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Bannen

Don't say Huh? too much; pretend you understand.Top Member
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As you have heard by now, Namepros has been sold by its esteemed creator RJ, to the new owner Matt of Bodis.com.
The suggestions, arguments and debates are already beginning, and I thought it was important to highlight a thread specifically for this discussion, inviting all NP members to add their two cents in the way of which areas they think could use improvement, changes, or getting the axe.

We don't know all the plans Matt has for Namepros, but a forum is all the stronger when the owner/leader can see first-hand suggestions from its many experienced members.

I'll start:
1 - Just a personal dislike: I really, really miss having the discussion forums at the top of the home page. I know it may be a business decision to see the marketplace first upon coming to Namepros... but it hasn't led to me using the marketplace any more than usual, and it's a minor annoyance to have to scroll quite a ways down in order to get to the most interesting stuff, the discussions, news, appraisals, etc. Again, I get it if it's a biz decision; but if it hasn't strongly increased your traffic/business in some palpable way, my vote is for the discussion forums back on top.


2 - This is a very minor point, but still worthy of mention: in the appraisals section, when submitting a new thread for an appraisal, quite awhile ago the 'subject' line became automated, so they all now have to start with 'Please appraise' and then limited fields for up to 4 domains. That totally bored me when it happened. It used to be very entertaining to create your own subject line. Even if I was scanning the rest of the forum, I'd often run straight to the appraisals section simply because there was a funny/interesting/whack subject line. Now all it says on the home page under the appraisals section is 'please appraise' for every thread. I often just skip it.
As I said, it's a minor thing and I can see your reasons for automating things... yet IMO the value of automating it is not worth the loss of 'fun'.
Remember: Fun, Interesting, Odd, Exciting, these are the things that entice new members to join, and keep term members wanting to come back.

3 - In the spirit of that last comment, I'll make a very vague, generalized, but I think very important mention: a lot of the pure fun of this forum has somehow left, over the last couple years. It used to be quite entertaining, practically daily there was a thread or three that were so entertaining, interesting, potentially volatile (?), that it was hard to not come back often to see how things were playing out.
Somehow it seems much more sterile here now.

It's important to mention that I am still here because IMO this is the classiest, most informative, best-run domaining forum around. I signed up at the other best-known ones, but would keep returning here because it had that certain balance of all elements that I found was stronger than any other forum.

I don't know what the answer is as far as making things less sterile, and that is the main reason I opened this discussion. Perhaps with a lot of input we can figure that one out. It has something to do with rules and how they are modded... but that's not to say there is anything wrong with the rules and the modding, I feel no complaints about them myself. It may also have something to do with the layout of the forum categories... or not.

Perhaps it is also a consequence of the 'balancing out' of domaining. A few years ago there was this larger-than-life, delusional grandiosity still hanging on to domaining, people were still flocking to it in droves, regging any kind of name and thinking they had a million dollars worth. Now domaining seems to be entering a 'maturity', steadiness, professionalism, where a lot of the 'unknown' and 'growth' excitement is gone, values seem to be mostly predictable and sober.

Perhaps the steadiness or decline of traffic to domaining forums is simply the levelling-off of something that has now passed beyond its initial (decade-long) infatuation phase, and has entered a more sober, less exciting, more steady professional phase.

It seems the business-model of domaining forums has to somehow now change with the times... yet I don't quite know what those changes will be... where the trend is going next. Maybe if we get our heads together and throw the right suggestions against the wall, the right one will stick, NP can use that and get right to the cutting edge of where domaining is headed next. Where??????

Anyway, I will have other comments/suggestions, but that's enough to get this thread started I think. Welcome to anyone who wants to contribute their dos centavos.

:)

Oh, a comment: this thread probably belongs way way down at the bottom of the forum in the Namepros comments & suggestions area... however, no one visits that, and since I'm starting this thread specifically to address the switch-over period and possible changes/improvements that may happen during this transition, hopefully mods will keep this thread in the discussion area. Even stickie it for a week or two...
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
This was mentioned in another thread today and it's something I've been thinking about the last month or more, so thought I'd post it here as well:

This is regarding end users who search for history on a domain you're attempting to sell to them: sometimes you'll be negotiating a sale with a possible end user buyer, they'll google the domain in question, and see that it sold on this forum for some reseller price xx, while you're asking xxx or x,xxx (or x,xxx,xxx) for it, and that can hurt the negotiation.

I feel it would be valuable to hide all closed sales threads. Keep them around but hide them to the search engines.

Right now the 'closed auctions' here go to a separate list; I've been thinking lately it would be great if all the closed sales threads in each area (fixed price, offers, auctions, bargain bin, etc) could be automatically moved to a separate list in those areas.

***Then make those closed sales lists hidden to search engines, just like the legal section threads are hidden. That way we can still find old sales threads on this site if we need to check something about an old sale, but the old sales threads will not show up on the SE searches.

This should go a long way towards keeping end users from seeing the names that sold here for a reseller price, while we are trying to sell to them for an end user price. It won't solve all the probs, for example the same domain may have been listed/sold at another forum also; but if we start the practice here perhaps some member/s will also suggest it at the other forums and get all those old sales threads hidden. Not talking about Sedo or Afternic or Namebio, just the forums where most of the domain sales are for very small amounts. Because many of us who buy for those very small amounts turn around and try to flip those domains for many x the reseller price.

Anyone agree or disagree with this?

On an unrelated note, please no one send any killbots my way for reviving this thread.
 
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This was mentioned in another thread today and it's something I've been thinking about the last month or more, so thought I'd post it here as well:

This is regarding end users who search for history on a domain you're attempting to sell to them: sometimes you'll be negotiating a sale with a possible end user buyer, they'll google the domain in question, and see that it sold on this forum for some reseller price xx, while you're asking xxx or x,xxx (or x,xxx,xxx) for it, and that can hurt the negotiation.

I feel it would be valuable to hide all closed sales threads. Keep them around but hide them to the search engines.

Right now the 'closed auctions' here go to a separate list; I've been thinking lately it would be great if all the closed sales threads in each area (fixed price, offers, auctions, bargain bin, etc) could be automatically moved to a separate list in those areas.

***Then make those closed sales lists hidden to search engines, just like the legal section threads are hidden. That way we can still find old sales threads on this site if we need to check something about an old sale, but the old sales threads will not show up on the SE searches.

This should go a long way towards keeping end users from seeing the names that sold here for a reseller price, while we are trying to sell to them for an end user price. It won't solve all the probs, for example the same domain may have been listed/sold at another forum also; but if we start the practice here perhaps some member/s will also suggest it at the other forums and get all those old sales threads hidden. Not talking about Sedo or Afternic or Namebio, just the forums where most of the domain sales are for very small amounts. Because many of us who buy for those very small amounts turn around and try to flip those domains for many x the reseller price.

Anyone agree or disagree with this?

On an unrelated note, please no one send any killbots my way for reviving this thread.

I think your idea is commendable and admirable, however at the same time if we were to block all closed threads from search engines, we'll be eliminating close to 50% of all NamePros organic search traffic leads and close the door to thousands more potential buyers that might have found a name they wanted to buy in a search otherwise.

I do agree that sometimes while trying to negotiate a fairly large deal it can backfire if previous sales history is available somewhere. Some sites primary business model is providing previous sales history (e.g. DnSalePrice.com) which most resellers find handy to use from time to time.

What we started doing (that you may not have been aware of) a few months ago is; We set the Thread Title edit ability to 30 days in the marketplace so that the thread starter has 30 days to remove the domain from the title after a sale, coupled with the ability to edit thread posts already we felt it was a fair middle ground to this situation. In addition to that, if a thread starter requests a thread be buried after the 30 day period we are more than happy to oblige. (Note: Only thread starters can request a thread be buried for obvious reasons)

With the above in mind, I think we can all live peacefully on a cooperative and even playing field that allows NamePros to still benefit from search engines, New potential buyers to find domains in search engines they want, and provide sellers with a way to edit / bury sales threads if they feel it may hurt them in a long run game.

It may not be the best solution, but I think it's a fair one.

Eric Lyon

---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:16 PM ----------

Just so everyone knows, I'm moving this (10 month old) suggestions thread over to the suggestions forum now. All of you whom posted in this thread by default were auto subscribed to it and will still receive updates in your usercp when new posts are made.

We encourage anyone with suggestions to continue using the Suggestions forum (or this thread if you wish).

Thanks,

Eric lyon
 
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Would it not make sense to implement a rule where buyers have until the thread title cannot be edited anymore (30 days after conception as you noted above) to request that the domain be removed from the title / main text, to which the seller is obliged to act on?

After this 30 day period is up, the thread title cannot be changed. If nothing else, it will encourage sellers to not bump a thread for more than 20+ days as it may put off potential buyers.

Just thinking that would be the perfect half-way house.
 
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That's an interesting angle sabre. Not sure how responsive thread starters would be to that idea of being forced to edit titles. I can see the logic but at the same time I also see how members don't want other members telling them what they can and can't post.

For the most part thread starters should have full control over their own threads. Out of respect for other members I would like to think a seller would willingly edit a sold domain out of the title on their own without having to add another rule for it.

We can monitor that aspect a while and see if it becomes an issue. So far it hasn't really been a problem. I can't recall any members that have refused the courtesy yet.

Eric Lyon
 
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