.tv Announcment: The 2007 .TV PrimeTime Auction!!!

[smashfactory]

well folks- we are ready to start rolling ou the PrimeTime Auction!

the website is here:
http://www.auctionsite.tv

the auction dates are: 8/6 - 8/10

there will be a live chat auction each day so we are not trying to sell off 300 names in one sitting-

depending on the amount of names submitted, we will have a silent auction going on in the backround all week- this is if there is an enormous amount of names-

what names will go in the live auction? well, there is a small committee who will go over all the names and have to make that decision. and it will be based on some simple guidlines. but if there is just enough names for 5 days of live auction, there will be no silent auction-

how much will this cost? there will be an entry fee- there will NOT be a percent taken from sales the entry fee will cover several things- it is not free to do one of these things- there is hosting, advertising, etc.. the business associated with running the site- that is what your fee goes to. if you do get a sale, it is all yours the entry fee is $10.00 per 10 domains.
to keep things easy is is just done in those blocks- so 10 domains would be 10.00- 14 domains would be 20.00. 19 domains would be 20.00, 26 domains would be 30.00- get it?

will i sell my domains? well, if i could predict that, i would be pretty dang rich. we are going to do everything we can to get the word out about the auction- and, since this is such a tigh-knit group, i am really hoping those involved will also help in promoting the auction- is there a chance no one will come? yes- there is. is there a chance this will be successful? yes- there is


if you have any questions please post them in this thread and they will be answered in the thread-

now, some reality talk... this is an auction. even tho people may come knowing the prices "can" shoot thru the roof, if the place is filled with high dollar reserves for medium quality names, you might not pull the bids- i just want you to keep that in mind- at auction you only put in names with a reserve set at the absolute lowset you will take- and be happy with that if it sells for that- but if you submit something like ILoveJersy.tv with a $1000 reserve, well we may not even put that live.
i am NOT saying go low, I am just saying that is how an auction goes- so keep this in mind when choosing your domains and you reserves- i am going to do a mix- some excellent, and some good, with the good names having very low reserves, to get people bidding on my names-

now, i have to get dinner on for the kids- i will be back tonight with more details- so start goin thru your portfolios!

 

[TheBulldog]

What are the guidelines for the committee?

Will I have to pay only to find out that the committee feels my names are not up to their standards?

 

[poiuytrewq]

And how do we submit names for this?

 

[TheBulldog]

Also, is this a for-profit venture for the runners of this, or will the books be open?

 

[equity78]

This is not a public service, No books will be open. AuctionSite.tv is owned by Dottie and Myself.

If 200 people enter domains then the entry fees would be $2000, which will go to hosting and advertising and time for running the auctions

You will not be charged a fee if your domains were not included in the auction.

The goal of this auction was to bring end users to the table so the committee will use guidelines to include names where first off there are actual end users.
Like the example Dottie used I love Jersey.tv or a made up never heard of word
would not be a domain included in the live auction format.

 

[TheBulldog]

Ok, that is fine.

So we can submit as many names as we like and you will decide which will be included and let us know the cost?

 

[Nattydomain]

Sounds like it could be good...If your goin for end users I HOPE the money really gets to that crowd...thats the crowd that WE as domainers want to buy our names (since for the most part they wont go for wholesale prices)

 

[equity78]

Showbiz if you submit 10 and all 10 are taken then its $10 if 3 are taken its $10 nothing more than $10. Unless someone submitting 50 domains and all 50 taken.

No money paid until the auction list is approved so no one has to worry about refunds or being charged for something they did not get in the auction.

 

[smashfactory]

there is alot of truly wonderful threads happening on this board- learning and development agendas- real awesome stuff!
but, not everyone is going to develop all their names- i know i cant, even if i wanted too-

so my whole desire behind this- is to get to those end users.. like many of you, i am just too busy to waste precious time on a project like this if my whole heart was not into doing everything i could to make this work. i am here, 100%- because i have bought very few of other tlds- because i feel in my heart .tv is going to explode- its what people want, they just dont know it yet.

anyone at all who wants to jump on the bandwagon with me in promoting this just pm me- we can make a little team and divide and conquer-

our goal is to include as many names as possible!

you can submit your names with your reserves to
> sales at smashfactory dot com

the names will be gathered and we will get together to start going thru them-






pssssssssst....
i'm excited

 

[Steven]

I'm very excited to hear about this auction.

Count me in!

 

[Nattydomain]

How soon do you want the names (so you dont get overloaded) and when is the cutoff date to submit them?

How do you want them sent..etc etc etc

 

[smashfactory]

good question natty- it would be good like this:

Domain Name
Exp. date / registrar / reserve

start submiting asap- i want to use some of the names committed to the auction in the advertising


also- i forgot to mention!
in keeping with the spirit of keeping this simple- this auction is simply bringing buyers and sellers together- we are not an escrow company! usually the fastest deals are done with no middle man - so when you do have a sale, you and the buyer will complete the deal between you-

 

[Len]

Count me in. I will fire some domains off to you.

 

[Nattydomain]

Allright smash...Will email you all my domains and keep my fingers crossed!

 

[Sameh]

Good idea .. i'm in
Actually more ideas ( any direct marketing ) like this will help .TV market to gain momentum.

 

[MillersCrossing]

Where are these end users going to come from? Are you advertising anywhere or will it be by word of mouth hoping to attract end users?

 

[softlight]

Hello All,

This auction should be an interesting test for the current climate of TV domains.

Other than the legitimate concern regarding premium renewal pricing, I truly think many people are failing to see the power in .TV branding. I am convinced that TV is a sleeping giant that will catch many domainers by surpise in the next couple of years.

Unless you run a not for profit organization (.org), my preference for domains would be .com, .net and then .tv (short and easy to remember).

In 2000, the marketplace was not ready for this extension. Now, we are at the cusp of media rich content .... with an upswing in video advertising on the horizon.

I simply scratch my head wondering why more people don't understand or can't seem to see the true value in .TV

A good TV domain is similar to a remarkable vintage wine .... it gets better with age.

 

[smashfactory]

Where are these end users going to come from? Are you advertising anywhere or will it be by word of mouth hoping to attract end users?

well, i think we can all agree that there is no such thing as the End-Users Club- they can and will be anyone from anywhere- the formost point of this project was to reach beyond our tv forum- yes, i will be advertising in several domainer newsletters, because at any given time, they are end users or investing further- will i advertise in USA Today? not on $10.00 per 10 domains

they say, if you build it, they will come- now that makes for a nice movie- but i stand before everyone saying i do not know if they will come- i can only do my darndest to make sure people know about it-

Hello All,

This auction should be an interesting test for the current climate of TV domains.

Other than the legitimate concern regarding premium renewal pricing, I truly think many people are failing to see the power in .TV branding. I am convinced that TV is a sleeping giant that will catch many domainers by surpise in the next couple of years.

Unless you run a not for profit organization (.org), my preference for domains would be .com, .net and then .tv (short and easy to remember).

In 2000, the marketplace was not ready for this extension. Now, we are at the cusp of media rich content .... with an upswing in video advertising on the horizon.

I simply scratch my head wondering why more people don't understand or can't seem to see the true value in .TV

A good TV domain is similar to a remarkable vintage wine .... it gets better with age.

i do believe that part of it is the influx of all these tlds floating around - take .name- please! sounded good when they tried to sell us on it- but like many others, just isnt pulling its weight-
I know .tv is different and YOU know .tv is different- it will take a little time for THEM to know too-
that is why the other threads were 100% correct to talk about development- we have to show that .tv is a steady ride, not just a pretty face-

 

[MillersCrossing]

well, i think we can all agree that there is no such thing as the End-Users Club- they can and will be anyone from anywhere- the formost point of this project was to reach beyond our tv forum- yes, i will be advertising in several domainer newsletters, because at any given time, they are end users or investing further- will i advertise in USA Today? not on $10.00 per 10 domains

they say, if you buikd it, they will come- now that makes for a nice movie- but i stand before everyone saying i do not know if they will come- i can only do my darndest to make sure people know about it-

No problem Smash....Just wanted clarification...I am sure it will be an overwhelming success anyway....whether or not the end users show up, at least there will be more re-sellers -hopefully!!

And the more people at the auction, the more chance people's reserve will be met...........

Good luck God Bless!!

 

[DomainBuyerBroker]

Looking forward to getting this off the ground.

 

[BDM1]

Great SF and Equity, If I could get my paypal verified, I would be in.. still working on it.. It is a major pain in the....

I will submit to you the ones I dont want and see if they are are good enough and then maybe I can western union as I did prior..

thanks again... maybe a few of us could put the word around on other forums etc or personally do a 1 line add in a newspaper showcasing the name you are selling? if we all did that, the word would get around quite quickly and the cost would be small. just an idea.

 

[Rogor]

nice job on the auction site design , as was Obsessed.tv
I'll submit a list. Thanks to you both for organizing this.

 

[equity78]

That's fine BDM will certainly allow you to pay $10 however which way is easy will not keep you out of the auction

 

[RPK]

Count me in. A couple of questions and a suggestion.

Where is this live auction being held? Is it Virtual or in association with a Trade Show?

If it is virtual, does that mean it will be a chatroom on NamePros? Can it handle 300 + people?

What is the times of the auctions? days is a long time. How will a buyer know when the name he wants is going up for auction? He has to sit for all 4 days and wait? It is in all of our best interests to make this buyer happy. There should be a way for buyers to submit a bid before the auction starts.

Suggestion for Equity. Perhaps you can make some sort of icon that links to the auction page that we can add to our signatures. I saw someone above mention the idea.

One more question for now

Can we change the starting price up until a certain point?

I mean the market is changing fast and although I may set a reserve for $1000 for Pranks.tv now, by the beginning of August I may feel that is too low and want to change it to $2000.00.

Can we go into our "account" and manually make changes?

 

[equity78]

This will not be held on Namepros, has nothing to do with Namepros and is not affiliated in anyway with Namepros.com or its owners

Nothing to do with a tradeshow, or anything in person just an online auction site.

The reserve will play a part in whether your domain will be selected. FudgePacker.tv with a $5000 reserve most likely will not be accepted.

There is no account to go into, you submit domains, if they are accepted you will pay $10 for every 10. If you get a sale it is between you and the buyer. AuctionSITE has nothing to do with transacting a sale NO ESCROW SERVICE PROVIDED