click analytics

» Archive for the 'Domain News' Category

Marchex Reports First Quarter 2008 Financial Results

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

marchex-logo.gif

Written by Chief Editor , Wednesday, 07 May 2008 

SEATTLE, WA - May 6, 2008 - Marchex, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHX, MCHXP), a local online search and advertising company with an impressive protfolio of premium domain names, today reported its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. Revenue was $37.0 million for the first quarter of 2008, compared to $34.2 million for the same period of 2007…

GAAP net loss applicable to common stockholders was $1.2 million for the first quarter of 2008 or $0.03 loss per diluted share. This compares to GAAP net income applicable to common stockholders of $548,000 or $0.01 per diluted share for the same period of 2007. The first quarter 2008 results included non-cash stock-based compensation expense recorded under the fair value method of $3.1 million, compared to non-cash stock-based compensation expense of $2.9 million for the same period in 2007.
We provide a reconciliation of GAAP diluted EPS to Adjusted Non-GAAP EPS in the financial tables attached to this press release and encourage investors to examine the reconciling adjustments between the GAAP and non-GAAP measures. Adjusted non-GAAP EPS for the first quarter of 2008 was $0.08, compared to $0.11 for the same period of 2007. Some Wall Street analysts use non-GAAP measures to analyze our operating results, which may include adjusted non-GAAP EPS, adjusted operating income before amortization and adjusted EBITDA. We present GAAP measures with equal or greater prominence than non-GAAP measures and such non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results.
Adjusted operating income before amortization was $5.1 million for the first quarter of 2008, compared to $7.6 million for the same period of 2007. A reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted operating income before amortization to GAAP operating income and GAAP net income is included in the financial tables attached to this release.
Adjusted EBITDA was $7.7 million in the first quarter of 2008, compared to $9.5 million for the same period of 2007. A reconciliation of operating income before taxes, depreciation, amortization and gain/loss on sales of intangible assets to GAAP net cash provided by operating activities is included in the financial tables attached to this release.
“Marchex’s focus on the local online industry continues to drive growth in our business,” said Russell C. Horowitz, Marchex Chairman and CEO. “Local is increasingly recognized as one of the most dynamic opportunities in the online universe and Marchex is well positioned to be a leader across both the local advertising and search ecosystems. We will continue to stay focused on executing on our objectives related to strategic partnerships, product milestones and operational objectives as we move through 2008.”

Operating Highlights:
Local Advertising Services: For the first quarter of 2008, revenue from Local Advertising Services was $22.3 million. One of the primary factors driving growth on a year-over-year basis was the continued increase in the number of new advertisers using Marchex products and services. In the first quarter, Marchex added more than 10,000 new advertisers through its local aggregator partnerships and direct sales channel. Marchex now has more than 65,000 advertisers using its products and services and, based on current growth rates, is updating its forecast to reflect that it now anticipates it will have more than 100,000 advertisers using its products and services by the end of 2009, up from a forecast of 80,000 advertisers previously.

Local Search Network (proprietary traffic sources): For the first quarter of 2008, revenue from Marchex’s Local Search Network was $14.7 million. Additionally, Marchex attracted more than 30 million unique visitors for the month of March 2008 and delivered more than 85 million revenue-generating events and referrals in the first quarter. Unique visitor statistics are based on internal traffic logs, which calculate unique IP (Internet protocol) addresses on an unduplicated basis during a given month.

Stock Repurchase Program:
During the first quarter of 2008, Marchex purchased 786,000 shares of its outstanding Class B common stock for a total price of $7.2 million, bringing its total shares repurchased under its stock repurchase program to 3 million shares, or 7% of its outstanding common stock.

Marchex Financial Guidance:
The following forward-looking statements reflect Marchex’s expectations as of May 6, 2008.

Guidance for fiscal year 2008 (Year ending December 31, 2008):

Revenue estimate: $152 million or more
Adjusted operating income before amortization estimate: $22 million or more
Adjusted EBITDA: For adjusted EBITDA, Marchex anticipates add-backs of approximately $9 million in additional depreciation and amortization to its adjusted operating income before amortization range, implying an adjusted EBITDA of $31 million or more for 2008.

Guidance for second quarter 2008:

Revenue estimate: Approximately $37 million
Adjusted operating income before amortization estimate: Approximately $5.0 million
Adjusted EBITDA: For adjusted EBITDA, Marchex anticipates add-backs of approximately $2.3 million in additional depreciation and amortization to its adjusted operating income before amortization range, implying an adjusted EBITDA of $7.3 million for the second quarter 2008.

For color on guidance for the second quarter of 2008, while Marchex anticipates continued momentum in the growth of new local advertisers using its products and services, the company does expect a seasonal impact from certain categories of advertisers lowering their budgets with the seasonally slow summer months. Additionally, Marchex anticipates revenue from proprietary traffic sources will be in a similar range to or slightly better than the first quarter of 2008. This is based on anticipated increases in consumer usage on Marchex’s Local Search Network, with certain offsets from the company’s ongoing efforts to increase direct sales of proprietary advertising inventory.

Conference Call and Webcast Information:
Management will hold a conference call, starting at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 to discuss its first quarter 2008 financial results and other company updates. To access the call by live Webcast, please log onto the Investor Relations section of the Marchex Web site (www.marchex.com/investors/earningsreleases.html). An archived version of the Webcast will also be available, beginning two hours after completion of the call, at the same location.

About Marchex, Inc.
Marchex (www.marchex.com) is a local search and advertising company. Marchex’s innovative advertising platform delivers search- and call-based marketing products and services for local and national advertisers. Marchex’s local search network, one of the largest online, helps consumers make better, more informed local decisions through its content-rich Web sites that reach tens of millions of unique visitors each month.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, acquisitions, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. There are a number of important factors that could cause Marchex’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements which are described in the “Risk Factors” section of our most recent periodic report and registration statement filed with the SEC. All of the information provided in this release is as of May 6, 2008 and Marchex undertakes no duty to update the information provided herein.

Non-GAAP Financial Information:
To supplement Marchex’s consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP and to provide clarity internally and externally, Marchex uses certain non-GAAP measures of financial performance and liquidity, including OIBA, Adjusted OIBA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted non-GAAP EPS. Marchex also provides Pro Forma Revenue information for the three months ended March 31, 2007 and 2008 as if the VoiceStar acquisition in September 2007 occurred as of January 1, 2007.

OIBA represents income (loss) from operations plus (1) stock-based compensation expense and (2) amortization of acquired intangible assets. This measure, among other things, is one of the primary metrics by which Marchex evaluates the performance of its business. Additionally, Marchex’s management uses Adjusted OIBA which excludes (1) any gain/loss on sales and disposals of intangible assets and (2) facility relocation as these are viewed as non-recurring in nature. Adjusted OIBA is the basis on which Marchex’s internal budgets are based and by which Marchex’s management is currently evaluated. Marchex believes these measures are useful to investors because they represent Marchex’s consolidated operating results, taking into account depreciation and other intangible amortization, which Marchex believes is an ongoing cost of doing business, but excluding the effects of certain other non-cash and non-recurring expenses. Adjusted EBITDA represents income before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock compensation expense, and gain/loss on sales of intangible assets. Marchex believes that Adjusted EBITDA is another alternative measure of liquidity to GAAP net cash provided by operating activities that provides meaningful supplemental information regarding liquidity and is used by Marchex’s management to measure its ability to fund operations and its financing obligations.

Adjusted non-GAAP EPS represents Adjusted Net Income divided by weighted average fully diluted shares outstanding for Adjusted non-GAAP EPS purposes. Adjusted Net Income generally captures those items on the statement of operations that have been, or ultimately will be, settled in cash exclusive of certain non-recurring items and represents net income (loss) available to common stockholders plus: (1) stock based compensation expense, (2) amortization of acquired intangible assets, (3) gain/loss on sales and disposals of intangible assets, (4) other income (expense), (5) the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles, (6) facility relocation and less (7) discount on preferred stock redemption. Adjusted non-GAAP EPS includes dilution from options and warrants per the treasury stock method, includes the weighted average number of all potential common shares relating to convertible preferred stock and restricted stock and excludes the weighted average common share equivalents for redeemed preferred shares. Shares outstanding for Adjusted non-GAAP EPS purposes are therefore higher than shares outstanding for GAAP EPS purposes. Financial analysts and investors may use Adjusted non-GAAP EPS to analyze Marchex’s financial performance since these groups have historically used EPS related measures, along with other measures, to estimate the value of a company, to make informed investment decisions and to evaluate a company’s operating performance compared to that of other companies in its industry.

Marchex’s management believes that investors should have access to, and Marchex is obligated to provide, the same set of tools that management uses in analyzing the company’s results. These non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation, as a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results. These non-GAAP terms, as defined by Marchex, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. Marchex endeavors to compensate for the limitations of the non-GAAP measures presented by providing the comparable GAAP measure with equal or greater prominence, GAAP financial statements and detailed descriptions of the reconciling items and adjustments, including quantifying such items, to derive the non-GAAP measure.

For further information, contact:

Marchex Investor Relations:
Trevor Caldwell
Vice President of Investor Relations & Strategic Initiatives
Marchex, Inc.
Telephone: 206.331.3600
Email: ir@marchex.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Marchex Press:
P. Kevin Horn
Marchex, Inc.
Telephone: 206.331.3474
Email: khorn@marchex.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Source: Marchex.com Press Release - May 6th, 2008
 

ICANN Formalizes Relationship with ccTLD Manager for Iceland

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

icann-logo.jpg

Written by Caycee Boyce , Wednesday, 07 May 2008 

MARINA DEL REY, Calif.: ICANN announced today that it has signed an exchange of letters with the country code top level domain (ccTLD) manager for .is—Iceland, Internet á Íslandi hf. (ISNIC).

“ICANN has been working hard to strengthen and formalize our global cooperation with ccTLD operators around the globe and hitting the milestone of 40 is something to celebrate,” said Dr Paul Twomey, ICANN’s President and CEO.
The Accountability Framework program provides two mechanisms by which ccTLD managers can formalise their relationship with ICANN.

The first is an Accountability Framework document that sets out the obligations of a ccTLD manager and ICANN. It also covers dispute resolution and termination and is designed for ccTLD managers requiring a formal document with ICANN.

The second mechanism is an exchange of letters between ICANN and the ccTLD manager designed for those for whom a simple statement of commitment is more appropriate.

Signed accountability framework and exchange of letters documents can be found at http://www.icann.org/cctlds/agreements.html.

About ICANN:

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet’s system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet’s operation, so ICANN’s global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet’s ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organized, public benefit non-profit company. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.

Media Contacts:

Jason Keenan
Media Adviser, ICANN
Ph: +1 310 382 4004
E: jason.keenan@icann.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

International: Andrew Robertson
Edelman (London)
Ph: +44 7921 588 770
E: andrew.robertson@edelman.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Source: ICANN Announcement — May 7, 2008 
 

Meet the New Domainer Web Giants

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

25698.jpg

Written by Caycee Boyce , Wednesday, 07 May 2008 
Slowly but surely domainers are building the next web. While building a business is extremely demanding the rewards can be extremely rewarding.

Below is a list of companies (and individuals) to keep an eye on: 
Thought Convergence

Google and the Quality Myth - Part 2

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

25895.jpg

Written by Chief Editor , Thursday, 08 May 2008 
This is part 2 in the new series on what are the changes occuring in the domain industry and how Google in particular is controlling the landscape that we all work in. It continues directly on from part 1.

For example, the online games vertical may have a maximum profitable bid price for advertisers of $1 per click. If an advertiser purchases clicks for $1.10 they will eventually go out of business but at $0.90 it’s a bargain. There may be slight variations on a day by day basis but they will tend to oscillate around the $1/click price.
As the auction market continues to mature greater numbers of advertisers become more sophisticated and adopt systems for getting the best price for their advertising dollar. This price will be the theoretical maximum bid price for each keyword associated with each market vertical.

This system of selling advertising means that the only way for Google to continue to increase revenues is to expand the market so that there are more possible clicks for advertisers. In other words they need to purchase traffic in greater and greater volumes. This is exactly what they are doing and it’s squeezing everyone else out of the marketplace.

What’s interesting is that there is an argument that Google should reduce its margins for purchasing traffic to 0% simply to lock competitors completely out of the marketplace. This would allow Google to also sample traffic to identify which is the highest converting for advertisers and then to mix it in with low converting traffic (eg. MySpace). This would further increase the volume of clicks while still keeping advertisers happy.

For example, let’s imagine that a Google network publisher had 100% conversion rate for clicks that they supplied for games related traffic. If Google takes their average commission for network traffic of 11.9% (let’s round it off to 10%) then they will pay the publisher $0.90 per click and retain $0.10 per click for themselves.  If an advertiser had a budget of $10 then Google needs to supply 10 clicks to the advertiser to consume their expenditure. Google could supply the ten clicks from the high quality publisher (pay them $9) and retain $1 in commission. The advertiser would be ecstatic with the results since every click converted! The problem is that this doesn’t maximize Google’s revenue line.

Let’s now add another variable to the mix. To make the maths easy we’ll imagine that Google also has 0% converting traffic. It would make more sense for Google to send one high converting click to each of  ten different advertisers and then follow up with nine “bad clicks”. This would mean that ten advertisers would have a 10% click through rate and be paying $10 each to receive one conversion. Google would receive $100 for their efforts.

Google could pay the publishers on an equal footing and like before outlay 90% of the advertising revenue back to both the bad and good publishers. This would mean that Google would pay out $90 and retain $10. Like magic Google and turned the good converting traffic into ten times the revenue it had before. Not a bad revenue model but like a bad TV commercial, “but wait there’s more!”

The next installment in the series will explore the impact of Google “Smart pricing” and why there was a strong economic imperative for Google to create it. 
 
Source: Written by Michael Gilmore on
Whizzbangsblog - Reprinted with Permission - May 8th, 2008

The Best Domain Content - 2008 Webby Award Results

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

1478.png

Written by Chief Editor , Thursday, 08 May 2008 

On Tuesday this week the Webby Award results were made public. The best domains were honored in various categories and we want to make sure you don’t miss some of these excellent sites.

About the Webby Awards
The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet…

Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.

The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes members such as musicians Beck and David Bowie, Internet inventor Vint Cerf, political columnist Arianna Huffington, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, R/GA Founder and Chairman Robert Greenberg, Virgin Atlantic Chairman and Founder Richard Branson, and The Weinstein Company Co-Founder Harvey Weinstein. Members also include writers and editors from publications such as The New York Times, Wired, Details, Fast Company, Elle, The Los Angeles Times, Vibe, and WallPaper. The 11th Annual Webby Awards received over 8,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states and generated over 750 million media impressions worldwide.

Reflecting the tremendous growth of the Internet as a tool for business and everyday lives, the 11th Annual Webby Awards expands the mission of the Webby by honoring excellence in over 100+ Website, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile categories.

The Webby Awards presents two honors in every category — The Webby Award and The People’s Voice Award — in each of its four entry types: Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video and Mobile. Members of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences select the nominees for both awards in each category, as well as the winners of the Webby Awards. However, you, the online community, determine the winners of The People’s Voice by voting for the nominated work that you believe to be the best in each category. Each year, the People’s Voice Awards garners hundreds of thousands of votes from the Web community all over the world.

The results for 2008 are listed here.

Source: Webby Awards Web Site - by Chief Editor for DomainNews.com - May 8th, 2008 

The Best Domain Content - 2008 Webby Award Results

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

1478.png

Written by Chief Editor , Thursday, 08 May 2008 

On Tuesday this week the Webby Award results were made public. The best domains were honored in various categories and we want to make sure you don’t miss some of these excellent sites.

About the Webby Awards
The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet…

Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.

The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes members such as musicians Beck and David Bowie, Internet inventor Vint Cerf, political columnist Arianna Huffington, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, R/GA Founder and Chairman Robert Greenberg, Virgin Atlantic Chairman and Founder Richard Branson, and The Weinstein Company Co-Founder Harvey Weinstein. Members also include writers and editors from publications such as The New York Times, Wired, Details, Fast Company, Elle, The Los Angeles Times, Vibe, and WallPaper. The 11th Annual Webby Awards received over 8,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states and generated over 750 million media impressions worldwide.

Reflecting the tremendous growth of the Internet as a tool for business and everyday lives, the 11th Annual Webby Awards expands the mission of the Webby by honoring excellence in over 100+ Website, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile categories.

The Webby Awards presents two honors in every category — The Webby Award and The People’s Voice Award — in each of its four entry types: Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video and Mobile. Members of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences select the nominees for both awards in each category, as well as the winners of the Webby Awards. However, you, the online community, determine the winners of The People’s Voice by voting for the nominated work that you believe to be the best in each category. Each year, the People’s Voice Awards garners hundreds of thousands of votes from the Web community all over the world.

The results for 2008 are listed here.

Source: Webby Awards Web Site - by Chief Editor for DomainNews.com - May 8th, 2008 

.KN ccTLD Registry Change ahead

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

2141.jpg

Written by Chief Editor , Thursday, 08 May 2008 

The dot KN (.kn) islands of St. Kitts and Nevis’ Internet suffix will soon have a new registry. The University of Puerto Rico has been acting as the registry so far but requested for someone else to take over the task. Their request was approved by the Saint Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Finance, Sustainable Development, Information and Technology and ICANN agreed during their last board meeting on April 30th…
.KN will be handled by Taiwan’s TWNIC, which may seem odd to most of us but according to the report there were no local candidates who applied for the job.  The .KN redelegation should keep the existing regulations in place, no changes are expected. 

Tucows Inc. Reports Q1 Financial Results

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

tucows-logo.gif

Written by Chief Editor , Thursday, 08 May 2008 

TORONTO, May 7 /CNW/ - Tucows Inc., (AMEX:TCX, TSX:TC) a leading provider of Internet services to web hosting companies and ISPs worldwide, today announced its financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2008. All figures are in U.S. dollars…
“The results of the quarter were right in line with expectations. We are seeing the positive impact of the domain price reduction with an 18% year/year improvement in renewals among other positives. We expect traditional domain name registration to contribute favorably to gross margin in the remainder of the year. In addition, the migration of our email customers to our enhanced platform is nearing completion and we expect to realize considerable cost savings during the second half of the year,” said Elliot Noss, President and
CEO of Tucows.

“While the strength of the Canadian dollar, last year’s price reduction for domain registrations and cost burden of carrying multiple email platforms held down our bottom line results this quarter, the positives noted above, combined with the anticipated continued growth in our domain portfolio business, will place us in an excellent position to achieve our stated goal of
growing revenue, profitability and cash flow in 2008.”
                          Summary Financial Results
         (Numbers in Thousands of US Dollars, Except Per Share Data)
    ————————————————————————-
                                                         3 Months   3 Months
                                                            Ended      Ended
                                                         March 31,  March 31,
                                                             2008       2007
    ————————————————————————-
    Net Revenue                                          $ 18,711   $ 17,771
    ————————————————————————-
    EBITDA                                                    504      1,971
    ————————————————————————-
    Adjusted Net Income                                       953      2,442
    ————————————————————————-
    Net (Loss)/Income                                      (1,082)       750
    ————————————————————————-
    Net (Loss) Income/Share                                 (0.01)      0.01
    ————————————————————————-
    Cash Flow from Operations                            $    117   $  1,165
    ————————————————————————-

                   Summary of Revenue and Cost of Revenue
                     (Numbers in Thousands of US Dollars)

    ————————————————————————-
    Revenue Cost of Revenue
    ————————————————————————-
                         Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months
                                Ended        Ended        Ended        Ended
                             March 31,    March 31,    March 31,    March 31,
                                 2008         2007         2008         2007
    ————————————————————————-
    Traditional Domain
     Registration Services   $ 12,871     $ 11,901     $  9,936     $  8,731
    ————————————————————————-
    Domain Portfolio
     Services                     905          637          178          100
    ————————————————————————-
    Email Services              1,575        2,133          107          205
    ————————————————————————-
    Retail Services             1,641        1,207          567          406
    ————————————————————————-
    Other Services              1,719        1,893          412          407
    ————————————————————————-
    Total                    $ 18,711     $ 17,771     $ 11,200     $  9,849
    ————————————————————————-
    >>

    Net revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 increased 5% to
$18.7 million from $17.8 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2007.
    Adjusted Net Income for the first quarter of 2008 was $1.0 million,
compared to $2.4 million for the corresponding quarter of last year. Net loss
for the first quarter of 2008 was $1.1 million, or $0.01 per share, compared
with net income of $0.7 million, or $0.01 per share, for the first quarter of
2007.
    Deferred revenue at the end the first quarter of fiscal 2008 was
$53.6 million, an increase of 12% from $48.0 million at the end of the first
quarter of 2007 and an increase of 6% from $50.6 million at the end of the
fourth quarter of fiscal 2007.
    Cash and restricted cash at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2008
was $7.5 million compared to $8.1 million at the end of the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2007 and $6.6 million at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2007.
Cash flow from operations of was $0.1 million during the first quarter of
fiscal 2008.

    EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income

    To assist financial statement users in an assessment of the Company’s
historical performance and to project its future earnings and cash flows, the
Company has included earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization (EBITDA). EBITDA is presented because it is an important
supplemental measure of performance frequently used by securities analysts,
investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies. Other
companies may calculate EBITDA differently. EBITDA is not a measurement of
financial performance under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)
and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flow from operating
activities or as a measure of liquidity or an alternative to Net Income as
indicators of operating performance or any other measures of performance
derived in accordance with (GAAP). Because EBITDA is calculated before
recurring cash charges, including interest expense and taxes, and is not
adjusted for capital expenditures or other recurring cash requirements of the
business, it should not be considered as a measure of discretionary cash
available to invest in the growth of the business. See the Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows included in the attached financial statements. As a
non-GAAP performance measure, EBITDA, has certain material limitations as
follows:

    <<
    -   It does not include interest expense. Because the Company has
        borrowed money to finance some of its operations, interest is a
        necessary part of the Company’s costs and ability to generate
        revenue. Therefore, any measure that excludes interest has material
        limitations;

    -   It does not include depreciation and amortization expense. Because
        the Company must utilize capital assets in order to generate
        revenues, depreciation and amortization expense is a necessary and
        ongoing part of the Company’s costs. Therefore, any measure that
        excludes depreciation and amortization expense has material
        limitations; and,

    -   It does not include taxes. Because the payment of taxes is a
        necessary and ongoing part of the Company’s operations, any measure
        that excludes taxes has material limitations.
        Management compensates for these limitations by considering the
        economic effect of the excluded expense items independently as well
        as in connection with its analysis of net earnings.
    >>

    Adjusted Net Income represents EBITDA plus the additional adjustments
described in the table below. The adjustments reflect the material amount of
cash collected by the Company for domain registrations and other Internet
services paid for the full term at the time of activation, with the revenue
deferred, net of prepaid fees. In addition, adjusted Net Income reflects
earnings and expenses considered as non-representative of ongoing business for
the reasons specified below. Each of the items being adjusted for may create
certain material limitations in the use of Adjusted Net Income as a non-GAAP
financial measure. Adjusted Net Income is one of the primary measures the
Company uses for planning and budgeting purposes, incentive compensation and
to monitor and evaluate Tucows’ financial and operating results. Adjusted Net
Income is not a measurement of financial performance under GAAP and should not
be considered as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities or as a
measure of liquidity or an alternative to net income as indicators of
operating performance or any other measures of performance derived in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. See the Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows included in the attached financial statements.

    Conference Call

    Tucows will host a conference call today, Wednesday, May 7, at 5:00 ET to
discuss the Company’s first quarter ended March 31, 2008 results. To access
the conference call via the Internet go to about.tucows.com and click on
“Investors.”
    For those unable to participate in the conference call at the scheduled
time, it will be archived for replay both by telephone and via the Internet
beginning approximately one hour following completion of the call. To access
the archived conference call by telephone, dial 416-640-1917 or 1-877-289-8525
and enter the pass code 21270559 followed by the pound key. The telephone
replay will be available until Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at midnight. To access
the archived conference call via the Internet, go to http://about.tucows.com
and click on “Investors.”

    About Tucows

    Tucows provides Internet services for web hosting companies and ISPs.
Through our global network of over 9,000 service providers we provide millions
of email boxes and manage over eight million domains. Tucows is an accredited
registrar with ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers). We hold a domain name portfolio of approximately 150,000 domain
names that are available for sale, monetized through advertising and support
our wholesale Personal Names Service. Our Retail division sells Tucows
services to consumers and small business owners through Domain Direct, IYD
(It’s Your Domain) and NetIdentity. Tucows.com remains one of the most popular
software download sites on the Internet. For more information please visit:
http://about.tucows.com.

    This release may contain forward-looking statements, relating to the
Company’s operations or to the environment in which it operates, which are
based on Tucows Inc.’s operations, estimates, forecasts and projections. These
statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to
important risks, uncertainties and assumptions concerning future conditions
that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate or differ materially from actual
future events or results. A number of important factors could cause actual
outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in these
forward-looking statements. Consequently, investors should not place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based on Tucows Inc.’s
current expectations, estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions. These
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and are
based upon the information available to Tucows Inc. at this time. Tucows Inc.
disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.

    <<
                                 Tucows Inc.
                         Consolidated Balance Sheets
                      (Dollar amounts in U.S. dollars)
                                 (unaudited)

                                                    March 31,   December 31,
                                                     2008           2007
                                                ————– ————–
    Assets

    Current assets:
        Cash and cash equivalents               $   7,506,468  $   8,093,476
      Accounts receivable                           3,488,300      3,422,180
      Prepaid expenses and deposits                 2,992,440      3,132,129
      Prepaid domain name registry and other
       Internet services fees, current portion     27,498,326     25,473,465
      Cash held in escrow                           1,078,031      1,070,632
      Deferred tax asset, current portion           2,000,000      2,000,000
                                                ————– ————–
        Total current assets                       44,563,565     43,191,882

    Prepaid domain name registry and other
     Internet services fees, long-term portion     11,271,602     10,765,862
    Property and equipment                          4,779,837      4,963,311
    Deferred financing charges                        114,700        128,200
    Deferred tax asset, long-term portion           1,000,000      1,000,000
    Intangible assets                              21,698,540     22,150,738
    Goodwill                                       17,490,807     17,490,807
    Investment                                        353,737        353,737
                                                ————– ————–
     Total assets                               $ 101,272,788  $ 100,044,537
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

    Current liabilities:
      Accounts payable                          $   2,747,421  $   2,689,346
      Accrued liabilities                           3,012,682      3,289,087
      Customer deposits                             3,167,194      3,267,784
      Promissory note payable, current portion      6,000,000      6,000,000
      Loan payable, current portion                 2,914,242      1,914,242
      Deferred revenue, current portion            37,757,064     35,465,584
      Accreditation fees payable, current portion     533,187        483,090
                                                ————– ————–
        Total current liabilities                  56,131,790     53,109,133

    Deferred revenue, long-term portion            15,835,098     15,147,644
    Accreditation fees payable, long-term portion     188,064        181,345
    Loan payable, long-term portion                 5,380,806      6,859,366
    Deferred tax liability                          5,396,000      5,396,000

    Stockholders’ equity:
      Preferred stock - no par value,
       1,250,000 shares authorized; none issued
       and outstanding                                      -              -
      Common stock - no par value, 250,000,000
       shares authorized; 73,888,542 shares
       issued and outstanding at March 31, 2008
       and 73,888,542 shares issued and
       outstanding at December 31, 2007            15,350,915     15,350,915
      Additional paid-in capital                   48,609,513     48,537,313
      Deficit                                     (45,619,398)   (44,537,179)
                                                ————– ————–
      Total stockholders’ equity                   18,341,030     19,351,049
                                                ————– ————–
        Total liabilities and stockholders’
         equity                                 $ 101,272,788  $ 100,044,537
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–

                                 Tucows Inc.
                    Consolidated Statements of Operations
                      (Dollar amounts in U.S. dollars)
                                 (unaudited)

                                                 Three months ended March 31,
                                                      2008           2007
                                                ————– ————–

    Net revenues                                $  18,711,207  $  17,771,217

    Cost of revenues:
      Cost of revenues(*)                          13,149,932     11,232,789
      Depreciation of property and equipment          825,837        809,666
      Amortization of intangible assets                73,457         63,532
                                                ————– ————–
        Total cost of revenues                     14,049,226     12,105,987
                                                ————– ————–

    Gross profit                                    4,661,981      5,665,230

    Expenses:
      Sales and marketing(*)                        1,696,132      1,344,444
      Technical operations and development(*)       1,565,854      1,812,279
      General and administrative(*)                 1,794,865      1,498,769
      Depreciation of property and equipment           61,070         61,524
      Amortization of intangible assets               385,161        233,301
                                                ————– ————–
        Total expenses                              5,503,082      4,950,317
                                                ————– ————–

    Income (loss) from operations                    (841,101)       714,913

    Other income (expenses):
      Interest income (expense), net                 (209,984)       (41,649)
      Other income, net                                     -         88,431
                                                ————– ————–
        Total other income (expense)                 (209,984)        46,782
                                                ————– ————–

    Income (loss) before provision for
     income taxes                                  (1,051,085)       761,695

    Provision for income taxes                         31,134         12,000
                                                ————– ————–
     Net income (loss) for the period           $  (1,082,219) $     749,695
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–
    Basic earnings (loss) per common share      $       (0.01) $        0.01
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–

    Shares used in computing basic earnings
     (loss) per common share                       73,888,542     75,459,822
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–
    Diluted earnings (loss) per common share    $       (0.01) $        0.01
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–

    Shares used in computing diluted earnings
     (loss) per common share                       73,888,542     77,959,165
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–
    (*) Stock-based compensation has been included in expenses as follows:

      Cost of revenues                          $       4,300  $       2,500
      Sales and marketing                       $      18,300  $      14,200
      Technical operations and development      $      20,700  $      20,100
      General and administrative                $      28,900  $      25,900
                                 Tucows Inc.
              Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income
                      (Dollar amounts in U.S. dollars)
                                 (unaudited)

                                                 Three months ended March 31,
                                                      2008           2007
                                                ————– ————–

    Net income (loss) for the period            $  (1,082,219) $     749,695
      Depreciation of property and equipment          886,907        871,190
      Amortization of intangible assets               458,618        296,833
      Interest income (expense), net                  209,984         41,649
      Provision for income taxes                       31,134         12,000
                                                ————– ————–
    EBITDA                                            504,424      1,971,367
                                                ————– ————–

    Adjustments to EBITDA (1)
      Change in prepaid domain name registry
       and other Internet services fees            (2,530,601)    (1,980,653)
      Change in deferred revenue                    2,978,934      2,896,925
      Dividend income                                       -        (88,431)
      Reversal of contingencies                             -       (357,500)
                                                ————– ————–
    Subtotal Adjustments to EBITDA                    448,333        470,341
                                                ————– ————–

    Adjusted Net Income                         $     952,757  $   2,441,708
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–

    (1) Adjustments to EBITDA
        We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income adjusted for depreciation,
        amortization, interest, taxes and further adjusted for certain cash
        and non-cash charges.

        The net amount of cash we collected for domain registrations and
        other Internet services paid for the full term at the time of
        activation and deferred amounted to $448,333 for the three months
        ended March 31, 2008 compared to $916,272 for the three months ended
        March 31, 2007.
                                 Tucows Inc.
                    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
                      (Dollar amounts in U.S. dollars)
                                 (unaudited)
                                                Three months ended March 31,
                                                      2008           2007
                                                ————– ————–
    Cash provided by (used in):
    Operating activities:
      Net income (loss) for the period          $  (1,082,219) $     749,695
    Items not involving cash:
      Depreciation of property and equipment          886,907        871,190
      Amortization of deferred financing charges       13,500              -
      Amortization of intangible assets               458,618        296,833
      Unrealized change in the fair value of
       forward exchange contracts                     255,433       (216,789)
      Stock-based compensation                         72,200         62,700
    Change in non-cash operating working
     capital:
      Accounts receivable                             (66,120)      (852,623)
      Prepaid expenses and deposits                   139,689       (727,236)
      Prepaid fees for domain name registry
       and other Internet services fees            (2,530,601)    (1,980,653)
      Accounts payable                               (433,827)      (408,137)
      Accrued liabilities                            (531,838)       649,139
      Customer deposits                              (100,590)      (175,124)
      Deferred revenue                              2,978,934      2,896,925
      Accreditation fees payable                       56,816           (708)
                                                ————– ————–
    Cash provided by operating activities             116,902      1,165,212
                                                ————– ————–

    Financing activities:
      Proceeds received on exercise of stock
       options                                              -        101,071
      Repurchase of shares                                  -     (1,327,500)
      Repayment of loan payable                      (478,560)             -
                                                ————– ————–
      Cash used in financing activities              (478,560)    (1,226,429)
                                                ————– ————–

    Investing activities:
      Cost of domain names acquired                    (6,420)       (28,728)
      Additions to property and equipment            (211,531)    (1,202,630)
      Decrease in restricted cash - being margin
       security against forward exchange contracts          -        251,638
      Acquisition of Hosted Messaging Assets from
       Critical Path Inc., net of cash acquired             -        (90,050)
      (Decrease) increase in cash held in escrow       (7,399)       694,579
                                                ————– ————–
      Cash used in investing activities              (225,350)      (375,191)
                                                ————– ————–

    Decrease in cash and cash equivalents            (587,008)      (436,408)
    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning
     of period                                      8,093,476      6,256,392
                                                ————– ————–
    Cash and cash equivalents, end of period    $   7,506,468  $   5,819,984
                                                ————– ————–
                                                ————– ————–

    Supplemental cash flow information:
    Interest paid                               $     259,337  $     105,000

    Supplementary disclosure of non-cash
     investing activity:
      Capital assets acquired during the
       period not yet paid for                  $     764,972  $   1,146,066
      Dividend receivable                       $           -  $      88,431

For further information: Leona Hobbs, Director, Communications, Tucows Inc., (416) 538-5450, ir@tucows.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Charles Messman, President, MKR Group, (323) 468-2300, tcx@mkr-group.com

WIPO Domain Dispute Decisions - May 5th - May 7th

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

wipo-logo.gif

      
Written by Chief Editor , Thursday, 08 May 2008
 

Most recently notified WIPO Domain Name Decision(s) between May 5th and May 7th, 2008:

yahoo.ae
> Transfer
earlggravesjr.com
> Transfer

http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0284.html
earlggravessr.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0277.html
gratefulweb.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0254.html
easybuyvalium.org
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0225.html
guinot-beauty.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0091.html
gopets.net
> Complaint denied
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/dir2008-0003.html
bancaintesa.ir
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0380.html
sussexsafetywear.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0342.html
genekelly.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0323.html
northjerseymedia.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0320.html
lexapro-side-effects.org
lexaprosideeffects.com
lexaprosideeffects.org
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0309.html
solaglas.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0276.html
nutrisystemprogram.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0241.html
davidoff-cigarette.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0193.html
wa1mart.com
> Transfer
Most recently notified WIPO Domain Name Decision(s):
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/dfr2008-0012.html
fontshop.fr
> Complaint denied
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0382.html
lexapro-side-effects.net
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0356.html
terenceconran.com
theconranshop.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0318.html
myfloridamagazine.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0302.html
breilting.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0269.html
sansa.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0264.html
bbcworldnews.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0213.html
cardinalhealthcare.com
> Transfer
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0183.html
familywatchdog.com
familywatchdog.net
familywatchdog.org
> Complaint denied
Search WIPO UDRP decisions by indexed terms, domain name, or case number: http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search
WIPO Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions:
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/overview

Source: WIPO Domain Decision Report submitted to DomainNews.com between May 5th and 7th, 2008
 

YouTube Launches Indian .in Site

Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by admin

youtube.gif

It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. Youtube.in is now live and this can only send jitters down the competition’s spine. But what’s the big deal about YouTube coming around as an India site? All major portals are present locally to monetise the traffic they get from these countries.
And YouTube is now no exception. Similar to Yahoo! India, MSN India, Google India and a slew of others, the idea is to get local advertising to local users. Which in short equals moolah!

Read the full article here.

Source: Written by by Aditya Kuber for Think Aloud