.org Why I am bullish on .ORG: Plutocratic guilt!

[Rob Monster]

A few folks have been asking about why I have recently become more bullish on .ORG. I thought the topic deserves a post, and perhaps some debate.

In short, the reason why I think .ORG will have a healthy after-market in the coming years is because of what some have called "Plutocratic Guilt". It is a term I learned from a fellow Seattleite named Nick Hanauer who probably has a bit of it -- he is really rich and he likes to talk about it, but then he also likes to philosophize about how rich people need to give back more to society. It started with his 2014 TED Talk:

The sad reality of the world is that the rich do keep getting richer and the poor are mostly staying poor and/or getting poorer, while much of the middle class gets obliterated. The GDP per capita data uses an average to mask this trend but the Gini coefficient of inequality clearly shows that income inequality is getting worse.


As for what to do about, it, my recipe is really simple: sell to rich people. We already do that at Epik, e.g. during October we sold 3 domains above $250K each. However, eventually rich people have enough stuff, and enough businesses. At some point, they start to care a lot more about their "legacy", which is one reason you see elaborate donor recognition walls in high visibility places. More examples here.

However, if you are really rich, you set up a Foundation e.g. the Gates Foundation, or more recently, the Chan Zuckerburg Initiative, etc. It is some mix of estate planning, philanthropy, tax shelter and (hidden) agenda. Most philanthropic funds are actually in the US and likely that pattern continues for the foreseeable future. Most US philanthropies choose .ORG as their extension.

.

 

[BaileyUK]

- Buy 100 carefully selected .ORG for $7.49 each

Well that should take you two or three weeks work , even then you'll probably be scraping the barrel.

You do seem on a 'buy domains' promotional push on here of late Rob. Can't say I recall quite so many threads and posts in the past. Wonder what the motive is

 

[Rob Monster]

Well that should take you two or three weeks work , even then you'll probably be scraping the barrel.

You do seem on a 'buy domains' promotional push on here of late Rob. Can't say I recall quite so many threads and posts in the past. Wonder what the motive is

Motive?

To share what works.

Digital Empowement.

Financial Independence.

Personal sovereignty.

A lot of Nigerians get it. They are with me. I am happy to equip and teach them. They can also bring me available names and earn bounties. We are doing the same with hyphens.

This is an equal opportunity thing. If you think my investment thesis is stupid, then explain your logic.

 

[JB Lions]

Motive?

To share what works.

Digital Empowement.

Financial Independence.

Personal sovereignty.

A lot of Nigerians get it. They are with me. I am happy to equip and teach them. They can also bring me available names and earn bounties. We are doing the same with hyphens.

This is an equal opportunity thing. If you think my investment thesis is stupid, then explain your logic.

The motive is to make money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You're a registrar, you're supposed to want people to buy domains from you. Of course you would love 100 sales at $7.49 because it makes money. Not sure why the need for this song and dance routine every time. We literally have a promotion, coupon forum here. Start new thread, post .orgs at $7.49. Just get right to it. That's what those forums are for.

You dropped promotion in the very fist post. People see it:

If you want to have a serious discussion about .ORG that is fine, but this blatantly crosses the self promotion line IMO.

Brad

Then dropped the promotion again.

 

[BaileyUK]

This is an equal opportunity thing. If you think my investment thesis is stupid, then explain your logic.

Don't know where you got the 'The Stupid' idea from - Please don't assign derogatory labels to those that have a question or query to ask.

Guess it's best to leave you to your own conscience. I'm just wondering why you thought there was 100 X domains in .org that any tom dick or harry could just go and pick-up. I've nothing against .orgs sold a few myself in the past .

I'll leave you to what ever mission your currently on . I'm sure those with a bit of background in domains will know the difficulty in picking 100 suitable domains.. My fear is for the Newbies reading this - thinking it's all plain sailing

 

[wwwweb]

I was involved in a venture capital deal with his younger brother Adrian, who ended up going all-in on the Seattle Sounders and I think has not been doing much venture stuff then. The Sounders worked out pretty well for him so he might have his own plutocratic guilt down the road. Free Sounders tickets is a start!

The Sounders are one of the best teams in major league soccer for sure, I believe they crashed the tickets system, and sold out 70,000 tickets instantly for the Nov 10th game, none the less, a great job done with managing that team, a success in itself.

I believe his brother is trying to get NHL team, and I guess NBA soon after that, given so many billionaires in town, still two major league franchises visibly missing from the Pacific Northwest.

With .org as stated above done focus on transitional names more so medical, health, green, social, and charitable to a max 2 keyword combination of common terms.

Many tech companies for one word capital type projects still focus on .co, and .io, when the .com is not available. Don’t put to much faith on them to purchase a .org in such cases.

 

[bmugford]

Here is my formula:

- Buy 100 carefully selected .ORG for $7.49 each
- List all with make offer pricing
- Sell or lease at least one within year 1 for $749 or better to break even
- Shoot the moon with the rest

Low risk. Decent upside.

I think that is the wrong formula personally.

1.) There is a major time sink in finding 100 domains that are worth it.
2.) You are guaranteed to end up with marginal domains basically, as the good stuff has likely been registered for a long time. This is a mature extension that has been around for 30+ years.
3.) 100 hand regs = 100 renewals. The odds of selling one in a given year are low, so if that doesn't happen you are just stuck with a bunch of wasted money. If you decide to renew them you are throwing good money after bad.

If you are going to invest in .ORG I would suggest in going after fewer, higher quality terms.

Brad

 

[Cypherpunk]

I really like .org domains for things such as open source projects, foundations, science, research, non-profit and activism movements. In crypto you will see a lot of .org as primary domains because they are open source initiatives or registered foundations.

However, I would never recommend hand-registering 100 domains.
In the .com extension you can play with brandables and more creative ways for making profit through hand-regs. In .org I would suggest buying 1 word domains on the aftermarket and sometimes catching expiring names.

If you are going to invest in .ORG I would suggest in going after fewer, higher quality terms.

Yesterday, I reg'd DigitalKeys.org - a domain which is taken in +30 extensions and it was dropping after 11 years. It's not a single word, but I consider it a great name which fits in the .org extension.

 

[JayT]

Let search volume guide you.

 

[Brands.International]

I think that is the wrong formula personally.

1.) There is a major time sink in finding 100 domains that are worth it.
2.) You are guaranteed to end up with marginal domains basically, as the good stuff has likely been registered for a long time. This is a mature extension that has been around for 30+ years.
3.) 100 hand regs = 100 renewals. The odds of selling one in a given year are low, so if that doesn't happen you are just stuck with a bunch of wasted money. If you decide to renew them you are throwing good money after bad.

If you are going to invest in .ORG I would suggest in going after fewer, higher quality terms.

Brad

I agree 100% with Brad here. .Org is an amazing extension for non profit organisations, but everyone, particularly new domain investors should really realise what is written in point 2 above.

There is a huge competition, and this extension has been around for 30 years .. so it is not that profitable strong keywords with meaning are just waiting there to be hand - registered. Domain investors has already registered almost everything what was reasonable to register and had some chances for profit.

So, if you can get few .org domain names, fine. But I feel you will anyway have to buy them on the aftemarket, from another domain investor .. although very few exceptions apply, as usual

 

[Internet.Domains]

Here is a list of some .org sales this year over $10,000. Thanks to @koolkr for the list.

.ORG
growingpower.org 45,999 USD 31-08-2019 SnapNames
knowyourstuff.org 30,600 USD 04-10-2019 NameJet
responsible.org 29,888 USD 16-12-2018 DomainMarket
sto.org 25,000 USD 22-11-2018 Sedo
email.org 25,000 USD 20-01-2019 PerfectName
cfah.org 24,300 USD 06-10-2019 NameJet
bxwx.org 22,000 USD 29-05-2019 GoDaddy
office.org 22,000 USD 08-04-2019 Sedo
pc.org 20,500 USD 08-07-2019 Sedo
employment.org 20,000 USD 30-10-2018 Sedo
bitnet.org 18,200 USD 11-06-2019 Sedo
historica.org 16,794 USD 11-04-2019 Sedo
aapainmanage.org 16,150 USD 12-08-2019 GoDaddy
impacted.org 15,000 USD 16-09-2019 Sedo
volunteer.org 15,000 USD 29-08-2019 NameJet
starsandstripes.org 15,000 USD 17-02-2019 DomainMarket
buyersguide.org 14,888 USD 11-11-2018 DomainMarket
hao88.org 14,650 USD 11-10-2019 GoDaddy
electronics.org 14,386 USD 20-05-2019 Sedo
bradleymanning.org 13,573 USD 15-07-2019 GoDaddy
jvv.org 12,500 USD 16-10-2019 Sedo
pmcaonline.org 12,500 USD 17-04-2019 GoDaddy
iceland.org 12,100 USD 02-05-2019 NameJet
microcreditsummit.org 11,700 USD 28-04-2019 NameJet
2050.org 11,296 USD 18-02-2019 Sedo
pkarchive.org 11,250 USD 16-10-2019 GoDaddy
ground.org 11,000 USD 20-10-2019 Uniregistry
germany.org 11,000 USD 09-09-2019 Sedo
collegemeasures.org 10,904 USD 01-05-2019 GoDaddy
amarc.org 10,100 USD 27-05-2019 NameJet
qy.org 10,000 USD 15-11-2018 NameJet
emprego.org 10,000 USD 28-12-2018 Sedo

 

[Lox]

.

Here is a list of some .org sales this year over $10,000. Thanks to @koolkr for the list.

+/- (not going to check all of them)
30% developed/redirected (end user)
70% parked/ for sale (so called ping pong sales)

Good Luck

 

[Lox]

Really? I am buying .ORG too.

As for name selection, I agree one should be selective. That applies to any registry so don't be a party-pooper. If you have advice on what to reg or not reg, then this is a suitable place to discuss it.

I'm partykiller.org ... I can dance and sing aloud ... if necessary.

 

[Internet.Domains]

.



+/- (not going to check all of them)
30% developed/redirected (end user)
70% parked/ for sale (so called ping pong sales)

Good Luck

I report, you decide. Good luck to you as well.

 

[Rob Monster]

I really like .org domains for things such as open source projects, foundations, science, research, non-profit and activism movements. In crypto you will see a lot of .org as primary domains because they are open source initiatives or registered foundations.

However, I would never recommend hand-registering 100 domains.
In the .com extension you can play with brandables and more creative ways for making profit through hand-regs. In .org I would suggest buying 1 word domains on the aftermarket and sometimes catching expiring names.




Yesterday, I reg'd DigitalKeys.org - a domain which is taken in +30 extensions and it was dropping after 11 years. It's not a single word, but I consider it a great name which fits in the .org extension.

It is a good candidate for crypto token projects.

I managed a sale of a $100,000 ____Coin.org earlier this summer. Buyer and seller transacted in BTC.

True story.

 

[Rob Monster]

The motive is to make money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You're a registrar, you're supposed to want people to buy domains from you. Of course you would love 100 sales at $7.49 because it makes money. Not sure why the need for this song and dance routine every time. We literally have a promotion, coupon forum here. Start new thread, post .orgs at $7.49. Just get right to it. That's what those forums are for.

You dropped promotion in the very fist post. People see it:



Then dropped the promotion again.

JB -- Here we go again with you second-guessing people who are more self-aware than you are with your avatar persona. I suggest let history judge whether or not there is a modicum of philanthropy at work here. Keep in mind that at $7.49 create and $8.88 transfer, Epik is losing money on both, and that is before the cost of payment processing. The only way we make money is when the buyers sell in the after-market. Is that too hard for you to grasp? In other words, I have zero incentive to encourage anyone to register a .ORG that they could not have a reasonable chance to sell in year 1.

 

[JB Lions]

JB -- Here we go again with you second-guessing people who are more self-aware than you are with your avatar persona. I suggest let history judge whether or not there is a modicum of philanthropy at work here. Keep in mind that at $7.49 create and $8.88 transfer, Epik is losing money on both, and that is before the cost of payment processing. The only way we make money is when the buyers sell in the after-market. Is that too hard for you to grasp? In other words, I have zero incentive to encourage anyone to register a .ORG that they could not have a reasonable chance to sell in year 1.

Renewals. Get people into your ecosystem. C'mon. It's really no different than any other registrar out there when they offer discounts. Again, you're not doing anything different here. Then you mentioned Nigerians. Yes, let them register some 4 character .orgs after much careful research, knowledge they don't have. This will change lives. Seriously. It's ok to be a registrar.

This isn't the promotion section, it's supposed to be for General Domain Discussion.

 

[Rob Monster]

Renewals. Get people into your ecosystem. C'mon. It's really no different than any other registrar out there when they offer discounts. Then you mentioned Nigerians. Yes, let them register some 4 character .orgs after much careful research, knowledge they don't have. This will change lives. Seriously. It's ok to be a registrar.

This isn't the promotion section, it's supposed to be for General Domain Discussion.

You are thinking too small.

As for the future of .ORG, where would you propose this thread exist? Registrants can execute this strategy at any registrar, and I imagine many will do exactly that.

 

[JB Lions]

You are thinking too small.

As for the future of .ORG, where would you propose this thread exist? Registrants can execute this strategy at any registrar, and I imagine they will do exactly that.

https://www.namepros.com/forums/domain-coupons-and-offers.358/

 

[Rob Monster]

https://www.namepros.com/forums/domain-coupons-and-offers.358/

Nonsense and totally lame. I wrote a comprehensive analysis about the business case. Stop being a #PartyPooper.

 

[JB Lions]

Nonsense and totally lame. I wrote a comprehensive analysis about the business case. Stop being a #PartyPooper.

When you drop promotion in 3 different posts, it makes it pretty obvious what the thread is for. I like to think I'm more of an #OrganizationalFreak - https://www.namepros.com/forums/domain-coupons-and-offers.358/

Makes it easier for domainers to find promotions when they're in their proper place. But NP is letting you have your run with it, so it's not up to me.

However, as Epik registrar, we are selling them at/below cost, e.g. $7.49 .ORG registrations and $8.88 .ORG transfers.

We are selling them below cost since we like the after-market prospects. However, at $7.49 a shot, you definitely have to measure twice and cut one.

Here is my formula:

- Buy 100 carefully selected .ORG for $7.49 each
- List all with make offer pricing
- Sell or lease at least one within year 1 for $749 or better to break even
- Shoot the moon with the rest

Low risk. Decent upside.

 

[Rob Monster]

When you drop promotion in 3 different posts, it makes it pretty obvious what the thread is for. I like to think I'm more of an #OrganizationalFreak - https://www.namepros.com/forums/domain-coupons-and-offers.358/

Makes it easier for domainers to find promotions when they're in their proper place. But NP is letting you have your run with it, so it's not up to me.

If they want to remove those texts, they can. They are money-losing promos.

Apparently I can put them in my signature and nobody cares so this is much ado about nothing. For the folks that want to execute the strategy at Epik's hard-loss, they can do so, or they can do it elsewhere.

As for the formula of 100 domains, I did it for round numbers. I am sure anyone with time can find 100 worthy targets in the span of 2 months before year-end. I could do it in a day.

 

[JB Lions]

As for the formula of 100 domains, I did it for round numbers. I am sure anyone with time can find 100 worthy targets in the span of 2 months before year-end. I could do it in a day.

Ok, let's take you up on that. Good chance for a live experiment we can track. If you're successful, it'll help your sales. Pick 100 from that list in your first post. Post the 100 in a thread by tomorrow at this time. And we'll track it here at NP.

 

[Rob Monster]

Ok, let's take you up on that. Good chance for a live experiment we can track. If you're successful, it'll help your sales. Pick 100 from that list in your first post. Post the 100 in a thread by tomorrow at this time. And we'll track it here at NP.

I said 100 names. Not from the list. Stop being such a #PartyPooper.

And no I am not your donkey but sure we'll publish a list of 100 .ORG buys within 24 hours.

Watch and learn.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

For once there is a poll that I voted with the majority - I plan to add a few but certainly not go overboard.

Personally I have never had more than a handful (like 4 or 5), and actually have had good luck at selling several in $$$ range so compared to my tiny initial investment in .org I am positive by a big factor. I realize that may well just be small number statistics but it does make me feel good personally about .org.

Every day I go through the entire NameBio daily list and tweet out what attracted my attention, and weekly take a bit broader view. I have seen over the 14 months that I have been doing that .org is steadily represented, more than .net normally. However beyond the numbers, the type of domains that sell in .org have been widening over time. There probably are numerous reasons for this.

So I recently registered a few .org to replace the ones I sold, and I plan to pick up a handful more. But as Brad mentioned, .org is a very mature TLD and one that has got more attention of late, especially in some niches, so it is really hard to find good names. This is more so since, despite the broadening of types of .org that sell, it is nowhere near .com in the breadth of types of names that sell. Finding good .org to hand-register is super time consuming.

So I certainly won't be registering 100, but I do plan to add a handful. I think all but one of the .orgs I have ever registered, when I checked with Domain Tools, although I was formally hand-registering, they all had been first registered many years previous. I think to some degree the number of eyes chasing expiring .org is enough less than .com that a few more slip through and go unregistered for a few days or weeks or months, presenting a window to find a few.

The better spam and phishing reputation of .org (compared to .com and .net), and that it is independent of the US government, may help the extension gain a bit more traction, especially outside the US, but no doubt .com will stay king if not forever near to forever.

I worry about the cap on .org prices having been lifted, however. I presume we must be given some months warning before an actual price increase, though, and if one was imminent could register years ahead at the existing rates.

Bob

 

[Blitzpotz]

I believe it is ok @Rob Monster that a registrar promotes his services in a domaining forum where every member promotes his/her names. But for many users you obviously crossed the line, a bit. The problem is the mixing of philantrophic approach - be it the main puposes of the .org extension, be it Epik´s hard loss - promises of profit with a 100 names plan and the presentation of a superrich nice guy and your very own interest.

In a first reaction I thought the collection of available 4L orgs is a good service. But, of course, most of those names are pigeon shit, must be. Members wrote about newbies who might reg these names blindly. Most of them will appear in your Daily Diamonds next year or later and drop afterwards.

You are a role model and an idol for many users here, you cannot delegate the responsibility of this position to unexperienced persons or to the Lord. (Sorry for the side blow.)

Yes, your reg fees are without competition and everybody who uses them will be thankful wishing that Epik has a good standing in the future. Domainers do want to join Epik for longer I suppose if there will be no NetSol effect or worse.

we'll publish a list of 100 .ORG buys within 24 hours.

Well, I couldn´t resist and checked the list. There are a few names available which you might take yourself for your formula or your DevAid pool if you like them. They are taken in com (of course), net and several other TLDs, at least one of them is developed in a better manner than a simple Parking/sale site. (Colleagues, don´t shoot me for this small list. If you think all is crap then the risks of posting 60,000 names of questionable value are obvious.)

aiok.org
betb.org
capq.org
cbnk.org
conp.org
copx.org
frme.org
goie.org
hday.org
jobg.org
joym.org
kwww.org
mlme.org
tekn.org
tnew.org
vfly.org
vvme.org
xxec.org