Today we sat down with Vito (The Dot Stop) owner of DomainSales.tv for a one on one interview.
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Eric - I couldn't help but notice that you have a VERY large .TV portfolio, What made you choose .tv as an investment?
Vito - I look at Dot TV and see the past, present, and future. Those 2 little letters seem more powerful to me, than any other potential 2 letters could ever be. It is an incredibly short extension. It is highly brandable. It is a product the entire world has been familiar with for the past 100 years. Families sit in front of the TV and it is a way of life for some, a form of bonding. TV means Video. TV means Entertainment. TV means Gaming. Tv means News. TV means Sports. TV means Learning. TV means Advertisements, etc. Everyone wants to be on TV. Everyone will need a website to sell whatever they want to sell, and nothing makes better sense then Dot TV to me.
Eric - There have been lots of ups and downs in the industry lately, how have you been effected by the roller coaster ride?
Vito - I havent let the ups and downs of this economy affect me at all. I am not in a rush to sell my names so I am sitting in a more powerful position then some who need money quickly and HAVE to sell. The Dot TV sales in the past 4 years have only gone up consistently so I can afford to renew and hold out for what I believe are fair market prices for my domain names.
Eric - What does your typical day consist of when domaining?
Vito - My typical day of domaining has changed drastically in the past year or so. I am not as active as I used to be. When I see something I want, I will do whatever it takes to get it. That has become most important to me. Strengthening my profile and strengthening the niches that I truly believe in. I have a pretty busy life and domaining is less than an hour a day for me now. I will typically try to read a few articles on domaining forums and a few of my favorite blogs about once a week. A coupla times a week, I will look at drops and/or auctions. I will talk to other domainers on the phone a coupla times a week just to stay current. Once or twce a month I will do some domain management, (renewals, drops, privacy, etc.) I will also periodically check into a couple of my websites and maybe once or twice a month write an article. Thats about it. When I wasnt working my real job as much I was the most active member here, and at other domaining places. I would have sales all the time and I would turn over domains quicker than anyone else. Now, I just have an occasional sale. I think my focus is leading more towards developing now rather than strictly domaining.
Eric - Do you also invest in other extensions besides .tv and if so, what are some of them and why?
Vito - I do invest in other extensions. Of course .com. Some .nets, and .orgs. I have also invested in .info, and .us. Then whenever a new extension comes out that I feel might be worth a little risk, I will grab a few. I bought a couple of .xxx's that I thought were relative to the extension. I never ever go overboard in any new extension though. I only will grab as much as I can afford to lose. My heart is in Dot TV though so I rarely invest in too many other extensions.
Eric - Since you've been a member at NamePros.com have you found the community helpful to you and if so, in what way?
Vito - NamePros has been incredibly helpful to me. If it wasnt for NamePros, I would not have been half as successful as I have been. The Community here has provided the best training I could have ever asked for. People will take their valuable time out and help you in any way possible. I have had the honor of talking to many influential members here and I have learned something each and every day here. When I came in, I knew nothing at all about domaining, now I am teaching others. Other Successful Forums/Blogs have started only because of the NamePros Forum. Because of some of the relationships I have made here in this NamePros Community I have been able to get some great deals from time to time. Also more importantly, I have made hundreds of sales here. NamePros has been a great source of income for me. I have had auctions where I have sold over 100 domain names! I honestly cant give NamePros back a fraction of what I have gotten from this place. I am very grateful to have the time I have had here.
Eric - If you don't mind me asking, what was the largest confirmed domain sale you ever made?
Vito - It was an NDA sale but I did tell a few people before I spoke with the buyer about any type of NDA so I can say this much... It was a 5-letter dot tv domain which sold for $17,500. It rhymes with Fired, and the first letter was not "F". I believe it is still on my site as "SOLD" http://www.domainsales.tv/buy-premium-tv-domain-names/
I even offered the buyer a few hundred dollars just so I could write a story about the sale, and the buyer said He would rather me not so...just in case you figure it out, please do not write it anywhere. Thanks.
Eric - Do you remember the first domain you ever invested into, if so, what was the motivation behind it?
Vito - My first domain that I was chasing was a sex site type of name. I dont want to say the name. My motivation behind it was to create a site for people to find others who just wanted to get laid. I finally got the name and never did anything with it. The thrill of the chase for that name was what got me hooked.
Eric - Where do you see the domain industry headed with all the new tld's coming in 2013?
Vito - Bring em on! Bring on all that crap. .WTF, .Gay, .Whatever... Sure there will be a few people who will make a couple bucks in these new extensions but like I said... only a "few". All of these new extensions will only do two things for us. It will strengthen the value of the real domain name extensions (.com, .org, .tv, the hot country codes, etc.) Plus all of these new confusing extensions which are coming out will now finally introduce to people that there are alternatives to .com, net, and org, which will help in the U.S.A. because believe it or not there are people who still have not heard of .tv, .me, etc. So when it comes down to it and people are choosing their domain name for their newest website, they will find the great keyword dot tv domain names and ultimately flock towards that which is much more familiar to them then any of the new extensions IMHO.
Eric - What was the biggest mistake you ever made in domaining so far that you still kick yourself for occasionally?
Vito - Haha - I sure have made a lot of mistakes in domaining but to narrow it down to the largest mistake... I would have to say this one in particular is the one that I still kick myself over. When I got into domaining I was directed right here to NamePros and I read these famous words... "Read, Read, Read, then read some more here before you invest any money into domaining".
Well, I didnt do that. I figured I could make money immediately based on some of the crazy sales I have seen. So, I did not enter the AfterMarket at all. I was hard-headed and regged about $10k worth of domain names. I lost my A$$ on them. Dropped them all. After I found out how hard this really was, I started taking advice from the Pros here. lol
Eric - Do you have an industry icon that you model yourself after, someone that inspires you to better your best daily, if so, who and why?
Vito - One Industry Icon...hmmm, that is very difficult to say. I learn from everyone. I am inspired daily by everyone. Some of the Domaining Big Dogs I read and have alot of respect for are...Michael Berkens (Brilliant and the leader in spreading the word of domaining and Dot TV) , Rick Shwartz (Love this guy, He has made some incredible moves and speaks his mind...like it or not!), Elliot (Great Blog, loves to share his knowledge which is waaay cool) , and of course Morgan Linton (Another one who loves to share his knowledge, and is an innovater, used to watch his live broadcast all the time) . Alot of the members I have met here have been very inspiring to me also...Ray, (HybridDomainer.com, Equity78, Creator of the First ever Dot Tv Forum right here at NP), Brad Mugford, Reece, Ross, etc. and all of the dot TV members. That TV Forum is pretty incredible. There are a LOT of very creative and intelligent people there and I actually have learned something from each and every one of them. But if I have to pick one particular individual I like to pattern myself after I would have to say Joel Williams (MrRhee, DreamSeller, InStealthMode, amongst other aka's). He has blazed his own trail, and just keeps on kicking A$$ in this space. I believe he has the best portfolio in the Dot TV space. He has alot of knowledge, ideas, and passion that has become infectious to me. So based on his success in domaining, I would say I probably follow his lead as my #1 mentor.
Eric - Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me, I know your time is valuable. Is there anything else you would like to share?
Vito - Something I have learned that I would like to share is this.
When you enter domaining read a LOT, then invest. Ok, that is easily said but if you're like me and are hard-headed then do this. Go ahead and spend a little bit of money. Make that limit whatever you can afford to lose and dont go over that. Maybe start out with $100. take that and buy a domain, or a few, or 1 reg's whatever...and before you go on and spend $10k without making back one dime, stop there! Try whatever you think you know and flip that domain. Most likely you will have pissed away that initial money, then you can be humbled and come back here and buckle down and learn.
THEN
after you have made a mistake or two, and you have made a little money in domaining and have actualy earned a little respect from some of your peers here, then and only then go on and do things your own way no matter what anyone says and do so with confidence.
Confidence goes a long way in this Industry. Domainers get scared when they havent had a recent sale and thats bad. Sales come in spurts and you just need patience.
One more thing, I see as important - Give back to the Community.
I am not as active as I used to be but when I was I often took time out to help anyone who needed help here.
The one thing I do still do is...Anyone who has done anything positive in Dot TV I am a huge fan of. I will promote them any way possible. That is what Community is all about.
Thanks for asking lil ole me to do an interview here.
It is really an honor
- Vito -
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Disclaimer - If you republish this interview in whole or in part you MUST include a backlink to NamePros.com crediting us as the source of the interview. In addition, this disclaimer MUST remain intact so viewers of your site wanting to republish also credit NamePros.com
-----------------------------------------
Eric - I couldn't help but notice that you have a VERY large .TV portfolio, What made you choose .tv as an investment?
Vito - I look at Dot TV and see the past, present, and future. Those 2 little letters seem more powerful to me, than any other potential 2 letters could ever be. It is an incredibly short extension. It is highly brandable. It is a product the entire world has been familiar with for the past 100 years. Families sit in front of the TV and it is a way of life for some, a form of bonding. TV means Video. TV means Entertainment. TV means Gaming. Tv means News. TV means Sports. TV means Learning. TV means Advertisements, etc. Everyone wants to be on TV. Everyone will need a website to sell whatever they want to sell, and nothing makes better sense then Dot TV to me.
Eric - There have been lots of ups and downs in the industry lately, how have you been effected by the roller coaster ride?
Vito - I havent let the ups and downs of this economy affect me at all. I am not in a rush to sell my names so I am sitting in a more powerful position then some who need money quickly and HAVE to sell. The Dot TV sales in the past 4 years have only gone up consistently so I can afford to renew and hold out for what I believe are fair market prices for my domain names.
Eric - What does your typical day consist of when domaining?
Vito - My typical day of domaining has changed drastically in the past year or so. I am not as active as I used to be. When I see something I want, I will do whatever it takes to get it. That has become most important to me. Strengthening my profile and strengthening the niches that I truly believe in. I have a pretty busy life and domaining is less than an hour a day for me now. I will typically try to read a few articles on domaining forums and a few of my favorite blogs about once a week. A coupla times a week, I will look at drops and/or auctions. I will talk to other domainers on the phone a coupla times a week just to stay current. Once or twce a month I will do some domain management, (renewals, drops, privacy, etc.) I will also periodically check into a couple of my websites and maybe once or twice a month write an article. Thats about it. When I wasnt working my real job as much I was the most active member here, and at other domaining places. I would have sales all the time and I would turn over domains quicker than anyone else. Now, I just have an occasional sale. I think my focus is leading more towards developing now rather than strictly domaining.
Eric - Do you also invest in other extensions besides .tv and if so, what are some of them and why?
Vito - I do invest in other extensions. Of course .com. Some .nets, and .orgs. I have also invested in .info, and .us. Then whenever a new extension comes out that I feel might be worth a little risk, I will grab a few. I bought a couple of .xxx's that I thought were relative to the extension. I never ever go overboard in any new extension though. I only will grab as much as I can afford to lose. My heart is in Dot TV though so I rarely invest in too many other extensions.
Eric - Since you've been a member at NamePros.com have you found the community helpful to you and if so, in what way?
Vito - NamePros has been incredibly helpful to me. If it wasnt for NamePros, I would not have been half as successful as I have been. The Community here has provided the best training I could have ever asked for. People will take their valuable time out and help you in any way possible. I have had the honor of talking to many influential members here and I have learned something each and every day here. When I came in, I knew nothing at all about domaining, now I am teaching others. Other Successful Forums/Blogs have started only because of the NamePros Forum. Because of some of the relationships I have made here in this NamePros Community I have been able to get some great deals from time to time. Also more importantly, I have made hundreds of sales here. NamePros has been a great source of income for me. I have had auctions where I have sold over 100 domain names! I honestly cant give NamePros back a fraction of what I have gotten from this place. I am very grateful to have the time I have had here.
Eric - If you don't mind me asking, what was the largest confirmed domain sale you ever made?
Vito - It was an NDA sale but I did tell a few people before I spoke with the buyer about any type of NDA so I can say this much... It was a 5-letter dot tv domain which sold for $17,500. It rhymes with Fired, and the first letter was not "F". I believe it is still on my site as "SOLD" http://www.domainsales.tv/buy-premium-tv-domain-names/
I even offered the buyer a few hundred dollars just so I could write a story about the sale, and the buyer said He would rather me not so...just in case you figure it out, please do not write it anywhere. Thanks.
Eric - Do you remember the first domain you ever invested into, if so, what was the motivation behind it?
Vito - My first domain that I was chasing was a sex site type of name. I dont want to say the name. My motivation behind it was to create a site for people to find others who just wanted to get laid. I finally got the name and never did anything with it. The thrill of the chase for that name was what got me hooked.
Eric - Where do you see the domain industry headed with all the new tld's coming in 2013?
Vito - Bring em on! Bring on all that crap. .WTF, .Gay, .Whatever... Sure there will be a few people who will make a couple bucks in these new extensions but like I said... only a "few". All of these new extensions will only do two things for us. It will strengthen the value of the real domain name extensions (.com, .org, .tv, the hot country codes, etc.) Plus all of these new confusing extensions which are coming out will now finally introduce to people that there are alternatives to .com, net, and org, which will help in the U.S.A. because believe it or not there are people who still have not heard of .tv, .me, etc. So when it comes down to it and people are choosing their domain name for their newest website, they will find the great keyword dot tv domain names and ultimately flock towards that which is much more familiar to them then any of the new extensions IMHO.
Eric - What was the biggest mistake you ever made in domaining so far that you still kick yourself for occasionally?
Vito - Haha - I sure have made a lot of mistakes in domaining but to narrow it down to the largest mistake... I would have to say this one in particular is the one that I still kick myself over. When I got into domaining I was directed right here to NamePros and I read these famous words... "Read, Read, Read, then read some more here before you invest any money into domaining".
Well, I didnt do that. I figured I could make money immediately based on some of the crazy sales I have seen. So, I did not enter the AfterMarket at all. I was hard-headed and regged about $10k worth of domain names. I lost my A$$ on them. Dropped them all. After I found out how hard this really was, I started taking advice from the Pros here. lol
Eric - Do you have an industry icon that you model yourself after, someone that inspires you to better your best daily, if so, who and why?
Vito - One Industry Icon...hmmm, that is very difficult to say. I learn from everyone. I am inspired daily by everyone. Some of the Domaining Big Dogs I read and have alot of respect for are...Michael Berkens (Brilliant and the leader in spreading the word of domaining and Dot TV) , Rick Shwartz (Love this guy, He has made some incredible moves and speaks his mind...like it or not!), Elliot (Great Blog, loves to share his knowledge which is waaay cool) , and of course Morgan Linton (Another one who loves to share his knowledge, and is an innovater, used to watch his live broadcast all the time) . Alot of the members I have met here have been very inspiring to me also...Ray, (HybridDomainer.com, Equity78, Creator of the First ever Dot Tv Forum right here at NP), Brad Mugford, Reece, Ross, etc. and all of the dot TV members. That TV Forum is pretty incredible. There are a LOT of very creative and intelligent people there and I actually have learned something from each and every one of them. But if I have to pick one particular individual I like to pattern myself after I would have to say Joel Williams (MrRhee, DreamSeller, InStealthMode, amongst other aka's). He has blazed his own trail, and just keeps on kicking A$$ in this space. I believe he has the best portfolio in the Dot TV space. He has alot of knowledge, ideas, and passion that has become infectious to me. So based on his success in domaining, I would say I probably follow his lead as my #1 mentor.
Eric - Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me, I know your time is valuable. Is there anything else you would like to share?
Vito - Something I have learned that I would like to share is this.
When you enter domaining read a LOT, then invest. Ok, that is easily said but if you're like me and are hard-headed then do this. Go ahead and spend a little bit of money. Make that limit whatever you can afford to lose and dont go over that. Maybe start out with $100. take that and buy a domain, or a few, or 1 reg's whatever...and before you go on and spend $10k without making back one dime, stop there! Try whatever you think you know and flip that domain. Most likely you will have pissed away that initial money, then you can be humbled and come back here and buckle down and learn.
THEN
after you have made a mistake or two, and you have made a little money in domaining and have actualy earned a little respect from some of your peers here, then and only then go on and do things your own way no matter what anyone says and do so with confidence.
Confidence goes a long way in this Industry. Domainers get scared when they havent had a recent sale and thats bad. Sales come in spurts and you just need patience.
One more thing, I see as important - Give back to the Community.
I am not as active as I used to be but when I was I often took time out to help anyone who needed help here.
The one thing I do still do is...Anyone who has done anything positive in Dot TV I am a huge fan of. I will promote them any way possible. That is what Community is all about.
Thanks for asking lil ole me to do an interview here.
It is really an honor
- Vito -
--------------------------------
Disclaimer - If you republish this interview in whole or in part you MUST include a backlink to NamePros.com crediting us as the source of the interview. In addition, this disclaimer MUST remain intact so viewers of your site wanting to republish also credit NamePros.com
