J2 Global Communications Inc. Call it the not-com craze. The new identities reverse the late 1990s trend of companies going public with little more than a business plan and a dot-com to their name, and investors clamoring for the shares. At Infospace, an online provider of maps and directories, management dropped the dot-com suffix in March because investors weren't recognizing the company gets most of its revenue from traditional ''bricks and mortar'' companies, said Joni Hanson, vice president of communications.
Some companies still see the dot-com name as an asset.
Many companies want to get away from the baggage and the negative perception,'' said Hamerslag.