The Government Now Has a Squatting Problem Too?

I’m no internet guru, but even I know this. If I were planning a website as big as www.healthcare.gov, I would buy all domains close my web address.

A good name is very important for a website, because it’s where people find you, your business, or your organization.  For example, I wanted our Citizens for Self-Governance website address to be www.csg.com. It is short and easy to remember. What a great name for a website for Citizens for Self-Governance.  Unfortunately it is owned and in use by someone else. In this case, a large bank.

I settled for www.SelfGovern.com.  It is short and descriptive and has become our ‘brand’.  The only problem was, that domain was also taken.  BUT this URL was not being used so we purchased it through GoDaddy.com.  Additionally, when I purchase a domain, I always buy the other extensions (like .org, .net and .info, etc.). It costs a few extra bucks, but it keeps the cybersquatters from copying us, defaming us, or taking our visitors.  This is Web Site Creation 101.

Apparently, this is news to folks at the White House.  Even after three years of development and over $600 MILLION spent on www.healthcare.gov, they are just now coming to terms with the fact that they settled on a domain name, which had a “dot com” version already taken by a private company.  Also, the government didn’t secure even the most obvious URL: Obamacare.com to protect their ‘brand’. According to the Washington Examiner, over 700 cybersquatters are trying to capitalize on all things Obamacare.

If such an amateurish mistake is made on the web address and branding, can you imagine what the rest of the site must be like?  The rest of the rollout has been an epic failure as well.

Tech experts frequently say it’s easier to rebuild a problematic website rather than try to fix it.

Could we be witnessing the first Billion dollar website?

The government should not be forcing Americans into an already-broken system.