.tv Anyone thought of doing a Co-Op

[TLDnetworks]

In looking through the many names I'd LOVE to register, I keep seeing my bank account dwindle. I was wondering if anyone has ever done, thought of doing, or IS doing a Co-Operative for Domain purchases?

I'd be interested in talking about ways to take advantage of the current market by pooling resources & money to grab some of these great available names.

The number of "Investors" would need to be limited, and bound by a contract of somesort, and have a set of bylaws. The ability to reduce the costly reg fees, maintain a core group of names, develop, and down the road benefit would be fantastic. Anybody have any input? Ideas? Interest?

 

[Australia]

im interested, but how do we decide on a domain if we have different ideas on value?

 

[TLDnetworks]

im interested, but how do we decide on a domain if we have different ideas on value?

I think that is part of the creation of the group and incorporated into the bylaws. Of course that is the most challenging part of this concept, but I think with the right group, and a common goal, a concensus could be reached on how to go about capturing the names that have the greatest potential of dividends.

 

[DomainSage]

Hi Westblock,

I don't want to put you off the idea, just wanted to add some of my observations from launching similar projects.

The main problem with launching internet based cooperatives is the same problemthat is infiltrating the Kibbutz structure of Israel, I have no doubt you will attract a few people willing to work on the project but a majority will be trying to freeload.

Working together produces the best results but the real problem is how do you isolate people that will just go along for the ride that hope to make money off of other peoples work without putting in anything themselves.

I really hope it does work out for you but just be aware that a lot of people will just be in it for themselves, even if they think at the start it is a great idea.

Basically think of it this way :

' If I can make money from selling domains then I will do it for myself, if i can not then why not join a collective so I don't have to do the work.'

I really don't want to be negative but I do not want you to go into something that ends up with you ( and a few others ) putting all the money and time in whilst the majority just take.

I wish you all the best with the project.

Richard

 

[Australia]

an investment group of 3-12 would be better maybe??

 

[Iravan]

kool Idea! ma just work.. you would need trusted people though...

 

[equity78]

this is a good idea Lance and obviously we would only be looking at those that have been apart of this thread I would consider no outsiders.

You define guidelines that all must agree on a name to go after
Everyone Must put up their share nothing is done on a promise.

Example *****.tv is $5000 we negotiate it for $3000
5 members $600 each no money your not in simple
Legal Documents can be drawn up.

JohnTv
Australia
Badger
Argos
Westblock
AuntyStatic
AMCY
DB

Weigh in please

IMO I would not be interested in anything over 6 people obviously the goal would be to develop premium property with everyone having a role aside from $$$

 

[Argos]

Although the concept in itself is seductive and I do very much appreciate this entrepreneurship spirit, I am not interested at this stage. So far domaining is for me a hobby, yes to be developed, but not a business.

 

[DomainSage]

I agree that a contract can be drawn up so that everyone pays the same, or even issue 100 'shares' then people can buy if for whatever they can afford then when it is sold you divide the profit up according to each persons number of shares.

The main problem, as I see it, is how do you split the profit when everyone puts in different work when developing the domain. For example if one person builds the whole site and another does nothing how do you work out how much to pay each one ? It would also probably be best to allocate a project leader, which creates the question of should they be paid more ?

If you were just buying domains to sell off without developing then it should be fairly straight forward.

Anyway if you do ahead with it I hope you do well, don't forget to let us all know how you get on.

All the best

Richard

 

[namewaiter]

this is a good idea Lance and obviously we would only be looking at those that have been apart of this thread I would consider no outsiders.

You define guidelines that all must agree on a name to go after
Everyone Must put up their share nothing is done on a promise.

Example *****.tv is $5000 we negotiate it for $3000
5 members $600 each no money your not in simple
Legal Documents can be drawn up.

JohnTv
Australia
Badger
Argos
Westblock
AuntyStatic
AMCY
DB

Weigh in please

IMO I would not be interested in anything over 6 people obviously the goal would be to develop premium property with everyone having a role aside from $$$

why would some of the members you targeted have any interest ... they own 'premium' names already, what are you offering to entice them?

i think australia's idea of an investment group is the way to go ... holding multiple domains of value.

 

[Argos]

why would some of the members you targeted have any interest ... they own 'premium' names already.....

NameWaiter, I do not think it is a matter of having or not premium names or demonstration of your portfolio but to make sure that motivation/dedication of the group will be coherent and members able to work hand in hand as a team. As far as I understand the names listed by Equity is to get our respective opinion, it is not a first shot selection but firm believers in the .tv extension. Should you or anyone else be very much interested in this coop idea, it is up to you to bring in this discussion your ideas and what could be your capacities and skills as a possible future active member of this project. Don't you think so ?

..... what are you offering to entice them?

to be taken as a clumsy expression of a supposed disapointment I guess...

 

[.Mike]

This idea does sound feasible and has my interest. Perhaps the easiest way would be to setup an off-shore 'domain buying business' and business account (Cayman Islands, somewhere like that) which is easy enough to do (a few forms) and only costs a couple of hundred $ to set up. It can all be setup and managed online – short of the signatures anyway (Google for it, I will try and find the ones I have looked at in the past). The benefits of this are that it would allow us all to become legal directors and share holders of the business and not of a particular domain (as domains would be owned by the business). The business model would be nothing out of the norm (basically the same as FMA.com, BuyDomains.com, etc etc - I personally like Elequa's approach (FMA)) it would just need for all of us to put in some money to get it going. If we did set it up as a business everything would be governed under corporate law so there would be no risks to the members other than the ones taken by international businesses everyday. Obviously the agreed group would have to make sure your respective countries laws are suitable for such an organisation (for instance I know the UK has no problems with the USA and vice versa, but between UK and India (for example) I am not sure)

Benefits (some anyway):

It would give us bigger buying power (bigger discounts) than anyone of us has at the moment (assuming there are no millionaires here )

It would allow us to buy some of the very best premium domains that are beyond financial reach for most of us at the moment.

I believe we are early enough to corner a decent chunk of the .tv market if we developed properly and sensibly (see johntv's mytv.net)

Warning – I few things to consider (I know this may be obvious):

You wouldn't have complete control over a domain and couldn't change something without an agreement from the other directors (well, an agreed % of them anyway) - yes, it would be like getting permission – could you cope with that?

Be sure you would be able to look at a domain and its website as purely a commodity / stock and not get 'attached' to it - I know I have been guilty of getting ‘attached’ to domains in my own portfolio from time to time and losing out financially, it wouldn't work in this arrangement – This would be all about the money rather than the joy of domaining / development (although that may come, it wouldn’t be the reason / primary focus). It would be like buying houses to renovate for rental or resale, you would do it in a far 'colder' way to how you manage your personal home.

Summary:

Yes this would be a considerable risk, there have been no large publicised sales of .tv yet and I have not read of anybody making big money from .tv traffic domains (yet) – however we are talking about a similar sort of risk the big players in the .com world of today took 10-15 years ago.

On the plus side, we are not talking about massive amounts of investment to start out – just a figure that we could all afford to lose in the absolute worst case scenario but enough to buy a few great domains and develop them.

Because of the global nature of this, it would have to be done in a recognised, proper, legal way (for me to put any decent sum of money in anyway). A simple signed agreement would not do. As Equity, I would only be prepared to go in with trusted members.

I am no expert on business law and have made a few assumptions above, please feel free to correct me if I am incorrect in anyway

 

[equity78]

why would some of the members you targeted have any interest ... they own 'premium' names already, what are you offering to entice them?

First off no one was targetted, these people outside of Australia who is new but with an incredibleportfolio, are firends who I have built this sub forum with, when everyone else on the net said .tv sucked I started this thread and these people were the supporters of the thread and the ext. So what I am basically saying is that is who I would pool money with and work together. Argos don't write yourself off there can still be a place for you in this with your tv background and ability to convert media even if you put up no money I would still want to include you for that kind of development work.

I am interested in development, for 6 people to put up money to just reg some LLL.tv's and hold them I have no interest they may never sell. I am interested in developing a business A premium name with a business built around it. That would be my interest. SO If you are interested start adding it to the thread your interest then we can start emailing specifics.

 

[.Mike]

Interested - if you'll have me

 

[equity78]

of course dude

 

[TLDnetworks]

First off no one was targetted...

Correct, I was thinking that there was some opportunity IF I had a larger pool of $$ and idea/talent network to draw from. Thus my post - not targetted at anyone, but to see if interest was there from anybody. With that said, I would be more inclined to follow through with a plan with those that are truely TV devotees, and the names listed are those that HAVE been involved not only with this sub-forum, but devoted to TV long before I even knew about it.

I am interested in development, for 6 people to put up money to just reg some LLL.tv's and hold them I have no interest they may never sell. I am interested in developing a business A premium name with a business built around it. That would be my interest...

EQ, I must admit, listening to your advice, and reading ALOT, you have helped me focus and get a direction to my domain hobby/business. Again, I have to agree. My initial thought was to see if there was interest in creating a partenrship with a common theme and interest - "The development and creation of a business foundation based on the TV ccTLD". I don't have alot of interest in holding a name(s) betting on the come, I have enough of that in my portfolio as it is. I would really like to be part of a developed site(s) that actually makes a difference on the landscape of the internet (and make some money ). I'm not suggesting spending $XX,XXX to get a marketable name. I have seen a number of sites while trying to get my Launched.TV site going that really are a little off beat, BUT they have created a great site.

auntystatic mentioned the FMA network, and I have to agree, that is IMO one of the best if not the best plan I have seen (and aspire to). I would agree that that is the goal. A small'ish group no more than say 5 or 6 devotees and a moderate buy-in sounds like a pretty neat (ad)Venture.
:wave:

 

[equity78]

We are on the same page lance cool, if you read the coverstory of DN Journal that's what I would like to do build a business around the site we have to pick a name that:
No one in the group could or would buy on their own
Has commercial development prospects
Name is strong to give an advantage from a branding and overall image standpoint

FMA is just ELEQUA he is one man who is also one of the wealthiest men in the world so It would be hard to emulate that. He buys what he like s ,when he likes I think IMO we need to be focused on securing a great name that fits each members goals and then develop it with a vision to where we want it to go over the long haul and maybe have acouple other good names that are ancillary names that help the overall plan.

 

[TLDnetworks]

FMA is just ELEQUA he is one man who is also one of the wealthiest men in the world so It would be hard to emulate that. He buys what he like s ,when he likes I think IMO we need to be focused on securing a great name that fits each members goals and then develop it with a vision to where we want it to go over the long haul and maybe have acouple other good names that are ancillary names that help the overall plan.

Hard to emulate, impossible, but he/it is the pinacle of what to strive toward.

We are on the same page, a common theme & goal to make an impact. I don't think a fringe, cult following, will do that. I'm more about a solid, universal area that once developed could be a destination site(s). I look forward to corraling the ideas of those truely interested and seeing if it can be done.

 

[johntv]

if you read the coverstory of DN Journal that's what I would like to do build a business around the site we have to pick a name that:
No one in the group could or would buy on their own
Has commercial development prospects
Name is strong to give an advantage from a branding and overall image standpoint

Equity, basically I'm in. I think it is a good idea, although I agree with some other members that it is not easy and there will be several obstacles (also legal ones) to take. Is it a strange idea if we take some time to work some idea out, just on this forum, and when we all agree we put it nicely worked out on paper and contact Verisign? I can imagine that they might be interested in something like this.

Let's put it this way, if I was Verisign and some 'crazy' group of .tv addicts who even have their 'own' forum want to do something and put their efforts together, I might even consider to give them a name for free. I have a contact at Verisign which I can try, but I think they need a worked out plan first and not some crazy ideas. If they are interested they can assist in the name (cheap/free) and publicity (place the website on their homepage, like with mp3.tv, is already pretty good) and leave the rest to us. Don't forget we are all (big) clients of Verisign and the least they can do is listen to our plan (if we manage to get a good one
If you think I am going nuts here let me know, John.

 

[Australia]

i am in touch with the .tv gods :hehe: but we need a serious investment war chest its premium domains were after :imho:

 

[Carlton]

This is an interesting angle and a first as far as I know on the forums. If several of you go in on a nice .tv, I think that would merit some press and become another chapter in the domain industry story. Duke of DNJournal might cover this, pretty original proposal you have going here.

Partners would need to agree on how the dom would generate revenue and what specifically could be published on the site. Someone would lead the design. But interestingly, all 6 partners could participate in promoting the domain in different venues and I can see that having a great cumulative marketing effect. Best of luck. Cool concept at work here.

 

[johntv]

i am in touch with the .tv gods :hehe: but we need a serious investment war chest its premium domains were after :imho:

Adrian, I'm also only talking about premium names, but like most of us I'm getting nervous for fees above 1,000 a year (I have only 2 over 1,000 and that took me some thinking before I went for it). I like Equity's idea of getting for example 6 people and go for the one special premium name which is too expensive to buy on our own, develop and get promotion through Dnjournal, Verisign (with your portfolio, I can imagine you also have good contacts there) and maybe even do some additional promotion through our own developed sites. If this works out well, we can go from there :imho:

 

[Carlton]

Adrian, I'm also only talking about premium names, but like most of us I'm getting nervous for fees above 1,000 a year (I have only 2 over 1,000 and that took me some thinking before I went for it). I like Equity's idea of getting for example 6 people and go for the one special premium name which is too expensive to buy on our own, develop and get promotion through Dnjournal, Verisign (with your portfolio, I can imagine you also have good contacts there) and maybe even do some additional promotion through our own developed sites. If this works out well, we can go from there :imho:

DOGS.TV - What an incredible name. I imagine dog lovers from around the world submitting hilarious short video snippets of their pets doing funny things. People would stay on the site for hours and it could become an advertising goldmine. The name implies everything the site is about.

 

[betterdayz4]

Equity, if you'll have me I may be interested. I'm very much in the same situation as Australia, though without all the premium names - I have a few good ones.... development is a new arena for me and i'm learning as I'm going along. My aim always has been to develop my names into outright businesses, though I lack the experience on my own..

We find ourselves in the perfect spot to make a big impact on .tv.. there are loads of premiums left to buy and develop. I think we are all fairly convinced that the extension will be huge. The potential is there for us to develop several top domains into great businesses..

Anyway, I'm interested.... though I realise there are some friendships on the forum that have been formed over long periods of time and certain people would prefer to work with people they know.

 

[johntv]

DOGS.TV - What an incredible name. I imagine dog lovers from around the world submitting hilarious short video snippets of their pets doing funny things. People would stay on the site for hours and it could become an advertising goldmine. The name implies everything the site is about.

Thanks Carlton, I have not given thought on the development of this name yet, but you just gave me a good idea