, but I suspect it may just be due to the registrar's latency or an internal system snaffu.

    If the bogus info persists and you want it corrected, you can try filing a report here:

    https://forms.icann.org/en/resources...naccuracy-form

    Good luck.

    -don
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10674074].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author David Beroff
    I'm honestly not being snarky, but I'm not sure there's anything bogus going on here. You were directing DNS to GoDaddy, and when requests came in, they saw that this was for a site for which they were no longer a provider, (because now you were no longer their customer, at least for that domain). So they shrug and respond with information for a site that's likely generating money for them.

    Or am I misunderstanding something?
    Signature
    Put MY voice on YOUR video: AwesomeAmericanAudio.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10674277].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
      Originally Posted by David Beroff View Post

      You were directing DNS to GoDaddy, and when requests came in, they saw that this was for a site for which they were no longer a provider, (because now you were no longer their customer, at least for that domain). So they shrug and respond with information for a site that's likely generating money for them.
      I read about this as a possibility and how some registrars do this (or used to).

      However, in this case, it doesn't seem to be just a DNS redirect type thing because the title of the WP blog included the domain name: "Homework Help - XYZ . com" so that title was written by someone and posted in WP.

      Does that change your thinking on this at all?

      Mark
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10674475].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author David Beroff
        Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

        ...so that title was written by someone and posted in WP.
        That's not necessarily the case. There's more likely a variable that simply echos the domain that the server thinks it is serving, (i.e., automated, and not manual). I use similar variables often, more in the interest of avoiding potential manual errors.

        Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

        Does that change your thinking on this at all?
        No, I don't think so. Even though one might think that this is a rare case that doesn't happen often enough for them to do something like this, if you multiply a tiny rate of incidence times a huge number of domains, it might be enough for them to have set up a handful of relatively generic sets of content. I wouldn't worry about it; I certainly doubt that it was manually aimed at you, personally and individually.
        Signature
        Put MY voice on YOUR video: AwesomeAmericanAudio.com
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10674583].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    Okay, thanks. It's all handled now but it was a shock to get that Google alert.

    Mark
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10674592].message }}

Trending Topics