The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog: RicksBlog.com – Home of The Domain King®

Morning Folks!!

Just a little housekeeping today. Most of you have already been informed of the nominations but need to post it here for the record. Same with the next post I will be making about the 2014 and 2015 shows. Been widely distributed, but also need to have it here on record for the record.

Last week you selected the domainers and companies that stood out over the course of the past year and beyond.

Below are YOUR nominees for the 10th Annual 2013 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Awards. Official voting ballots will be emailed to you within the next few weeks and awards will be presented on Tuesday October 22nd at the Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. You MUST be on our mailing list to vote. It's easy to be added to the list. Just post or send me an email.

BEST NEW MONETIZING SOLUTION  

Nominees are:

Above.com

Bounce.io

DomainNameSales/InternetTraffic.com

DomainSponsor.com

DudaMobile

ParkLogic

Rookmedia.net

YTZ International

BEST OVERALL DOMAIN SOLUTION

Nominees are

Above.com

Afternic

DomainNameSales.com/InternetTraffic.com

Enom.com

GoDaddy

Rook Media

Sedo

THE "WE GET IT" AWARD

Nominees are

Amazon

BankRate.com

Coffee.org

DomainDiction

FashionMetrics

Geico

HeritageAuctions.com

L'Oreal

Major League Baseball

SalesForce.com

Trek Bicycle Corporation

DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR

Nominees are

Adam Dicker

Bill Karamouzis

Bill McClure

Chuck Fleming

CitiesPlanet.com

i-Staff Inc.

Michael Cyger

NicheWebsites.com

Tia Wood

DOMAIN BROKER OF THE YEAR

Nominees are

Alan Hack

Afternic

Andrew Rosener

Brian Kleiner

Brian Michitti

Dave Evanson

Domain Holdings

Hunting Moon

Jay Finnan

Jeff Gabriel

Morgan Linton

Negar Hajikhani

Sedo

Toby Clements

BEST DOMAIN BLOG

Nominees are

DNJournal

DomainIncite.com

Domain Name Wire

DomainShane

DomainSherpa

Elliots Blog

HybridDomainer

Morgan Linton’s Blog

RicksBlog (Declined)

The Art of The Name

TheDomains.com

SPONSOR OF THE YEAR

Nominees are

Afternic

Demand Media

eNom.com

Escrow.com

GoDaddy

InternetTraffic.com

Parking Crew

ParkLogic.com

Voodoo.com

DOMAINER OF THE YEAR

Nominees are

Adam Dicker

Andrew Reberry

Brad Mugford

Chad Wright

Daniel Negari

Elliot Silver

Eric Borgos

Frank Schilling

Mike Berkens

Richard Lau

Rick Schwartz (Declined)

BANDIT BERKENS GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

Nominees are

Adam Dicker

Alan Hack

Barbara Neu

Elliot Silver

Gregg McNair

Merlin Kauffman

Michael Cyger

Nat Cohen

Richard Lau

Rick Schwartz (Declined)

Ron Jackson

DOMAIN HALL OF FAME

Nominees are

Aron Meystedt

Bill Karamouzis

Donna Mahony

Elliott Silver

Eric Borgos

Igal Lichtman, Dec’d

Jeff Gabriel

Kathy Nielsen

Larry Fischer

Merlin Kauffman

Michael Gilmour

Ray Neu

Richard Lau

Rob Grant

Roy Messer

Zappy Zapolin

Morning Folks!!

I can't close my eyes to what I see and what I feel. 2003 and 2013 look very similar when it comes to business, domains and domaining. But there is a HUGE difference. In 2003 the Internet was a THREAT to many. In 2013 it is a LIFELINE!

Now if you see and understand that, then you will know about how explosive business is about to get. There are GIANT deals being done. You don't hear about 90% of the REAL deals. They are well below radar and there are many. But that is going off on a tangent.

The point is if you know what is coming, then you can plan for it. We are IN the next cycle. We have LEFT the 2008-2009 crash. Now the destruction remains. The damage is very real. But just as it did in 2003, from the ashes and the embers will emerge something that I wrote about then. I wrote about how we would see huge growth and the world would change because of folks embracing the Internet.

That debate is over. The Internet hit Critical Mass DURING the crash!! Friends that were the oldest holdouts of the Internet are no longer holdouts. They are online. 100% saturation as far as I a concerned in the USA. I have watched it grow from less than 5%.  have heard the doubters each and every step of the way. There was nothing to doubt then and nothing to doubt today. The dark period is OVER! Those that were hiding under their desks can now come out. It is safe.

Financially safe that is. Socially is an entire different story. I can say that today the world is more unstable than at any point in my lifetime. That includes the Russian missile Crisis Era. There is no center of gravity. No center of power. No moral center. We can't change that and the only reason I bring it up is the Internet played a big roll in that happening. It was forseeable. Hate comes out and is easy to hide and easy to mask. It resides at every corner of the Internet.

It is what it is.

In 2008 we were in a business and financial fog. Today things are not crystal clear, but they are clear enough. Clear enough to see that the next 3 years are going to be FANTASTIC. Not for all. I can't make fantastic for you. But conditions are such that FANTASTIC things can and will happen. We have already entered that new stage. It is your responsibility to share in that.

Business stagnation is OVER. Businesses are doing big and long-term deals. Even the sale of the Boston Globe with a 93% LOSS shows that we are adjusting to the new normal instead of fretting about yesterday's normal. That era is over just like this new era is beginning. When they sold the globe for just $70 million, how much of that was for Boston.com?

Many domainers have disappeared over these past 5 years. They have not been replaced. But even that seems to be changing. We all hit bottom and most survived. The climb back up can be just as much or more fun the second time. For me, it is my 4th time.

Supply and demand. The oldest law of business. Sometimes there is too much supply and sometimes not enough. That is the cycle of business. We took a 5 year break. Supply was high, demand was low and so it was easy to predict the crash to begin with. Today, supply is low, and demand is up and so are prices.

Is it a messed up system? Oh yeah!! But they have it under control today. Control is ugly but it works. Inflation is what keeps it all working and we are about to see  that giant unleashed. Just another cycle. Another wave. It never stops. Just need to know when to make hay and when to relax and enjoy.

Have a GREAT day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I know there are many domainers that are only around on weekends. Each week they do what they can to unleash themselves from their day jobs. That is not easy to accomplish and can take years. But it can be done and is being done.

I get emails almost every day from folks looking for direction. They are confused and not sure which way to head. Most have domains but they only buy to sell and that does not always work. The one piece of advice I always give and is the most scoffed at is getting domains with some type in traffic. So if you start wrong, where do you think you will end?

Type ins are the validation of value regardless of opinion. Opinion comes and the value when we discuss what the target is. No target? May not have value.

Does a domain have to get type ins? No!!

But you are looking to quit your day job and this way is tried and true and few fail when they get on the train.

As the baby king was born last week we also saw a hand registered domain get 7500 type ins a day. Will it last? No! But that is why you MAKE HAY WHEN THE SUN SHINES!!!! If you can't get your head around that, stop reading and find a new line of work.

So with 7500 a day parked, that domain can be making between $75 and $750 a day once optimized. The value comes from the advertisers looking to capture people looking for whatever the domain represents. And the baby domain is a poor example because it is social as opposed to commercial. Not that bad, but different. Depends on the habits of people searching for something specific and how much value a SALE could have to an advertiser. If there was NO SALE, there would be NO VALUE! Got that??? (read all my posts about sales)

Point is TYPE IN DOMAINS ARE BORN EACH AND EVERY DAY!!!!

In this case they will die off substantially. But there will be some residue.

Let me repeat......

TYPE IN DOMAINS ARE BORN EACH AND EVERY DAY!!!!

Now I have been saying this for 15 years and folks just argue with me. DUH!

So now there is CLEAR and CONVINCING evidence of  TYPE IN DOMAINS ARE BORN EACH AND EVERY DAY!!!!

So if you want success with domains, you can jump on every fad and spin your wheels or you can be very aware and attentive and deliberate and SNAG something of great value. Like a lion going after prey. But you have to be patient because as I have also stated repeatedly, your FIRST domain buy is your most important. Get that one RIGHT. If you have none that are good, start over!! Get the first one RIGHT and you will never look back.

I have the luxury of gambling because my "Engine" pays forward all of that. You don't have that luxury yet. Just get the first one right and repeat it until you quit your day job and then keep repeating with bigger and better domains. THAT is the path for those that actually want to succeed.

How?

TYPE IN DOMAINS ARE BORN EACH AND EVERY DAY!!!!

And if you don't want to do it that way, then just buy one that already gets some traffic. How much traffic? At least 2-3 visitors or more a day. Not a huge hill to climb. Most domains of value will exceed that. Pigeon shit always gets zero and when it does get traffic it is a bot or something that does not count or inflated by the seller.

Again, this is a tried and true path that works to this very day. Whether you are flipping or investing type ins are STILL and ALWAYS have been the key to GUARANTEED value. Many won't agree. Mostly because they have agendas. Not a bad thing, but if you don't understand that a registrar could give a rats ass about a domains value then you are in the wrong business and listening to the wrong people. Their job is to sell domains. Any domains. Any extension. They make the same amount of money if we are talking a $10 million name or a $10 name. So choose well who you listen to and what their motives are.

I even have a motive. If you do well you may come to TRAFFIC. That's paying it forward. I believe that just like there are TYPE IN DOMAINS ARE BORN EACH AND EVERY DAY, I believe there are folks out there that are just like you. Weekend domain warriors that want to be weekday warriors as well.

And if a domain has no type in traffic, then it should be specific, commercial, and preferably only 2 easy to spell words.

You should also know which domains have face value. Any NNN.com has value. (3 numbers. like 123.com) There is a market. You can invest safer in a market of domains IF you know value. So if somebody had 921.com for sale for $5000. GRAB IT!! It has a much higher value. But you must KNOW these things and so to do that you must learn. How? Well it won't happen until you read a few hundred blog posts from 6 different bloggers that know their stuff.

Don't have the time?

Just remember one thing:

When you leave New York and set sail for London and you end up on the shores of Africa…..your problem did not occur when you landed in Africa, it happened before you even set sail for New York.

Point is……99.9% of ALL failures are due to a bad or quick decision in the beginning or the planning stage. So the likelihood of any success can easily be determined before you even begin. Usually a SIMPLE change can also change your entire future fortunes.

If you walk east looking for the sunset you will likely become disappointed, angry and frustrated. Their frustration boils over and folks lash out at the world. Especially anyone telling them they are wrong. Just a 180 degree shift on one thing can change your destiny. But before you do that you MUST STOP. Stop in your tracks. If you don’t start at a STOP, you lose before you begin.

GOOD LUCK!!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Just a reminder that nominations must be in by 6PM today.

Ballots MUST be emailed to nominations@targetedtraffic.com to be counted. Posting here does not count.
If you sent you nominations between 8AM and 11AM on Wednesday, please resend as our mail server was down.

2013 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. AWARDS NOMINATIONS

T.R.A.F.F.I.C. AWARD Nominations for 2013 are now open.

Nominations will remain open until Friday. August 2nd at 6 P.M. EDT.

Just hit return and email us your picks for 2013.

We have added a few new guidelines this year to maintain the integrity of the voting process as the last 2 years were record breakers for voting.

1. Nominations must be made by a 3rd party - you cannot nominate yourself.

2. We reserve the right to limit the amount of nominees in any category.

The T.R.A.F.F.I.C. AWARDS have become the most sought-after and prestigious Domain Industry awards presented annually.  This year marks the 10th Annual Awards. The Awards Ceremony is scheduled to take place at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. 2013, to be held at the Ft. Lauderdale Beach Ritz-Carlton Resort on Tuesday, October 22 2013.

You may nominate one person in each category

The AWARDS are:

BEST NEW MONETIZING SOLUTION (the NEW company with best monetizing results) Previous Winners = Sendori.com, InternetTraffic.com, DomainPower.com

I nominate ___________________________________________

BEST OVERALL DOMAIN SOLUTION (this includes Revenues, Sales, Development, etc.) Previous Winners = Moniker.com, Fabulous.com, Sedo.com

I nominate ___________________________________________

THE "WE GET IT" AWARD ( this goes to the brick and mortar company that understands the value of a good domain)  Previous Winners = Steve Forbes, Russian Standard Vodka, Foreclosure.com, Melville Candy Co., Citrix

I nominate __________________________________________

DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR (self-explanatory)  Previous winners = Kevin Ham, Shawn Pilfold, Rob Grant, Alan Dunne

I nominate ________________________________________

DOMAIN BROKER OF THE YEAR (the person or company that is the most successful in brokering the sale of domains) Previous winner, Dave Evanson

I nominate _______________________________________

BEST DOMAIN BLOG (the one that you can't miss)  Previous Winners = DNJournal, TheDomains.com, DomainSherpa

I nominate _______________________________________

SPONSOR OF THE YEAR (the company that really gives the best customer service)PREVIOUS WINNERS = TrafficZ, Parked.com, InternetTraffic.com, Escrow.com

I nominate ____________________________________

DOMAINER OF THE YEAR ( the person who stands above the rest in the domaining industry) Previous Winners = Kevin Ham, Mike Berkens, Frank Schilling

I nominate ____________________________________

BANDIT BERKENS GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

I nominate ____________________________________
DOMAIN HALL OF FAME (two people are inducted each year, but only nominate one)

The following have already been inducted to the DOMAIN HALL OF FAME: MONTE CAHN, RICK LATONA, RON JACKSON, MIKE BERKENS, RICK SCHWARTZ, DAVID CASTILLO, MICHAEL CASTILLO, FRANK SCHILLING, YUN YE, SCOTT DAY, SAHAR SARID, HOWARD NEU, ADAM DICKER, MIKE MANN, CHAD FOLKENING

I nominate _____________________________________

Ballots MUST be emailed to nominations@targetedtraffic.com to be counted. Posting here will not count.

Afternoon Folks!!

I started saying the recession was over with this post on June 9th. And I have written about it since with this one and this one and finally recapped my thoughts here. The CRASH of 2008 is over. Now time to get on with it!!

Now again this does not mean the PAIN is gone nor is it over. What is does mean is I see a DISTINCT parallel with post bubble crash. However this parallel is MUCH bigger and much stronger than the counterpart of 2003-2004. But like a MIRROR I see many similarities between the two decades.

We are now entering a post crash ERA. We are truly in the gravitational pull of that 20 year plan I have talked of for 18 years. It is just the "Gestation period" anything this big of a change takes. Not that visionary. Just a keen understanding of how long it takes something to mature and bear the most fruit.

It is amazing how waves happen and how they are predictable and how YOU should make a FORTUNE in what is to come. What we KNOW and what we have LEARNED is just now emerging to the vast majority. It comes in the form of stories like this that Mike Berkens reported on from the Huffington Post showing the world of type in traffic and just how MASSIVE it is.

At this exact time in 2008 things were spinning out of control. Today they are IN CONTROL and that is making the difference even tho watching it is like watching sausage being made. We are in for a BULL RUN the likes of which we have never seen.

Not everyone thrives nor survives in a Bull Run as many get trampled because they never saw it coming. So consolidation is the result and that makes companies bigger and stronger and that just feeds the beast.

Things don't happen overnight. But then again they do. In general this is a process that will take 2 years to build up a head of steam. You are witnessing a surge right now and it will be followed by a mightier surge and a rising tide. It is visible and it is obvious.

Given that, it is up to each of us to take advantage and make HAY when the sun shines. When you do that, you don't have to sweat good and bad times because you are riding the wave instead of being overcome by it.

Yes, it is true that many are struggling and may continue to struggle. But don't accept that things are not improving. They are and soon it will be dramatically evident. By then you will have lost precious time. This is the time to lean forward. There are big deals being done. Business is moving again. Decisions are being made and most importantly there is more understanding.

There are plenty of challenges to come but now we can overcome them because the recession is over and the companies have adapted to a new way of doing business. Therefore a windfall of activity is already in process. Grab your share!

Rick Schwartz