NameJet and Afternic Chosen as Platforms to Bring .MENU to Market

WhatBox? LLC, the applicant for the new top level domain .MENU, has selected NameJet, the leading domain name auction platform, and Afternic, the world’s largest premium domain marketplace, to operate the sunrise and landrush auctions, and offer premium name distribution for the .MENU top level domain (TLD). The company is targeting restaurants and food enthusiasts in its efforts to contribute to the evolving online culinary experience.

Working together, NameJet and Afternic provide .MENU a complete solution for the technical and marketing services needed to manage the .MENU launch. Due to a favorable result at the ICANN TLD draw, .MENU and NameJet are prepared to open the sunrise period immediately following the completion of the ICANN evaluation process. Sunrise auctions, the landrush period and premium name sales will begin shortly thereafter. NameJet’s proven platform, by which millions of names are made available and sold, is poised to help bring new TLDs to market. Last month, DMD announced its intent to spin off its domain services business, and NameJet is one component of its end-to-end solution, in addition to registration, registry and monetization services.

“NameJet is thrilled to be partnering with WhatBox? to operate auctions for .MENU, which we hope will be the first new English language TLD launched,” said Matt Overman, NameJet General Manager. “I look forward to utilizing our leading auction expertise to help promote the launch of .MENU and future TLDs that we expect to be rolled out this year.”

“NameJet and Afternic teamed up to offer the perfect solution for attaining both initial success during the launch phase and sustained adoption of .MENU,” said Erik Ludwick, co-founder of WhatBox? LLC. “We are excited to begin working with them on .MENU and look forward to expanding the relationship to other TLDs in the future.”

“We are excited to have been selected by WhatBox? to help create demand and to provide a distribution network for these new and exciting domain opportunities,” said Bob Mountain, senior vice president of Business Development & Account Services at Afternic. “The partnership with NameJet and WhatBox allows us to continue our mission of bringing high quality, premium domain opportunities to consumers across the globe.”

For more information about Registry Services, please visit the NameJet website: www.namejet.com/newtlds

About NameJet

NameJet is a joint venture between Demand Media, Inc. (DMD) and Web.com Group, Inc. (WWWW), who together own four leading ICANN-accredited registrars (eNom, Name.com, Network Solutions and Register.com). Launched in 2007 with core auction software and technical infrastructure operating since 2004, NameJet serves domain investors, Fortune 500 companies and their representatives, small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as a diverse and global mix of individual investors. It has processed more than 200,000 domain auctions, establishing itself as a trustworthy and transparent auction platform that is customer-focused and user-friendly. For more information, go to www.namejet.com.

About Afternic

Afternic is the world’s largest domain marketplace, offering millions of currently registered domains for sale through leading registrars worldwide that deliver millions of queries into the Afternic marketplace. Afternic is part of NameMedia, a leader in the acquisition, development and trading of digital real estate through a network of highly targeted websites and a marketplace for premium domain names. The company’s website development focuses on creating compelling online communities in niche categories. The company’s marketplace allows owners of premium domain names to sell domains, and for domain buyers to review the largest available inventory. Through its ownership of one of the largest domain portfolios in the world, its innovative website development platform, and its broad distribution, NameMedia now serves more than 50 million visitors to its network of websites and sells domains to customers in more than 100 countries. Headquartered outside Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts, more information is available at www.namemedia.com.