The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog:

Morning Folks!!

That is a serious question that would be met with eye-rolls. "Who is your Social Media Liasson?" Who is the SINGLE person or the people directly responsible for your Twitter and Facebook? If a company has a presence and they can't answer that they are missing something very big.

If you are silly enough to conduct your business on social media, you better have a seasoned representative on duty 24/7. If not, you are negligent and, much worse!

I don't need to know squat about Social Media to point out the important pitfalls as well as opportunities. But a strategy is key. Having a personality is key. Having someone totally competent is key. A warm body will put you outta business.

It's all common sense. Common business sense. Common sales sense. Common sense not to be lazy. There is always time for lazy once things are set. I am living proof. You have to come and identify each and every element or elements lacking if you expect long term success.

So just like a popular restaurant may have a known host or hostess that they know and trust and have the authority to make things happen, Social Media NEEDS and must have those same attributes and personalities if you use the platform effectively and want constant and long term success.

My expertise is looking at ANY situation and clearly seeing the one or two things that can be implemented immediately and usually without cost. Both will show immediate results. Then you move on to the other things less visible but STILL THERE!!! So don't close your eyes to what you don't like. Open them and change it. Stop being foolish, lazy or unaware. And when it gets pointed out to you, be thankful because you just made more m oney and do it all the time.

Early on in 1996 all these sites would use counters on their sites to see how many unique vusitors were coming thru. But they made a huge mistake that was fixed in 5 seconds. That would increasen their bottom line 15%-25% instantly for FREE!! All I would do is explain that counter should be on the lowest left side on the page. That basically eliminated folks clicking on the counter by at least 15%. Voila. Some of these sites were making millions per month. That was a windfall and it helped me garner a reputation.

The next thing was background color and font color and font size. If you think there is no difference, find another career. We are not talking 1% or 2%. We might be talking 50%. So important to learn these things and experiment.

The next was placements of the links so folks would click on what the OWNER of the site wanted them to click on. Herding traffic is a big part of website flow and monetary success.

Some would get angry at my suggestions. Ok, they win. lol I can't stop a fool for remaining a fool or just being stuck. Not my choice. But if they open their mind a bit, their wallets will get much fatter!

I can tell you that most companies need some fresh eyes RIGHT NOW to look at their sites let alone getting social media right. Most sites could double their sales just from fixing the mistakes that they have right now and don't know about and probably don't even care. What a dumb way to run a business.

But hey, the Internet is the Intersection of the smartest, the dumbest and the most foolish. Those groups don't play well with each other as is on display 24/7.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

A Renaissance in the generic sense is simply a re-birth a renewal, a new age of something that has been around but has been rediscovered in a new or possibly much more valuable light. At least that is the specific definition I will use for this post. Domain names are on the eve of such a Renaissance. I started seeing this phenomenon early in 2018 but clearly late last year and have posted about it in the past several months. But now it is vivid like a rainbow!

Maybe you have not paid attention or maybe you just have not realized it but there was a huge difference between Christmas Season 2018 and the start of 2019 that is completely opposite of just 1 year ago. I focus on things that change or evolve so I can recalibrate my opinion or approach if need be.

One year ago nearly all commercials on TV were trying to drive traffic to their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. It was plain stupid! But they did it anyways. Sending their OWN customers to a 3rd party! DUMB!

Fast forward to now and you will see virtually NO commercials on TV promoting their social media site. I watch interviews on TV now, no more social media, they have a website.

This is 3rd post I have made about the rise and fall of social media and the dangers as well as the opportunity. Some may have laughed at me a year ago when I left Twitter. But I was just way ahead of the masses. Folks are leaving in droves and Facebook is in even worse shape!

Social media is dangerous! Not the first time I am saying this. I came one click away last night from even deleting my Linkedin page. I have even thought about removing this blog. These things may become liabilities. Opinions are looked at as facts and then something for you to be held accountable for. That's total nonsense! But it's still effective!

http://www.ricksblog.com/2018/11/social-media-is-no-longer-social-its-dangerous/#.XEw-ri2ZNp8

http://www.ricksblog.com/2019/01/social-media-will-do-for-domains-what-domainers-failed-to-do-for-domains/#.XEw-1y2ZNp8

What you say on Social Media can and WILL be used against you! That is the big lesson among so many others and we never even mentioned privacy! It does not matter how old. It does not matter how small. It can and WILL be used against you.

The ONLY autonomy we have on the Internet is your own domain name and now the masses are realizing that and that is a huge deal for truly great domain names.

Going forward many domains I have don't have the value they once had. Things change. It's a Renaissance. Many domains are perishable. They missed the big window of opportunity. Domains on the market right now that had great value and now, sorry, they don't. Examples would be Smartphones.com or CellPhones.com. They both missed the window of great opportunity. What is the attraction today? What is the interest today? There are many domains that I see that at one time I would have died for and now does not even move the needle for me.

Domains and domaining evolve. But the evolution of domaining just got the biggest kickstart I have ever seen. Akin to a blood transfusion or a couple of heart paddles. It's a REALLY big deal!

I can still find a quality .com domain for any end user for $10 in 10 minutes. So what that does is, it marginalizes the prices of marginal domain names that were low to begin with. But at the same time it raises the prices of truly great domain names. We could see a frenzy. Imagine domain names as hot as bitcoins were in 2017. I see companies upgrading their domains now as a common occurrence that will become more and more common. Location, Location, Location.

You will see personal domains and you will see Brandable and one word meaningful domains rule the day. Slogans will do well. Even if several words. But the big bucks are in short and Brandable .com domains and exact match 1 and 2 word domains. A Brandable to me has to be pronounceable. Basically inventing a new word that you can say and is easy to spell.

And there are "Franchise Domains". These domains have common prefixes and suffixes. Makes you part of something larger even if not related. You can come into domaining TODAY and focus on these and make money! But PATIENCE PLEASE!!! Play the game the right way! And of course a "Franchise Domain" can only be .com. The next best extension, whatever it is, can only garner 1%-2% of the .com value. So why are so many wasting time on third rate domains to begin with? Stop playing in the sandbox and step on up your game to the major leagues. I think this is the only business I have ever seen where folks CHOOSE to play in the minors.

And of course GTLD's will continue to die on the vine. It seems like this is becoming a common occurrence. Something I have predicted for YEARS! How many will die THIS YEAR???

If you took out all the GTLD domains that sold for a penny or were free or were stuffed into accounts, you would have many many millions less registrations and they will eventually drop anyways. Worthless is worthless. The numbers, which suck anyways, are PHONY!! Drill down and you will see what GTLD guys are feeding you is a BAG OF SH*T! They are fighting for their very survival. That means they will say and do anything. They will cut deals that paint a phony picture of success. Don't fall for it! Desperation is something nobody should fall for. Not your problem DUDE, unless you make it one.

Some Registries (not many) make money, domainers don't. Almost every sale I see is a direct registry sale or an authorized reseller like Sedo selling the registries premium names. Where are the domainers in that equation??????

I won't tell you the extension, you can do your own homework and figure it out yourself. But the fastest growing GTLD in the past few weeks/months has one issue for ME that makes it a PHONY! What is it? Not a single registration from Godaddy.!!! Not a ONE!! I Pay particular attention to which registrars have the most domains registered by certain extensions. I BELIEVE they are HOLLOW and PHONY! I am a numbers guy. I can see what's natural and what is artificial. I don't know the exact promotion nor do I have to. I just know it is artificial and unsustainable. Domainers are being played like FOOLS!

I own the .com version of many GTLD combos. I hope many startups start their new business on those GTLD's. Does not make them smart, they are not, but if they wise-up they will eventually LEARN about all the pitfalls and leaks. They will eventually learn how much that costs them in loss of sales that they will have to deal with. Smart guys will be FORCED to abandon. The dumb will just go out of business if they ignore and don't address. NO COMPANY can afford to lose sales. But there are some geniuses out there that don't think sales are important. :-)

GTLD Registries and registrars don't care about the success or lack of it with those that buy domains. They don't care about the pitfalls the end user will eventually face nor do they alert them. There is no disclaimer or warning label. They just want to sell domains. And that's ok. That's their job. My job is to expose the weaknesses that they won't.

I just have to laugh. Usually a product or service has a couple or three points of concern or weakness. Usually ones that are identified and can be controlled. They don't usually go out of their way to remain blind to them. On the other hand, it has taken me 6 YEARS and I still have yet to uncover all the points of concern and weaknesses of GTLD's. I just have to LAUGH!

Think of 2019 and 2020 as 2 years that .com domains will become inflated as prices rise. They may even skyrocket. What is happening to Social Media, Google and Free Speech will do 10x more for domains and domainers than anything domainers can do or have done for themselves. Your only job is to buy GREAT domains and match them up with the proper entity.

I blew a great one the other day. ImpeachTrump.com sold for about $3500 on Flippa. All I know is I see domains every week that sell cheap that have great value plus a DEMAND, but folks keep buying total crap looking for the second coming. Need, Want, Desire, Value.

A domain can be a soapbox or it can be the biggest company on earth. It can be invented. It can be re-invented. It can be anything you want it to be. Domains with power have value far beyond what folks understand today as we enter this Renaissance. But WE understand.

WE understand that a Sear's store has one value but Sears.com has more value with less overhead and wider audience when utilized correctly. A Sear's store may be a liability. A Sear's store costs TENS of millions to build and even more to furnish and staff.

I REFUSE to let go of my comparisons and comps. That means I REFUSE to see value the way the masses do. I see value the way the FUTURE will see value! We are so far away from peak value. But it ONLY applies to great domain names. It does not apply to marginable domains. Step up your game folks!! The canyon is going to widen and widen pretty quickly. Don't be on the wrong side.

And as someone posted right here just a few weeks ago, "A good domain is easy to remember. A GREAT domain name is hard to forget."

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Is Social Media about to implode? Well, Yeah, yeah it is. Growth is GONE! GONE! It's over! The bleeding has begun and is in full progress. Will they bleed out? Probably not, but they may look like a deflated balloon.

To me this was the #1 Story of 2018. As you may recall, I left twitter on December 31, 2017. Most thought I would be back in a few weeks. Well 52 weeks later......And I did the same with Facebook. As I wrote recently, "Social Media is no longer Social, it's Dangerous".

Many thought I was exaggerating and over reacting. But look back a year later. Folks are leaving these platforms in droves! Facebook stock down $100/share in months. There is true danger there and people and parents are starting to recognize this as a very serious issue.

The winner is US. Great domains. Needed, wanted, desirable and important domains. We are all responsible for the portfolios we have. No one is to blame for a worthless one other than ourselves. I have tried to point this out for decades. Now we really do enter a new period of domains. A great one.

It will still take YEARS for the average Joe to figure out he has made a huge mistake in promoting his or her social media pages and not have them eventually (ASAP) funneling to their own domain name.

And remember, I am EXCLUSIVELY talking about BIG LEAGUE .COM domains. PERIOD!!! ALWAYS!! I may dabble in Minor League extensions, but I know that a lottery ticket likely has more value. All other extensions sell for a fraction of a .Com. A SMALL or TINY fraction. And demand is so much lower! Does anyone even think about that?? Demand?? 

I am bullish on GREAT .Com domains. I am NOT bullish on anything else in domains. Some extensions will benefit from a rising tide. It will benefit more in demand than in increasing prices.

And as far as I am concerned, GTLD's are NOW DEAD and eventually someone will bury this stinky carcass! Bury it right next to those IDN's and Emoji's. A waste of time, money and effort. Cause of Death: Too many to list!

HUGE deals are coming in 2019 and 2020. We are entering a sweet spot and you have the downfall of Social Media to thank! You have Retail Mall Sales to thank.

But it starts, NOW. It already started in the last few months. But you will see an increase in domain activity in 2019 like never before and for a REASON. Most of these deals will be under the radar. Especially the deals that are north of $10 Million. And I think that you are going to see a rash of sales between $5 and $10 Million.

I am going to restructure my pricing. I am going to call it Sraes. That is Sears spelled backwards. Sraes. No, I don't need the domain name. lol And not really going to call it this. Just want to demonstrate how ass backwards Sears and many others are. How they missed such a huge opportunity to buy EVERY relevant domain name for LESS THAN the cost of ONE FAILING SEAR'S STORE!! 

Not one genius there could figure it out? Really?? Malpractice! Go dig up the founders and I bet THEY would have figured it out. How sad!

It is now time for me to price a domain equal to greater than the cost to build a Sears store in the real world including gondolas etc. The finished product. I won't even count the 300 employees each store has. Or the cost of insurance and security and trash removal and electric and it just keeps going. Did I mention the land itself. Or maybe just a 99 year lease?

So I have been researching the costs. It's mind boggling. I can't even figure it out yet. I need help. What is the cost in New York or Hong Kong? What is the cost in Iowa or Wyoming?

Happy New Year's!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Social Media is no longer social. It's almost anti-social at this stage and won't be getting better. It will continue to get worse as hate and agendas now control it. It's not even safe!

Social Media has been weaponized. It has destroyed people and careers by the thousands! Your personal data has been distributed to every crook in the universe.

There is simply nothing "Social" about Social Media. It's a war zone.

The only Social Media I still deal with is Linked-in and to be honest, I never made a penny or got a connection via their platform. They may be next. It's a time waster not a money maker. Mostly spammers. I left Twitter and Facebook last year for multiple reasons, but sparked by the Berkens incident.

The Internet in general stokes hate as many of us have seen first hand starting early on in the 1990's. It's just gotten worse and BILLIONS of people are participating all with their own hate, anger and prejudices. As it organizes, it becomes very  dangerous. More dangerous than any other media in history.

Social Media may be the front lines of a war that is sure to come. A World War.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

What happened in 2010 will take 18-36 months to completely manifest itself. It's a 'Germination period' and you have to understand and respect that time gap or your crop will never grow and mature. Fruit takes TIME to ripen and sweeten. In business, that cycle is usually 18-36 months. How do you stay ahead of the future? By predicting an event and then the fallout of and from that event and beyond. Just act on a hunch, get it right and be there first.

In January I EXPECT Ron Jackson to report that 2010 was the #1 year for domain sales. That is my assumption and right or wrong, that is what I will base things on. Originally I thought it would happen in 2009, but there was just not enough time for the recession and business realignment to manifest itself. In 2010 there was. So I believe the right prediction, just a bit early, which is infinitely better than being late.

2010 will be a record breaker. A record breaker in a string of record breakers to come. And please keep in mind these are only the “Reported” domain sales. The unreported sales likely eclipse this number. Yes, eclipse. The biggest deals are often silent deals. There is probably not a real domainer out there that does not have at least 1 or more private sales. Many of them have had ALL their deals private. Post and let me know. You won't be violating any agreements with such a general response.

So in the not too distant future we will see $150 million years in REPORTED domain sales. Then $250 million. And in a much shorter time from 1996 to today, we will see a Billion in domain sales in one calendar year. All will happen. All are easily predictable. The only moving parts are which exact domains and what year will each of these events happen.

There are those that would argue with me. I would take their side. I just don’t like being wrong and late to the game. The future will bear that out.

Arguably more progress has been made online in the last 24 months than the last 24 years. Things have a way of accelerating and while we are FAR from full speed, we are FOR THE FIRST TIME, heading in the right direction. It takes a long time to get to where we are. It won’t take so long to get where we are going. Grasp where we are going and you will be rewarded. Go against it and it may cut you to shreds. Don’t get T-Boned by the future. Hit it head on and devour it!

As for Social Media, that requires a separate post. This was a real break out year for this and it changed human behavior more in one year that any other thing possibly in the history of mankind. The Facebook and Twitter logos are on everything. From zero to infinity in 12 months. Like I said, it deserves a separate post. I look at it as an added booster rocket to domain names. Many think the opposite and of course, I believe they are wrong once again. Just like they have been wrong about every other event that was going to destroy domain names. In fact, it does just the opposite. It is the very best thing that could happen to domain names. Facebook and Twitter are the 'Training wheels of the Internet' The starting point, not the ending point.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I write this blog for you. The reader, the surfer, the
pioneer, the lost, the searchers, anyone looking for just a little more. I also
write this blog for myself. I enjoy putting my thoughts on paper. I guess that
is a last century term. Putting thoughts on paper. I guess now just filing
thoughts for the future and the past. I blogged before there was a name for it.
It started in 1996. I made a post each and every morning and what was unusual
at that time was that I actually used my own name.

ButOwen keeps finding stuff I wrote years ago. Yesterday he
found one and it is one of the most basic of posts and thoughts to me back a
decade ago when there was no domain industry and so few saw what I did.

I do have some of my oldest posts locked away in one of my
computers. I talked numbers and facts and dollars and futures and pasts and
everything in between. When I started this blog it was an attempt to get my
thoughts out there in a more formal method and be able to keep track of them,
be on record and then see how things actually unfold.

The following is perhaps one of my best pieces. Short,
sweet, to the point and accurate in a day a decade ago that few saw what we do.

'The reason I say this is there are so many facets of a
domain name. It has the face value. It has the value with the mineral rights in
the form of traffic. It is a collectible like stamps, coins, art, baseball
cards. They are real estate on a scale never known before. They are power in a
way that has yet to be fully exploited. They are TV stations. They are
magazines. They are soap boxes. They are an advantage on many fronts. They are
a permanent direct mail piece. They are almost anything you want them to be and
so much more. You are an instant broadcaster able to compete with the likes of
NBC, ABC, BBC, and all the rest. Your domain can create a situation to capture
more eyeballs than all the TV stations put together.'~~ Rick Schwartz 1999

When I envisioned
the Internet, I envisioned a new media that would or could give every person a soapbox and a megaphone that could and would equal the most powerful. Soapbox.com
was one domainI really wanted. As you will see one of TRAFFIC’S past speakers
owns it now.

So I hope the folks that did not see the wisdom of having Steve Forbes, Ben Stein, Barbara Corcoran, (And there were many) I hope these folks will reserve judgement until they see what unfolds and THEN question the wisdom of having Rick Sanchez join a great list of TRAFFIC speakers. Each one offering us a little something. Each time we left with more than we came. If you understand this post than you will understand where we are going with this. If you can't grasp the notion that the trick is turning social media into profitable commercial media, then I guess we will have to agree to disagree until you figure out at the show and agree. :-)

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning folks!!

Things are moving so fast now it is hard to keep up. Harder to even define. Unintended consequences are on the horizon. Pitfalls and pots of gold.

The key thing to watch in 2011 is how Social Networking manifests itself. I think this is the biggest, most massive and fastest change in human behavior and habits in my lifetime. A new normal is coming but it is still in formation. Battle lines are developing. How much is too much? What expense will it ultimately take? There are many unanswered questions and too early to even think of where it will all sort out. There is good and bad and each are vivid. That is why this will become such an issue.

In a story this weekend one of the headlines was 'Twitter and Facebook don't connect people – they isolate them from reality, say a rising number of academics.' So we are about to see a new social war to breakout. Defend or define, just more money that some can get their hands on.

And did I mention that Social Media may actually backfire on businesses? They best be careful. It can grow their business if used right or destroy it if they make some bad moves. Stay tuned. This is only the first chapter of a story that will take many months or years to play out.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I wrote this last week and posted it to my blog earlier this morning before the Time Person of the Year announcement. Normally I would not have made it public until next week when I hit my 15 year milestone doing this. But I think it needs to get posted now with the news so that it makes even more sense than it would have.

When I look back at 2010 I will look at it as the first year that the Internet started to really be defined. Not only defined, embraced. Not only embraced, but as predicted for years, the “Savior of Sales”.

2010 was the first year of the Internet because it was the first year that attitudes changed universally. ALL eyes are on the Internet. The future of all business pinned to the Internet. Everyone now online. Everyone. And not only online, but Facebook has put them in the game and right in the middle of the action.

2010 the year of Facebook. We saw it coming but who would have thunk?. But it truly manifested itself this year. Everyone is in or getting in or will soon be in. Things evolved this year more than any other in recent memory.

Have we witnessed another Hula Hoop moment? I think history will tell yea or nay. I vote yea. I also thank the economy for forcing things to break wide open. You have witnessed a truly epic year. 2010 sets up the next decade. Things are just beginning to rev up. This was the year that we left the starting line.

2010 was a tough year. But 2010 was a key year and I am here to tell you this is the turning point and the mile posts I have most looked forward to for all these years. It took these guys 16 years or more to get it right. They blew zillions of dollars! But now, they are in the game. On the trail. In the hunt.

Hallelujah that long lonely trail is about to get more crowded than anything you can imagine. The greatest ego stroke anyone will have in the next decade is a hughly recognizable domain name.

Facebook has ignited the masses in how they spend their time. Between 20 years and a decade ago the average person spent ZERO minutes online everyday. ZERO. Then reved it up to one a month. They weekly. Then daily.

Today, the average person spends hour after hour online. Multiply those minutes. WOW! Many are just starting to navigate their way around. It’s a new world and it started now. 2010.

It takes tough times to make good times. It forces folks to reach deep. What folks learn is when they reach deep, they will find a great success. And sometimes make fools of themselves as all the viral videos prove. This will be the year I remember everyone acting like a clown to bring attention to them and get into the game.

I have been doing these posts for a very long time. Since 1996 I have posted annually about what we accomplished and what was still left. The 'still left' column won by landslides and the 'accomplished side' was barely in the game. Like a see-saw. All weighted to what was still left to do and accomplished still sitting on the ground.

Let me be 1000% clear. 2010 was THE breakthrough year. This was the year that the momentum has finally shifted online in the way it was meant to do. The world is engaged and finally in the game. Those that are not, will be very soon consumed as well. A tidal wave of progress.

The shift has happened. 15 years ago today I registered that first domain. (Actually, my ISP registered it) That was me sticking my toe in the water to see what was going on. By that time 12 months later, I was all hyped up about something nobody around me knew nothing of. I was on a new planet and there was nobody. Barrne and deserted. Was this really the future?

I could see the evolution but would anyone else?? How many could I afford to get at $100 each? What would I do with them? How would I afford to keep these for years while others saw what I saw? All questions. No answers. Nobody to even ask. All that was there were techies and they did not speak the language of business. I could not look at it thru techie eyes. I look at it through the eyes of people. Consumers. Mom and pops and business folks. They saw code. They were geniuses and I was just a guy that stuck out because I was so clueless. We talked different languages and I got banned from the few places I found to try and discuss domains or the future of the Internet. Pretty damn lonely. My only link to any real life was when I looked up a domain name and the same guy or company would own it. Or Proctor and Gamble would own it or somebody that was a hell of a lot smarter than me. So there must be something.

So from that day to this day……I don’t even know how to put it into words. It is almost miraculous to watch something you think will happen actually happen and have it happen in a historical magnitude like this.

Facebook is the “Training Wheels” of the Internet. Facebook to the masses is like the Ynot board was to me and the adult biz in 1996 and 1997 and 1998. Transformitive by taking communications to another level. To take our productiveness to another level. Unemployment is high right now, but only because the transformation has yet to happen. It is in progress. Jobs in 2010 and 2020 won’t look like the jobs of 1910 and 1920. We won’t be going to a “Job” to put a screw in a hole and pass it down the assembly line to be productive. We will be collaborating with our minds not our hands.

So welcome to the most exciting 5 years of your lifetime. The last 5 years of a 20 year plan. The Home Stretch. My mile markers are all lined up for history to see. I knew they would look for that oceanfront land. My #1 job,get to the ocean, set up camp, an umbrella, be as comfortable as possible in the process and pull out 20 years of patience.

Mark it on your calendars. 2010 was the year that changed the game in a significant way. The $$$ are now earmarked toward the Internet. Their time is now earmarked for the Internet. Their energy is now earmarked for the Internet. This is the beginning. 15 years on the on-ramp. But we are now on the superhighway. Getting up to speed and ENJOY the next 5 years.

Take a deep breath. The game starts again now. No matter where you get on board, there are fortunes to be made online. NOW! The guy that gets online today, will do just fine it he has any plan at all and the discipline and patience to carry that plan out.

Congratulations for being part of the single biggest opportunity ever available to the common man in the history of mankind. That is not an exaggeration. That is a fact and you need to stop and get your heads around that one if you want to be one step ahead and not one step behind. The beauty of the Internet, is that even if you fall behind, you can still leap ahead.

So as I start my 16^th year the passion only grows. My single best advice. Go see “The Social Network” Watch it twice. Then re-access and recalibrate everything you thought you knew and apply it to where we are at and where things are going. Don’t look at it thru your eyes, think what the others in the audience are thinking. You can FEEL the energy.

We are witnessing the greatest shift in advertising dollars and investment in the history of the universe. The money is flying towards the Internet. The thing they tried to kill a decade ago is the only thing that can save them today and in the future. Media is tripping over themselves trying to make things go viral. Be relevant. Be social. Talk to their viewers on their level. Some are good at it, some look like fools. Most do. Desperate sometimes. Most times. It looks forced, it feels forced. But from this race the real one finally emerges. Right on schedule!!! That is the mind blower. As much as I have done everything in my power to accelerate things, the 20 year plan will still take 20 years. Except for one minor difference. I believed it would just be starting in 20 years. I did not think we would peak in 20 years. We are 5 years ahead and it took hundreds of companies and thousands of domain owners to get there. Going from the outer limits to the focal point of the new economy.

And around the turn they come…….The finish line now in sight.

Have a GREAT Day!
Have a FANTASTIC New Year’s
Have a Healthy and Happy Future

Morning Folks!!

Your future business destiny starts and ends with your domain name. Great domains equal great destinies. If Social Media is your hub, destiny is in the hands of others. It can disappear on the whim of just one idiot with power. Are you in control of your own destiny or is your unknown pimple faced master in control?

They had caravans to transport the king's gold, but was not a very safe or fast way to move assets of value. They had stagecoaches that moved from east to west. How much gold could they carry before it would collapse or was attacked by outlaws? How safe was it?

You could bury CASH in the desert, but you had to pray nobody would find it. You could put all your dollars in a bank into an account that the government can seize on a whim. You can hide it in your mattress as long as the house does not burn down.

Bitcoin is fine. But it's not built on anything useful and you will never control the value. You can just enjoy the ride. #whiplash

Diamonds are small and easy to carry and easy to hide. But they suck as investments and can be stolen or cracked and become worthless. You would have a hard time getting a $100k CASH quickly even for a $1 Million diamond.

Stocks, we all own them. Manipulated as they are. Pieces of paper and a monthy statement. Whoo-Hoo

Watches are portable. You can put a million dollars on your wrist and always have enough to put a roof over your head. I give a thumbs up to a wristwatch.

But in all the years of scraching my head and scratching my balls, nothing has ever even come close to Domain Names. Now it isn't like I am against the other investments as many try and twist my point, they just simply can't compete with a meaningful and great domain name. The most portable asset in the history of man with the most potential value. And pretty darn safe!

Raw land is about liquid as a domain name. Not easy to sell raw land unless you want to give it away. You have to be patient and wait for someone with a need. With a want. With a desire. With the where with all. With an idea and a plan. And it has to be a value. Similar to Domain Names. You don't buy 10 acres today to put on the market tomorrow and expect to get much if any return. Silly! But that is the domainer strategy. Silly!

There is land and parcels everywhere that have been for sale for years. Decades even. Probaly the same in your neck of the woods. Land to be sold for premium $$$ need a specific purpose so one can calculate how things will unfold. What is different with a domain name? Unless you sell to another domainer that sees something you don't and let them reap YOUR REWARD!

Serious inquiries come from owning serious domains. So invest and collect great domains and eventually you will have a flow of qualified inquiries. Worry about buying and the sales will happen. Worry about sales and not much will happen. Focus on the hunt, the meal will come later!

I own each and every asset listed above plus others. But with my domains I can go to sleep knowing I have great value stored safely away and wherever I go those assets are a click away. I control my destiny. And if all else fails, I can actually roll up my sleeves and start building out. What exactly do I do with my other assets other than sell them? Controlling your own destiny has value far beyond what the untrained naked eye can see or put a value on.

I am bullish on domains in a way few can see or understand. I understand the value in our eco system when compared to other assets and other opportunities. Domains are the foundation of the internet and has yet to be recognized by those that should have seen it DECADES ago! The domain name is your world passport to autonomy and independence both financially and spiritually. It all starts with a Domain Name. Get your head around that!

I value my domains based on factors I have discussed in previous blog posts. There is NOBODY on this planet that can convince me otherwise. But it is time for many to wise up and see what I see. Everyone's future starts and ends with a domain name. I REFUSE to sell LIFE-CHANGING assets for anything under the value I see. If they don't see what I see, there is nothing to talk about. SIMPLE!!

That mindset has earned me over $21 million selling just 19 domains since I retired in 2015. Added to the 20 years of traffic and 20 sales prior to my retirement, would put me among the top 10 career earners by any professional golfer and just 4 or 5 slots behind Tiger Woods! But nobody keeps score like that except me! And I do! And yes, of course, I have but 1 goal......to match or exceed Tiger! I figure I'll be an active domainer longer than he'll be an active golfer. (God willing for both of us)

But 2021 is going to be a MONSTER of a year. No longer do I get hateful responses when I discuss a price with a potential buyer that may be 10 times higher than it was a few years ago. Now we have conversations and I am engaged in different conversations daily. Sometimes all day. So with that in mind, I will make the boldest of predictions, In the next 18 months I will exceed the $21 Million of the past 5 or 6 years. Possibly with one sale!

Why am I so sure? 3 words: Covid, Social Media. Covid is driving everyone online and social media is driving everyone to having their own website and not depending on the Masters of the Universe pulling the rug out from under them in a whim and leave folks without income or exposure or even a business. #WOKE

My valuation STARTS with real world expenses. So virtually nothing I own and sell will be valued at less than $500,000. That's my BASE. PERIOD! And to the base still has the value of the domain itself. So it won't be long before my floor is $1 Million.

Now you can go and dismiss that but before you make that mistake, let me share this with you. In 1996 my minimum value was $15,000. A few years later it went up to $50,000. In 1999 with my first sale of eScore.com my minimum had gone to $100k. When we started 2020 my minimum was $250k. That doubled by the end of 2020 and I would not be surprised to see it double again THIS YEAR!

Rent $2500/mo, $30k/yr, $300k/10 Years

Electric $500/mo, $6k/year, $60k/10 years

Insurance, garbage, security, maintenance, $1000/mo $12k/year $120k/10years

$480k BEFORE salaries! Before lots of other expenses Local vs Worldwide +++ That's how I value Domains before I even get to value the domain itself.

And how about the store sign? Tens of thousands! Hundreds of Thousands!

And what if you have 100 or 1000 or more locations? This is not rocket science. You can see your physical store name on your sign from a block away. You can see your domain name from OUTER SPACE! WAKE UP!

What was the COST of building just one Sear's store? The land, the building, the furnishings, the employees, the YEARS of research to find a proper location??? That equation will no longer work! Get your head around that! That my friends is the proper comparison. The one I have used for 25 years and the one that I will use 125 YEARS past my own personal expiration date!

That said, I am open-minded and offer flexible terms and angel friendly financing by way of liberal lease options as low as $1000/month and equity deals for those with big and profitable ideas.  Their wallets may be thin, but they can use the equity in their PROFITABLE idea to start using and exploiting my high-profile and sometimes high-traffic domains.

Getting a 6 or 7 or even 8 figure domain to exploit their business dream with possibly no upfront fee and a monthly note no more than a luxury car, is called OPPORTUNITY!! It's actually the opportunity of a lifetime and I guess I like doing business with folks that see that. If they can't get their head around something as simple as that.....what else can I say?

You can't buy what I have until you see what I see! PERIOD!!

A Good Domain Name is easy to remember.

A GREAT Domain Name is hard to forget!

So let's build YOUR dream on MY Domain Name!

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

This is what I would call an "Easy Reference Post" for me to refer back to or point others to when I need to access my prior domain sales. So please indulge me. It seems I never have a list that's easy to find or to add on to. Now I do!

The first sales (1998-2003) are mostly lower on the list and occurred when 5 and 6 figure sales were almost unheard of, and folks would laugh at me for even asking these prices. The laughter stopped when I started getting those prices and then completely silenced when I sold Men.com for $1.32 Million. One of the very earliest verifiable, 7 figure domain sales. Before to was just the rumored Business.com for $7.5 Million with murky details.

• Men.com sold for $1.32 million in 2003, acquired for $15k in 1995. Plus earnings of about $350,000 during ownership
• Candy.com $3.0 million + several million in Royalties + 12.55% Ownership currently valued at over $5 million+, acquired for about $100k in 2005. (Will end up being my biggest sale ever)
• Porno.com sold for $8.88 million cash, acquired for $42k. Plus earnings of about $15,000,000 during ownership. Escrow.com's largest cash sale EVER!
• eBet.com sold for $1.35 million, registered for $100 in 1997
• Teem.com sold for $36,000 plus stock. Final total after buyout $1.15 million registered for $100 in 1998
• 989.com sold for $818k, registered for $100 in 1997
• 899.com sold for $801k, registered for $100 in 1997
• Portfolio of 10 NNN.com names (Undisclosed. Between $2.5 million and $3.5million)
• 9595.com sold for $180k, registered for $100 in 1998
• iReport.com to CNN for $750,000 acquired for $5000 in 1999
• Punchbowl.com too MyPunchbowl.com $60,000 plus stock
• ChinaTours.com $200,000
• TokyoHotels.com $200k++
• RockStars.com $180,000
• FreeSexCams.com $150,000
• GayEscorts.com $121,550
• PartnerCash.com $110,000
• eCruise.com to iCruise.com $100,000 & Stock
• 235.com $100,000
• SydneyHotels.com $100,000
• eScore.com $100,000
• RoomDividers.com $75,000
• 273.com $50,000
• 236.com to IAC (Undisclosed)

Total sales in EXCESS of $23,000,000 AND I continue to receive royalties from multiple sales/leases totaling several million so far with over $7 million still to paid out to me.

Property.com/Properties.com was sold 3x in 14 years. I paid $811,000 for the pair and took in over $850,000 so far. So I am not in a bad position there for my $8.50/year x 2. One day the right buyer will come along. It's in the intersection I speak about. It's only a matter of time and patience. I get $1 million offers several times a year, But that won't cut it.

So my 33 domain sales have an average of $701,649++ SO far, and they increase annually! Plus factor in that many were early sales in the late 1990s and early 2000s. So in the modern era of the last 15 years, my average is much higher.

It would have been much easier and, I would have sold many more domains if I did not know how to value my own assets. Easy to give things away when you undervalue them. Doing that gives me the ability to say NO because I have purposely put myself in the strongest position I could. Nobody could or should be able to value domains better than yourself. Your value is the key. Stick to your guns!

33 sales and I never made the first contact with any of them. That's #1 on the list for selling domains at high prices. If they are not coming to you, then perhaps you don't have what they need. Like I have said, great domains put you in the middle of a busy intersection. Worthless domains put you in the middle of a nasty swamp. Don't get mad at me, get mad at yourself if you are in the swamp. You picked what you got. Right?? You decided to pull the trigger at whatever price, and you chose to value it at whatever cost.

Some still question my sales ability cuz I don't sell many domains, and I don't sell often. Domain investing is about PICKING great domains not SELLING them!! Pick right, and sales will come. There is always time for outbound sales, but that won't happen until big business understands the value. We are very close thanks to social media and their abuses of privacy and free speech as well as the most important of them all, autonomy! On the WHIM of some low-level MORON, anyone can be put out of business with one click on many of these platforms with no appeal process and no reason given.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz