Local or Global? Your Domain Name may be the Decider!

Morning Folks!!

Are you a local company or are you a global company? If you are a local company you can do lots of different things and tricks and not worry about it. Your business is small. It's intended to stay small. That's fine. However if you intend to grow and grow without limits then you may want to be careful of how you present your company to the public.

Your domain name screams out whether you are local or global. You cant silence her. You are either on the world stage or you are not. You are in the major leagues or you are not. You make the championship round or you dont. If people forget who #2 is imagine when you are 3rd or 4th or 34th or 434th.

Why place any type box around your future that can only limit and suppress that future? Why take that global ability away from yourself?

Cctld's are fine. But it does say we service a limited area. It silently says that. It doesn't matter what extension you choose is fine and it will work, but without the.com counterpart you limit yourself. You communicate to the public things you may not want to communicate. And you're not there to correct them. Remember that! You are not there to correct them. Perception is reality. The perception is local not global. That's the perception whether you like it or not. Whether you accept it or not. Whether it's helpful or not.

Recognize it and give it a number value. Because that number will never be zero. What number am I talking about? Business loss. Business loss multiplied by the lifetime of that business.

That's the loss that's 100% profit. Pure gold. It can't be dismissed. Those that dismiss this number dismiss all types of other things as well and it's costly. They don't count this, they don't count that. Eventually they may go broke. They underestimate EVERYTHING!

I do the opposite. I ADD 20% to every expense whether needed or not. That way when something unexpected happens, and it always does, I am financially prepared and it does not make a dent.

I would make domainers cry if they saw how may people get the extension wrong. Tell 100 people just ONE TIME that your website is at whatever.net and you will have close to 50% go to the .com counterpart and YOU are not there to tell them they got it wrong. And that's with a .net. What happens with .crap?

Rick Schwartz

Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in.

Morning Folks!!

One of the famous lines from the Godfather. "Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in."

That may be a line in a movie for most, for me it was a cautionary take because it is so easy to be pulled back in. It's like going to a casino, winning many millions and you go back and you lose it all. But in my case, it is staying retired. I was retired from 1998-2004. Then I got pulled back in and did TRAFFIC for 10 years until I stopped and could retire again. I wanted to quit TRAFFIC in 2007 and leave at the highest point. But Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in.

I have ideas every day and then I realize the last thing I want to do is be pulled me back in. I am out and I want to stay out. If not I would be globetrotting doing all types of deals and finding new products to bring to market.

So to prevent that, THIS is what I refer to to keep me out of the damn casino of business.

Rick Schwartz

Rick and Frank on Gtld’s Circa 2000. Back to the Future! PRICELESS!!!!!! MUST READ!

Morning Folks!!

So, I have 153 blog posts that I have written and never published. This is one of them. My thoughts, Franks thoughts on new extensions from the year 2000. I wrote this back in 2014. Get ready to DIE LAUGHING!

FOR THE RECORD and ON THE RECORD!

Do you know what the difference is between those two lines below that read EXACTLY THE SAME? Do ya??

I know a lot of you don't like my thoughts on the new extensions, but step back for a moment. Well let me tell you the difference. One was written in the year 2000 and one was written this morning.

So let's  leave the hype and hysterics aside before we all puke! The numbers tell a pretty ugly story for anyone will to even scratch the surface of what is going on.

Deja vu all over again?

You need BOOTS to wade through all the crap I have been hearing the last few weeks. If you are normal, your head should be spinning and we have hardly begun. You know I love numbers and they paint the best picture. But what is almost as valuable and many times more valuable is history.

Would you like to be a fly on the wall and read the conversations of 1999 and 2000? Read my posts then as I am posting one below from the year 2000 talking about the NEW EXTENSIONS! Would you like to hear my thoughts? Frank's thoughts on Gtld's in the year 2000? Thoughts from many of the leading domainers that have survived the test of time? And many that have never been heard from again?

Here's just a tidbit of history Make sure you look at the date stamps. Make sure you draw a line from 2000 to 2014 and see where it goes:

"Good morning folks!!


I know a lot of you don't like my thoughts on the new extensions, but step back for a moment.


Let's use Owens pet.com example. 


Will pets.biz make them more or less successful?

Will pets.aero make them more or less successful?

Will pets.info make them more or less successful?

Will pets.museum make them more or less successful?

Will pets.pro make them more or less successful?


Don't like that example?


Let's try it with Amazon.com or priceline.com


The fact is the new extensions are virtually meaningless. But if you WERE to speculate, and you guys still by worthless domains......it will still be worthless. Anything more than a ONE WORD new extension at THIS point in time is SILLLLLY.


Point is.....IF you DO get a GREAT .biz, it won't be GREAT until you build something GREAT there.


Look at human nature.....


He will type in porno.com

He MAY type in porno.net (1 in 100 at best)

He MAY type in porno.org (1 in 1000 at best)


The new extensions will get even less. Especially since the most you are likely to find there is a for sale sign.


I'd rather have a $1500 .com than a 100 .whatevers


As for .biz.......wait for the SALE!!!


Have a GREAT day!!


Rick Schwartz

Mon Nov 20 08:13:15 2000 - 172.169.114.65 - message #7353

 
I want to be the first to go on record as stating that 2000/2001 will forever be remembered as "Year of the Do-Over". First the election and soon to be with the new GTLD's... this is a period in time when nobody seems to be prepared to take no as an answer. It would seem that the only way to settle things is through litigation and whining... Is anyone else feeling this trend?

Franky

Wed Nov 15 01:44:52 2000 - 24.113.74.16 - message #7004

 
Oh.. and by the way.. for the record.. ".info" will be a resounding failure globally. 10 years from now, the only people talking about .info will be the registries that are giving away two free .info's with every new .com purchased; and the suckers trying to give them away in the after market.

Franky

Sat Nov 18 00:05:30 2000 - 216.232.120.63 - message #7231

6 Months off of Twitter, 3 months off Facebook.

Morning Folks!!

I believe the last comment I left on Twitter before I deleted my account was on December 31st last year. Not easy to break a habit but this was not hard. Later on when the privacy issue hit Facebook, I did the same thing there.

Trust is a big issue no matter who you deal with. When you lose trust you have 2 choices. Continue to swallow SHIT, or just walk away. I am the walking away type. Period, the end!

I don't miss it and I enjoy my new found time. Is what I am doing a trend? Maybe. I doubt most are disciplined enough to just walk away. But some have and others will.

Changing habits in the general population is one of the things I study most. That's why I had a 20 year plan. It was about the general population adapting to a new medium that so many were calling a "Fad" back then because Brick and Mortar was SCARED TO DEATH!

Sears was a top 3 retailer and my advice to Sears back then: Close ALL your stores and work from the Internet at Sears.com. I think they might be in a better place today had they done that. Instead they will soon be joining ToysRus and many others in liquidation. Talk about a fall from grace. They should have a college course just to study the rise and fall of Sears. And I know most domainers eyes glaze over every time I bring them up. Not sure how you ignore something like this if you are a businessman.

In business and as a businessman you must adapt. We need to recalibrate. I do that on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. I watch my young peers that should be much more adaptable, limber and able to take in vast amounts of new information actually rejecting things before even considering them. They should be the most open to change. In general, they are not.

My dad lived until 88 years old. But he was writing computer programs via a Radio Shack cassette recorder. I have no idea what the hell he was doing. But he remained on the cutting edge until the very end. He was not too good at it but he never got old mentally. I see way too many 25 yer olds that are. They are rigid, inexperienced, close minded, wishful thinkers with no understanding of human nature, sales, budgets, recurring bills, customer service, advertising and how to successfully run a business for the long term.

When we work for others we mortgage our souls because THEY own OUR time. In my view of things, I worked hard to own that mortgage. To own my time. To be master of my destiny without interruption.

Twitter can be a dangerous place. A few words can destroy you, your family and your career. The power of the written word is back! But you have to be careful with words. Very careful.

Rick Schwartz

What Does the Domain Industry Stand For? A Rebel Without a Cause!?

Morning Folks!!

Nearly 2 decades has passed and I started to think isn't it time to ask what the Domain Industry stands for? Can anyone answer that? Does the Industry have a message? Has the Industry done anything of import? Is there an industry?

I look back and thru all the noise have we left any legacy? I don't know that we have been good stewards of the Golden Goose that has fed many families for many years and will do so for many more.

Rick Schwartz

Time Spent Online to Decline? Yes! But When?

Morning Folks!!

Since 2000 the time folks have spent online has increased dramatically from 3 hours a week in 2000 to 24 hours per week in 2016 according to an MIT study. But the question is when does it peak? And how many hours does it peak at?

As folks that make our living online we spend more time than most. Early on I was online for 15 hours per DAY. So 100 hours per week. I peaked many years ago. Today I spend about 2 to 8 hours a day. Some days even less. I go out of my way to stay offline.

But the question is when do the masses decline in time spent online and how will it affect domains and prices? I don't have the answer. I just have the question.

Rick Schwartz

Stop Developing Domains and Start a Business on Domains. But it’s Not Easy!

Morning Folks!!

Such a cop out! "If we don't sell the domain we will develop it". Get real! Slapping some crap on a domain is not developing a business. A business needs product or information. A business needs a cash register. I don't think some know the difference.

Ricksblog.com is developed, but it's far from a business. HallofShame.com is developed, but that too is far from a business. On the other hand, Francois's Domaining.com IS a business. He sells things. He has a cash register. He takes in money. He has customers.

Point is developing is for feeling good or a cop out for buying a questionable and possibly worthless domain name. But it's something that really goes nowhere. It's not a business with a full circle idea that results in PROFIT. It's closer to art. A business needs a way to pay you and that happens with a cash register. Maybe it's time to start with the cash register and work backwards. Not the first time I have brought this up.

But how many of us have pissed away money on silly mini-sites and other "Development" that resulted with no results? A business starts with an idea, a product or service and a way to pay.

But be careful with opening a business. Many folks create work but don't create a profit and have a formula that will never allow them to make a profit. Sorry, but profit is the only way you stay in business and any fool can create work.

Personally, I don't want to be in a business again where I have to ship product, have inventory or fulfill orders. I like selling and shipping information. Cost is low and everything can be fully automated with little to no customer service.

The curse of domainers is many times we have too many good domains. Too many shiny objects that we actually own. But it's hard to focus and pick just one. When I started, I always believed there was a time to collect domains as fast as you can, and I did, and a time to sort them out and decide which ones could run the most profitable businesses or to focus on just one domain. I have yet to get to the last step!

But when I look to the "Next BIG Thing", it seems to always start with a domain name.

Rick Schwartz

The Next BIG Thing. How to Spot it and Where it is RIGHT NOW!

Morning Folks!!

Forget domains, forget crypto forget about all the businesses of today and focus on the businesses of tomorrow. You are not alone. Get those elbows ready. Nearly 2 BILLION searches for "The Next BIG thing" on Google alone. That represents 1 out of every 4 people on earth looking for the next big thing. Looking to get rich. Looking to find something life changing. Why do they do that? Because they see a parade of examples every day of their lives of people that have done exactly that and become filthy rich. Some at a very young and tender age. They have a GREAT NEED, WANT and DESIRE to join that group.

BUT.......

Many will look and will never find it.

Many will look but have no clue what to look for.

Many will chase every single shiny object.

Many will look and not recognize it if they find it.

Many will look and discount it even if they do find it.

Many will look and fail to act on it.

Many will look and say coulda, shoulda, woulda.

And a few will dare to be wrong, dare to lose time and money, dare to be criticized and laughed at, but will act on and seize what they can when they can and where they can.

Many will then laugh at their failures as they sit on the sidelines and keep searching for the next big thing but refusing to get into the game and take a risk themselves.

Whatever the "Next BIG thing" is, always look at the audience. How many, who they are and their buying power. Along with DOZENS of other questions. If you don't do that, your chances of failure are assured.

Don't talk about how many billions the industry does unless you own 1 of those billions. To me, that is the same as some idiot waving a domain appraisal in my face and thinking it has validity. Tell me how you plan to grab your market share and you do that by current and past SALES not BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!

NO NEED + NO WANT + NO DESIRE + NO VALUE = NO SALES = NOTHING =$0 If you want to run with that equation you would be a fool.

99% of finding the NEXT big thing is by discounting all the NOISE of those that want to convince you that what THEY HAVE is the next big thing. Your job is to try and find every pitfall you can find, not painting a blue sky picture. BE CRITICAL!! Try to DESTROY the idea. If it survives, it MAY be a very good idea. If not, ABANDON SHIP!!!

Domainers should have learned that FIRST HAND with the new GTLD debacle. But domainers still defending them may not be the brightest bulbs in the basket or just have a financial motive. Like they are stuck with them and still need to DUMP them to other less "sophisticated" domainers.

What's the next BIG thing? Here it is  The next BIG thing

Rick Schwartz

It REALLY is time for “Domainers” to Start Again! Some Examples from Yesterday!

Morning Folks!!

When I first suggested that 90% of all domainers should DROP 90% of their domains and start over again most laughed. I have now suggested it multiple times. People aren't laughing so much anymore. Now they actually see my point and some may be considering it.

During the last days I have asked for domain submissions to sell and then appraise. Do you folks understand now?? What is posted is better than the ones I get emailed to me. I see crap all day long. What the hell were they thinking?

Even worse, you guys got some really ugly domains! The value is just so limited. Let me give you a couple examples of that limitation. First, one commenter yesterday wrote this:

Hi Rick,

Here’s my best old-school domain:

United-States.org – Is it worth anything?!

Similar name: united-states.net was sold for 760 USD in 2009-04-25 on NameJet

Thank you.

So Let's break this apart and look at the flaws in thinking.

First thing that jumped out at me was comparing a sale of nearly a decade ago for a measly $760. Really? That's not aiming very high.

The next thing is his domain actually has MORE VALUE than the .net. Albeit marginal. In this case the .org is superior to the .net.

The next thing of course is the dash. Obviously without the dash the domain would have some real value and be very meaningful.

So then I investigate UnitedStates.org and it's basically "Coming Soon" so that does not help the value. That hurts the value. I go to UnitedStates .com, it's a redirect. I go to United-States.com and it is a holding page from Godaddy.

The ONLY thing that can make that domain valuable is an IDEA! Content! Something real. Or if "Dashes" become popular. (Longshot)

But I keep getting back to that $760 comparison. Why aren't you looking for a $76,000 or $760,000 comparison? How many years do you want to wait for chump change IF you can find anyone to give you that chump change?

And the worst part, this domain was better than MORE THAN half of the others posted!

Then we have the brandables. I like brandables. But that's a really tough game to play and there are way too many variables and choices. I have brandables in my portfolio. But they are more like a topping and not a focus.

ALL Domain appraisals are a SCAM! PERIOD! ONLY FOOLS and DOMAINERS believe them. The only appraisal that counts is your own. If you want to show your rookie status, just go waiving one of these appraisals around. Not worth the paper they are written on.

There are ways to relaunch a domain portfolio. If you have 1000 names that's $10k a year or $100k over 10 years. Go make a deal and buy a $100k domain with 10 year financing and you would be in better shape! 1 GREAT domain has more value if you are not making it than 1000.

Most so-called portfolios are not portfolios at all. They are recurring bills. Recurring bills put more folks in bankruptcy than any other thing. You and ONLY you can decide which domains are assets. But I will continue ti maintain that most domain portfolios I see have no value whatsoever. NON! NAHDAH!

Let's take another domain posted. TrentBridgeHotels.com

So here are the problems.


  1. Trent Bridge is a tiny town with 47,000 population. Never heard of it before yesterdays post.

  2. Trent Bridge only has a handful of hotels.

  3. The domain with value would be the singular and that would only be valuable to Trent Bridge Hotel if there is one. That value would have limits. Maybe a few hundred or a couple grand at most to only ONE potential customer on EARTH. Not a good investment!

  4. TrentBridge.com itself has low value and is listed for sale. So a superior name w/o much value.

  5. Point is if you do this, focus on larger cities that actually have a lot of hotels.

  6. It's all about population centers. This domain has virtually no value for the reasons listed. It's a liability not an asset!


Yesterday I listed the  6 categories of of Appraisal for domainers selling me domains. Today you have it defined!

  1. Laugh Hard!

  2. Laugh Harder

  3. Laugh Hardest

  4. I can't get off the floor

  5. I am dying to catch my breath from laughing way too hard

  6. ok, deal!


Rick Schwartz

Rick’s FREE Domain Appraisal Service. Today ONLY!

Morning Folks!!

Ask around, I NEVER EVER give appraisals. I get many emails every day looking for appraisals. Sorry, never have and I doubt I ever will except TODAY!

I have 6 categories of of Appraisal for domainers selling me domains.


  1. Laugh Hard!

  2. Laugh Harder

  3. Laugh Hardest

  4. I can't get off the floor

  5. I am dying to catch my breath from laughing way too hard

  6. ok, deal!


But here is a lesson. If you are foolish enough to sell your domains to other domainers always multiply the price you quote by 10. So if you are asking $200k from a domainer, make sure the domain can be turned at $2 MILLION without the above scale applying. If you don't ask what's in it for THEM, you are not going to make many sales and the ones you do will be for chump change because they will be getting the benefit, not you.

And the 10 multiple is a minimum. Don't like that, then stop selling to domainers and do the legwork REQUIRED to sell to an end user! You are not selling something liquid. So the upside for the buyer has to be tremendous or they would not buy nor be interested.

Personally I see the best bang for the buck in domains up to about $2500. I look for a domain like that, that has a value of $100k or more and snap them up when I see them.

Domainers selling to other domainers is a sign of desperation. That made a lot of us rich. But I understand it is the only game in town for so many. It's the only way to make ends meet. And when you do that, you end up selling your best for the cheapest. Not a smart equation. So you have to figure out how NOT to do that. How not to be in that position. Not saying it's easy, but it's your JOB! It's the other half of your job that so many ignore.

My best domains slipped thru the hands of those I bought them from. I don't mind sharing that with you because I said all this very early on and throughout the years. But as I buy less, I can share more and more details.

Whether you want it asked or not. Whether you are willing to be straight or not, type-in traffic is still an important qualifier. Especially when dealing with high value domains. There should be SOME traffic. Now I don't base my purchases on traffic like I did early on. That was the holy grail to pay for the renewals. Adult was ALL about traffic and I never looked to "Search" to find that traffic. There are many other methods to grow your audience.

To me, SEARCH is the extra you get and not what you depend on to grow. It's a perk not a foundation. Maybe upside down to most, but that is my strong view. Anyone only talking about search is misguided in my way of viewing the Internet and long term marketing. You can't depend on search. You can't depend on Google. You can't depend on Facebook. You can't depend on Twitter. You have to do some heavier lifting than just spending money or fooling the system for the short term.

A domains' value may be in the different ways it can be reinvented. A great location can support a gas station or a bank or a restaurant or a rental center or a host of other businesses. Other locations may be landlocked in the way it can be used. And that may not be bad. Just know the difference.

So what's the value of your domain name? Hell if I know. I only appraise the ones I buy with my wallet and the ones that make me laugh until I cry all day long!

Rick Schwartz