The Walls of Jericho Fall on .xyz

Morning Folks!!

You can only ask questions and let folks answer them as they see fit. They get the rewards if it works and they suffer the consequences when it does not.

The minute I saw the answers by Daniel Negari to the questions posed, I knew his troubles had just begun and was about to get much worse. He just dug a deeper hole. My job was to let things unfold in a natural way and they did. There was little for me to say but to step aside and watch the implosion and the fallout as his non-answers would be picked apart by you the reader in the comment section and would cause the fury that would erupt as it did. My job was not to force the issue. But I could see everything that was about to unfold as it did the moment I read the answers. My very first thought was "The walls of Jericho are about to fall."

Mike Berkens has been writing about and discovered many of the goings on including:  "NSI is responsible for over 80,000 of the 96,246 registrations. If you netted out the NSI registrations .XYZ would have somewhere around 16,000 registrations which would have placed it around number 12 on the list.”

Others like Konstantinos Zournas have exposed this from the get go and he calculates they would be in 34th place not first.

I think folks like Ron Jackson, that has been covering Negari and .xyz for a while, feel duped.

Many others had their say as well and opinions are VERY strong.

I only posed one follow-up question and it went like this: "My only question is did you know about the network solutions deal in any way shape or form?" And I got the standard NDA answer.

I think the NDA violation would have been less damaging than the fallout already suffered by both these companies. 

I thought Negari would have come here and fielded the questions and concerns. I think not doing so only hurt his cause further inside the domaining community and made the firestorm much worse and will last much longer. I have been in this business a very long time and I don't think I have ever seen this level of anger by so many different corners of the industry. They feel as if a hoax as been perpetrated on them and the anger has grown each day that it has continued.

And when it comes to Network Solutions, they have done damage akin to Moniker years ago. I think they both need to DESTROY the NDA and come set the record straight. I think the one with most exposure is Network Solutions and where is ICANN?? No NDA is worth pissing away your reputation for.

I just hope when the next gTLD tries to pull something cute, the outrage is just as great. Friend or foe. RIGHT???

Now you KNOW what HYPE looks like in the RAW form but don't think for a minute that others are lily-white. Please! The shenanigans are way over the top. My advice, stop the bullshit and run clean businesses before you are ALL linked by the belly button. So stop the clawbacks and make sure you speak out loud the next time that happens.  It did not affect me personally but I think the practice is absolutely disgusting and I will continue to bring it up.

I guess it will be a few more days before they really get to 1 million registrations.

Lastly, NO DOMAINER has ANY OBLIGATION to support ANY new gTLD whatsoever, so don't buy into that nonsense. On the other hand the gTLD's have an obligation to treat domainers a lot better than they have.  They need us not the other way around.

Coming Next: The Rick Schwartz Equation

Rick Schwartz



26 thoughts on “The Walls of Jericho Fall on .xyz

  1. onlinedomain

    Their chance is gone. Daniel had plenty to make things right.
    This outrage was just the beginning. Now it is going to be serious.

    Oh and Network Solutions has no reputation to begin with, unless you mean the one that is confirmed by these actions.

    Reply
  2. Joe

    Don’t forget NetSol is the registrar that forces people transferring out domains to send their support a request and “If your request is approved, you will receive your Auth Code by email in 3 days”. I experienced this firsthand and they didn’t send me anything after 4 days. I solved by threatening them publicly on their FB page, after which they contacted me via PM and finally sent me the Auth Code.

    Reply
  3. michael berkens

    It should also be noted that NSI (actually web.com) appears to have NO ONE that will talk to media or bloggers about XYZ or any other issue.

    Its the ONLY major company in the space that has no PR person, point of contact, or anyone that will answer a question or even talk to media or bloggers

    Reply
  4. Domenclature

    Here’s what investigative have to understand: This exposure has:
    ramifications, consequence, result, aftermath, outcome, effect, and upshot in the aftermarket domain sales.

    This is actually what I am concerned with. The new gTLDs is a distraction.

    I have always suspected that big Registries, Registrars, and their cohorts do certain things based on ‘domainers’ psychology’. I believe they manipulate and tamper with domain name sales.to foster more sales.

    Think about it. Why inflate the registration numbers? To get ‘stupid domainers’ – us, to rush in and register names.

    So, the same strategy is most likely employed by these Registries, registrars, and their scouts to manipulate the market places. I have been complaining about the unnatural nature of aftermarket domain sales.

    So, if any Domain Blogger wants to earn kudos, they have to dig deeper than this .xyz bullshit. I’m not interested in the new gTLD preoccupation. I have already declared the scheme a failure. I have posed 4 serious, mathematical questions, on top of the two previous arithmetic ones in January, and the calculus one of last year, and these questions were posed directly to the Registry Operators on our major blogs, and they have failed to answer even one of them!

    If you want to spend time to explore anything, spend it on the way domains are sold in the aftermarket, this has ruined many lives. Why would end -users spend millions of dollars purchasing from these major markets instead of from domainers? It makes no sense. Let’s tackle this issue. Let’s boycott every single drop catcher, every single one of them. I will NEVER give them a nickle!

    Reply
  5. Domenclature

    Excuse my typos: I meant to say – Investigative Bloggers in the beginning.

    I only proof-read that first paragraph. If there are others, use your head to correct’em.

    Reply
  6. BullS

    What that “guy” that runs the company called xyz?

    Opps..replace “guy” with immature arrogant egotistical kid

    He sure got a lot to learn about the true meaning of BSing.
    He really murdered the image of domaining and tarnish the reputation.

    I can “BUllS” all I want but at least I have integrity and I am honest.

    Reply
  7. Leonard Britt

    I believe an audit of reported aftermarket sales might unearth some interesting findings.

    Reply
  8. Adam7

    If you talk about Network Solutions (or Daniel Negari) please do not abbreviate their names.
    Make easy for people to find info about them on the Internet.

    Reply
  9. Todd

    Well Rick good to know and who are these bloggers gotten paid by xyz for promos and ads.Got the hype now exposed but wont return the cash.money is ok? Do you’re duty exposing the industry.IMO

    Reply
  10. Patrick Hipskind

    If .club and other registries and registrars believe this is an act of bad faith on behalf of XYZ or NetSol then why don’t they bring it to the attention of ICANN? My reading of the registrar agreement is that regular registration price needs to be paid by the NAMEHOLDER before the name is activated. And thus, no names should go into the zone file unless they have been paid for by the NameHolder. “3.7.4 Registrar shall not activate any Registered Name unless and until it is satisfied that it has received a reasonable assurance of payment of its registration fee. For this purpose, a charge to a credit card, general commercial terms extended to creditworthy customers, or other mechanism providing a similar level of assurance of payment shall be sufficient, provided that the obligation to pay becomes final and non-revocable by the Registered Name Holder upon activation of the registration.”

    Reply
  11. William

    I suppose as someone new to the domaining industry, I’m having a difficult time understanding the level of sustained anger about this. Numbers in a zone file don’t affect the value of a domain name.

    Daniel didn’t swindle anyone out of money. People are not even this angry about the domains that were reclaimed from their accounts by the registry.

    Reply
  12. Patrick Hipskind

    It comes down to creating a level playing field for all stakeholders. One party should not benefit at the expense of others through practices that violate either the registry or registrar agreements with ICANN.

    Reply
  13. Ramahn

    Still moving to your new office Mr. xyz.ceo? You can still do the right thing and come clean.

    I’ve been saying for a long time now… Who’s paying 4-5 figures for all of these crap domains you see on the weekly sales reports? The most random word combinations that make absolutely no sense at all and the domains have ZERO content on them. No business built on them… Nothing! Which ones were BIN? Which ones were auction? Who’s the buyer? Who’s the seller? Why are the sales totals ALWAYS around the same amount EACH week? Yes, I’m all for an audit.

    Reply
  14. Nancy

    Shall we say Daniel Negari, is fast becoming the Bernie Madoff of the domain industry? Sadly, he probably will file bankruptcy and walk away with millions in his pockets. Looks like he maybe running buddies with the Bieber…. they have the same maturity level and narcissistic behaviors.

    Reply
  15. UFO

    I’m not really sure what the fuss is about. We all know the real metrics that define good names and we know what gtlds/cctlds they sit on.

    Its even obvious that if by any chance any of these gtlds gain traction then domain investors will be able to get on the wagon some years before it ever becomes mainstream, and I think none of them will in reality except maybe .shop which will be fully priced on issuance anyway.

    I dont see anything for domain investors really in new gtlds.

    Let the snake oil merchants make all the claims they want, the metrics matter and the metrics say bad investments.

    Reply
  16. Danny Pryor

    Just finished a long conversation with Netsol about a client account that was supposed to get a .xyz domain. I was given three different reasons why the domain was not in the account. 1) There was a technical issue that was being resolved and the situation would likely be resolved soon. 2) The promotion ended. 3) There was a limited supply. I was then told to click the link in the email to claim the domain name, and I informed the person on the phone that there was no option to claim the domain name, only an option to OPT OUT. I think he didn’t know about the email or was trying to get me to click the OPT OUT “accidentally”. I can’t say that for certain. I have the conversation recorded and emailed it to you and Berkens, Rick. I also have the original promotional email sent to for the client account. ;-)

    Reply
  17. Patrick Curio

    Did you know that Daniel Negari’s real business isn’t even domaining? He runs a network of high interest payday loan websites and data mining operations that fund his XYZ gTLD dream. Look up his company – Cyber2Media – on LinkedIn and check out some of the projects that his employees have on their resumes. You’ll quickly find a bunch of very sketchy websites that point back at sketchy loan companies based off of an indian reservation- a seemingly obvious front most likely used for tax reasons.
    I found all of it searching Daniel & Cyber2Media on google- who knows what is still left to discover.

    Reply
  18. BillW

    From the Cyber2Media.com website “about us”. The last line is a classis, but given the current circumstances employees might be getting a bit queasy. LOL

    Cyber2Media- about us: “At first glance, our unique and energetic staff may frighten outsiders – at times, even ourselves. While our team comes from many different backgrounds with a variety of personality types, all of us come together to offer a welcoming environment to our members. We strive to advance our company and rain down spoils and accomplishments upon our company and our co-workers. Together we seek to bring honor to Cyber2, or to die an honorable death”.

    http://www.cyber2.com/about-us/

    Reply
  19. Colin Campbell

    To the industry,

    I just received an email from Mr. Negari. I thought there was no better place to share it other than RicksBlog.com. I made the effort to talk with him about 8 days ago expressing my concerns. After that call I realized that I did not want anything to do with him, nor would I ever offer advice in the future.

    Here is what he stated in an email I received today at 3:27:

    Daniel Negari
    To: Colin Campbell

    Ethics

    Wow – Your ethics – or lack thereof beyond baffle me. The truth will be told and come out – completely. I hope you lose sleep at night knowing I know everything you have been behind.

    ——–

    If Mr. Negari, believes that I am behind all of the uproar behind the opt out registrations and that I managed to convince an entire industry through a few of my own personal comments I think he is misguided. If anyone who was influenced by my comments or my concerns with this marketing campaign, please come forward. I’d really like to understand how I could have caused all of .XYZ’s issues?

    Colin Campbell
    CEO, .CLUB

    Reply
  20. Vinny

    I honestly don’t see what all the big fuss is about for all we know it could of all been one giant publicity stunt to get every blogger to blog about the scandal. And guess what if that is true then it worked, free marketing for .xyz. Besides that I like the domain and own a couple myself it’s different (very different).

    Reply
  21. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,

    .COM mimicking ? Whats next?

    Those in the know are already positioned.To be continued/.

    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  22. Jeff schneider

    @ MHB,

    Wow what a disconnect! Shows how early in Asset Class Domains really are.This would not happen otherwise, give them a break. They do not realize the savvy participants in the Domain Asset Class. They as others will learn.

    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger) (Domain Master)

    Reply
  23. Jeff Schneider

    jeff schneider

    Independent Marketing Analyst/Strategist at UseBiz.com / (.COM ) URL Centric Marketing

    Another Deceptive Ad, that takes the prize for getting punked. (Get the .Com youve always wanted) Clearly a .Com knockoff , what next, ICANN stands idle. Yes this really is happening folks.

    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger) (Domain Master)

    Reply

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