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

Morning Folks!!

I was surprised to learn that Teem.com was acquired a couple weeks ago. My 1.5% of the company was liquidated. I had no say. I was very disappointed until a few minutes ago when I opened THIS email!!

9/24/2018

Dear Virtual Dates, Inc.,

A payment is now being made to the Teem Technologies, Inc. securityholders. Your payment of $642,751.92 has been processed via the ACH instructions you provided to SRS Acquiom. Please note, ACH payments can take 1-3 business days to settle.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email at support@srsacquiom.com or by phone at (415) 263-9018 and provide the following reference in relation to this payment: 429795.

Thank you,

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Now that GTLD's have been around and the shine has worn off, let's see where we are at.

So, there was a lot of excitement and BS about the new Gtld's. But let's make a comparison.

Imagine you are attracted to someone of the opposite sex. You've had a crush on them for a while. You really want to go out with them. You feel like you are in love. Finally it happens and you go out.

First they take you to a dirty and crummy second class restaurant but you overlook that. Your date is not dressed well but you overlook that. He has a shiny new car but it does not run well, it is very uncomfortable and has no A/C. But you even overlook that.

You finally get to a private and comfortable spot and then you find out they have STINKY FEET! That does it! Date is over. Crush is gone and back to the drawing board!

Many domainers fell in love and dated GTLD's with VERY STINKY FEET!!! LOL

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

So, the first day I was online I received a new and impressive title. I did not go to school. I did not earn a degree, I did not do an apprenticeship. But I had a BIG and important title. I was now a "Webmaster"!  Wow! I was like the captain of this ship and I was never even in a boat! Well done Rick!!

We use the term "Domainer" in much the same way. Every slob that walks in the door is a Domainer. YAY!!

Not so fast!

You can be a baseball player but there is a big difference between Little League and the Majors and everything in between. You might value the advice of a player in the majors more than a 2 year old playing whiffle ball in the backyard. But isn't that what we have in the domaining world? Where are the credentials? It's great to have an opinion. We all do. But not all opinions are created equal.

The bottom line is when I look at the domaining community and I would count folks that I think have important advice to share and those I would say are qualified to give advice is less than 100. I would say 350 are truly professional domainers. From there you have the intermediary group that are also domainers. They make a living with domains. Some years modest, some years better. From there I think you could say you have the Servicing Group. The corporate folks that work for companies in the space but their actual knowledge and understanding of domains and their value is very limited. Some are even deemed "Experts".

Then there are a couple other groups. Not sure which is next. They are the most and the loudest. Always trying to reinvent the wheel and climb the ladder 200 steps at a time and wonder why they keep failing and falling. They are the "Pigeon Shit Farmers" and the "Shiny Object Chasers". They are like birds in the sky and they shit over everything! Thousands and thousands. They come and go faster than you can keep track of and sometimes fly in flocks.

At every level personalities will emerge. Experts are born. Failures disappear.

The list is not that hard to put together. You always have guys like Frank and Mike. If you don't know who they are you are not a domainer! LOL

But the point is there are only a handful of people in domaining I take seriously. That really really know their stuff. That have a long record of success and also sharing. Sharing is a big part of it. Many like their privacy and are not known to most. They have quietly built empires. Have fantastic holdings and are doing quite well.

But it does not matter what level you are at. Demand is down. Demand is changing. Demand evolves. What is IN demand changes. And it may change many times.

Look at fashion. Some years High Heels rein and some years not as much. Short skirts vs long. They come and go. Fashion changes. What is in vogue changes. Domainers have to understand and adapt to those changes but don't lose control just because one sector is hotter than another. Be patient!! Just like NNN had their day, LLL may be the next to rock the market. It changes!

But in understanding change you have to follow it every day or ever period. You have to have a vision of tomorrow supported with something more than hope and wishful thinking. If you chase yesterday it is an automatic loser. Use the building blocks of yesterday with the material of today. Weave them together and you might be on to something.

Good Luck!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks,

When I talk about domains I am mostly talking about INVESTMENT QUALITY domains and not any other sector. But the term gets a little muddied up over the years. Domain Investors don't control the industry any longer as they once did. There is no real domain  investor show anymore. Shows are presented for the benefit of those trying to sell you something and that is fine! Just don't be fooled or misled.

Ever played "Musical Chairs" when you were a kid? If not, go look it up.

The so called "Domain Industry" is made up of mostly Musical Chair Players. These are the folks flipping worthless domains to folks that know nothing about domains. That is the #1 sector of the entire "Industry". I don't care if it ends in a .com or a .horse, worthless is worthless. The thriving industry of nothingness!

So as we play musical chairs someone will always be left holding the bag and lose. In this case you have thousands of these level players. They are loud, obnoxious and meaningless. They have their crap listed everywhere and spam their brains out. Their only hope is finding someone with less common sense then them. And believe me, that's a REAL challenge at that level.

An epic domain cleansing is about to hit the beaches of the "Domain Industry". They chased shiny objects and swallowed bags of shit presented to them by "Expert Speakers" all with an agenda for 5 YEARS!! That bag of shit is about to explode and when it does, it will be messy and costly.

This is not the "Domain Industry". This is the industry of "Pigeon Shit" traders.

Just like those chairs that keep disappearing, domainers will disappear at a rate that even Houdini would raise an eyebrow to. The jig is up and when it becomes the Mortgage/Rent vs Domain Renewals, it won't even be a close call.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Great domains will be in demand for as long as we can see and probably much further. Just like a phone number or a physical address the domain name is here to stay. Domains will still be alive when we are all dead!

As for "Domaining", that's an entire different story. If it were not for know-nothing newbies, most companies in the space would have nobody to prey on. Most domainers I know are doing everything they can to liquidate. The pioneers want out. But even with their gems it is simple why demand is down.  As I have said repeatedly, the future is about ONE domain, ONE project, ONE need, at a time. The days of mass registrations by existing companies is over!! The only ones buying multiple domains are domainers and most of them are going broke and going broke fast cuz they keep buying pigeon shit.

They don't make an announcement when they disappear. They slither away into the sunset never to be heard again.

I laugh at folks that don't think you can hand register a domain. A business can find a suitable domain name in MINUTES that would pass ALL my tests. I don't care if it is 5 words! The key is being MEMORABLE!! Easy to remember and easy to spell and easy not to be confused when advertised on the radio. Problem is domainers don't understand this.

The big disconnect in domaining is how many folks that call themselves domainers have never had a business before. They don't understand business. They don't understand sales. They don't understand selling. They don't understand marketing. They don't know the difference between a staple and a fad. They are myoptic. They can't see past their own hands or their own needs. They don't have the ability to see the needs of others. They are short-sighted and narrow-minded people that chase what happened yesterday but have no vision for the future.

Domain tradeshows are better for traveling around the world for the discounted business expense than actually going to the shows. The same faces selling the same things at each and every show. When was the last domain trade show that .club was not a speaker at? The answer, 2013. It's all self serving crap!

If I could pick one word to describe the domaining industry and domainers. it would be DESPERATE! Getting worse with every passing day. Soon we may be seeing "Tupperware" style parties as they prey on lower and lower level subjects to sell to. Oh I forgot, many of you never even heard of Tupperware or how they marketed their product.

Just like history has history, business has history. I study business history. I study business trends. I study Sears and Walmart and Kmart and Amazon and you name it. I follow them and I watch them.

When I had my in-home business before domains I copied the biggest companies in the world. I followed their lead. Nobody even knew my "World Headquarters" was in a 10x10 bedroom. I presented myself as a fortune 500 company by copying what they did. Copying how they would make a brochure. Copy their professional newsletter. Copy their marketing tricks. Copy everything of value and make my company look big! That was how I got into 800 vanity numbers. I just copied big business. Same with Domain Names.

The point is domaining 2018, 2019, 2020 and beyond are simply going to be seriously different. Long gone are all the guys boasting about their 250,000 name portfolios. I remember when that was all the rage. I would ask one simple question and it was like "Stump the band". "What is your single best domain?" Followed by a lot of stuttering.

Domain bloggers are down to a tiny handful of about 9-12. A once thriving domain blogging community is GONE! Further evidence of the decline of domaining. Many of those just report auctions or results with no commentary. Don't expect it to get better!

How much is a domain worth? How much would it cost OPEN and OPERATE a physical store in the real world for 1 year? For 3 years? 10 years? How wide an area can you service? That's your basis, not crap like Estibot or any other valuation model. They don't even use a tool like that in Real Estate!!! If they did, it is laughed at. It's a FAKE!! They spend time doing comps! Real research and comparisons.

Would I get into domaining today? Absolutely not! Can you still make money with domains? Absolutely. But when you buy a domain at least realize that the money invested is buried and it will be buried for a very long time. There is no cashier. They are not liquid. You own it and there is less than a 50/50 chance you will sell it in YOUR lifetime.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I just never ever worry about selling domains. That has been my mindset since 1995. I ONLY focus on buying domains. But I try and focus on domains that would appeal to many.  As I stated in 1996, "This is a unique moment in history". It still is. Towards the end of that cycle? Yes!

All domains are unique but not all domains are in demand. You can't sell something that has no demand. Has to do with gravity! SIMPLE!!

So I watch domainers buy domains for all the wrong reasons and when they can't sell them they go broke. Don't buy to sell. Buy to accumulate and let them grow into trees not a blade of grass.

10 good domains in a portfolio trump 100,000 domains that don't mean anything and don't stand out.  You are looking for DIAMONDS not GLASS! Gold not tin. Water not dirt. Learn the difference or stop wasting your time, money and effort. You are working too hard and not getting anywhere.

I should not complain. Many of the most valuable domains I bought were from domainers and others that had no clue of the value of what they had. That is why YOU need to put a REAL and PROPER value on your domains and stop looking at fake tools like estibot or ANY automated valuation. They are all fake and bogus. Only for FOOLS! It's impossible to value a domain that way. It's a unique asset!! Assuming they have any value at all. Let's face it 80%+++ of the domains out there are real crap. They are worthless.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

This spring .App was released by Google and it has steadily moved up the charts and poised to be #13 as they have more domains in the zone file than the 3 right in front of them and they have no drops as of yet.

Why is .App doing so much better than most other extensions? Well there is a long list and if you are a domain investor you would have created a list. I am sure some can add to my quick thought up list.

1. 3 letters. They did not reinvent the wheel


2. It refers to something specific


3. The specific thing it refers to is a huge moneymaker


4. There is actually need, want, desire and demand


5. There is steady growth


6. It is backed by Google


7. Thought of by Google


8. Godaddy is the #1 Registrar which indicates end user adoption.


9. You can make your fortune with an App and many have.


10. It's the only GTLD that Rick Schwartz actually took a risk and invested 6 figures in


11. It's 1 of only 2 new GTLD extensions that Rick Schwartz would even consider investing in


12. The renewal rate will likely be higher than most other if not all other GTLD's


13. There is a rhyme and a reason for end users to use, adopt and notice .App


14. Until .Web comes to market, .App will remain a steady grower.


15. Most other GTLD's mean nothing, are nothing and will always be nothing but worthless. Bills not assets. Liabilities.

I am no fan of Google, but they may have a winner with .App.

Rick Schwartz

Links to my 3 other .App Posts. Maybe time to re-read them!

http://www.ricksblog.com/2018/05/app-is-the-fastest-growing-new-gtld-extension/#.W6DSOy3Mx0s

http://www.ricksblog.com/2018/05/googles-app-now-a-top-20-gtld-in-just-days/#.W6DSfi3Mx0s

http://www.ricksblog.com/2018/05/google-breaks-the-new-gtld-jinx-with-app/#.W6DSpC3Mx0s

Morning Folks!!

The top 10 new GTLDS have a combined total of 13,319,000 domains registered. That leaves the other 500+++ extensions sharing the remaining 47% of all registrations. But there is a bigger story.

The largest Domain Registrar in the world, Godaddy, with about 75 million domains managed has only 768,000 of those 13.3 Million domains. That's just 5.8% of the top 10 registrations!! Why is that important? Well for one thing Godaddy controls OVER 20% of the world's overall domains. But in the GTLD world, the paltry numbers speak volumes. And it is just 1% of domains managed by Godaddy.

If you are a domainer investing in GTLD's and you can't figure it out why this is important, maybe domains or gtld's ain't your calling!

#1 .Top 3.6 Million Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 1.975MM names registered

Chengdu West Dimension Digital Technology Co  910,000 names registered

Godaddy 0 names registered

#2 .Loan 2.28 Million Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 1.363MM names registered

Chengdu West Dimension Digital Technology Co  910,000 names registered

Godaddy 986 names registered

#3 .xyz 2.06 Million Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 479,000 names registered

GMO  462,000 names registered

Godaddy 226,000 names registered

#4 .club 1.4 Million Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 352,000 names registered

Godaddy 255,000 names registered

Namecheap 246,000 names registered

#5 .Online 914,000 Domains registered

Godaddy 159,000 names registered (Only extension in top 10 that Godaddy is #1 registrar.)

Namecheap 135,000 names registered

Network Solutions 97,000 names registered

#6 .vip 845,000 Domains registered

Alibaba Singapore 356,000 names registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 182,000 names registered

Godaddy 35,000 names registered

#7 .shop 650,000 Domains registered

GMO  207,000 names registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 165,000 names registered

Godaddy 45,000 names registered

#8 .win 608,000 Domains registered

Namecheap 271,000 names registered

Chengdu West Dimension Digital Technology Co  125,000 names registered

Godaddy 1000 names registered

#9 .site 545,000 Domains registered

Namecheap 150,000 names registered

GMO 106,000 names registered

Godaddy 39,000 names registered

#10 .tld 523,000 Domains registered

Alibaba Cloud Computing 464,000 names registered

Chengdu West Dimension Digital Technology Co  16,000 names registered

Godaddy 8000 names registered

How did Godaddy do on the next group. Top 11-20?

3.3 Million Domains and 196,000 registered by Godaddy. Under 6%. And if you were to remove .App, then you would be under 3%!!

#11 .Work 25,000 out of 477,000

#12 .men 431 out of 446,000

#13 .bid 800 out of 331,000

#14 .stream 400 out of 326,000

#15 .wang 0 out of 326,000

#16 .App 111,000 of 316,000 (#1 in percentage of registrations for any of the top 20. ONLY 1 out of 2 extensions that Godaddy is #1 out of the top 20)

#17 .000 0 out of 295,000

#18 .space 32,000 out of 274,000

#19 .review 800 out of 265,000

#20 .website 26,000 out of 252,000

That's 16.6 Million from the top 20 of the total 25 million GTLD's. 8.4 million DIVIDED among 500 others!! That's nearly another 13%. So the top 20 account for a hair under 66% of ALL new GTLD's. The other 500 and growing can fight for the other 34%.

Numbers don't lie, PEOPLE DO! So please remember that registrations numbers are inflated. There are some registrars/registry's that I just don't trust. They manipulate the numbers to FOOL DOMAINERS to invest in their .CRAP! Study and you will SEE the fakers! You will SEE the manipulation.

Rick Schwartz

SOURCE:

https://ntldstats.com/tld

https://ntldstats.com/registrar/146-GoDaddycom-LLC

https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/godaddy-statistics/

Morning Folks!

Every morning I gave Freddy Von Schnauzer big hugs and kisses and told him: "Every day is a Good Day with Freddy" He even had is own song!

It's not a good day today and it won't be a good day tomorrow. My heart is broken! :-(

August 4, 2007 Baby Pic

And our very last really good Picture together July 3rd.

Rick Schwartz