Domain Dojo - Brand Selection Poll

[Rob Monster]

Last weekend, I introduced the idea of a "Domain Dojo" or a Domainer-friendly co-working space. Since then we received a number of domain submissions for possible use as brand names for this innovative concept that is currently in the planning stage as part of a larger expansion plan that centers on co-creation.

The basic premise here is that full-time domainers can live almost anywhere. The inherent nature of the industry is that in many ways it can be highly liberating in terms of work location. And yet most domainers are probably living in the same city or town they were living in before they became a domain investor.

In the meantime, there are places in the world where Digital Nomads have become highly productive. You can find entire directories but here is a typical Dojo in a beach community in Indonesia:

There are a growing number of so-called Dojos, that combine community, lodging, dining, and co-working, often strategically placed near beaches and typically with low operating costs.

There are a staggering number of beautiful places in the world with great Internet service, so why be tied down if you don't need to be. I am personally quite fond of Las Palmas in Gran Canarias, in North Africa, a popular destination for Digital Nomads. Others are fond of places like Ubud, Seychelles, Mauritius, Gozo, etc.

For those of us who regularly attend domain conferences like NamesCon, there is clearly a vibrant domain community. However, this is just once per year. So the thinking of this project is to establish a network of Dojos, where domainers can meet, cooperate, learn from each other, and co-create abundance.

As I know a growing number of people in the industry, and know their respective strengths and capabilities, I see opportunities every day to connect dots and help make things happen that might otherwise not happen. Given the right environment, we could all be doing a lot more of that, online and offline. That's the idea.

With that as context, please help select a domain that would fit the Domainer Dojo Lifestyle!

 

[Arfy]

I like DomVoyage.com (think Bon Voyage)

 

[urlurl]

not a fan of 'dojo' names - kind of old school and reminds me of a Karate studio

'Hub' is the modern term used now, surprised I didn't see any hub names

 

[Samer]

not a fan of 'dojo' names - kind of old school and reminds me of a Karate studio

'Hub' is the modern term used now, surprised I didn't see any hub names

Sounds like talk about latest “buzz words”

Agree “dojo” sounds more “karate” than ‘hub’ and hub does sounds more digital electronic

Both work, but I see, where ur coming from

Samer

 

[Ategy]

I like DomVoyage.com (think Bon Voyage)

The problem with "Dom" domains is the association with Domination/Dominatrix and BDSM .. not that there's anything wrong with that .. lol .. again .. just potentially missing parts of the target market while adding a bit of (funny) confusion.

TopLevelDojo(s)
Domainers get the reference and you can't go wrong with toplevel in your brand when catering to outsiders available in King as well. Done.

Again .. only if you're targeting exclusively domainers. Then it's actually not a bad choice more on generic brand value .. but if the scope is beyond just domainers, then not so much (although again, it's still a decent name that could be used that has generic brand appeal (ie: nothing to do with domains) .. unlike DN+ domains that are just confusing IMO

 

[bmugford]

Dojo = Martial arts to me, and I am sure many others.

I don't really like that in branding personally.

Collab.org is the best domain on the list, though I am not sure this is the best use for it.

Brad

 

[Blitzpotz]

It is surprising that they were looking for a .com, people invested time to build their .com submission lists and an .org seems to win.

Collab.org is the best domain in the field but is it the best for the purpose? This name may be confusing in practice as the .com and the .net are in use with IT content.

I voted for DNcollab.com, I like the DN prefix which already stands for a few other Epik projects. If I were Rob I would buy both names. The DN....com for active use and the .org as an investment, perhaps to be activated later or to be sold with a nice profit.

Note: I do not know the registrants of both domains.

 

[oldtimer]

Again .. only if you're targeting exclusively domainers.

I believe that Dojo by definition is exclusive to a certain group (in this case domainers), I understand what you are getting at as far as getting the End Users involved in the Dojo, but it won't be a Dojo anymore, you have to call it something else. For example if people in the automotive design and manufacturing Industry are going to have a Dojo do you think that they are going to invite all the people who want to buy cars.

Also think about the logistics of it, what if a thousand End Users showed up to the Dojo, it won't be a Dojo anymore. Although it would be great if you could get a thousand End Users who want to buy domains in one place with domainers, but you have to call it something else.

IMO

 

[karmaco]

The original post talked about a lifestyle brand that should be aspirational. So there was confusion about what exactly was wanted. I have no problems with Dojo or DN names but the request should include desired keywords or if a made up name was more wanted. That said other words convey a moving workplace just as well as dojo and are more understandable like nomad, nomadic,roam,rove, wander,etc.

 

[Ategy]

@oldtimer .. Sure .. who cares what it's called exactly .. obviously you want a good name ... but then call it something else .. the most important thing in my mind (not sure if you read my previous posts that are very relevant) is using these locations to "help grow the pie" so to speak.

You're going to have these locations anyways .. why limit their functionality when with a simple change of branding you could actually stimulate and grow END USER DEMAND.

All that said .. the term Dojo is very open in it's interpretation these days .. there really is no reason it couldn't be used here, although again .. nitpicking on the specific name rather than trying to shift the and grow the global vision, to actually grow the pie is what I'm trying to avoid here. Just use the best name that makes sense in welcoming EVERYONE .. yes current domainers .. but also including newcomers curious about domains .. and especially start-up entrepreneurs and end users looking for help in branding and acquiring/understanding domains. Even if it's just one or two a day ... that's straight up end-user cash that's being turned away .. and more importantly .. that person might end up just grabbing a crappy handreg as opposed to investing $x,xxx if that had been helped/advised/taught about the value a great domain can bring.

In most cases a $x,xxx domain will save a business significant money compared to buying a handreg within a matter of weeks or months. It instils confidence in potential buyers, it makes getting better employees easier, it saves them marketing money as click-through rates can increase significantly with the right domain .. etc etc etc +++ .. the list goes on ...

The problem with the above paragraph ,is that while it's 100% true .. a lot of people new to domains and branding simply don't know that because they never thought about it. They are not hard concepts to understand either and easily convincible .. it's just that it actually takes somebody to convince them .. hence why I see an opportunity here.

 

[Rahul Sinha]

Just for Everyone Info , Collab has an active trademark .

 

[bmugford]

Just for Everyone Info , Collab has an active trademark .

There are many trademarks for popular terms.

At the end of the day collab is a generic term, with a generic use.

Any trademark would have to be an obvious secondary meaning to have any chance of being enforceable.

Brad

 

[Rahul Sinha]

Just for Everyone Info , Collab has an active trademark .

Serial Number Reg. Number Word Mark Check Status Live/Dead
1 88285474 SNEAKER COLLABS TSDR DEAD
2 88620245 BASEBALL COLLAB TSDR LIVE
3 88620242 BASEBALL COLLAB TSDR LIVE
4 88620235 BASEBALL COLLAB TSDR LIVE
5 88607191 COLLAB TSDR LIVE

 

[oldtimer]

it's just that it actually takes somebody to convince them .. hence why I see an opportunity here.

I had added another paragraph to my post above which is about the logistics of getting the End Users involved in Domainer's Dojo, so your ideas make sense, but it's a whole different ball game, perhaps you can start a new thread and let people come up with suggestions as far as how to get Domainers and End Users in one place.

IMO

 

[Rahul Sinha]

There are many trademarks for popular terms.

At the end of the day collab is a generic term, with a generic use.

Any trademark would have to be an obvious secondary meaning to have any chance of being enforceable.

Brad

Lol active .com and .net in tech niche with active trademarks and you would not like to play any trademark thing into your brand .

Just My opinion .

 

[Ategy]

@Rahul Sinha .. almost every word and abbreviated word is going to have a trademark .. the question is if the trademark is actually relevant ... in this case I highly doubt it. I'd actually be more concerned with checking for Co-Lab or Co-Labs (with or without the hyphens).

Remember that marks need to be infringing on far more than just the term/mark .. it also needs to impede on the specific trademark classes and territories. One of the ones you linked is a business involved with Cannabis .. so exactly zero relevance.

 

[bmugford]

Lol active .com and .net in tech niche with active trademarks and you would not like to play any trademark thing into your brand .

Just My opinion .

That is fine.

I personally would have absolutely no concern with using that domain.
"Collab" is a widely used term in language and domains with a clear generic meaning.

Brad

 

[Rahul Sinha]

@Rahul Sinha .. almost every word and abbreviated word is going to have a trademark .. the question is if the trademark is actually relevant ... in this case I highly doubt it. I'd actually be more concerned with checking for Co-Lab or Co-Labs (with or without the hyphens).

Remember that marks need to be infringing on far more than just the term/mark .. it also needs to impede on the specific trademark classes and territories. One of the ones you linked is a business involved with Cannabis .. so exactly zero relevance.

May be but why to go for trademarked names .

Anyways it's Rob's wish to decide what name he likes more, else everything is irrelevant .


Thanks

 

[oldtimer]

That is fine.

I personally would have absolutely no concern with using that domain.
"Collab" is a widely used term in language and domains with a clear generic meaning.

Brad

You are right about this keyword being a good choice, but only if it was a .com

IMO

 

[sharastar]

I Loved Domunity.com and Collab.org and so voted it.

Love the name as it is clear with the meaning for Domain Community and also Domain Unity (Team of Domainers).

If you want to expand to other areas other than Domaining then collab.org would be good but still collab.com would even be great.

 

[Ategy]

Also think about the logistics of it, what if a thousand End Users showed up to the Dojo, it won't be a Dojo anymore. Although it would be great if you could get a thousand End Users who want to buy domains in one place with domainers, but you have to call it something else.

I had added another paragraph to my post above which is about the logistics of getting the End Users involved in Domainer's Dojo, so your ideas make sense, but it's a whole different ball game, perhaps you can start a new thread and let people come up with suggestions as far as how to get Domainers and End Users in one place.

WOAH !!! lol .. In what world are there thousands of potential new end-users coming out of the woodworks looking for help? I want to be on that planet!

No .. first of all .. these locations are likely going to start very small .. so having them open to people looking for help would actually make them more viable to begin with.

My thoughts were more along the lines that there's be a small handful of domainers there each day and hopefully more than one or two people (end-user) walking in a day asking for advice or help or suggestions!

In fact .. the demand will likely be so small at the start that most of these location will likely be virtual in that they be part of existing similar co-work locations, as I'm not sure how viable it would be to simply build new ones all over when growth will likely be slow and progressive over time .. remember that only about 1,000 domainer made the trip to Vegas each year for the biggest event in the industry. The domain industry doesn't have enough people to justify tons of huge locations.

I like the thought of having them in touristy enough places good for "travelling domainers" to lodge long term, as well as being accessible in the day to the local people involved in Rob's/Epik's growing domainer empowerment ecosystem.

But one end user a day buying a $1000 domain divided by let's say 5 domainers = $200 .. A DAY per domainer = $73,000 per domainer per year per location! PLUS It also equals more liquidity for all domainers and the industry as a whole. In time that could and would potentially be significantly more.

The scale I see this at really doesn't involve making any logistical changes in any way ... the domainers in question will likely be lodging there .. there will be communal areas, maybe a cafe .. that's where I see people coming in and looking for advice.

Heck .. at the start there likely won't even be any end-users walking in for a while.

But all I'm saying is that simply by choosing a name/domain that is inclusive and understandable to potential end users, then at least there's a significantly increased chance they will come ... more importantly .. the only cost is maybe starting a new thread/contest with a clearer focus, more refined requested attributes, or adding some relevant names to the above list. No bulldozers or engineers necessary!

 

[Ategy]

Lol active .com and .net in tech niche with active trademarks and you would not like to play any trademark thing into your brand .

Ironically this brand (and upcoming trademark) will have little to do with "Technology" ... it will instead likely be within whatever trademark classes hotels, restaurants and events are in. Effectively the Dojos will be selling rooms, coffee, events .. the Dojos won't be selling technology products .. so no real issues if those other marks are strictly related to tech (and cannabis .. lol)

 

[oldtimer]

Heck .. at the start there likely won't even be any end-users walking in for a while.

I don't think that End Users are going to be local that much unless you are planning to make a location in each city, or if you could make a little stand in Wall Street so that people can stop by and ask for advice as they walk by ( too bad I am not in New York City ). But for End Users to fly in from all over the World to come to these locations they are going to expect to see much more professional expertise made available to them than having a chat with couple of domainers.

Also once you implement this idea how are you going to limit it to just couple of End Users per day. Your ideas are good, but you have to think in much larger scale specially if you are going to cater to big businesses or startups.

IMO

 

[Ategy]

@oldtimer .. you're completely missing the point .. these locations are already going to be there .. with domainers ... domainers that have information that could be useful and helpful to end users ... all you need is a relevant name and inviting sign above the door and in the window and yes .. some locals might come in .. some vacationing entrepreneurs.

What you're talking about in setting up locations to service thousands of potential end users really is something completely different .. it's called Brandbuckets and NameSquat!

Let me be clear .. sure there can be other ventures to try to grow end user demand/pricing/awareness ... but these places are already going to be there ... in order to better attract potential end users .. even if it's just ONE a week .. all that's needed is a different and more all-encompassing brand. No need to build new buildings .. no need to buy extra chairs or tables or anything ... I'm saying .. you're already building something .. instead of only making it inviting to a small set of people (domainers)... make it instead inviting to those same people (domainers) AND a different complimentary set of people that could not just help both sides, but also help justify the location itself and make it more attractive to both sets of people.

And again .. sure .. go for the larger scale .. but don't toss aside smaller opportunities because you only want to focus on the big .. the small one is sitting there .. all you need is a different type of name!

 

[Josh R]

Lol active .com and .net in tech niche with active trademarks and you would not like to play any trademark thing into your brand .

Just My opinion .

With all due respect. You have no clue what you're talking about.

By your logic you literally wouldn't be able to own a valuable domain.

 

[oldtimer]

you're completely missing the point .. these locations are already going to be there .. with domainers ... domainers that have information that could be useful and helpful to end users ...

But the point is that you can't mix End Users with Domainer's Dojo , because then it won't be Domainer's Dojo anymore. As much as everyone here might like to bring End Users and Domainers together somehow, but Dojo is not the right venue for it, because if you get others involved in Dojo then it will lose its Mojo.

(although this is just my opinion, others might think differently).