Constructive Suggestions (and debate) for the New NamePros

[Bannen]

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...

 

[lothos]

The discussions on top is done.

IMO, I just greatly improved Namepros with a click of a button. Feels so much better now.

much better, thanks

 

[Fonzie]

The issue here is a collapsing foundation, what most everyone is proposing amounts to a fresh coat of paint and some flowers.

The problem with this Namepros isn't aesthetic. It's cultural.

Namepros 'is what it is', or more accurately, 'has become what its become'. It suffers from a severe credibility problem. Outside of its own bubble, Namepros earned the reputation of a place where unqualified people exchange terrible advice amongst each other; the kind of place you hopefully graduate from and leave, rather than look towards when in need of knowledge.

In a sense, all domain forums have suffered from the cancer of clueless newbie overload, but Namepros is the case study. Quick glance at the appraisal or sale forums demonstrates 'the problem' in the most painful way possible.

Can the ship be righted? Maybe, maybe not. It certainly won't be righted as long as people keep ignoring the problem, or 'take offense' to anyone who dares speak about it.

I'd suggest a good first step is to reach out to credible people in the industry and get a few of them involved. You might be surprised who's willing to help out. Make it a place to learn, as opposed to its present state where a bunch of fantasists enable each others delusions, one Godaddy coupon code at a time.

Whenever a forum starts swirling the drain, the first thing clueless admins do is start fucking with irrelevant nonsense like forum structure, format, color schemes, etc as if that's going to change things. I guess it's a lot easier than having to face down the hard questions but let there be no doubt, the issue here isn't 'format'. It's way deeper than that.

 

[Bannen]

The discussions on top is done.

Feels much better, thenkyew; now I'd also like to vote for this order:
1 - discussion forum
2 - appraisal forum
3 - industry news
Put your best foot forward at the top of the page right where new visitors can see them, and these are the power three, IMO.

I'd like to hear a lot more feedback on how to improve Namepros. I have a few things on the list, but the more feedback I get the better.

Specifically, I'd like to hear about the forums/sub-forums? Is everyone generally satisfied? Can we add any forums/sub-forums? Remove any? Re-organize any?

I also plan to suggest some reorganization of forums into a much clearer order, and add a few suggestions for new forums. Soon.
A productive exercise might be to ask any interested members to offer their own suggestions as to how the forums should be grouped and ordered, which topics should be included, which should be dropped. Just a simple 1-2-3 list the way you'd like to see the forums/subforums laid out from top to bottom, as you might build it if this were your own website. Might be interesting to see the common ground and any new ways of seeing the layout/organizing.

The issue here is a collapsing foundation, what most everyone is proposing amounts to a fresh coat of paint and some flowers.

The problem with this Namepros isn't aesthetic. It's cultural.

It's been mentioned in earlier posts; part of the problem is look/layout/spirit of a forum, the other part is the business model. As domaining cycles through different stages, it's necessary for a forum's survival/growth to identify the essence of the approaching new stages, and keep the forum fluidly immersing itself into the constantly revolving business models.

We haven't really delved into that yet in this thread, but it's been mentioned and I think we're all thinking about it... since it affects not only the popularity and efficacy of Namepros, but also our livelihoods to varying degrees.

 

[Fonzie]

It's been mentioned in earlier posts; part of the problem is look/layout/spirit of a forum, the other part is the business model. As domaining cycles through different stages, it's necessary for a forum's survival/growth to identify the essence of the approaching new stages, and keep the forum fluidly immersing itself into the constantly revolving business models.

Rearranging deck chairs on the titanic.

The look/layout is perhaps 2% of what 'makes a difference' in any given forum. In the case of this forum, it's 0.00% of the 'problem'.

I really wouldn't get too hung up with aesthetics. People don't patronize forums because of what they look like. They patronize forums because of what they offer. There's nothing wrong with targeting the 'hobbyist' side of things, but the emphasis should be on helping people raise their game, not creating a comfortable environment for idiots to wallow in failure.

Instead of resume-prattle about 'examining highly dynamic synergies to precipitate a strategically efficacious and optimized, powerful outcomes', what needs to be done is taking a damn hard and objective look at the cultural fundamentals of this site, because that's the problem. Not the forum arrangement. The overwhelming trend is apparent. If your objective is to attract intelligent and accomplished people (which it should be), you have to offer the sorts of things that engage intelligent and accomplished people.

This:

is most emblematic of the fundamental 'problem' of this site. The culture of cluelessness and failure is what you need to fix, not what position the subforum happens to be located.

 

[matt_bodis]

There's newbies in every industry. There's nothing wrong on running a forum that attracts a lot of newcomers. It's actually a plus if you think about it.

I don't see eye to eye with you on this part, but I do agree with a lot of the other things you say.

I also agree with Bannen, the design does have a lot to do with the success of not just a forum but any website. In case of a forum, we need a design that is clean and easy to navigate. Good design would equal a good UI which means a much more pleasant experience. If everyone returns 1.5x more because it's actually attractive, then we've just raised our returning visits by 50%, which would be a very large number.

It may not change your opinion, but I guarantee you it will change the perception of many, especially those registering for the first time.

And yes there are many underlying problems, but we'll get to it.

 

[carob]

There's newbies in every industry. There's nothing wrong on running a forum that attracts a lot of newcomers. It's actually a plus if you think about it.

Yes, it is an opportunity and a service if you inform these people better. You could say educate but that sounds offputting.

But I have no interest in reading or responding to endless "I just registered Facebook+Keyword" threads by people who have never hear of trademark or WIPO. I'd like to just have a "TM alert" button to push for those posts so they'd get an alert pointing them to the TM education section. Didn't most domainers start off there anyway?

 

[Fonzie]

There's newbies in every industry. There's nothing wrong on running a forum that attracts a lot of newcomers. It's actually a plus if you think about it.

I don't see eye to eye with you on this part, but I do agree with a lot of the other things you say.

I also agree with Bannen, the design does have a lot to do with the success of not just a forum but any website. In case of a forum, we need a design that is clean and easy to navigate. Good design would equal a good UI which means a much more pleasant experience. If everyone returns 1.5x more because it's actually attractive, then we've just raised our returning visits by 50%, which would be a very large number.

It may not change your opinion, but I guarantee you it will change the perception of many, especially those registering for the first time.

And yes there are many underlying problems, but we'll get to it.

Nothing wrong with marketing to new guys. Hell, in the domain name forum game, they're probably the most lucrative demographic since they're more apt to be 'curiosity clickers'. The jaded and experienced guys aren't interested in linkbuilding schemes nor do they qualify for another free $75 adwords credit.

Namepros strength is its portfolio of aged content.

Its weakness is the caliber of its existing membership base, but that can be corrected over time.

You might want to look at targeted ads that are semantically linked to on-page content. That will help you maximize your existing content library and get the most from the wander-in search traffic.

One of your better focused draws (I guarantee it- check your logs) is your Godaddy coupon thread.
Pick up a phone, call GD, tell them you own Namepros and negotiate your own rotating coupon schema, equal to the best of whatever they're offering. Same with any other registrar or web service that uses trackable coupon codes. You could generate some decent revenue here that has thus far been totally (and amusingly) neglected on this site.

Is there potential? Yes, but don't get hung up applying the Broken windows theory (although do mediate on how the concept of a 'negative feedback loop' applies to a domain name forum) when the fundamental problem here is ordinary ghettoization. You need to start attracting the right people back, but nothing wrong with putting up a few Payday Advance Loans and Pawn Shops capitalize on the the existing neighborhood demographic

 

[DnEbook]

i think the ever changing codes are what keeps it vibrant and it is human nature to seek out a bargain, i dont see why a popular thread is considered a problem ?

 

[shane mac]

My 2 cents. Put a Trademark violation section just under general discussion, so as new members will see that first. If it's an education site your looking to develop then that is a priority in looking after the new customers. People will appreciate the advise in their faces as if it is read it will save them thousands. You could even pick out the font on it to draw attention to it.

 

[Fonzie]

i think the ever changing codes are what keeps it vibrant and it is human nature to seek out a bargain, i dont see why a popular thread is considered a problem ?

I was speaking to him as one 'internet shepherd' to another. You're viewing it from the perspective of a sheep in the flock.

Your objective is to baaaa and graze.
His objective is to make money.

Leaving the coupon thread as-is makes money for plenty of others, zero for him, on the back of his site, his bw, his everything. This is a 'good thing' for Namepros how, exactly? It's not like making money from the lower half of domainers is so easy and prosperous that a lucrative monetization type can be ignored on the basis of some 'theory'.

 

[DnEbook]

Wow 5 posts and you are here to tell us all, where has the question how do i make more money from namepros been posted , dude you are trying to be rude and make your inflated ego even bigger

 

[Fonzie]

Wow 5 posts and you are here to tell us all, where has the question how do i make more money from namepros been posted , dude you are trying to be rude and make your inflated ego even bigger

Sorry if you thought it was rude, but it is the truth.
The truth exists independently of whatever ego I do or don't have, when I registered this account or how many posts I've made with it.

 

[DnEbook]

Sorry if you thought it was rude, but it is the truth.
The truth exists independently of whatever ego I do or don't have, when I registered this account or how many posts I've made with it.

I just hope you hang around and share some worth while wisdom in other threads otherwise how can it considered to be anything other than trolling

You say this forum needs more knowledge , well then share it in a manner that shows true purpose or it's just not cool ... (like the pun?)

 

[Sull]

The discussions on top is done.

IMO, I just greatly improved Namepros with a click of a button. Feels so much better now.

NICE!! Thanks. I scrolled right by it this morning on my way to it's former place.

 

[Bannen]

the design does have a lot to do with the success of not just a forum but any website

Unquestionably. A site with fantastic and relevant content will have high risk of failure if the site is poorly/confusingly organized; a site that is perfectly organized will usually fail if it has useless, uninteresting content; and if a site is perfectly organized and has important, relevant content, it will still have a high failure probability if it looks ugly or is annoying/jarring to the visitor visually.
The magic four are:
interesting, relevant content.
logical and even exciting organization of content & forums.
attractive look to the site, a look that your target visitors will like.
smooth and safe technical experience - a website that is secure and runs well.
Remove or weaken any of these four, and you've got a high possibility of failure. They are organic with each other towards a successful site.

swirling the drain / clueless admins / fucking / irrelevant nonsense like forum structure / Your objective is to baaaa and graze.

Plus virtually every comment in your every post is laced with (thinly) veiled condescension or out & out insult... and then 'sorry if you thought it was rude'?

Namepros earned the reputation of a place where unqualified people exchange terrible advice amongst each other; the kind of place you hopefully graduate from and leave, rather than look towards when in need of knowledge

Where did it earn this rep? That's a pretty sweeping statement, and if it's true that Namepros is seen that way, I'm sure we'd like to know why.
Put your money where your mouth is: Do YOU honestly think Namepros is a place where unqualified people exchange terrible advice amongst each other? I'm not going to attack your answer, just asking you to back it up and explain your reason/s, if that's what you honestly think.

Look: this thread is about constructive suggestions and debate. So far it appears to us you have absolutely no vested interest in improving Namepros, you look like you've showed up only to posture over us.
So here's my invitation: let go the posturing and insults, and show us you actually care. Corny as that sounds, you're totally coming across as a kid with a chip on his shoulder, rather than someone who has an ounce of care and respect and really wants to help.

Do you really want to help? If so, then by all means I'd like to hear more, even if they're comments that seem harsh.
But stop pissing just because it feels good; start being professional, helpful, and a little caring about the people here. We're not shit.

That being said, you seem like a guy with an incisive mind in some ways, and I'd like to hear some more ideas from you, I've been able to glean some good thoughts from you, in between the condescension, and I'd like to hear more of those.

Welcome to Namepros, glad to have you.

 

[Fonzie]

Where did it earn this rep? That's a pretty sweeping statement, and if it's true that Namepros is seen that way, I'm sure we'd like to know why.

Seriously? Do you want me to answer that question honestly and give you real examples? Give me total absolution to speak freely, and I most certainly will.

Put your money where your mouth is: Do YOU honestly think Namepros is a place where unqualified people exchange terrible advice amongst each other? I'm not going to attack your answer, just asking you to back it up and explain your reason/s, if that's what you honestly think.

Yes, absolutely. This forum has a solid and earned reputation where unqualified people exchange terrible advice. No doubt, the membership base here hemorrhages more money on worthless domains than it brings in by selling them to people who want them. Any given "The Official..." or "Show Me Your..." theme domain thread would be a prime example.

As far as 'backing it up with reasons', here's a good start.

http://www.namepros.com/384096-bannens-best-available-dot-coms-list-22.html

I imagine if I spent the time to really pour over those listings, I might be able to identify one or two I'd take if it were given to me for free, but the rest? The hundreds of others? Each one represents a specific decision you made and in turn, gives us an insight into the credibility of your decision-making process, as it pertains to speculative domaining; little digital monuments of why you shouldn't be giving anyone advice on this game. You registered in 2006 so we know you've been doing this for at least 6 years yet you're still pretty clearly playing the game at Level 1 (and shouting me down because I'm speaking honestly).

You want to know why traffic on this forum tanked?
Because serious participants had no interest in hand-holding a bunch of clueless newbies who resented anyone that came along and pointed out their mistakes. This includes several moderators. In time, the whole place devolved into a cult of terrible decisions.

So here's my invitation: let go the posturing and insults, and show us you actually care. Corny as that sounds, you're totally coming across as a kid with a chip on his shoulder, rather than someone who has an ounce of care and respect and really wants to help.

I'm saying what needs to be said, because it's the truth.
It's not a flattering truth, but a truth nevertheless.

One can face facts boldly, or one can create narratives to avoid facts.
Your call.
All I can suggest is this; at the end of the day, you can change the aesthetic of this forum to whatever you slick design you please, it won't change the culture of the site. Since that alone determines who posts here (and in turn, who has no interest in posting here), your problem isn't fixed until that is.

Nothing wrong with being a forum that caters to newbies and lower level participants, but there's a difference between a forum having a "beginner orientation" and a forum being hardly much more than a circle of fools enabling each others failure and shitty decisions.

I think there is great hope for Namepros to get better. There is potential, but after the forum redesign is done and nothing has happened, perhaps then it might be time to take a closer look at what I'm saying here and take measures to address it.

 

[Michelle]

@ Fonzie .. Welcome

Do you have any constructive suggestions which could improve the site and move forward.

Regards
Michelle

 

[Fonzie]

@ Fonzie .. Welcome

Do you have any constructive suggestions which could improve the site and move forward.

Regards
Michelle

Yes.
Everything I've posted thus far has been quite constructive and addresses very specific problems.

I'd suggest reading it.

 

[Michelle]

I'd suggest reading it.

Yes I am reading thanks for the suggestion. What I am reading is many points about why it is failing and people are not comming here so without going backwards could you make suggestions moving forward to get members back and the interest flow again..

 

[Fonzie]

Yes I am reading thanks for the suggestion. What I am reading is many points about why it is failing and people are not comming here so without going backwards could you make suggestions moving forward to get members back and the interest flow again..

It's important that the site proactively reach out to credible persons in the industry and facilitate their participation. There used to be such people here, but they all left (or, essentially all of them. There are still a couple who poke in now and then)

It can be in the form of their regular posting and daily involvement in the conversation flow, or other creative content-types but this tribe is a lot of Indians in desperate need of a few credible chiefs. When I say 'credible', I mean 'actually credible'. Not 'pretend credible' which is so standard in domainerland.

"Credibility" shall be defined as people who put a meaningful sum of money in the bank every year via domain speculating, investing, developing or whatever and can prove it. Not fantasists who claim they do but the NDA prevents them from discussing it any further, not the dreamers who are convinced that they one day will as soon as 3d catches on... People who make money doing this are what this forum needs to raise the game.

To court those people, you guys are going to have to first identify some of them, then reach out to them. As far as what the site can offer them to inspire their participation, that's up to you guys to figure out. It's no different than running a nightclub. The objective is to attract the right core clientele, who in turn attracts everyone else.

Also, it might not be a bad idea to appoint moderators on the basis of credibility and accomplishment, as opposed to whatever formula this site presently uses. Having unaccomplished persons steering the conversations has a colossal impact on the forum itself. I mean, dude...


... seriously?

 

[carob]

I have a general comment to make, though I'm not sure how to make it into a specific constructive suggestion.

My comment is: in domainer forums you can come across really harsh putdowns of an entire extension or the domainers who favour it. Well, if people ask for advice and you think they are going to lose money and you tell them, well, they asked for it. But if they didn't ask and you tell them, especially repeatedly, you can come across as a troll. It is easy to get people to stay away from a forum, it does happen. Most people that get involved in domains lose money - where would forums and registrars be without them? So informing them is one thing, alienating them is another.

I guess behind the scenes the people running the site might want to reflect a bit on the sort of tone they want to achieve, by moderation, comments, or example.

 

[Ben42]

Specifically I'd like the see the High Price ($1000 or more) sales thread back.

I'm not sure if you have a system for what qualifies, but if there are 3 respected reviewers and 2 of the 3 say yes, it'd go in.

 

[Michelle]

Specifically I'd like the see the High Price ($1000 or more) sales thread back.

I'm not sure if you have a system for what qualifies, but if there are 3 respected reviewers and 2 of the 3 say yes, it'd go in.

:tu: Work in progress

 

[twomoon]

When I came here in 2008 (and it was the first forum I registered) it was a great place, because of really many helpful people who helped a total newbie who didn't know how even to register a domain name - to make first steps in this business.
I still think it's a great place. And the BEST forum for a niewbie! This is a great advantage of the Namepros!! Not all of us had opportunity to got free domains in late 90 and to create killer portfolios and now to teach other how to do domaining. If I own say 10 one word keyword dot coms or some ll com's it wasn't the problem for me to be a succesful domainer.
The problem is how to do business in the current market situation and time period. As a newbie I didn't need to know what to do with loans.com or business.com I needed to know what to do with almostcrappydomain.com and in what to invest my only $100. And here at Namepros I learned (I hope) and many other people learned.

Namperos can't be and shouldn't be like other forums.
It's not only about domains. For example on what other forum you would find such great designers?
We don't need to think what other people think about Namepros. We feel comfortable here - and this is the main thing.
The only problem is the lack of activity, so we need to stimulate this activity.

Just my thoughts.
Nick

 

[Ben42]

I mean, dude...


... seriously?

Wow Fonzie, I know you're cool and all, ehhhhhhhhh! and your ability to start a jukebox is unparalleled, but really, basing someones skill and experience on a photo? What are you in high school?

I bet this nerd with the ill-fitting glasses will never amount to anything either.