Friday 29 July 2011

False Alarm

Fregobo.eu, which seemed to be taken last week according to UK2.net though not according to other domain vendors, is now available even on UK2. Just a glitch, then, it seems. Other related domains, including fregobo.com, are also still available.

What are you waiting for? It'll never be the next Facebook killer if nobody buys it!

Saturday 23 July 2011

Have you just bought fregobo.eu?

Checking with a couple of domain name sellers, I see that fregobo.com is still available, as is practically every other option - fregobo.net, fregobo.info, and so on.

However, while 1and1 and 123-reg both list fregobo.eu as available, UK2.net says that it's taken.

Has the .eu domain just now been bought, and the information hasn't had time to filter through to the whole of the internet? Or has UK2 just got it wrong?

If it has been bought, it would be a remarkable coincidence if that just happened by chance right after I started blogging about the name's potential. It's far more likely, I think, that someone saw this blog and thought "why not".

So, if you've just bought fregobo.eu and you're lurking in the background here, why not step into the light and introduce yourself? Click where it says "0 comments". That's what the link is for. Let us know what your plans are for the domain. Go on! There's no need to be shy!

Friday 22 July 2011

What does "the next Facebook killer" look like?

First, let me make it absolutely clear that I have nothing against Facebook, and I don't really expect it to be killed any time soon. With its vast membership, it's the ideal place to re-link to old acquaintances. Even if it totally sucked (which it doesn't, though it does have its flaws), people would still stay there because that's where all their old friends are. Also, I have nothing against Mark Zuckerberg. I have him in my circles at Google Plus, just like everybody else does who has a presence there.

The phrase "The Next Facebook Killer" actually implies that Facebook isn't going to be killed. If some "Facebook Killer" were somehow to actually succeed, how could there be a next one?

The phrase was most recently attached to Google Plus, before that service actually launched and when there was speculation about whether it would actually be called Google Plus, or maybe Google.me; but now that plus has actually launched it can no longer claim to be "The Next Facebook Killer". Instead, it has graduated to being "The Current Facebook Killer". This leaves a gap in the market, which needs to be  filled quickly. I'm talking about the NEXT next Facebook killer.

So, what should the  NEXT next Facebook killer look like? I have a few ideas about that, but I'll stand back for a short while to see what you have to say. For now I'll just say that it should be called Fregobo, because - why not? It's the sort of random collection of syllables that all the most successful sites have nowadays, and it rolls easily off the tongue. So all it needs now is for you to agree with that assessment, and get the domain registered, and power it to the top using the suggestions that are bound to appear here, or with your own suggestions if you prefer. Seriously, what are you waiting for?

Thursday 21 July 2011

Introduction: What is Fregobo?

Hello, and welcome to the blog on what could be the next facebook killer.

Fregobo is a name that I conjured out of thin air in my new blog on SEO yesterday - see http://search-engine-optimum.blogspot.com/2011/07/establishing-baseline-whats-in-name.html.

I was talking about how so many top websites have names that are either totally meaningless or have no obvious connection with what the site is actually about - e.g. Twitter, Mashable, Spotify, and so on.

Despite the name being picked at random, it was almost inevitable that it would refer to something real. It's hard nowadays to find any random collection of letters that is truly meaningless. So I Googled. At first Google responded with "showing results for fergola. Search instead for fregobo". but after I showed it that I really meant business, by clicking on the fregobo link, it relented and I got "8 matches".

My apologies if you are one of the handful of people that are surnamed Fregobo. I didn't initially set out with the intention of taking your name;  but at least the domain name fregobo.com is still available, or it is at the time of this writing, as are lots of other potential domain names such as fregobo.net and so on. Also, if you can convince me that you really are a fregobo then I would be very sympathetic to the idea of handing this blog over to you, though obviously that will change if it turns out fregobo really is "the next Facebook killer".

Now here's the kicker: you might have missed it when it was spelled out in the previous paragraph, because that was addressed to people surnamed Fregobo of which you are probably not one, but the domain name fregobo.com is still available. I reserve the right to change my mind if it's still available in a month or so, but for now I have no intention of registering it or any other fregobo-related domain name myself. Why not? Well it is after all just a name I chose at random. It has no intrinsic value, any more than "spotify" or "twitter" did before those services were launched. That might change, but only if somebody else gets involved. Fregobo can never be a Facebook killer while I am the only person blogging about it. So it's up to you, dear reader, to start the ball rolling. If at the time you're reading this Fregobo isn't already more famous than Facebook, it might be that the domain is still up for grabs. If it truly is the "Next Facebook Killer" then it could be worth billions, but I'll let you have it anyway because that's the kind of guy that I am, generous to a fault.  So, what are you waiting for?

In the meantime, what I intend to do here is blog about what "The Next Facebook Killer" needs to be like. What functions does it need to have? What unique selling point? I'll be inviting readers to contribute suggestions in the comments. Whoever gets the domain might want to check in here regularly for suggestions as to what to do with it.

Here's hoping that fregobo truly is  "The Next Facebook Killer", or something equally amazing. Good luck!

Martin Gradwell (MTGradwell on twitter and elsewhere; also martin at dallasmatthews dot co dot uk).