Subscribe by EmailAustrian student invents a “second internet”
October 12, 2008 by Mark O'Neill |By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
A 16 year old Austrian student has invented a “second web” with the aim of raising advertising revenue and has subsequently managed to make $25,000 by selling “domains”.
Julian Zehetmayr sells “Second Internet” top level domains for $5 each and you can link to pages on the “First Web” (the main internet). But you don’t apparently get a proper domain. Zehetmayr describes it only as a “database entry” - his lawyers supposedly told him this was the only way to avoid being sued by the owners of the domains on the real internet. I don’t see the difference to be honest - either you own the name or you don’t. There’s no in between.
The “Second Web” can be accessed here. Zehetmayr describes the Second Web as a “good advertising opportunity” where people can pick up domain names that are taken on the real internet.
A lot of people seem to agree because 5000 domains are now sold.
What do you think? A scam or an ingenious idea? Do you see yourself snapping up domain names on the Second Web?
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I can’t believe people are actually going for this. Wow, worst idea ever.
boobies.com is still available
So, in essence, hes just set up a domain registrar with a webapp browser-in-a-browser to access it? Does this gent have a big L tatted on his forehead or something?
Yep, that’s what he did.. and basically, his “second Internet” domain names are only a link to a specific page, a database entry that points somewhere on his own server.
Stupid or brilliant? As a concept, it’s really stupid. As a money making trick, it’s brilliant. And why is that? Because PEOPLE are stupid…. He did sell $25,000 worth of worthless domain names after all.
Somebody do the right thing and register thirdweb.com on there, and let’s see how deep we can make this thing go!
Aw, you beat me to it.
The internet isn’t really a concept or a peice of software you run , its a technology that you use and unless he comes out with something different he can’t really claim he did anything new, after all you use the Intenet to go to his stupid site, a nifty browser isn’t gonna make it a second web, there are far more brilliant people than this 16 year old who dived into this Web2.0 world and are giving a helping hand, so maybe he should be less greedy and more helpful if he really cares about the internet but I guess he just needs the money
Well, given our dwindling supply of first internet, and our growing dependence on foreign internet, it’s about time we started exploring alternative internets.
I can’t believe this actually worked, people must be really stupid.
P.T. Barnum is still correct. The kid’s got $25K so far. If his lawyers take thirty percent, he’s still get $17.5K. Not a bad haul so far for the latest in a long line of harebrained schemes. It only upsets me that I didn’t think of it first. You can fool some of the people…