Comment how'd it take this long? (Score 2) 18
What shocks me here is how long it took to become such a popular thing? Parking domains isn't that expensive, but certainly isn't free, especially in large numbers. The people doing the parking are basically squatting on property they speculate will have value down the road. They may as well collect a little "rent" on them while they squat?
I can remember when "domain tasting" first became a thing, I looked at it and thought, "This is a TERRIBLE idea, it's going to make it more expensive for people to start up their own web site and 'interesting' domains are going to be unobtainable by the average person just because some squatter thinks they're parked on gold." No random person is going to pay thousands of dollars for a domain name they fancy just for a hobby, so it's just going to stifle small private sites.
I don't know how it currently works, but back when it started you could "taste" a domain for months almost for free, and there was nothing stopping you from "tasting" it again the instant your current taste expired, So you could squat domains for an unlimited time almost for free. "gee, nobody would ever abuse that!"
Though now with the explosion of TLDs, it's widened the market so far that the squatters are finding it hard to cover all the bases. Raise their rent! (and make the price go up exponentially to KEEP it parked) Watch the squatters scurry away like the cockroaches they are!