'H' man to Herald: $10,000 and the domain is yours
150-year-old mastead to be replaced by an H logo. UPDATE: APN gets an offer.
150-year-old mastead to be replaced by an H logo. UPDATE: APN gets an offer.
UPDATE Aug 21: Yesterday, as the Herald said it would move to an "H" masthead for its newspaper and website, NBR ONLINE wondered if this made the web address H.co.nz more desirable to publisher APN.
NBR tracked down the Australian-based John Walker, who owns the domain, along with more than 100 others, many of which he hopes will eventually appeal to news site publishers (from the likes of NEWSA-Z.com and A-ZNEWS.com to countless combinations of keywords like "funds" and "travel' with "news").
Mr Walker said he was interested in selling H.co.nz.
NBR asked his price.
"$10,000," he replied.
"That would seem a reasonable price considering it probably cost them 10 times that for the 'redesign'."
NBR forwarded the offer to APN.
"The H is a great way to produce a new masthead but not sure it would work so well as a url," APN Digital editor-in-chief Jeremy Rees told NBR.
"I think we'll pass."
Herald switching to 'H' masthead
August 20: The 150-year-old New Zealand Herald masthead is to be replaced by an "H" logo from September 10.
The "H" will also be used on the paper's website.
Its introduction will coincide with the weekday Herald's switch from broadsheet to tabloid format.
The logo keeps the conservative gothic typeface used ini the paper's full masthead - a mover perhaps designed to counter suggestions that a move to tabloid size implies more tabloid editorial.
Although APN will also use the logo for its website, the publisher appears to be out of luck if it also wants to use H.co.nz.
That URL is owned by one John Walker of Auckland, according to Domain Name Commission records.