benedictXVI.com

April 19, 2005 9:24 PM

BenedictXVI.com registered a few weeks ago by our very own rcade. He hedged his bets by registering six domains in all, and now is being called out for popesquatting.
posted by riffola (64 comments total)

Heh, that's awesome. And I just learned more than I ever knew about popes in my life by reading his front page. Well done, rcade, and cool post, riffola.
posted by BoringPostcards at 9:30 PM on April 19, 2005

I so had my money on Cletus.

(shakes fist at heavens)

RATZINGER!!!
posted by fungible at 9:31 PM on April 19, 2005

Still available.
posted by AlexReynolds at 9:33 PM on April 19, 2005

Popes don't squat, they lift their legs.
posted by newfers at 9:33 PM on April 19, 2005

Very clevah, rcade. I dips me lid to you.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:33 PM on April 19, 2005

"Popesquatting"... that term has to be the most loathsome thing to have come out of this whole Conclave.
posted by clevershark at 9:34 PM on April 19, 2005

Can you trademark your pope name?
posted by NickDouglas at 9:47 PM on April 19, 2005

Someone needs to build a "Which Pope are you" app on the internets. It'll be the bomb.
posted by filchyboy at 9:55 PM on April 19, 2005

The Washington Post: Fla. Man Secured BenedictXVI.com Weeks Ago
posted by kirkaracha at 10:02 PM on April 19, 2005

Mod note: Also in Wired, Picking the Pope's Domain Name via SportsFilter
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 10:05 PM on April 19, 2005

Interesting story, kirkaracha, thanks for the link. So, rcade, what are you going to do?? I think you're a better person than I- I would definitely sell to the highest bidder.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:07 PM on April 19, 2005 [1 favorite]

... and donate the proceeds to tsunami victims, natch.
posted by snakey at 10:17 PM on April 19, 2005

popesquatting.com has also been taken.
posted by Potsy at 10:18 PM on April 19, 2005

as has nazipope.com
posted by tsarfan at 10:29 PM on April 19, 2005

Oh no, somebody making money by religion? I am so very, very shocked.
posted by buzzman at 10:49 PM on April 19, 2005

what's with all the Korean in the comments?
posted by gyc at 10:59 PM on April 19, 2005

Bennydouble8.com is still available if you want to make a rappin' Pope Flash game.
posted by planetkyoto at 11:10 PM on April 19, 2005

You could also use PopinItUpBigWillyStyle.com for the same purpose.
posted by unsupervised at 11:16 PM on April 19, 2005

C'mon, the Pope has his own ccTLD, you think he needs your lousy dot-com?
posted by hattifattener at 11:22 PM on April 19, 2005

Funny comment: "Well I think that you should see how Benedict XVI performs, and how this web site performs, and then decide. Benedict XV was an underestimated man, and he made me, Joan of Arc a Saint!"

Signed, "Jeanne D'Arc", of course.
posted by clevershark at 11:29 PM on April 19, 2005

http://va redirects to va.gov (as it should). Nice to see some infallibility on the part of the Vatican's admins, at least.
posted by Ryvar at 12:08 AM on April 20, 2005

I love that Rogers worked his MT book into the articles on Pope domains. My hat's off to a better author and entrepreneur than I.
posted by mathowie at 12:13 AM on April 20, 2005

It was Benedict XV that cost me first prize in the "Find the Pope in the Pizza" contest.
posted by Oriole Adams at 12:26 AM on April 20, 2005

Damn... and here I am, the owner of popeatussin.org and it looks like I have no hope of making a fuckin' dime off of this shit at all.....

just damn.
posted by spilon at 12:45 AM on April 20, 2005

Bravissimo!

And you handle the press like a ringer, too. :)
posted by mediareport at 12:47 AM on April 20, 2005

[applause]

Nice one, rcade.
posted by salmacis at 12:53 AM on April 20, 2005

Good job, rcade. I wish I had thought of it. If you work it right, you could get the domain to buy you a new house.
posted by Jairus at 1:00 AM on April 20, 2005

Ryvar: "http://va redirects to va.gov (as it should)."

No, it doesn't. That's Firefox's "pseudo-keyword" feature using the first result of a Google Search for "va". Just a TLD isn't supposed to resolve to an address. Now http://www.va/, on the other hand, is a different story.
posted by Plutor at 2:55 AM on April 20, 2005

Now also picked up on Threadwatch
posted by TheDonF at 3:04 AM on April 20, 2005

That's what you get when you choose a candy-ass name. Didn't it dawn on anyone that there have already been fifteen of them!? Why not go for something a little more original? Just open up the big book and point. Pope Matthew. Pope David. Pope Luke. Pope Simon. Pope etc.

REAP THE WHIRLWIND, SUCKA'!
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:23 AM on April 20, 2005

Eh, his website needs work. The text overflows the white box and he must've used the nowrap attribute as there is a hideous amount of rightwards scrolling. pls fix ur website b4 u sho it to teh whirled, pls ok tks.
posted by Eideteker at 3:56 AM on April 20, 2005

The horizontal scrolling is because someone left a comment that included a reeeeeaaaallllyyy long string of underscores.
posted by iconomy at 4:04 AM on April 20, 2005

I guess there was no hope for Pope Hubbins (named for the patron saint of quality footwear).
posted by Tommy Gnosis at 4:23 AM on April 20, 2005

I like the reference to his grandmother as 'papal advisor' in the Wired article...
posted by Slothrop at 4:36 AM on April 20, 2005

Five Other Names Considered By The Pope
posted by bwg at 4:39 AM on April 20, 2005

bwg, thanks for that link...I'm laughing out loud over here. Pope Salad Annie...haha.
posted by iconomy at 4:52 AM on April 20, 2005

Damn. Why don't I think of these things?

/grudging admiration for rcade's cleverness.
posted by exlotuseater at 4:54 AM on April 20, 2005

From here:

Cadenhead said he doesn't necessarily have a similar plan in mind for Benedict XVI.com. "I've had some strangers contact me via e-mail with concern for my immortal soul," Cadenhead said. He added that if the Vatican called and asked for the name it would be "hard to say 'No.'"

"I guess I should call my grandmother," he said.

Aw, that Rogers is such a nice boy.
posted by iconomy at 5:10 AM on April 20, 2005

Eideteker, I don't think this thread is about the quality of his HTML...
posted by runkelfinker at 5:29 AM on April 20, 2005

Classic.
posted by carter at 5:40 AM on April 20, 2005

this is worth linking there, rcade, from fafblog:POPEQUEST: Giblets Triumphant! So, how does Giblets look? The skin doen't fit Giblets that well - it kind of droops, and I'm standing on top of two dwarves and a monkey just to reach the point where I can operate the head properly.

Vatican tidbit: the sash Giblets is wearing allows me to travel into the ninth pit of hell unscathed to extract the pure essence of the Godbread from Lucifer's still-living brain, but only when dipped in pure childblood. Interesting stuff.
posted by amberglow at 5:55 AM on April 20, 2005

Oh man, I love the register.com "suggested domains." Pope.com is, obviously, taken, so register.com suggests I look into purchasing:

ratpope.com
pokepope.com
aqueouspope.com
singingpope.com
poperic.com
naughtypope.com (no joke)
fishpope.com
swankpope.com
timepope.com (great movie idea)
kinkypope.com

So...many...good...ideas...!
posted by tpl1212 at 6:25 AM on April 20, 2005

gumbyandpopey.com ?
posted by bwg at 6:32 AM on April 20, 2005

Well done, rcade
posted by Outlawyr at 6:42 AM on April 20, 2005

I like this FPP but is this really the money maker that so many people seem to think it will be? I mean, is the pope/vat. really interested in this and if not, who is? Will the next great porn site want it? I remember when someone tried to sell JesusChrist.com on ebay for a gazillion $$$ a while back. I don't think there were any takers for that. Anyway, domain name squatting is so 20th century but, interesting web site, rcade.
posted by a_day_late at 6:50 AM on April 20, 2005

I like this FPP but is this really the money maker that so many people seem to think it will be?

$77.36 in Google AdSense revenue, even with 20,000 visitors from Fark. I spent $72 on six papal domains, and I'm working like Job to keep my server from crashing as the story circles the globe, so at this point benedictxvi.com is yet another money-losing dot-com.

But I did get an offer of free dedicated hosting from someone affiliated with JibJab, and an offer of services from a fräulein in Germany that wasn't directly monetary but is flattering all the same.
posted by rcade at 7:09 AM on April 20, 2005

rcade, Thanks for the info. I'm rooting for you. I hope you make a mint and treat us all to beer and pizza.
posted by a_day_late at 7:20 AM on April 20, 2005

Just hang onto it for a few more days and I bet you'll see the profit-loss ratio turn around. I see you have Google ads - have you considered Blogads?

At any rate, good going, and best of luck with that immortal soul thing.
posted by soyjoy at 7:23 AM on April 20, 2005

Whatever decision I make will be guided by the desire not to make 1.5 billion people mad at me...including my grandmother," he said.


Hehehe, grandmothers do wield some mighty power. I agree with that for sure.

;-)
posted by a3matrix at 8:06 AM on April 20, 2005

And it's now on CNN.
posted by deborah at 11:53 AM on April 20, 2005

Okay, rcade, this juxtaposition just made me giggle:

I'm working like Job... I did get an offer... from someone affiliated with JibJab...

Here's your tagline.
BenedictXVI.com: Working like JibJab Job.

Personally, I'd suggest posting 16 recipes for Eggs Benedict.
But that's just me.
posted by wendell at 12:18 PM on April 20, 2005

Hey, rcade! Saw you on the Today show this morning. You'll be happy to know that perky Katie Couric tilted her head cutely while interviewing you.
posted by naturesgreatestmiracle at 4:39 AM on April 21, 2005

That was the most amusing interview I've seen on Today in awhile. Nicely done, rcade. Hope you score that miter!
posted by steef at 5:11 AM on April 21, 2005

Thanks. Before the interview, I was certain I was going to vomit.
posted by rcade at 5:31 AM on April 21, 2005

But, but, but ... not one mention of MetaFilter.
*sniff*
posted by deborah at 7:41 AM on April 21, 2005

I just wanted to say that I just saw the Today show segment and rcade is hilarious.
posted by krix at 7:47 AM on April 21, 2005

Personally, I'd suggest posting 16 recipes for Eggs Benedict.

But, but...every egg is sacred! ; >
posted by amberglow at 8:46 AM on April 21, 2005

I just wanted to say that I just saw the Today show segment and rcade is hilarious.

Not to mention cute.

amberglow: *thwack!*
posted by deborah at 11:01 AM on April 21, 2005

III. Complete absolution, no questions asked, for the third week of March 1987. (from his site)

Sit down my child..tell us more.
posted by amberglow at 11:15 AM on April 21, 2005

Does anyone have a video of the interview? Please?
posted by SpecialK at 12:59 PM on April 21, 2005

See here for video and more rogering.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:35 PM on April 21, 2005

Er, rogersing?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:36 PM on April 21, 2005

So MeFi scoops my local press by three days. The story of rcade's procurement of benedictxiv.com made the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning. (rcade- you never mentioned you used to work for them...!)
posted by Doohickie at 9:53 AM on April 22, 2005

Yes, deborah, rcade is definitely teh cute
posted by echolalia67 at 10:54 PM on April 22, 2005