[sf-lug] SF-LUG.INFO: Re: And then there were 5: SFLUG.NET, SFLUG.COM, SFLUG, ORG, SF-LUG.COM, SF-LUG.ORG: Re: SFLUG.COM Re: SFLUG.[...] Re: SFLUG.org

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Michael Paoli (Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu):

> Once upon a time, at least for a while, we even had
> SF-LUG.INFO 8-O

At the risk of repeating myself, it's neat if someone's willing to pay
for it, but I just don't see the utility.  I mean, seriously, what's the
value-add?  AFAIK, there's just no actual benefit.

Arguments that 'Some additional people might discover the group at
additional domain-name variants' are not just far-fetched but also
offset by later problems you will have when dropping ancillary domains
nobody's eager to pay to renew, to the extent that loosely connected
members came to rely on those domains and draw the wrong conclusion 
(that SF-LUG has folded) after it vanishes.

Arguments that it's necessary to buy up ancillary domain-name variants
to fend off confusion with competitors face the fact that SF-LUG doesn't 
actually have that problem.  I've yet to hear someone say 'I tried to
attend SF-LUG but ended up at a totally different group with a
confusingly similar domain name.'

The only semi-parallel case I can think of is where Bill Ward
occasionally (probably long ago, at this point) mixed up Bay Area LEGO
Users Group (baylug.org) and Bay Area Linux User Group (balug.org) in
his head when posting to user groups, but that's rather more of an
amusement than a brand-identity problem.

I'm glad to do the secondary DNS for these ancillary domains because (as
always for secondary DNS)that requires one-time setup and then
next-to-no subsequent administration at all, but I'm sure glad it's not
me paying for such domains, because IMO it's a frivolous use of money and
resources (but thankfully not _my_ money and resources ;-> ).

-- 
Cheers,            You must rise or sink / You must conquer or win, 
Rick Moen          Or serve and lose. / Suffer or triumph, / Be anvil or hammer.
rick at linuxmafia.com 
McQ! (4x80)        -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Gesellige Lieder, Ein Anderes