2011 | The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog: RicksBlog.com - Home of The Domain King® (2024)

Morning Folks!!

Maybe folks don’t understand the audience I am speaking to so let me define it. Maybe that will clarify some things and help you understand where my comments are aimed.

There are about 500 serious, full time “Domainers”. Those are the core folks I am speaking to but that does not mean I don’t want the ears, eyes and minds of others. But you need to know where I am coming from. I talk to those 500. But I am also hoping to reach others. So let me define “Others”.

In the domain industry there are the 500….let’s call them collectors, connoisseurs, affectionados. Like fine wines, art, watches, they collect prime domain names. But unlike those other collectibles, these items are parcels of virtual real estate that will eventually be developed into businesses. They are the base and foundation of things. They hold the majority of the booty. They are independent decision makers.

The next group are the 600 folks that are really trying hard to make it in domains. They may have been doing it for 10 years or 10 hours. Many have had some measure of success. Many have not. Before you have success you need discipline, direction and understanding of general things not related to domains. Most of this is NOT related to domains. It is related to how you think and how you act and react.

Domains are a vehicle. But you need to learn to drive the domain vehicle or any vehicle by getting the foundation of business right from the get go. If there are 600 here, 120 will get the message and get to work. I spend the most amount of my efforts on this group trying to help them raise their game. Get over the hump. But they have to play by the rules and do things right even if it takes longer or is harder or has a cost associated with it. That's where discipline and honor come into play. So you either understand or you get angry. Understanding means you are moving in one direction. Anger means you are moving in the opposite (wrong) direction.

Ever play golf with someone who cheats? I feel sorry for those that are compelled to cheat. But who in their right mind would golf with them again? Especially when it's no game and money and your livelihood are at stake?

The others (and there are a lot more of them) came to service those 500-1100. Does not sound good to say but that is how things evolved. They built registrars and parking companies and mini sites and everything else to cater to the 500 and then beyond that.

By far the largest part of the new formed industry are the brokers and flippers. Many of them and cost of entry is nothing. That is not a bad thing. That’s called opportunity. So there are many brokers and they are the “Grease”. That’s a compliment. No brokers = no interest. We have brokers in the business because there is money to be made.

Beyond that is the general businessman in either corporate America or Main St. Truth be told. THEY are the ones I want to reach the most but we all need each others shoulders to reach them. To let them hear us. If this were a stadium my focus would be the 1100 in the front seats and the masses in the back seats. Those allied industries would be in the middle but not my focus. They become the beneficiaries of my focus by creating a larger and larger audience paying attention.

The reason I write is that I know the words will be around for a long time. Many of those words will make more sense in 5 years from now than they do now or 5 years ago. Like they said in the Social Network, what you put on the Internet is in 'Ink' not pencil.

The 'End users' are in the bleachers and so is our future. But as I have said for years, they will come one domain, one project, one mission at a time. If you see the right picture, you will have the right amount of patience and patience is the key ingredient in this business for the 500. The guys in the bleachers will have their 'Sense of urgency' moment. But one by one. All we can do is accelerate their knowledge as that leads to desire.

From a lone wolf to an exponentially growing industry is a dream come true. I sit back and look at it in awe. It is everything I dreamed of and so much more. (With a few disappointments and short comings) And to think the dream is just to begin not to end is the most spine tingling part of all. Don't be afraid to look back from where we all came. You will see a stadium filled with interest. Stadiums filled with interest.

My vision is like a 'Beach Ball' that starts here and keeps getting tossed into the air and all of us doing what we can to keep that Beach Ball up in the air and make it all th way to the bleachers. Each Beach Ball with a different message. Getting that ball or post or thought or example up to the bleachers is something we could and should all be participating. A rising tide for one is a rising tide for all.

Like I have been saying, THIS is the start of a 5 year sprint and marathon and when we look back in 5 years, you too will be in awe if you are not already. Captain, prepare for 'Warp Speed.'

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Good Evening folks!!

Are we about to watch the Beer bowl....I mean Super Bowl, going back and becoming the .com bowl? The .co Bowl? The Facebook Bowl? The Soft Drink Bowl? The Auto Bowl, Snack Bowl? Which Bowl are we about to see? Some of you will be seeing the Toilet Bowl.(sorry, could not help myself)

Super Bowl....Where Sport Intersects with Capitalism, Madison Avenue, Testosterone and Ego's, tailgater's, partiers, beer drinkers, joint smokers, butt shakers, Facebook and tweets from the stadium. This is a Super Bowl with a new twist. Will Facebook compete with the commercials? Questions that have never been thought of and never been asked and certainly never been reacted to.

Things are changing faster than anyone can even record or benchmark them. But that does not mean progress is being made. It means things are changing and you can always make money when things are doing that. Momentum creates cash flow but without sales there is no real progress.

Give us your knee jerk reactions to each commercial. Hit or miss? Cute or effective? Funny or not? Does it SELL the product? Is there something memorable? Waste of money? Let's disect and name the winners that make you want what they have to sell. Make you want to do business with them. Make you want to do something other than just be passive.

I am surprised they are interrupting the commercials with this silly football game. Anyway, this is an 'Editorial Poll'. Tell us in real time what you think.

enjoy! ;-)

Have a GREAT Time!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

The .co deal is going to have a LOT of unintended consequences imo. Today will be the first time folks even hear about it. 99.99% of folks on the planet don't know it exists. Some MAY know tonight. THEIR reaction, lack of one or even anger will decide many things.

Anger? Don't underestimate that possible backlash when MILLIONS of businesses find out their .co has been grabbed. They might not be happy campers.

Registrars may have their own set of problems if the average guy thinks he is getting a .com and ends up with a .co. But that is small and manageable.

One thing for sure, the lawyers are going to be very busy and the crossfire will be like nothing we have ever experienced. No press release can cover what everyone knows is about to happen. All hell is about to break loose.

If you ask 'Was this foreseen?' Then I say yes. Will it matter? I guess that is the gamble everyone is taking. But this could create quite a backfire if things go south. Many questions even if a great success.

Either way, congratulations to all and good luck. We are going to be in for an interesting ride no matter how it unfolds. Let's hope domainers don't get bitten in the ass with this like some businesses will be bitten in the ass with Social Media. This will rip the scab off the 'Cybersquatter' debate and may have ripples that go further than .co as over reaction is certain to follow.

It is not about what we think. It is about how the average guy perceives it and that is predictable but unknown at this moment. It may not be known for a while as it has to 'Ferment' in people's minds and their positions evolve. That evolution could go either way. But strong head winds would not be surprising at all. And crosswinds will be frequent and even more unpredictable.

And for the hundreds or even thousands of .Whatevers.....This canary in this mine may be your future destiny. Without the crosswinds, without the controversy and without a SuperBowl commercial.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

The value of a domain is in direct proportion to the idea and business behind it. Very simple. One guy wants to have a business with a total annual sales of $50,000 and one guy wants to run an empire worth $500 Million. Do you really believe the domain has the same value?? Get off of it.

I have long been on record saying that the valuations out there are all a farse. Period. They are simply a great business model for the owner and for people who don't know any better. Nothing wrong with that, but it has no value. See how I make friends. I say something factual or state my strong opinion and of course it offends everyone in that business and half of those that actually paid for one of those worthless appraisals that can be waived in the face of other folks that know even less.

But what is my choice? Insult you and blow smoke up your ass?? My soul is not for sale.

You have a unique asset. Somebody else wants that unique asset. Your JOB is to extract as much value as possible and do it not by looking at yesterday and last year but looking forward 10 years. If th buyer does not like that....move on!

One guy spends $1000 a year on advertising and another spends $1000 a SECOND on advertising. You don't think information like this is valuable? You don't think this has a direct value on your asset? If you are afraid to ask questions, you are afraid to make the big money. Folks that want YOUR asset MUST overpay by definition. You don't have to agree. But you will leave a lot of money on the table.

So answering an email without an offer and looking for a 'Deal' or a 'Reasonable' price on your domain is just going to be a waste of your time. Eventually you will figure it out, but you will waste YEARS of your life in the process and you will handicap your business and growth. There is no LAW saying you MUST answer every email. It is not rude because you are not obligated to waste your time or even answer.

In FACT, I answered only 8 of those inquiries last month. Why? I READ their words and their words usually tip off who is who. Look for the keywords. Anyone with an appraisal whether buying or selling is automatically eliminated. The chances of extracting his head from his ass at that point is a near physical impossibility.

There are emails that casually are interested in your domain. There are emails from other domainers. There are emails from end users. There are emails from brokers. There are emails from lawyers. There are emails from representatives. There are emails from jerk-*ffs. There are emails from folks with an agenda. There are emails that set a trap. Do you know the difference between these types of emails and more?

That is just the first layer. Then there are a host of other CLUES that tell you who you might be dealing with. Value is based on their idea and your circ*mstance. If there is no circ*mstance the value is going up because you have no motivation to sell. Put Proctor and Gamble as the owner of my domains and see the difference in response. Price. Interest.

If you are young and in good health, time is an ally in this business. The game has changed. The model has changed. but these changes are predictable as things evolve. Domains are the center of Internet evolution. When a company has a great success on the Internet they have demonstrated that they would like better more high profile domain names in a lot of cases.

Nothing remains the same as it was yesterday. But as long as you deal with meaningful quality domains you will be safe.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Franky gets 3x as many inquiries in a day than I get in a month and then some. But I love the idea he had to list domains that folks are interested in. So I did something I never did. I went through my emails of the last 30 days and here are the domains that have been inquired about. Many are ones that I get offers on nearly every week.

I am not sure what if any value this will have but if nothing else, it is just something I can refer to from time to time. Now I can't list all of them because some are in active negotiations and others should remain private until some time passes. The domains with asterisks are domains with multiple inquiries.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

ebid.com**
ebud.com
kissass.com
dirtypictures.com
gpf.com
FamousNames.com
SexualDesire.com
handicapper.com
Tryouts.com
TopSecret.com**
Delivers.com**
399.com**
PartyVille.com
1012.com
1620.com
StarvingArtists.com
Property.com**
iWantSex.com
eTrip.com
Tradeshows.com**
GoBabyGo.com
SecretUnderground.com
VirtualTours.com**
SayWhen.com
StartLiving.com
eGold.com**
Private-Property.com
GoFishing.com
ACRepair.com**
UnEmployed.com
SexGod.com
989.com
750.com
2995.com
TeamBets.com
Properties.com**
CamJam.com
BestIdea.com
VideoDates.com
Sexo.com
8181.com
efu.com
Properties.com
wxy.com
cheapest.com**
Prop.com
Cutie.com
CheapDate.com
Mens.com
JackpotBingo.com**
eBet.com**
800club.com
11311.com

Morning Folks!!

Everything we do and discover already happened in another medium and your job is to find that parallel and connect the dots by finding the corresponding components. That's how you get ahead of the crowd.

I will tell you what I see because it is bigger than the first 20 years put together. The difference between the pay Babe Ruth got and what 'A-Rod' gets.

Except I see the years condensed. Per the chart below, it took 50 years from Babe Ruth Until Catfish Hunter making 10x more. Compare that to a domain name that may have only taken 5 years for it to go up 10x in value. Maybe even 100x in value. Maybe much more. So in this medium things are accelerated and always has been. But the start is slow. It always is. The bigger, the slower. But now we are past slow. We are rolling. Rolling along. Rolling along and gaining momentum.

With top baseball salaries It took only 20 years for the next growth of 10x. 1975 to 1995. So I have always used THIS model below melted in with the history and growth of TV, the survival of Radio and the phenomenon of the Hula Hoop along with all the advertising dollars spent and how long it takes the masses to adjust to something new and big. Then ending up with a sale somewhere because nothing happens until a sale is made. In other words, study the past to see the future. It all happened before. Just with another medium or with a different vehicle.

The 1994 NBC clip that has been going around TV and the Internet this past week is a PERFECT example of how FAST we are moving to change the world like that in less than 20 years. It accelerates from here in an exponential way. Facebook is the beginning not the end. An exit for your domain an on ramp to your domain a window into your domain. All roads still lead to the domain regardless of the stops along the way.

And while $70,000 was a lot of money in 1927, it did not have the buying power that $33 Million has today. Where are we today in reference to that graph and the ultimate value of domain names? I would say somewhere between 1972 and 1975. The upside is something incredible.

YEAR SALARY/YR PLAYER TEAM/ORGANIZATION
1927 $70,000 Babe Ruth New York Yankees
1930 $80,000 Babe Ruth New York Yankees
1949 $100,000 Ted Williams Boston Red Sox
1966 $130,000 Willie Mays San Francisco Giants
1972 $200,000 Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves
1975 $740,000 Catfish Hunter New York Yankees

Major League Baseball's reserve clause was struck down in 1976, beginning an era of free agency and thus market-value player contracts

1979 $1,000,000 Nolan Ryan Houston Astros
1981 $2,000,000 Dave Winfield New York Yankees
1985 $2,130,300 Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies
1986 $2,800,000 George Foster New York Mets
1990 $3,000,000 Rickey Henderson Oakland Athletics
1991 $4,700,000 José Canseco Oakland Athletics
1992 $5,800,000 Bobby Bonilla New York Mets
1993 $5,975,000* Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs
1995 $9,237,500 Cecil Fielder Detroit Tigers
1997 $10,000,000 Albert Belle Chicago White Sox
1998 $14,936,667 Gary Sheffield Florida Marlins
2000 $15,714,286 Kevin Brown Los Angeles Dodgers
2001 $22,000,000 Alex Rodriguez Texas Rangers
2005 $26,000,000 Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees
2009 $33,000,000 Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_paid_baseball_players

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

You know I am an iPad fan, but today should be a small illustration of what is to come. 'The Daily' App will be available at noon Eastern time TODAY at the App store.

360 degree Photos. Video, Print and interactive. I am watching the news conference. This is an amazing new development and another stake in the heart of traditional media. They have also made it profitable. To buy what you see. Sport. This is a wow! This is another HUGE moneymaker.

I have not seen it yet, but I believe this is a BIG deal and another game changer in a series of game changers we will be seeing from here on out. It reminds me of the day USA Today came out. They all said it would fail. But I liked the format. It was easy to read. It was colorful in a sea of black and white. I became a fan.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Update: Now that I have downloaded it and used it a bit I would say It will have to have some real identity and some compelling and unique content to be as big as I thought. I could see it could be good locally and depends how it evolves. But I have to agree with what has been posted so far. Yawn. But that does not mean I will dismiss it quite yet.

Morning Folks!!

I don't know about you but I am not sure I have seen a single UDRP or WIPO win with a .CO name involved. Each decision I personally have seen has gone against the .CO domain owner. Even with generic names. This could be a problem and a precedent is being set whether we like it or not. It may be hard to defend even a generic .CO as we have seen with the PokerStrategy.co decision.

I have only received 1 C&D on a .CO. But when I think about this I try and see how a jury of my peers would see it. With a dot com most folks on the street think you did nothing wrong when it came to registering a bunch of domain names and doing well. They almost always say, 'Why didn't I think of that?' But I think the reaction would and will be different with any .co that a .com BUSINESS already exists. I think the average Joe would think you are taking advantage. A cybersquatter. And so far that is exactly what we have seen and that gives others a clear path to take your domain away.

If this becomes the common thinking, you may see .co have more challenges than any other domain extension out there. And percentage wise could be a mind blower. Cost of doing business can end up a lot more than $25.

Now I do have 2350 .CO domains. Many are the .co versions of my .com. Many are not. 80 of them are NNN.co. Many are geo type domains followed by a keyword. I focused on sectors in which my .com portfolio was either weak or non existent. I know I mined veins that I realized friends of mine own the .com. I feel a bit guilty. I did not have a lot of geo real estate domains but I am heavily focused on real estate in my .com's. I came to realize that one of those keywords were ones Rob Grant owns the .com version of. I knew when I got Rumcakes.co that Franky has the .com version. I just figured he would rather see my name on it than somebody he does not know. I have no idea how many others fall into this category. But when I got Rumcake.co, somebody else has the .com.

At the same time I do not have the .CO version of my highest profile keyword .COM domains. I hope they are in friendly hands.;-)

So I am very interested in how all this plays out and like I said, I have yet to see a .CO challenge that has failed. Have you? It's hard to defend on one hand but it is the nature of what we do on the other. I am torn sometimes and so I decided to come out and share these thoughts.

What we learn in the next weeks will have a huge implication on all other extensions whether they/we like it or not. It does not matter if you are pro .CO or against .CO, there will be much to learn and watch for and those that don't think so are missing a HUGE opportunity to gather new data, new information and watch human nature. Has nothing to do with .CO has everything to do with reactions and other things that are not even visible yet. The one thing that may be different is that I don't see the trademark conflict as that big a problem on the other extensions.....but who knows. ICANN has one agenda and reality may just throw them and everyone else a curve ball.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Besides basic math, reading and writing, Algebra I would say is the most important and useful subject I ever learned in school. I use it everyday in almost every situation. It's my compass in life. To understand this post, you must read the comments on my last post. This is my dissecting things a little further. First let me be on record saying there are only a handful of 3d domains that will have any value and tens of thousands registered. So that's my take on the 3d fad. Just using that as an example because it works well to illustrate an equation.

Now that folks see a 'STARTING EQUATION' (3dville.com vs3d.co) change the variables to find different results. At the end of the day there are only a FEW variables that you can fill into the .CO side and still make your argument. Then you get to 'Pigeon sh*t'. The domains that will never work. Point is, IF you even want a chance of winning, you best START with PRIME. When I see a domain that would have no value with a .com on the end then chances are it is even worse with another extension. Excluding natural combination's. Yes, 3D.TV is a winner. It's natural. It's natural to say and remember. But that equation won't work for everything.
Equations and variables. That's what it is all about. As a captain of a ship, your #1 job is to have as few leaks as possible. If you leak 25% of your efforts to somebody else you make them rich and maybe a competitor. Your advertising costs 25% more for the leak and you grow your own competition. Sorry, that is NEVER a smart equation no matter what business you are in.
As I have said, .co has an opportunity. It won't be up to me. It won't be up to Juan. It won't be up to you. It won't be up to anyone but the consumer. THEY hold the key. THEY will determine it. And if the best opportunity goes down in flames, you will see the other extensions with an even worse fate.

Dot com worked because there was natural type in traffic in great mass and it has trillions of dollars in advertising worldwide behind it. Not even to mention that you hear, see, and read it all day long and we are brainwashed.

Any new extension or domain will work IF you give them something UNIQUE that they want. So the value for sake of value is a Tulip Festival. Domains traded inside a small community and the greater world could care less. Everyone looking for the second coming of a unique opportunity in time.
We have a rendezvous with destiny and in that rendezvous we will travel away from the dot com home base. But will anyone else? Will they travel or come back to the home base?
Content and a number of huge successes will be the thing that could ignite a new extension. But without that, just go look at a map of all the plants and stars in the galaxy. They are just there. I have never been a content guy, but that is the key to a new extension and it better be superior to anything else.
And if you think I am talking out of both sides of my mouth, you are right! But that is what an equation is. Variables that add weight to one argument or another and not be afriad to change the variables and get a differnt conclusion. But reality trumps all.
At the end of the day, eyeballs are what counts. Advertising is what counts. Word of mouth is what counts. Branding with a PROFIT counts.
We all get to see an experiment. That is what we will witness. A great test. A grand multimillion dollar experiment. That is exciting! And it will play out in front of the world and if the canary lives, the world will know and if the canary dies, the world will know and if nobody cares, then that will be the result.
With each experiment, the equation and the variables change just a tiny bit. Your job is to keep score and don't fool yourself no matter how it turns out.

Tomorrow I will connect this 'Equation' with the 'Marketing Nerve' and you will see how to map an experiment mentally. Map on a grid.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

A fork in the road and a decision to make.

Sometimes a simple question or equation can dig deeper than you might think. But let’s say you decided to build out a 3d two word domain or 3d.co. Which would you stake your $$$ on? Let’s say 3dville.com or 3d.co?

Should be interesting.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz