23 years ago today, the domain name Think.com was registered. Some of you might think you registered your first name a long time ago, but think about this; Think.com probably preceded your first registration by a decade or more. Some of you might think you started registering domains too late, but think about this; 23 years from now, someone will be registering their first domain name.

In 1985, the year Think.com was registered:

• The Web browser had not yet been invented
• Windows 1.0 was released, and Microsoft was a privately held company
• Ronald Reagan was president of the United States
• Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet leader
• New Coke was released. Anyone remember that?
• Back to the Future was the top grossing film
• The Berlin Wall was still up

So, what were you thinking about in 1985?

Clear your calendars and get ready for the best (and perhaps only) domainer networking meetup in Atlanta this year. DomainerCon is three weeks from tomorrow and the registration deadline is quickly approaching. If you have not yet signed up, go to DomainerCon.com today and fill out the quick form to let us know you are coming. It is a free networking event, but we need to know how much space is needed. The main event is from 5-7 pm on Saturday, June 14, but feel free to stay as late as you want. Also, some people have expressed interest in getting together for breakfast the next day, so we may do that as well. If you know of anyone in the Atlanta area that has not yet signed up, help us spread the word by letting them know. We look forward to seeing you there.

The Microsoft-Yahoo merger is not working out, and the guys at Microsoft seem like they don’t really know what to do. This is not surprising though, as they have yet to put together a successful search engine strategy. Their MSN Search is now Microsoft Live Search, online at Live.com. I wonder why they picked “Live.com” as the name though. Sure it is a great domain, but wouldn’t it be better used as a video site or social network? The much more obvious name for a search engine is Search.com, and CNet owns it.

The CNet-CBS deal is not finalized, and if CNet receives a higher offer, they can take it. Instead of Microsoft paying users to use their sub-par search engine, why not use a few bucks from their cash reserves and buy CNet. It won’t necessarily fix their search problems, but it will give them a solid foundation for future online services such as:

Search.com – to compete with Google
Com.com – wildcard it to bring more visitors to search.com
MP3.com – to compete with Apple iTunes
Download.com – to promote their software
Downloads.com – also to promote their software
Computers.com – to promote Windows operating system
Help.com – for customer support
Chat.com – to promote Windows live messenger
TV.com – to help them get into the living room with interactive tv

No doubt they will miss this opportunity though. They started by underestimating the importance of the Internet, and they obviously underestimate the power of great generic domain names. Oh well, maybe one day they will realize what they missed and perhaps they can just buy CBS. 😉