.co .CO - The Discussion, Showcase and Sales Report Thread

[TOXX]

Well, it seems like Colombia will be releasing .CO to the internet market:
...
http://www.mincomunicaciones.gov.co...ge=./mods/contenido/noticia_user_view&id=1043
...
This could truly be a big competitor to .COM (especially being a "typo").
I would say with proper guidance .CO could REALLY have a bright future!
...
Let me know your thoughts please.

 

[hawkeye]

Ooops..., looks like 'reality' finally set in for Overstock.com. Time to get rid of the 'confusing gimmick' domain - http://adage.com/article/news/o-overstock-backs-o-change/230983/

Sell while you can!! :wave:

 

[bmugford]

Ooops..., looks like 'reality' finally set in for Overstock.com. Time to get rid of the 'confusing gimmick' domain - http://adage.com/article/news/o-overstock-backs-o-change/230983/

Sell while you can!! :wave:

This says it all...

Confused? So were customers. Mr. Johnson said customers responded well to the O.co advertising, but after watching the spots, "a good portion" of those who sought out the website went to O.com, instead of O.co.

Brad

 

[emjohn]

Full quotation from Advertising Age:

“The online retailer’s president, Jonathon Johnson, said it is stepping back from the O.co name “for now,” though not abandoning it outright. Overstock will still use the O.co name internationally and on mobile efforts, including an iPad app that launches today. And the sign on the “O.co Coliseum,” the home of the Oakland Raiders and the Oakland Athletics, will stay up.

Confused? So were customers. Mr. Johnson said customers responded well to the O.co advertising, but after watching the spots, “a good portion” of those who sought out the website went to O.com, instead of O.co. (O.com is one of the off-the-market single letter domain names still held by ICANN.)

“We were going too fast and people were confused, which told us we didn’t do a good job,” Mr. Johnson said. “We’re still focused on getting to O.co, just at a slower pace. … We’re not flipping back, we’re just refocusing.”

OK. And what? Who in their right mind ever thought that .co would overtake .com? I'd have to say that if Overstock thought this was the case, they were sadly mistaken. Theirs was still a good idea but who can expect a miracle after one year? That's too fast for a big company like Overstock. Like Jonathon said, they are slowing down the push. This is not earth-shattering news.

If they want to sell O.co at a discount now, I will play the hero and take it off their hands for a small sum...:hehe:

IMO, Overstock can never have O.com, and O.co is the next best thing. So if you want to be known as "O" what was to be done? Sit and wait for Icann to release that baby? Forget about it.

Just as a side note, I woke up this morning and saw a couple headlines about O.co. One of the first things I thought, "I bet BMugford has already made his way over to the .co thread, and in a hurry.".

Lo and behold, I was right.

This says it all...

Confused? So were customers. Mr. Johnson said customers responded well to the O.co advertising, but after watching the spots, "a good portion" of those who sought out the website went to O.com, instead of O.co.

Brad

 

[the_poet]

IMO they should retain the traditional brand for USA (US customers have known Overstock and .com for years) and if they still want to use the "O" brand, use O.co internationally. It should be relatively easier for them, since their brand is much less popular worldwide.

Anyway I don't think this will have any impact on the aftermarket. The daily sales that we've been seeing will continue to occur, regardless of Overstock's plans.

 

[emjohn]

It's funny that one of the sellers of Meet.me for $450000 is calling for the end of .co and anything right of the dot, and that .com is the only king.

Just demonstrates money speaks louder than the principles people stand for.

I think all the detractors should get their puny slugs in at .co while they can. In a year's time, the net will begin to be flooded by a lot of ugly extensions and y'all will be at some other venue detracting some other extension and .co will continue to live on in it's steady growth. Bottom line is, .co set the standard for new extension roll-out, and they have already made the extension fairly popular. Nothing more could be expected or asked for. These bogus comparisons with .com are such a waste of time.

And the Overstock people? These are still very ballsey people, in my books. It's the easiest thing in the world to be an armchair quarterback, involved in a lesser game, and try to put a lickin on someone in the big game. Too easy.

---------- Post added at 02:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:32 AM ----------

I agree. There will be no affect on aftermarket sales of .co.

It's a good point you make. Overstock has been known as such in the US for years. Personally, I thought it was excellent news when they just said O.co would be used internationally. I thought having O.co Coliseum and the rebranding in the States was just some gravy.

Like I said before: too far, too fast, no good. Steady growth, no problems.

IMO they should retain the traditional brand for USA (US customers have known Overstock and .com for years) and if they still want to use the "O" brand, use O.co internationally. It should be relatively easier for them, since their brand is much less popular worldwide.

Anyway I don't think this will have any impact on the aftermarket. The daily sales that we've been seeing will continue to occur, regardless of Overstock's plans.

 

[the_poet]

It's funny that one of the sellers of Meet.me for $450000 is calling for the end of .co and anything right of the dot, and that .com is the only king.

It's even funnier if you consider he invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on .mobi, since he believed it was a revolutionary TLD.

Anyway, apart from Robert Cline and maybe a few other stupid fanboys, I don't think anyone with a healthy mind has ever thought .CO would overtake .com or would ever invest a fortune on a new TLD. For me .CO is an experiment, I own less than 20 of them, either 20 July regs or low $xxx aftermarket purchases.

 

[emjohn]

It's even funnier if you consider he invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on .mobi, since he believed it was a revolutionary TLD.

Anyway, apart from Robert Cline and maybe a few other stupid fanboys, I don't think anyone with a healthy mind has ever thought .CO would overtake .com or would ever invest a fortune on a new TLD. For me .CO is an experiment, I own less than 20 of them, either 20 July regs or low $xxx aftermarket purchases.

Exactly. I see Mike Berkens as having the most reasonable outlook in the domain world. He doesn't shy away from the new TLDs, but chooses wisely and spends his money wisely, as he has shown with .co, .me and .xxx purchases. He has never abandoned anything that works indubitably, like .com. Just a smart approach, IMO, because you just can't shove new ideas and innovations under the table like they don't exist. Things are always changing and evolving. I think the whole domaining thing would be really stinky and boring if we didn't have some variety.

 

[wot]

Exactly. I see Mike Berkens as having the most reasonable outlook in the domain world. He doesn't shy away from the new TLDs, but chooses wisely and spends his money wisely, as he has shown with .co, .me and .xxx purchases. He has never abandoned anything that works indubitably, like .com. Just a smart approach, IMO, because you just can't shove new ideas and innovations under the table like they don't exist. Things are always changing and evolving. I think the whole domaining thing would be really stinky and boring if we didn't have some variety.

Do you think any of us here are on a level playing field with the usual suspects who get the pick of the new cctld-tld etc before they even get to the table and have made their $'s and bolted before the rest pick up the scraps?

It's a very uneven game that we are in now, irrespective of extension,and a select few elites control the cream of any new "super" extension that pops up.

Here, we talk about the occasional decent sale in each of the past "next best things" to keep the faith I don't see that changing any time soon.

:imho:

 

[Kate]

Overstock was the only company advertising a .co in a prominent manner.
But it was a redirect, their attitude toward o.co has always been ambiguous and it probably accounts for their branding problems.

It is a real-word experience of the issues posed by alt extensions. Keep in mind though that the US market was probably more difficult to conduct such an 'experiment', because .com is deeply ingrained in the minds of consumers.
I have said it many times, .co being so close to .com fosters confusion among the uneducated masses. Time for reality check.

Back to square one: we can see .co for what it is, an 'alt' TLDs where no major players are doing business. It is another TLD next to .biz or .info.

I have to say I LOL at the 'right of the dot' thinking, it is overhyped among domainers.

 

[emjohn]

If you buy one domain for $1000, and sell it for $20000, you are playing the same game as these guys. But the question is, do you have the acumen to pick the name and invest the $1000? It's easy to hand-register 200 crappy names. Much more difficult to find one good one and pay the bigger price.

Mike Berkens doled out $2000 3 years ago for Meet.me and now he has a xxx,xxx profit. Probably if you don't have the $1000 to spend on a good name and a solid plan for it, you might stay away from this industry all together, because that's what it's all about. You're tellin me you don't have a grand to spend on a good domain and to wait a couple years? You wouldn't have to make a large pofit like the Berkens deal. If you returned 500%, would that still be great? Sure it would. Because you can't lose taking a profit...

Do you think any of us here are on a level playing field with the usual suspects who get the pick of the new cctld-tld etc before they even get to the table and have made their $'s and bolted before the rest pick up the scraps?

It's a very uneven game that we are in now, irrespective of extension,and a select few elites control the cream of any new "super" extension that pops up.

Here, we talk about the occasional decent sale in each of the past "next best things" to keep the faith I don't see that changing any time soon.

:imho:

 

[DU]

Just as a side note, I woke up this morning and saw a couple headlines about O.co. One of the first things I thought, "I bet BMugford has already made his way over to the .co thread, and in a hurry.".

"I better go over to .co forum and come up with some bogus slower is better excuse.... and point out that o.co is worth more than they paid for it anyway... I bet Oakley's would want it....or Oprah"

 

[emjohn]

Real world experience tells me that most people are too lazy to involve themselves in new ventures. And why? Because most people want to take the easy, established route and go forward on the coat-tails of others. That way they are always safe to never be branded "a Failure" or "a loser" I guess the tried, tested and true way is better for those who scare easily. Those who can't adapt and constantly live on past laurels always suffer at the end of the day. The punishment is living an uncreative life. The juice of the day has passed them by and there they still sit, living off the successes of others.

Like I said earlier....easy to be an armchair quarterback and be that unrespectable chicken who sits from their well-worn business rut to say "I told you so".

Overstock was the only company advertising a .co in a prominent manner.
But it was a redirect, their attitude toward o.co has always been ambiguous and it probably accounts for their branding problems.

It is a real-word experience of the issues posed by alt extensions. Keep in mind though that the US market was probably more difficult to conduct such an 'experiment', because .com is deeply ingrained in the minds of consumers.
I have said it many times, .co being so close to .com fosters confusion among the uneducated masses. Time for reality check.

Back to square one: we can see .co for what it is, an 'alt' TLDs where no major players are doing business. It is another TLD next to .biz or .info.

I have to say I LOL at the 'right of the dot' thinking, it is overhyped among domainers.

---------- Post added at 05:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 AM ----------

This really depends on who you talk to. In my experience, things always need time to develop and to develop properly. If you have ever over-watered a plant in hopes it would grow faster, you would know what I mean.

I'm pretty sure if O.co went up on the auction block (it never will as long as Overstock is around), it would go for more money than Overstock paid for it. Just my opinion.

"I better go over to .co forum and come up with some bogus slower is better excuse.... and point out that o.co is worth more than they paid for it anyway... I bet Oakley's would want it....or Oprah"

 

[Kate]

Real world experience tells me that most people are too lazy to involve themselves in new ventures. And why? Because most people want to take the easy, established route and go forward on the coat-tails of others...

I get it, Overstock should pursue a failed strategy and keep losing money. I'm sure the shareholders agree with you that loss of revenue is not an issue. Being 'special' is more important.

The punishment is living an uncreative life. The juice of the day has passed them by and there they still sit, living off the successes of others.

The punishment for Overstock was an 'unlucrative' life it seems :talk:

Like I said earlier....easy to be an armchair quarterback and be that unrespectable chicken who sits from their well-worn business rut to say "I told you so".

Yet no end user has done more to promote .co. And now you're slapping them on the wrist. Wow.
You know, their failure is also the failure of the .co wishful-thinkers :blink:

I'm pretty sure if O.co went up on the auction block (it never will as long as Overstock is around), it would go for more money than Overstock paid for it. Just my opinion.

Pretty sure ?
Has anybody ever paid 350K for a 1-one letter domain.
IMHO of course.

 

[emjohn]

OK. We obviously come from two totally different perspectives. I think creativity is everything and money is not everything. It appears you think money is everything.

I don't think the CEO of Overstock will ever be hurting for money. But once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. He likes taking some chances and I like that. Money is nice but without creativity and some guts, it is useless and can be more harmful than good. Buying O.co was a definite plus.

Of course they shouldn't continue to bleed money, if that is the case. Sheesh, the dude said they were scaling back a bit and everybody goes wild. Way overblown by the anti-.co trollers. And I might add, always the armchair quarterbacks.

I'll tell yah, if you missed the opportunity to create something you miss life altogether. It's a hard feeling when you know you are making money only for money's sake and there is no fresh energy going into a new project or even a fresh approach. This is my point. I think calling O.co "unlucrative" is a bit extreme, don't you? In a nutshell, they said they unrolled O.co in the States too quickly. That's all. But somehow, this kind of news, really unimportant news, brings all the vultures out to play.

I get it, Overstock should pursue a failed strategy and keep losing money. I'm sure the shareholders agree with you that loss of revenue is not an issue. Being 'special' is more important.

The punishment for Overstock was an 'unlucrative' life it seems :talk:

Yet no end user has done more to promote .co. And now you're slapping them on the wrist. Wow.
You know, their failure is also the failure of the .co wishful-thinkers :blink:


Pretty sure ?
Has anybody ever paid 350K for a 1-one letter domain.
IMHO of course.

 

[Kate]

I don't think the CEO of Overstock will ever be hurting for money. But once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. He likes taking some chances and I like that.

That's exactly what .co domainers are doing: taking a chance.
Do they have a strategy, that's another question.

Way overblown by the anti-.co trollers. And I might add, always the armchair quarterbacks.

Not long ago, Overstock was hailed for being one of those early adopters.
Now that they are 'scaling back', they suddenly are no longer relevant. How convenient. Some people are quick to dismiss the lessons.

 

[Keith]

Honestly I could care less what overstock is doing with o.co. For me it's not a matter of what others are doing, it's a matter of what I'm doing! I have and will make a profit with the .co extention. Everything else is irrelevant to me :sold:

 

[emjohn]

Thank-you, Keith. To the point and succinct. Well said.

Honestly I could care less what overstock is doing with o.co. For me it's not a matter of what others are doing, it's a matter of what I'm doing! I have and will make a profit with the .co extention. Everything else is irrelevant to me :sold:

---------- Post added at 08:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 AM ----------

Some people enjoy the conservative route. Others do not. But for heavens sake, if you are going to follow the conservative route don't spin things to your own conservative favour. We will not know whether O.co worked or not for some time to come. If there was indeed some problem, it gets defined and you get back on your horse.

My .co sales have been great. When you have a huge ROI with anything, who's gonna complain? As always, daily sales of .co are what count. One-off auctions and company statements make little difference to whether the majority of people are interested in .co or not.

That's exactly what .co domainers are doing: taking a chance.
Do they have a strategy, that's another question.


Not long ago, Overstock was hailed for being one of those early adopters.
Now that they are 'scaling back', they suddenly are no longer relevant. How convenient. Some people are quick to dismiss the lessons.

 

[NPer]

Some people enjoy the conservative route. Others do not. But for heavens sake, if you are going to follow the conservative route don't spin things to your own conservative favour. We will not know whether O.co worked or not for some time to come. If there was indeed some problem, it gets defined and you get back on your horse.

My .co sales have been great. When you have a huge ROI with anything, who's gonna complain? As always, daily sales of .co are what count. One-off auctions and company statements make little difference to whether the majority of people are interested in .co or not.

It's an example of a failed marketing strategy that went horribly wrong. And need I say why?

Have we forgotten about "New Coke". Which was eventually scrapped... Went back to the plain old recipe.

"O.CO" Can't say it worked out at all! It shouldn't be used again. And the public would view it in the same way. This is hurting the extension! I know why:

Maybe because Overstock was their "flagship" end-user that was using .co in marketing, television, bla bla!! And that media attention is back, but in a negative light.

:wave:

 

[Kate]

My .co sales have been great. When you have a huge ROI with anything, who's gonna complain?

Huge like what ?
Please share :talk:
I want to hear about your success stories, because it looks like everybody is making (great) sales, nobody is losing money on .co - isn't it wonderful :sold:

 

[InvisionTech]

What do the .CO PROs think about hyphenated .COs?

 

[the_poet]

What do the .CO PROs think about hyphenated .COs?

Unless they're really high quality or premium keywords, drop them.

 

[InvisionTech]

Unless they're really high quality or premium keywords, drop them.

Thanks. Could you please give me few examples (registered)?

 

[dragtastic]

What do the .CO PROs think about hyphenated .COs?

I believe las-vegas.co sold for $1k

 

[the_poet]

I believe las-vegas.co sold for $1k

Exactly. I was going to post that very domain sale.

 

[InvisionTech]

I believe las-vegas.co sold for $1k

I was looking for registered hyphenated ones, not sold as examples.

So, something like I-P.co or N-Y.co or D-C.co wouldn't have any value?