I’m in the midst of a domain buying spree. The problem is - I have no idea what I want to use them for. Now isn’t that the craziest thing you ever heard?

But with domain age seeming to be a factor with Google (according to Google’s latest patent), I thought it would be a good idea to start setting aside some generic type domains for myself so I can get a head start on aging them.

By generic - I mean domain names that would be acceptable for a variety of themes. I may decide to do some shopping sites, or some information/reference type. No matter what I end up using the domains for, I should have something on hand to use.

When you don’t have a clue what you’re going to be developing, it gets kinda tricky trying to think up domain names. Here are a few resources I put together:

Online Thesaurus: Since the word(s) I want to use for a domain name are usually taken, I’ll plunk that word in here and see if I can trigger some new ideas

NameBoy: I’ll pop a word or two in here and see what NameBoy comes up with. I don’t usually have luck finding anything I like, but it can help trigger some new ideas

Rhyme Zone: There may be a word I like the sound of - plunk it in here and see what happens.

United States Patent and Trademark Office: Search here to make sure there are no trademarks on any of the words or names you want to use. Better safe now than sorry later!

Deleted Domains: See what’s up for grabs. You may find something you like, or a domain name that inspires a brain flash (make sure to check out the expired domain first to ensure it wasn’t a spam/porn/evil domain). You can also find domains deleted today as well as domains registered today (neat). Limited results without a membership.

WayBackMachine: When I do find a domain name that’s available, I’ll hop over here and see if it was registered previously. If it was - I’ll look at it closely to see if it was a spammy type of domain (or so help me - a porn/gambling mega site). If it looks clean - I’ll head over to a domain registrar to buy it.

Since I don’t know what I’m going to be using the domains for, how can I create keyword rich domain names? Hmmm. I don’t think eBay (online auction results), or Yahoo (free email results), or CNN (news results) cared about keywords in their domain names.

PS: Did you know namecheap is offering a free whois guard with every domain purchase right now?