Newly Digital

Posted on May 31, 2003 | 6 comments

This was written for Adam Kalsey's Newly Digital project. Click the link for more information.

Other Participants

I arrived on the Internet scene later than most. I’ve never used a BBS, my first modem connected at 28kbps, and I’ve never used Mosaic (except as an historical curiosity). But everyone has a first story, and this is mine.

I was introduced to the Web when it was getting popular and I wasn’t. I didn’t know how it worked or what to make of it, but I knew I wanted to a be a part of it. I wanted some virtual real estate; I wanted to play with the big boys. This World Wide Web was the coolest thing I had ever seen.

Being the Star Trek fanatic that I was, I purchased a “.com” domain name that consisted of a Next Generation character’s name. I was sure I had made it. My website would soon be incredibly popular. I sat back and waited...

...and nothing happened. I began to realize that if my site were to become popular, I would have to dedicate myself to providing interesting content. At that age, constantly updating a website seemed like a hassle, so I didn’t. The domain sat for months and I eventually forgot about it. The next billing cycle came around and I realized I still owned the domain, but not being interested in keeping it up, I decided to give it up. It seemed like a high profile name, so I thought I might be able to get some money for the domain.

At that point mail.com was offering branded email accounts having to do with Star Trek, for example yourname@startrekmail.com. I emailed them, offering to sell my domain. It seemed like a perfect plan: I would get money, they would get a cool domain name.

About a month later I received a reply telling me they would be in touch with me shortly. Not being well versed in trademark law, I thought this was a good sign. A few weeks passed, during which I was positive I would soon be rolling in the dough.

The cease and desist letter arrived from Viacom shortly thereafter, informing me of the sin I had committed and the penalties if I did not immediately hand my domain over. I went through the steps, got the forms notarized, and sent them in as fast as I could.

Overall, Viacom was nice about the whole deal. They sent me a few books and action figures for my troubles, and I kept the letter as a memento. I took some time to read up on trademark law and I’m happy to report that was the last violation I have made (to my knowledge).

Comments

6 comments so far. Add yours

From Kalsey Consulting Group :: Measure Twice Jun 1, 2003 11:49 AM

Newly Digital is an experimental writing project. I've asked 11 people to write about their early experiences with computing technology and post their essays on their weblogs. So go read, enjoy, and then contribute. This collection is open to you. Wri... (TrackBack from Newly Digital)

From C:\PIRILLO.EXE Jun 1, 2003 12:17 PM

When people ask you about your first computer, what do they mean? I mean, do they mean the first one you ever used, the first one you assembled, the first one you monopolized, or the first one you purchased? I'm still not sure where it all began with m... (TrackBack from Newly Digital)

From Anders Jacobsen's blog Jun 1, 2003 10:33 PM

My first time online was from a laptop. Via a cell phone modem. Using the Mosaic browser. In 1994. [...] This is my contribution to ''Newly Digital: A distributed anthology of early computing experience.'' (TrackBack from Newly Digital: My first Internet connection)

From Waxy.org Jun 2, 2003 12:38 AM

The following is my contribution to Newly Digital, a distributed writing project about early computing experiences started by Adam Kalsey.... (TrackBack from Newly Digital: Hack's Retreat)

From UtterlyBoring.com Jun 2, 2003 5:38 PM

I might as well jump on the bandwagon. Adam Kalsey started what he calls "A distributed anthology of early computing experience." He calls it Newly Digital. The idea is to... (TrackBack from What are your early computer experiences?)

From UtterlyBoring.com Jun 2, 2003 5:40 PM