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| Domain Name Discussion The place for general domain name related discussions. |
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| NamePros Regular Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 356
![]() ![]() | To all you "veterans" out there A few questions for the more experienced amongst us. 1. What were your best mistakes? By that I mean the mistakes that gave you the most insight into the workings of the industry. 2. If you could start all over again, what would you do differently? 3. How do you believe the industry will change in the future? What direction do you think it's heading in? ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/502556-to-all-you-veterans-out-there.html 4. What advice would you give to an aspiring domainer/entrepreneur/developer etc? Do you encourage the taking of risks? 5. If you were in your late-teens/early twenties*, facing the industry as it is now, would you still get involved? What would your first move be? * this is not to say that you cannot achieve prosperity in your early twenties. Hopefully this will encourage some interesting discussion between newbies and veterans alike |
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| NamePros Expert Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Canada
Posts: 8,996
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 1. Investing based on emotion rather than logic, basing decisions on market hype, rather than empirical evidence. 2. Not invest in extensions other than CNO + cctlds. Yes, there is money to be made, however I just haven't seen near the same ROI, nor am I aware of many people who have. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556 3. The best .coms are going to be driven even higher in value, as will short .coms of 5 or less letters. Uncertainty over the future of parking will further drive down revenue multiples and make many domainers look for a new place to invest. Typosquatters are going to find themselves increasingly sued and imprisoned, just like we're now seeing happen to spammers. vTLDs will succeed at cornering a niche in the low end market and take most of the market share CNO + cctlds don't have. Domain hacks will become ever more popular, their value however becoming largely eroded by the significant number of options now available. 4. Go big or go home. Unless you're coming into the game with a sizable bankroll, the truth is that you will need to take risks -- try and make them as calculated as possible but come into the game with an understanding that domaining, just like any other investment, comes with both risks and rewards. 5. According to the Namepros Media Kit, a whopping 69.6% of Namepros members are under 30 years of age. I think (on average) this younger generation is more aware of the opportunities the Internet provides and are more willing to accept risk in order to achieve their goals. Not many fields offer a teenager the opportunities domaining does -- domaining doesn't discriminate, doesn't ask that you have a college education -- provided you conduct yourself in a professional manner, most of us couldn't care less if you were 15 or 51. So to answer your question, a resounding YES. The longer you wait to become part of this industry, the more opportunities you're missing out on. There will always be more but there really is no reason to miss out, regardless of age.
Last edited by Reece; 08-11-2008 at 09:18 AM.
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| Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: living in exile
Posts: 3,853
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????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556
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| Senior Member ![]() Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Malaysia
Posts: 1,141
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 1. my mistake of not buying a 3letter .net 3 years ago. it now showed me that short letters increase by the highest percentage. 2. I will only choose most searched keywords than brand able domain name. eg: uploadvideos.com than videozone.com 3. More new domainers are coming in and the lesser the good domain left for .com so .com is king. I believe the industry will continue to grow strong and domain development is there to replace parking. 4. Take the risk. the higher the risk the greater the return but please knowledgeable yourself first. 5. Yes, I would. Buy at aftermarket only and no more hand registration. |
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| Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,204
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 1. What were your best mistakes? By that I mean the mistakes that gave you the most insight into the workings of the industry. I made one early sale, which made me believe that whichever garbage name I'd register, I could sell it for mid $xxx or higher. I quickly learned, through registering lots of silly domains, that the industry doesn't work that way. 2. If you could start all over again, what would you do differently? Develop and develop some more. I'd build a constant stream of revenue from a few sites, and use the money earned to buy better domains or money-making domains. I'd also register fewer made-up words in hopes that some startup somewhere would pay $xxxx for something I registered. 3. How do you believe the industry will change in the future? What direction do you think it's heading in? More and more companies are realizing the potential of call-to-action domains. When the average person watches a TV commercial -- a US Navy commercial, for example -- a URL is normally displayed on the screen. For years, it was normally just the organization name + dot com; for example, usnavy.com. Recently, however, marketers have realized that they're more likely to bring in views with a "different" URL listed on their commercials. The US Navy responded with listing a new URL in their commercials and print material - DoSomethingAmazing.com. It inspires the reader and makes them more willing to visit the site. If you look around carefully, this is happening everywhere. I also believe "short domains" are on their way out. Don't listen to buyout hypes. The recent three-letter .com price bubble is a good indicator of how domainers artificially inflate the price of a certain type of domain. Don't buy LLLL .nets or LLLL .info. It's beyond me why anyone thinks these are good investments. LLLL .com is barely keeping its head above $20 apiece for the lowest quality names, and LLLL .net usually fetches 1/10th of the price of a .com or less. LLLL .info is 1/10th of .net, and nobody uses a four-letter made-up word on a .info. Be realistic and rational. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556 ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556 Domain parking is on its way out, as is PPC revenue. Development will be key in coming years. Keep in mind that video advertising is more successful than text advertising. 4. What advice would you give to an aspiring domainer/entrepreneur/developer etc? Do you encourage the taking of risks? Take risks registering in small amounts; avoid risks in buying from sellers and the aftermarket, as you'll almost always pay too much. Don't expect to make a fortune overnight or with one name. You'll be better without that three-word .biz. Don't listen to your gut; find evidence that a domain you're buying or registering is worth picking up to either develop or resell. Be realistic. .COM is king; .ORG is very good in many cases. .NET usually tells your visitors "I registered the .net version of this name because the .com was taken". Don't cut into your personal savings. I made this mistake, and I still regret it. Set money aside for domaining, and be strict about spending. Don't get carried away. 5. If you were in your late-teens/early twenties*, facing the industry as it is now, would you still get involved? What would your first move be? Absolutely. Start with just one site. Do it with something you're passionate about. Learn about search engine optimization and get the word out about your site. Throw some ads on the page, and rake in a few dollars a week. Find ways your site can earn money without the help of outside advertisers, as PPC is on its way out. Be innovative, and try to create valuable informative sites or unique, useful sites. Image hosts and "mini-sites" aren't worth your or your visitors' time. Build up some cash, read about what will likely gain popularity in the future, and be a savvy buyer. At the end of the day, constant, expected revenue from a developed site is more reliable and worthwhile than trying to buy and sell undeveloped names.
__________________ Steve NamePros Staff Emeritus
Last edited by Steve; 08-11-2008 at 09:54 AM.
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| www.DataCube.com Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA
Posts: 5,819
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | I agree with this in general. It is much easier to scan through lists of other people's domain ideas and find gems, than to find a gem that is unregistered.
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| | #8 (permalink) |
| New Member Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 14
![]() | been webmastering since 1995 and using ads since 1999. stopped in 2003 after advertisers started to to get lame in the .COM bust. just started again this year since adsense seems to be working. lots of the same concerns as back in early turn of the century as discussed now but lots of rules and the game has changed according to google. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556 (1) biggest mistake is quitting in 2003. lost some good aged domain names. if i worked at it, i'd be high up there for many niches i quit. i'm still page 1 & 2 for domains i hung onto. (2) related to the above, if i could start over i'd keep my focus and treat it like a slow investment. (3) industry is geared toward google and i don't see any change in the near future. lots of rules and TOS so play accordingly and keep up to date. (4) don't think short term, just keep building slowly. (5) education comes first. first move as a teen or early 20's would be to get an education in a related IT field with a BS. do this web thing in your spare time. |
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| NameBio.com Founder Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Carlsbad, CA
Posts: 7,855
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2. Cut out a lot of the fat, be better about pricing more appropriately, use the strategies I have today, vs the strategies I used back then. 3. Parking as it currently exists is dead/dying. I expect and see parking to change drastically in the future. Expect new parking companies to look outside the box when it comes to "feed" providers. 4. Work smart, not hard. The people who do the best are people who beat to their own drum. If you follow in someone elses path you wont get far. 5. Frankly, its possible. But you'll need a reasonable investment to get far. I am in my mid-twenties and Its not easy, but it is possible. Justin
__________________ Read my Blog! NameBio.com - Search The Domain Sales Index Buying LLLL.com's ending in "CA" | ||||
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| DNMedia.com Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,866
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 1. What were your best mistakes? By that I mean the mistakes that gave you the most insight into the workings of the industry. Investing in domains other than .com. I've never made a decent ROI investing in .net, .org, etc. 2. If you could start all over again, what would you do differently? I would have bought more LLL.coms back when they were $xxx. 3. How do you believe the industry will change in the future? What direction do you think it's heading in? I think people will move away from parking and put up mini sites up on more of their holdings. Cutting out the middle man will be the name of the game. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556 4. What advice would you give to an aspiring domainer/entrepreneur/developer etc? Do you encourage the taking of risks? Learn to appraise a domain very well, then you'll be able to spot bargains. I take very little risk in my investments, but I still get good returns because I know a deal when I see one. 5. If you were in your late-teens/early twenties*, facing the industry as it is now, would you still get involved? What would your first move be? I'm in my early twenties and I started in the industry about a year ago, so my answer is obviously yes. My first move would be to read everything I can get my hands on, especially sales reports, before investing even a single reg fee. |
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| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,129
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From the sales that I did have, I learned that I sold a couple names too cheap because I did not do the research on who the buyer was.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556 My first move would be not to spend one red cent until I learned as much as possible. I would look at the prices of recent domain name sales and see if they make sense to me. If you can't make sense out of what is selling and for how much then you need to go back and learn more. Once you can start to look at past sales and say that was a good buy or that was overpriced then and only then should you get into the market. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| New Member Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 7
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????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556 If PPC goes away, something has to take its place, but I can't see what that might be.
__________________ www.MineralOwnership.com | ||||
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| | #15 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chi-Town
Posts: 2,068
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 1. What were your best mistakes? By that I mean the mistakes that gave you the most insight into the workings of the industry. Selling 3 Character .com's for xx a year ago. It goes to show you never know what will become popular. Also being too timid when it comes to a gut feeling. I was buying 4l.com not long ago for $3 a name, why didn't i just buy them all? ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=502556 2. If you could start all over again, what would you do differently? Like others have said, I'd put all I had into LLL.com's 3. How do you believe the industry will change in the future? What direction do you think it's heading in? I'm hoping the new TLD flood doesn't happen, or effects the current market very little. I'm currently investing in .pro, I think it's the corporate wave of the future. LOL butt what do I know? 4. What advice would you give to an aspiring domainer/entrepreneur/developer etc? Do you encourage the taking of risks? This whole business is taking risks. To start go with stuff you like and stick to that while you learn things. If you just want to collect LLL.info and only can afford 1, then just buy one! I think this business is more about collecting than diversifying. Collect what you think will go up in value and hold it. 5. If you were in your late-teens/early twenties*, facing the industry as it is now, would you still get involved? What would your first move be? Hey this is fun for all ages, and I believe it should be that first. Fun! Lets keep it that way, just like gambling do not spend more than you can afford. On many names you have better odds placing a bet on 1 number at the roulette table than raking in a huge profit. |
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