Teach a man to fish - Co-creating Abundance

[Rob Monster]

You all know the famous proverb from Lao Tzu:

I think it also applies to domaining.

I believe in teaching people to become sovereign, so they can provide for themselves, provide for their families, provide for their communities and also have time to contemplate the meaning of life.

So with this in mind, I have sponsored a number of initiatives, which I will not name here because that would be promotional and the mods don't like that.

However, I do want to share something and invite input to it. About 6 weeks ago, Epik acquired 2 brands that had training products associated with them: DomainFlippa and Domain Graduate.

The Founder of Domain Graduate, Sean Stafford, and I have a shared passion for teaching people how to become successful domainers. This project fits my personal interest and calling: (digital) empowerment.

In the past, Domain Graduate and Domain Flippa were both paid courses. The existence of a fee implicitly meant that most people would never participate since there was a large toll at the entrance.

When Epik acquired these brands, it was with the specific goal of making the pie bigger. We want to help teach a lot more people to be good at domaining by tapping the wisdom of those who mastered it.

With this mind, I am sharing a living draft, of what is to become Domain Graduate 2.0. It is the collective wisdom of some professional domainers. You can download a copy here:

https://my.armored.net/index.php/s/dG7MkwJAp9H3L43

This document will continue to be iterated, so if you see issues or opportunities to improve, we'll use this thread to invite discussion about how to empower more people to become effective domainers.

As for the draft document, here is my ask:

- If you have time, review it and send any editorial feedback to @DomainGraduate.

- Comment publicly if you like to discuss or share some technique that you think belongs in the course.

- Feel free to invite non-NP members to visit this page to retrieve the draft course.

We will add an acknowledgement section collating the input and refrencing the attributed contributions. That section might get large, and that is fine!

In about one week, we'll have a final version and we'll publish it with a beautiful cover, and put it online at a new and improved DomainGraduate.com so anyone can download it.

After that, we plan to recruit translators to localize the document and where appropriate add local resource tips. Different countries will have different versions to reflect language, ccTLD, local laws and local customs.

Finally, for anyone who wants to contribute to the cause, domain name donations are welcome to the eRise Foundation, for which a latest update is described here.

So, that's it. Tell us what you think.

On behalf of the Domain Graduate Team:

Rob Monster, @Abdullah Abdullah, and Sean Stafford

 

[JB Lions]

Got me cleaning up my Domaining pdf folder. Found this other good one:

.Com Strategies by:
Chris Zuiker
Sr. Broker Media Options
MediaOptions.com - might know a little something about selling domains

There is a link on this page to download it - https://chriszuiker.com/podcast/

 

[Rob Monster]

I don't want to "keep people ignorant" so:

The one I mentioned, not sure if it's still available but - https://domainnamewire.com/2014/05/21/how-to-sell-domain-names-on-marketplaces/

Free tutorial videos:
https://www.estibot.com/guide

Appraisal Guide
Lead Guide
Whois Guide
Expiring Domains Guide
Lead Score Tool Guide
Brandable Domain Generator Guide
Domain Name Parser Guide
Domain Name Keyword Extractor Guide
Domain Trademark Checker Guide
Domain Availability Checker Guide
Bulk DNS Checker Guide
Domain Categorization Guide
Domain Web Crawler Guide
Business Locator Guide
Domain Generator Guide
Typo Generator Guide
Organic Traffic Checker Guide
Domain List Filter Guide
Understanding the Scan Queue

Just checked, videos are working.

There is this domain forum, full of free info - https://www.namepros.com

Maybe a caring person can make a thread and put all this type of stuff in 1 post. To help the world out, co-create abundance, insert some other marketing phrases here

Awesome. Keep that input coming.

@estibot.com is is an industry treasure.

I was not aware of that DNW report. Cool.

 

[Rob Monster]

@Rob Monster
I have another proverb.
"Give a man an inch and he'll take a mile "

I try to give more than I get. You?

I hear you are struggling with domaining and have mostly tosser domains. Would a course have helped you at the beginning versus blowing your nest-egg on stuff that nobody wants? Serious question.

 

[biggie]

Hi

I assume this is the aftermath of previous thread below
https://www.namepros.com/threads/epik-university-branding-question.1155727/

however, even after the comments here, my sentiments are the same as i stated before

maybe somebody should create a domain high school first….
then if they graduate

they can go to a domain university, academy or college.

later, when they get their degrees,
put copies of it on their marketplace sites and landers, which will add a level of credibility for them, as a domainer seller.

visitors will assume your portfolio must be high quality, because you got a degree in domaining.



imo...

it's all good that domaining has evolved and continues to do so
yet, there seems to more time spent nowadays, conceiving and investing in ways to grab the minds of aspiring domainers, before they register their first domain.

so many picks and shovels to sell and they all got hooks to reel you in

imo...

 

[Laguna]

I try to give more than I get. You?

I hear you are struggling with domaining and have mostly tosser domains. Would a course have helped you at the beginning versus blowing your nest-egg on stuff that nobody wants? Serious question.

Nest egg? Noooo, I've spent pennies Rob. Your right in one sense, I regged some rubbish but also did some homework too. I have a few that will cover all my costs in one go. I was forward thinking in a few of them and the time isn't here yet. Patience and I'll prove it

 

[karmaco]

I read the guide and the problem is its very generalized and slanted to his style of investing. He pretty much disregards “brandables” when many people starting out run to brandables. While I agree no one can tell you everything and you learn by doing a guide for beginners should contain more rudimentary things not pages and pages about typos and monetization.

The rudimentary things I am talking about is language,word positioning, how to know if the words go together (make sense) etc. A list of all the resources for obtaining a name besides hand reg. A list of places to sell your name, a brief discussion on outbound versus inbound etc.

I almost stopped reading when he said NetSol was a great registrar.

 

[Rob Monster]

Nest egg? Noooo, I've spent pennies Rob. Your right in one sense, I regged some rubbish but also did some homework too. I have a few that will cover all my costs in one go. I was forward thinking in a few of them and the time isn't here yet. Patience and I'll prove it

I was just wondering if a decent free how-to course would have helped at the outset. And glad to hear you did not bet the bungalow. I figured a guy in Laguna would know better though we never know in OC.

 

[Rob Monster]

I read the guide and the problem is its very generalized and slanted to his style of investing. He pretty much disregards “brandables” when many people starting out run to brandables. While I agree no one can tell you everything and you learn by doing a guide for beginners should contain more rudimentary things not pages and pages about typos and monetization.

The rudimentary things I am talking about is language,word positioning, how to know if the words go together (make sense) etc. A list of all the resources for obtaining a name besides hand reg. A list of places to sell your name, a brief discussion on outbound versus inbound etc.

I almost stopped reading when he said NetSol was a great registrar.

Some of that material is dated, and Sean knows it. I think we'll have to redact that. We need more editors, which is why I decided it was a good idea to crowdsource the content before the translators get busy.

 

[Laguna]

I was just wondering if a decent free how-to course would have helped at the outset. And glad to hear you did not bet the bungalow. I figured a guy in Laguna would know better though we never know in OC.

What is OC Rob ?

 

[Rob Monster]

What is OC Rob ?

Aha was talking about Orange County. Pelican Hill is a go-to for us when wife needs a sunbreak and lunch on the deck at Nick's in Laguna.

 

[Laguna]

Aha was talking about Orange County. Pelican Hill is a go-to for us when wife needs a sunbreak and lunch on the deck at Nick's in Laguna.

Aha ok cool.
I live in London, England but I took the name Laguna from my favourite racing circuit Laguna seca

 

[Rob Monster]

Aha ok cool.
I live in London, England but I took the name Laguna from my favourite racing circuit Laguna seca

Threw me for a loop there - I bet I am not the only one. Laguna is iconic in America, ICYMI.

 

[Laguna]

Threw me for a loop there - I bet I am not the only one. Laguna is iconic in America, ICYMI.[/QUOTE.
Wonder if there are any domainers in Laguna then because I have a domain that might me useful to them. I won't say what it is in this thread because it's obviously they wrong thread to put to a domain name but it's not on any platforms at the moment. Can I pm you the name ?

 

[Laguna]

Wonder if there are any domainers in Laguna then because I have a domain that might be useful to them. I won't say what it is in this thread because it's obviously the wrong thread to put to a domain name but it's not on any platforms at the moment. Can I pm you the name ?

 

[Rob Monster]

Here is that cover, by the way. Document is still draft so keep those edits coming. Thanks!

 

[Ategy]

Who is your "target audience" for the book?

Would a course have helped you at the beginning versus blowing your nest-egg on stuff that nobody wants?

I'm not sure I would have found such a book to be honest (although I'm sure there are some who would). I bought my first domain 20 years ago to start what would be a huge DJ online community .. then over the years I grabbed a few more domains here and there. Even after FB effectively killed most online communities, I still kept the domains and grabbed some here and there for "future development". So I actually had a lot of domains before I started "domaining". I think that's the story of a lot of domainers. Probably the more successful ones as well, as they could understand the perspective of the end user.

Some of that material is dated, and Sean knows it. I think we'll have to redact that. We need more editors, which is why I decided it was a good idea to crowdsource the content before the translators get busy.

That's why I was saying I think a week is rather (/extremely) optimistic.

I think a ground up would probably be the better choice .. but as a few of us have pointed out .. our fear is that even if it's significantly better, someone is going to finish reading the book and think they're be able to be successful domainers. But domaining is so much more than the technical aspects. There's phonetics, language, wordplay, business niche knowledge, cultural references, and several other elements .. combined with needing a good base in marketing and an excellent command of English. Obviously those sort of things could be part of a course .. but again .. we're talking a completely different book.

I'm certainly not saying it's not possible for someone to come in and succeed .. and a book most certainly could help .. but domaining just isn't for everyone.

How many people who started 6 to 18 months ago actually made a profit .. or are even still here? Of those how many even have a domain that will ever sell?

Now honestly ask if that book would have changed the results in any significant way? Help a few definitely, yes .. help some lose less (but still lose), yes .. but you're still looking at a very low success rate, particular with the current content.

All that said .. if someone is going to start domaining anyways, then extra information certainly can only help. The real question is .. will they find it? And will it be enough? Or will they think it's enough and actually overspend thinking that they know enough just because they "finished the book"?

More importantly, the final question is .. are you ok with there being a book that while helping people, still will have a significant failure rate?

There is no wrong answer there .. even DNAcademy likely has a far from 100% success rate. It is far and away the best course .. but the rest are really really low, so the bar is very low. The bonus there is that @Michael Cyger and now his assistant (Aline) are also there for follow up and to help answer critical questions in crucial first few months people start up after the course. So it's far more than a static book ... it's a course with some great coaching.


I think one reason some of us are having difficulties with this, is understanding your global vision for it? Is it a static book people read and that's it? Is it a course with a teacher(s) to really enhance what's in the pages? Who are you targeting as readers/students? And why?

I think for a lot of domainers, the ultimate goal is not more domainers to share the current pie .. but in finding and educating end users to grow the pie. Offer branding basics to business owners and start-up entrepreneurs .. help them understand how spending $3000 on a great domain is actually a better investment than a $10 handreg. If we figure out how to get that message out there in force, then that's how we all make real money (check your email btw .. lol)!

 

[Lox]

If you are in the early stages of falling in love with registering and selling domain names, and you feel a little crazy bull, don't worry: You kind of are. You are under the influence of dopamine ... in the PAST reported $1 million sale that are making you feel strong, smart and full of hope. Keep learning, keep going! You’ll make it ... step by step ...

Buy for $1, sell for $10
Buy for $10, sell for $100
Buy for $100, sell for $200 (What? Why?)
Buy for $200, sell for $400
Etc

Do not eat your profits.... no bling bling...reinvest. Avoid crossroads... they’ll make you confused. Before registering or buying domain name ... Study about the Industries, niches, specific business culture...

Study daily dropped domains, the history of domain (How many times was dropped or developed, sold or not, too futuristic or too boxed...

at the end

Rock solid, business able, ONE word domain name is your; golden egg
sit on it and wait ... it can take decade before someone recognizes t value.

 

[Brands.International]

You all know the famous proverb from Lao Tzu:

Show attachment 134962

I think it also applies to domaining.

I believe in teaching people to become sovereign, so they can provide for themselves, provide for their families, provide for their communities and also have time to contemplate the meaning of life.

So with this in mind, I have sponsored a number of initiatives, which I will not name here because that would be promotional and the mods don't like that.

However, I do want to share something and invite input to it. About 6 weeks ago, Epik acquired 2 brands that had training products associated with them: DomainFlippa and Domain Graduate.

The Founder of Domain Graduate, Sean Stafford, and I have a shared passion for teaching people how to become successful domainers. This project fits my personal interest and calling: (digital) empowerment.

In the past, Domain Graduate and Domain Flippa were both paid courses. The existence of a fee implicitly meant that most people would never participate since there was a large toll at the entrance.

When Epik acquired these brands, it was with the specific goal of making the pie bigger. We want to help teach a lot more people to be good at domaining by tapping the wisdom of those who mastered it.

With this mind, I am sharing a living draft, of what is to become Domain Graduate 2.0. It is the collective wisdom of some professional domainers. You can download a copy here:

https://my.armored.net/index.php/s/dG7MkwJAp9H3L43

This document will continue to be iterated, so if you see issues or opportunities to improve, we'll use this thread to invite discussion about how to empower more people to become effective domainers.

As for the draft document, here is my ask:

- If you have time, review it and send any editorial feedback to @DomainGraduate.

- Comment publicly if you like to discuss or share some technique that you think belongs in the course.

- Feel free to invite non-NP members to visit this page to retrieve the draft course.

We will add an acknowledgement section collating the input and refrencing the attributed contributions. That section might get large, and that is fine!

In about one week, we'll have a final version and we'll publish it with a beautiful cover, and put it online at a new and improved DomainGraduate.com so anyone can download it.

After that, we plan to recruit translators to localize the document and where appropriate add local resource tips. Different countries will have different versions to reflect language, ccTLD, local laws and local customs.

Finally, for anyone who wants to contribute to the cause, domain name donations are welcome to the eRise Foundation, for which a latest update is described here.

So, that's it. Tell us what you think.

On behalf of the Domain Graduate Team:

Rob Monster, @Abdullah Abdullah, and Sean Stafford

Thanks for your invitation to tell you what I think. Well, I do not know if I read that 100% correctly, but it seems to me that:

1. You invited Namepros users to work for free (spending their time and intelect) on your own Domain Graduate 2.0 project - which will be for free as you informed (but if you maybe decide later to ask for small fee, certainly it will be great as well). So basically we should be working on your class/book for free, giving our knowledge/time/energy/focus/attention to build an asset, which belongs exclusively to you. Why so?

2. You have provided links to 2 of you projects, DomainFlippa and Domain Graduate, which is clearly promotional - why you have not started that in Promotional section, where it does belong?

3. "When .... acquired these brands, it was with the specific goal of making the pie bigger."

I have already heard about that infamous PIE at least 100x here - If I might ask, whose PIE is this? Your PIE will be surely bigger (you are an CEO of registrar), but PIE for the rest of us (domain investors) will be definitely smaller. There is a specific number of end users at any certain time, and when you increase the number of domain investors, the PIE will not get bigger, it will get smaller for all of us here (domain investors), except you (the registrar). THE SMALLER PIE. So let's call it exactly as it is. Once again : smaller, not bigger. Or bigger for you, but smaller for us. So why we should help you increase numbers of our competitors (in addition to build your company asset for free)?

4. I personally think every domain investor should really mind his own domain portfolio.
99% of the guys here are loosing money, and they do not have money. I think it is mainly because they do not take care about their own business, but largely discussing "personalities" of domain industry. This is one of many recent threads, where it seems that we should be helping to build your company (and we should do it for free, because it is for greater good).

For those who think I am bit harsh here, you need to understand: next time when you will have to pay your medical bill or your rental, it will be YOU who will need to pay that bill. It wil not be ..., and it will not be "domain industry". It will be YOU . So YOU need to get money for your time/energy/focus/attention/contribution - not some promises of better future for everyone, but actual money, so you can provide for yourself and your families.

And if actual money are not there, you need to re-focus your attention back to what matters, which is your business (or you will stay poor, or bootstrapping, forever). This is particularly valid for those who are younger, inexperienced, and from emerging countries - focus your attention where it is really needed - to your own portfolio, and to your own sales. And then, AFTER you have enought money and you are already bored and do not know what to do with your free time, you can then help for free to build/improve a wealthy private western company (or "domain community", or whatever will be trending at that time).

But for now, please focus your attention to your own matters.

Thank you for understanding

 

[Rob Monster]

Thanks for your invitation to tell you what I think. Well, I do not know if I read that 100% correctly, but it seems to me that:

1. You invited Namepros users to work for free (spending their time and intelect) on your own Domain Graduate 2.0 project - which will be for free as you informed (but if you maybe decide later to ask for small fee, certainly it will be great as well). So basically we should be working on your class/book for free, giving our knowledge/time/energy/focus/attention to build an asset, which belongs exclusively to you. Why so?

2. You have provided links to 2 of you projects, DomainFlippa and Domain Graduate, which is clearly promotional - why you have not started that in Promotional section, where it does belong?

3. "When .... acquired these brands, it was with the specific goal of making the pie bigger."

I have already heard about that infamous PIE at least 100x here - If I might ask, whose PIE is this? Your PIE will be surely bigger (you are an CEO of registrar), but PIE for the rest of us (domain investors) will be definitely smaller. There is a specific number of end users at any certain time, and when you increase the number of domain investors, the PIE will not get bigger, it will get smaller for all of us here (domain investors), except you (the registrar). THE SMALLER PIE. So let's call it exactly as it is. Once again : smaller, not bigger. Or bigger for you, but smaller for us. So why we should help you increase numbers of our competitors (in addition to build your company asset for free)?

4. I personally think every domain investor should really mind his own domain portfolio.
99% of the guys here are loosing money, and they do not have money. I think it is mainly because they do not take care about their own business, but largely discussing "personalities" of domain industry. This is one of many recent threads, where it seems that we should be helping to build your company (and we should do it for free, because it is for greater good).

For those who think I am bit harsh here, you need to understand: next time when you will have to pay your medical bill or your rental, it will be YOU who will need to pay that bill. It wil not be ..., and it will not be "domain industry". It will be YOU . So YOU need to get money for your time/energy/focus/attention/contribution - not some promises of better future for everyone, but actual money, so you can provide for yourself and your families.

And if actual money are not there, you need to re-focus your attention back to what matters, which is your business (or you will stay poor, or bootstrapping, forever). This is particularly valid for those who are younger, inexperienced, and from emerging countries - focus your attention where it is really needed - to your own portfolio, and to your own sales. And then, AFTER you have enought money and you are already bored and do not know what to do with your free time, you can then help for free to build/improve a wealthy private western company (or "domain community", or whatever will be trending at that time).

But for now, please focus your attention to your own matters.

Thank you for understanding

More scarcity thinking. Pity.

Old school domainer with small pie mindset -- every man for himself. Lame.,

I hoped for better from you.

 

[garptrader]

While I still believe domains have great branding / marketing potential for promoting products and services, there are greener pastures than domain investing. On a regular basis I review payments to various vendors. So I see legal invoices, software license renewals, marketing invoices for video production, ads in industry publications, bills from Google adwords, invoices from agencies for permanent placement or IT contractors with specialized skills, all kinds of business travel including expenses for private planes, and on occasion have had access to compensation data including executives.. However, I am yet to see a payment made for an aftermarket domain. In the industry we see reports of the 1% portfolio turn but aftermarket sales are relatively rare. It is probably more valuable to teach programming, online marketing or design skills where there is much greater demand for those services than introducing newbies to an industry with hyper competition for inventory but tepid demand.

 

[Rob Monster]

Who is your "target audience" for the book?




I'm not sure I would have found such a book to be honest (although I'm sure there are some who would). I bought my first domain 20 years ago to start what would be a huge DJ online community .. then over the years I grabbed a few more domains here and there. Even after FB effectively killed most online communities, I still kept the domains and grabbed some here and there for "future development". So I actually had a lot of domains before I started "domaining". I think that's the story of a lot of domainers. Probably the more successful ones as well, as they could understand the perspective of the end user.




That's why I was saying I think a week is rather (/extremely) optimistic.

I think a ground up would probably be the better choice .. but as a few of us have pointed out .. our fear is that even if it's significantly better, someone is going to finish reading the book and think they're be able to be successful domainers. But domaining is so much more than the technical aspects. There's phonetics, language, wordplay, business niche knowledge, cultural references, and several other elements .. combined with needing a good base in marketing and an excellent command of English. Obviously those sort of things could be part of a course .. but again .. we're talking a completely different book.

I'm certainly not saying it's not possible for someone to come in and succeed .. and a book most certainly could help .. but domaining just isn't for everyone.

How many people who started 6 to 18 months ago actually made a profit .. or are even still here? Of those how many even have a domain that will ever sell?

Now honestly ask if that book would have changed the results in any significant way? Help a few definitely, yes .. help some lose less (but still lose), yes .. but you're still looking at a very low success rate, particular with the current content.

All that said .. if someone is going to start domaining anyways, then extra information certainly can only help. The real question is .. will they find it? And will it be enough? Or will they think it's enough and actually overspend thinking that they know enough just because they "finished the book"?

More importantly, the final question is .. are you ok with there being a book that while helping people, still will have a significant failure rate?

There is no wrong answer there .. even DNAcademy likely has a far from 100% success rate. It is far and away the best course .. but the rest are really really low, so the bar is very low. The bonus there is that @Michael Cyger and now his assistant (Aline) are also there for follow up and to help answer critical questions in crucial first few months people start up after the course. So it's far more than a static book ... it's a course with some great coaching.


I think one reason some of us are having difficulties with this, is understanding your global vision for it? Is it a static book people read and that's it? Is it a course with a teacher(s) to really enhance what's in the pages? Who are you targeting as readers/students? And why?

I think for a lot of domainers, the ultimate goal is not more domainers to share the current pie .. but in finding and educating end users to grow the pie. Offer branding basics to business owners and start-up entrepreneurs .. help them understand how spending $3000 on a great domain is actually a better investment than a $10 handreg. If we figure out how to get that message out there in force, then that's how we all make real money (check your email btw .. lol)!

I am envisioning a living document. If it takes longer than a week to collect the V1 input, so be it, but if the feedback stops flowing, then the coalition of the willing puts a bow around it and the translators start.

As for the IP, I actually don't care who owns it. I think Sean put the copyright in there, mainly because it is still draft. After all, the King James version of the Bible is copyright free but it still has a definitive text.

As for desired outcome, I would like to get to a place where some industry elders put their heads together to teach the young folks what works so that we can see more focus shoot the moon.

There is no hidden agenda here beyond empowering folks to not fail quite as quickly or as often, but instead to have some folks do well and lift up others. I am not sure why some folks struggle with this concept.

 

[bmugford]

There is no hidden agenda here beyond empowering folks to not fail quite as quickly or as often, but instead to have some folks do well and lift up others. I am not sure why some folks struggle with this concept.

The document has the term "Epik" 32 times in it. Just saying.
Almost every section mentions it at least once.

Brad

 

[Rob Monster]

The document has the term "Epik" 32 times in it. Just saying.
Almost every section mentions it at least once.

Brad

Sure, we'll teach people to fish with high quality fishing poles so we can give stuff away for free. There is an economic model here. Crazy, right? Other merchants with good solutions are welcome to co-sponsor this effort but the teaching materials should remain free.

 

[bmugford]

Sure, we'll teach people to fish with high quality fishing poles so we can give stuff away for free. There is an economic model here. Crazy, right?

I think the issue people have is you are trying to act like some altruistic force, while at the same time doing obvious self promotion. People are not stupid.

Brad

 

[Rob Monster]

I think the issue people have is you are trying to act like some altruistic force, while at the same time doing obvious self promotion. People are not stupid.

Brad

Actually, not everyone is quite that cynical. It seems crazy in this day and age that capitalists are not just selfish pricks but indeed this happens. I call it enlightened capitalism. I am refining the model but it is actually possible to do well by doing good, and to do good while doing well by co-creating abundance. Feel free to not participate but if you like the idea of teaching people to fish, then fish. However, scarcity minded people will never point out their fishing holes because they think that the God of the universe who made the fish in the first place, can't show you a better fishing hole. I do understand the mindset. It must be suffocating.