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Just purchased "ThePentagon.com" - any ideas?

by blendfish
37 replies
Hi like the title says I just picked up ThePentagon.com in an auction. Just wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could monetize it?

Initially I thought I'd setup a military recruitment site but they don't appear to pay recruitment agents. Someone suggested setting a military dating site (could do gay military dating if I really wanted to annoy them.)

Any other ideas or thoughts on the dating thing?
#ideas #purchased #thepentagoncom
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by blendfish View Post

    could do gay military dating if I really wanted to annoy them.
    I wouldn't worry too much about that, specifically, in your position: I expect owning and monetizing the domain alone will "annoy them" plenty. I wish you very good luck monetizing it: I may be totally wrong, of course, but I suspect you may need a little ...
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  • Profile picture of the author Ross Cohen
    Just wanted to chime it to say it's a cool domain to have...
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  • Profile picture of the author theimdude
    sell it to George Bush
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  • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
    "The Pentagon"..sounds like a techno club to me
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
      I've no idea about a dating site or what rights you have over the domain but...how much did you pay for it?
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  • Profile picture of the author bogdan247
    Find companies that may be interested. For example, there is a Pentagon company, a freight company, a publishing house, on the first page when searching "Pentagon company".
    I am sure that there are many others.
    Why don't you try pitching them?
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    • Profile picture of the author davezan
      Originally Posted by bogdan247 View Post

      Why don't you try pitching them?
      Originally Posted by monstrapecuniam View Post

      1. There are several restaurants called "The Pentagon". re-sell the domain to one of them.
      This:

      Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

      In addition, you could have a trademark issue on your hands. Any time you use a capitalized or proper name in a domain, you are setting yourself up for possible legal issues down the road.

      Names of people, businesses, agencies, events, products, books, movies, etc can all be trademarked. If it's a proper name (is it capitalized?), it most likely belongs to someone else.

      So while the name may be "cool" in some people's eyes . . . it could mean trouble for the domain owner that is using or squatting on a name he has no right to.

      Just be forewarned . . .

      Steve
      Speaking of trademarks, there are four live registrations in USPTO alone. Look
      up serial numbers 78321332, 77817420, 77901858 and 77134483.

      Just a reminder, though, that trademarks do not have to be registered if they
      are still being used as such. Their respective holders might have to prove that
      if ever, but there's usually little to no telling who's ready to do that.

      Depending on your risk threshold, it might or might not still be worthwhile. But
      at least you know whom or what to avoid, and what to possibly expect.

      Good luck, OP. And nice domain name, too.
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    You could turn it into a local travel website for the Washington D.C. area. Take commissions for selling hotel accommodations, car rentals, airline tickets, restaurants, coupons, etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author Global Warrior
      Hang on to it....sounds like it could be the title of the next xbox 360 smash hit...or not
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    If you loved military and politics that would be a great name for a military blog. Honestly I would try to start a military blog. It might take a few years but you could get some serious traffic and could become the leading US military blog if you get the right bloggers.

    Do you go to forums in this niche or did you just see the great domain and buy it?
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  • Profile picture of the author pacelattin
    Actually there is military.com offers all over, I *think* getads might still have it. Military.com offers are edu offers for the military.

    That being said, I dont see anyone searching for "ThePentagon" for military...

    Originally Posted by blendfish View Post

    Hi like the title says I just picked up ThePentagon.com in an auction. Just wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could monetize it?

    Initially I thought I'd setup a military recruitment site but they don't appear to pay recruitment agents. Someone suggested setting a military dating site (could do gay military dating if I really wanted to annoy them.)

    Any other ideas or thoughts on the dating thing?
    Signature
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    • Profile picture of the author blendfish
      To be honest I thought it was a great domain so I just bought it, from memory I think it cost around $1200. I have around $5-10k to spend on developing it though I would put in more if I thought it was working.

      I wouldn't want to use it for anything that might cause trouble and get it shut down/taken away (so military dating is probably out.) I can't see anyone doing that unless I turn it into my own personal pentagon clone website or something. Nobody can claim they own the name of a shape surely?

      The idea of a military or political blog/forum does appeal to me, I follow international politics quite closely but being a Brit I have little knowledge of US politics so I guess I'd need to hire someone freelance for that role. I probably need a good DDOS protected host though

      What's the usual route for setting up a forum? Start as a blog first to build traffic? I build and sell SaaS apps normally, I've not really experimented with this sort of thing before.
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  • Profile picture of the author PatchesDM
    Government conspiracies seems cool!
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    • Profile picture of the author andrewpgpg
      Sell it to wikileaks
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      • Profile picture of the author Steve B
        To be honest, I can't see why you would spend money for it without having a plan for the site in advance.

        In addition, you could have a trademark issue on your hands. Any time you use a capitalized or proper name in a domain, you are setting yourself up for possible legal issues down the road.

        Names of people, businesses, agencies, events, products, books, movies, etc can all be trademarked. If it's a proper name (is it capitalized?), it most likely belongs to someone else.

        So while the name may be "cool" in some people's eyes . . . it could mean trouble for the domain owner that is using or squatting on a name he has no right to.

        Just be forewarned . . .

        Steve
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        • Profile picture of the author blendfish
          Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

          To be honest, I can't see why you would spend money for it without having a plan for the site in advance.

          In addition, you could have a trademark issue on your hands. Any time you use a capitalized or proper name in a domain, you are setting yourself up for possible legal issues down the road.

          Names of people, businesses, agencies, events, products, books, movies, etc can all be trademarked. If it's a proper name (is it capitalized?), it most likely belongs to someone else.

          So while the name may be "cool" in some people's eyes . . . it could mean trouble for the domain owner that is using or squatting on a name he has no right to.

          Just be forewarned . . .

          Steve
          I searched "the pentagon" at the USPTO and found nothing. Makes me think I should trademark it

          I'm not sure where it stands on the grounds of misleading people. According to wikipedia it's not an issue if you are conducting a different type of business using the name. So a) the pentagon is not a business and b) unless there are some seriously rich investors out there I have no idea where I would get the funds to create a competing armed forces and intelligence agency anyway. Joking aside not pissing them off is probably a good idea all the same.

          As for buying a domain without a plan, well it was a 72 hour private auction. I'd had a few glasses of wine and it seemed like a good idea at the time - not that I regret buying it though.
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      • Profile picture of the author Your Brand Ebooks
        Originally Posted by andrewpgpg View Post

        Sell it to wikileaks
        Best idea I've heard all week

        .
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  • Profile picture of the author Marhelper
    Wow ... $1200 without a plan. Wish I could afford to do that. Personally, I steer clear of purchasing domains that start with "The ...." Best of luck to you though.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mikey D
      Originally Posted by Marhelper View Post

      Personally, I steer clear of purchasing domains that start with "The ...." Best of luck to you though.
      Do you mean websites like "The Facebook"?
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      • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Mikey D View Post

        Do you mean websites like "The Facebook"?
        Is it actually called "The Facebook?" I thought that was just hipsters making up a name for it. If I had the domain I would do some sort of military/political blog. You have to be smart about whether you stick to the political right/left though. Figure out which one sells better.
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  • Profile picture of the author bigexperts
    I like Lordauric's idea more than anything. I think its the best idea so far.
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  • Profile picture of the author StevenJones
    Create a website where you blog about the blunders of the american army, do it in a "daily show" kind of fashion. I would be recurring visitor, that's for sure!
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  • Profile picture of the author ibacklinkpro
    Don't bet too much on a movie wanting your domain, they will usually add Movie to the end of the domain and they get those. I think that an online weapons shop would work for that site but I don't have any clue about the headache involved in setting up something like that, and I'm certain there is a headache with that...
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    • Profile picture of the author Your Brand Ebooks
      Originally Posted by ibacklinkpro View Post

      Don't bet too much on a movie wanting your domain, they will usually add Movie to the end of the domain and they get those.
      Then he should also register PentagonTheMovie.com

      There's bound to one day be a movie called The Pentagon.

      .
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      ONCE UPON A TIME there was a Warrior named Bob. He was sad. And frustrated. You see, Warrior Bob spent every last nickel on Internet Marketing e-books. But nothing panned out. No traffic. No sales. He was one sad Bob. Then one day Bob found a bottle. He rubbed it and out came a Genie who granted him 3 wishes. For Wish #1 Bob asked for a pet Dragon. Wish Granted. For Wish #2, Bob wanted Warriors' websites seen by 53 million TV viewers, for under $5 per broadcast. The Genie said... (click here)
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  • Profile picture of the author azmanar
    Originally Posted by blendfish View Post

    Hi like the title says I just picked up ThePentagon.com in an auction. Just wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could monetize it?

    Initially I thought I'd setup a military recruitment site but they don't appear to pay recruitment agents. Someone suggested setting a military dating site (could do gay military dating if I really wanted to annoy them.)

    Any other ideas or thoughts on the dating thing?
    Hey Blendfish,

    Let's do a simple MindMap right here to see what are related to The Pentagon:

    GENERAL IMPRESSION
    Level 1 -> government, politics, army, patriotism, policy, world news

    CONTENT
    Level 2 -> peace, goals, objectives, motives, coverage, secrecy, alerts, protection, precaution,

    SKILLS
    Level 3 -> security, safety, strategic planning, research, analysis, reports, spying, pilferage, how-tos, soft skills,

    TOOLS
    Level 4 -> devices, arms, techniques, unarmed combat, satellite, communications, software, training tools

    I'd say, you can focus on everything about SAFETY & SECURITY that cover knowledge, skills, attitude, habit, tools, training & devices in several environment:
    -> home safety
    -> neighbourhood safety
    -> street-wise
    -> road-safety
    -> office & work-place safety
    -> online safety

    And you can drill down even further ..... even to martial arts, private investigation, protection products .... and etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author UMS
    While "The Pentagon" doesn't appear to be trademarked, there are related terms that are. For example:

    "Inside The Pentagon"
    "Fort America At the Pentagon"

    I'm no lawyer, so I have no idea if you'll have trouble with your domain, but certainly something to be cautious about.
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  • Profile picture of the author art72
    That domain seems a tough nut to crack considering the the potential to piss off "The Pentagon" might have greater effects or bring new meaning to being sand-boxed or even de-indexed.

    Hell, just seeing the power trip Google yields is bad enough, toying with top authorities such as the US military or better still the "Headquarters for the Department of Defense"???

    Ummm... no thanks, I think it would take more than a few glasses of wine for me to touch that one. I'm not even sure if I were hanging out with Timothy Leary his mojo could persuade such a compulsive purchase.

    However, if in a drunken stupor I were to entertain such an idea. I would write the most impressive book possible denoting the 'historical facts' and compile a campaign to drive traffic to increase book sales.

    If it took off, I'd suggest paying you're taxes in a timely manner, and be sure not to be too controversial. Many have 'mysteriously' been found in cars forever rested by exhaust pipe gases... wouldn't wish that upon anyone now would we.

    *Response was Inspired by having just re-watched the Philadelphia Experiment documentary on the History Channel. Gotta love Quantum Physics!

    Good Luck with it...

    All the Best,

    Art
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  • Profile picture of the author Sheryl Polomka
    That is a lot of money to spend without a plan. Personally, I am thinking along the lines of any legal issues with this domain. Whether the name itself is trademarked or other forms of the name - it is still one that I don't think I'd touch!

    But..... you never know, it might be fine and if so you could have a lucrative domain on your hands.

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author Brillig
    The key here is figuring out who searches on "pentagon" (or if that word too hard too hard, who searches on the attainable versions of it) then work your way backward.

    Out of pure conjecture, I'm wondering if a lot of small businesses hoping to land contracts might be searching on it. The idea someone posted earlier for a directory that would match them up with who they want to talk to sounds promising, although daunting also.

    I also like the blog idea. You might need to find a blog writer though if you don't have the expertise in that area.
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  • Profile picture of the author pacelattin
    There is no issue with use of the name to talk about the military, etc. Don't worry about the trademark, there are noissues with that for a variety of reasons including public domain reasons and common use.

    Only issue you'd need is to make clear you website is ABOUT the US Military, and not affiliated. Do not use government seals etc, unless you are referencing and put that same language in the bottom.
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  • Profile picture of the author monstrapecuniam
    1. There are several restaurants called "The Pentagon". re-sell the domain to one of them.

    2. A forum about US military matters.

    3. Redirect it to pentagon.osd.mil in a frame with ads on top

    4. Make a site about geometry :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author mrjosco
    Forget all this military stuff. That is asking for a problem anyways. Take it a totally different route and go MATH!

    Geometry help and information. There are apps, getting decent business, that charge fees for solving problems.

    Now, the "math" niche is pretty competitive - but if you have money to throw at it, you should be fine.

    Just an 'outside the pentagon' thought.

    "the 5 point plan to mastering math"
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    • Profile picture of the author jeskola
      Conspiracy theories - then cover it in ads.
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  • Profile picture of the author jkennedy
    Banned
    Your best bet without a plan would be to put some government comical affiliate links on it and highly target the keywords to get alot of traffic. Then resell it for more than you bought.
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  • Profile picture of the author candoit2
    Thepentagon is the perfect name for a women's Camouflage Lingerie site.

    How could the pentagon hate on a site like that?
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I wouldn't worry much about the government being interested in you or your site, but I would do a basic trademark search at TESS before buying any more domains.

    Pentagon is trademarked in numerous ways
    http://tess2.uspto.gov
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