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Apologies for the tardiness of my monthly newsletter. Suffice it to say, it's been an interesting start to the year. I've gotten a bit behind as I've focused on current events.

Last week, Donald Trump loyalists physically took over the capitol building in Washington D.C. In the process, a police officer was killed and several other people died.

Social media platforms finally decided they'd seen enough. Twitter and Facebook permanently suspended Trump's accounts. He no longer has his preferred direct connection to the public.

I'm sure many readers disagree with the bans while others think they are way past due.

Regardless, it's another reminder of both the value and the downside of using companies' platforms for spreading your message. And what's the alternative? Domain names and websites. Here's how they're different, and why it's risky to build your voice on platforms that have a different objective than you do.

Longing for the good ole days of 2020 (that's a joke)? Scroll down to find the top five stories on Domain Name Wire last month, and check out the podcast episodes you might have missed. This includes the 2021 predictions episode featuring 22 peoples' predictions about what will happen to the domain name business in 2021.

-Andrew

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Here are the top stories on DNW last month, as ranked by pageviews:

1. NameSilo finds buyer as debt payments loom - A Dutch company plans to buy NameSilo with plans to combine it with a Nigerian domain business. The company disputed my characterization that the debt payments were an issue and said it was a good financial exit.

2. How Google became a strong competitor for domain names - Great search rankings on its own search engine have helped Google Domains grab market share.

3. The scariest thing about that GoDaddy phishing test story - GoDaddy got some flack for a fake bonus email. We should also be concerned about how many employees fell for it.

4. GoDaddy to pay up to $365 million for payments company Poynt - GoDaddy is adding payments to its puzzle in a huge acquisition. It will also put the company in stores "physically" with point of sale systems.

5. Is Chehadé why ICANN's board is reviewing Afilias deal? ICANN's board was probably made aware of the Afilias change of control because of its former CEO's involvement. The deal proceeded as planned.

Miss a podcast? Listen now:

#318 2021 Predictions Episode - Listen

#317 2020 in Review - Listen

#316 A Sparkly conversation with Jen Sale - Listen

#315 Acquiring a killer domain - Listen

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Thanks for reading,
Andrew