Bust-A-Name: This is my favorite place to search for an available domain… because the results are instantaneous. I use the “quick domain check” tool on the top right. The availability of the typed name is updated on every keystroke. This is much faster than waiting for a page to load every time. Plus it saves you the 5 seconds of anticipation before the big let-down: “HOMES4U.COM” is already taken! You can also add words to a list and let Bust-A-Name find all of the available combinations. This is great for finding descriptive domains.

Dislexicon: This tool will help you nail that brilliant name by fusing a root word you enter with popular prefix’s and suffix’s. For example: Type “HOME” and it will return words like: Homeium, Homability, Endohome, and Homeize. This may not give you exactly what you need, but it is fun for inspiration.

DomainsBot: This tool will take a string of words and search for available domains that are similar to that query. It will take each word, and use related words to offer suggestion. So if you type HOME FINDER, it draws similar words to HOME (house, pad, residence) and FINDER (seeker, explorer, digger) and display a long list of available and for sale domains.

JustDropped: This is a great free tool that will search for names by keyword that have recently been dropped from the ICANN registered index. Many domains are dropped daily. You may find a great name that contains your chosen words that somebody else let expire. If you have some time, check back daily for the prime pick’ns.

Afternic & Sedo: Two popular places to bid for pre-registered domain names. If you are willing to spend a few hundred bucks, you may be able to find a prime domain that someone is trying to sell. Some of the domains seem ridiculously over-priced, but if you look into the recently sold domains area you can see what some of the domains are actually selling for. The ultra-high-priced domains are usually set by the seller, and you will rarely see bids on these.

For an easy and risk-free way to get the best domain possible, consider outsourcing your search with PickyDomains.com. For a fifty dollar deposit, you give them the criteria, and they mail you lists of possible names. If you don’t like any of the names offered, you get a refund. See the left sidebar on their site for a list of some of the best domains they have come up with.

People often champion the use of social media to reach customers and enhance marketing efforts…but what about using these tools to innovate from within? In this video, Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson describes how they have used social networks, Wikis, and other Web 2.0 tools to harness the expertise of it’s 175,000 employees and spur collaboration among them.

Peter Hirshberg, co-founder of The Conversation Group, interviews Anderson about several of their internal social media initiatives. As they grow, the scope of their business is evolving from “product distribution company” to a “service and solutions company”… and to address this challenge they have to reverse the roles of leadership and turn the structure upside-down.

Best Buy realized that the employees interacting with customers on a daily basis were the ones who could provide the best feedback. They gave them the tools to collaborate and gave management the power and resources to nurture and execute grassroots ideas. This has created a culture of innovation and creativity in the organization. They are experimenting more and utilizing employees in order to reverse the sluggishness and lack of innovation that is often the side effect of becoming an incredibly large company.

I can’t help but think of the leadership style of Sam Walton, who often interviewed his own employees to get serious feedback about processes. He knew that they were where the rubber truly met the road. The Best Buy social media initiatives take this philosophy to a new level.