Network Solutions Blow. I can prove it...

There has been a lot of mud slung right across the web as one of the largest domain registrars, Network Solutions, have apparently taken to the practice of registering domains that people have searched for using their domain search tool.

Normally, you can go to a domain registrar's website, type in what you're after and click search. You'll get a list of available domains with the various .com, .net, .uk or whatever in a list from which you can choose which domains you want to then register.

Skip back a bit. Once the list of available domains appears on Network Solution's website you will find — for a period, at least — that the domain will be unavailable if you then search for it through another registrar.

Here, I'll prove it. Just before I posted this entry, I searched for network-solutions-blow.com on their site, was told that it was not registered by anybody else and was therefore available (surprisingly). I then immediately flipped over to 123-reg.co.uk to search for the domain there. The search revealed that my prospective domain had already been taken, although a whois showed that it was still available.

Of course, I could still buy the domain through Network Solutions, but the domain isn't freely available through any other registrar.

Bear in mind that all I've done here is ask a company if a domain is available. I have not agreed to anything, paid anything or asked for anything other than the availability of the domain, yet it has effectively been withdrawn from other registrars.

This level of underhandedness is a sure fire way to undermine the confidence of every businessman or entrepreneur in the market for a website or thinking of getting into the web.

Congratulations Comcast. Out-of-orderness on a grand scale means that Network Solutions is now my new pet web hate.

Don't search for domain availability through Network Solutions.

You know it makes sense.