Dangerous Domaining Addiction?

[Ben42]

Well, the other day my wife called me a domain addict so I decided to do some research. There are no domain addictions polls, but I had found one on investing addiction and modified it slightly to apply to domains.

Here is the original from the Connecticut Councel on Problem Gambling:

http://www.ccpg.org/financial/investing_gambling_problems.asp

Take the quiz and answer the poll above.

1. I have been preoccupied with seeking daily information about the status of my domains and traffic or have been preoccupied with thoughts of past and future domains and traffic.
_________Yes _________No

2. A major reason I have purchased domains is to change an unhappy mood, for example, escape worries, pressures, anxiety, depression, etc.
_________Yes _________No

3. I have experienced extreme highs when I sell big and extreme lows when I cannot sell domains.
_________Yes _________No

4. I have felt uncomfortable when any cash accumulated in my paypal account and have needed to quickly find a way to keep it in domain action.
_________Yes _________No

5. I have been restless or irritable when unable to be activly seeking or purchasing domains, for example, when short of money, away on vacation, trying to cut back on spending.
_________Yes _________No

6. I have needed to increase the amount invested in domains to maintain the high or excitement of being in action.
_________Yes _________No

7. My domain names have become increasingly speculative or risky over time.
_________Yes _________No

8. I have had more money invested in domains than I could afford to lose.
_________Yes _________No

9. I have often engaged in high volume domain investing, for example, to outguess the direction of the market, etc.
_________Yes _________No

10. My domain investments have been highly leveraged.
_________Yes _________No

11. I have not opened billing statements to avoid having to think about my losses.
_________Yes _________No

12. I have borrowed money from family, friends, credit cards or other sources to buy domains.
_________Yes _________No

13. I have borrowed money to buy domains and have not paid it back.
_________Yes _________No

14. I have had to have someone else provide money to relieve a crisis caused by my domaining.
_________Yes _________No

15. I have lied to people in order to hide that I was domaining or to hide how much money was involved.
_________Yes _________No

16. When losses have piled up, I continued the same domains or increased the amount of domains, in hopes my strategy would work, or my luck would change and I would regain the losses with one big sale.
_________Yes _________No

17. I have wanted to stop domaining for a while but did not think I could, or I have been unsuccessful when I have tried to control, cut back or stop domainig.
_________Yes _________No

18. I have risked losing or lost important work, family, or other commitments due to the amount of time and money taken up by my domaining.
_________Yes _________No

19. I have committed an illegal act to get money to continue to domain or to pay back a loan for my domaining activity.
_________Yes _________No

20. I have wondered whether I was gambling excessively in domains.
_________Yes _________No

 

[verbster]

Was thinking about finding a domain rehab center until I realized they wouldn't let me check my domains....

 

[lpxxfaintxx]

I got a 4... not too bad, eh?

 

[DropLister]

15. I have lied to people in order to hide that I was domaining or to hide how much money was involved.

thats not an addict thing though, thats not wanting to tell the world how much your making

I said yes to 10

 

[Ben42]

15. I have lied to people in order to hide that I was domaining or to hide how much money was involved.

thats not an addict thing though, thats not wanting to tell the world how much your making

Thats true. Perhaps it should read:

I have lied to concerned friends or family that I wasn't still buying domains or about how much a domain actually cost.

 

[IAmAllanShore]

Hah! I love it!
Thanks for the good read and righteous self-examination
-Allan :gl:

 

[texasgamer]

7 for me. I have it pretty bad. I think about domaining more then I do sex. Has anyone else in here dreamed about domain names? And has anyone woke up in the middle of the night and turned on computer to see if the name was regged? lol

 

[Michelle]

I think about domaining more then I do sex. Has anyone else in here dreamed about domain names? And has anyone woke up in the middle of the night and turned on computer to see if the name was regged? lol

Well I have to say sex still is more important :hehe: ... But yes I now look at vans, shops almost anything with a website written over it.

 

[mis_chiff]

And has anyone woke up in the middle of the night and turned on computer to see if the name was regged? lol

Sadly yes, and they usually are gone

as for the quiz....13 yes answers - I wish they
did have pills :hehe:

 

[gou]

thats not an addict thing though, thats not wanting to tell the world how much your making

yeah, it's sort of just personal information.

 

[WeBuyThe.Com]

Funny! We were just chatting about this issue at DN Forum [mod edit by armstrong: please do not link to competing domain-related forums]

I may actually have to develop this http://www.cantstopbuying.com

 

[Zhang]

I answered 4 yes: The other day, on an impulse I had, I bought the domain INeed20Bucks.com...When I woke up the next day, I had no idea what to do with it, I just wanted the name... :td: I also bought kiotdl.com on impulse once too after hearing someone on the TV say, "Hey, keep it on the DL!"...I think impulse buying is the worst habit I may have at this point in the game.

 

[fonzie_007]

Chalk me up for having a "severe problem." Ironically, my other half told me the other day that I was a domain addict... Well, she doesn't complain too much when she hears of the latest sales I've had...

 

[Phronesis]

In the beginning I had what I like to call "it's available!" syndrome. You look for so many names that when you find one available you reg it. The problem is the stream of consciousness that got you to the available name. You're so excited that it was available, you are blinded by how crappy it is. I *only* own about 150 names now. Gladly, I sold much of what I considered junk, recouped all my reg fees and have made some good coin on other sales. I might hand reg a name a month at this point but my goal is to own less than 100 high quality names.

 

[GreenGambler]

I got a four.. Yay good for me.

7. My domain names have become increasingly speculative or risky over time.
_________Yes _________No


If that is happening then you are screwed IMO... With time you should be more knowledgable and not be investing in every stupid phrase you find. Just my thoughts.


Its not a habbit, it's cool and I feel alive Yeah right, I just wanna turn a profit!

 

[Rom]

6 :o

 

[briman1970]

I answered 4 yes: The other day, on an impulse I had, I bought the domain INeed20Bucks.com...When I woke up the next day, I had no idea what to do with it, I just wanted the name... :td: I also bought kiotdl.com on impulse once too after hearing someone on the TV say, "Hey, keep it on the DL!"...I think impulse buying is the worst habit I may have at this point in the game.

kiotdl.com could turn from crap to gold in just a few months. otdl would be more "collectible" but if that acronym reaches good popularity for chat and IM users, you will be sitting on a good investment.

I'd use it every chance I got on forums, chat and IM if I owned the name. I added it to UrbanDictionary.com for you. Try to make it "happen" if no one else is using it! :hehe:

 

[mis_chiff]

In the beginning I had what I like to call "it's available!" syndrome. You look for so many names that when you find one available you reg it. The problem is the stream of consciousness that got you to the available name. You're so excited that it was available, you are blinded by how crappy it is. I *only* own about 150 names now. Gladly, I sold much of what I considered junk, recouped all my reg fees and have made some good coin on other sales. I might hand reg a name a month at this point but my goal is to own less than 100 high quality names.

Ahh, it's available syndrome...well at least it has a name...lol
I was doing an 'it's available" search the other night - I was tired and bleary eyed...so in my search I was looking for repeating letters in .ca
Well was I excited when I saw that ww.ca was available nice 2 letter...geez am I an idiot...when I woke up in the morning my confirmation said " congratulations " (my heart could be heard in my ears) the registration of www.vvvv.ca was successful! I'm like hold on a minute...vvvv.ca?? I was so tired the night before I typed in 4 v's and thought it was 2 w's...(needless to say the 4 v's went back)
Damn, I need help!
:yell:

 

[RogueWriter]

Hey, I can quit anytime I want. Really. Anytime. ( extended pause ) . Errrr, can I go now? I got a doma- errr, am I done?

 

[Grrilla]

:hehe:
I just saw the Google Ads down at the bottom of the thread.

Pacific Hills Treatment Center
Exclusive Detos-Treatment
Narcotic DetoX Treatment

Nothing for domaining, though- not yet, that is.

I am, relatively, certain that there are a fair number of us, including myself, who tend towards obsessive-compulsive behavior- I think there are some characteristics inherant in domaining that would draw in people who are more obsessive than the norm and I'm not refering only to the speculative/gambling aspects. We obsess on words. We obsess on the rush that searches give us. We obsess on checking traffic stats. We obsess on expiration dates and dropping names. We obsess on combing through our list of names at Sedo or ther listing and registrar sites and looking at them. If you are like me you can obsess on books or TV series. I stayed up until 5:30 AM the other night because I had all of year 2 of Deadwood and I couldn't stop watching the episodes.

IMHO, the obsessive personality is what comes first- not the domaining. Domaining just happens to be one of the attractive platforms where people who have varying degrees of obsessive-compulsive behaviours are comfortable practicing their "affliction", if you want to call it that. On the otherhand, people who tend towards O-C behaviour are, generally, of higher than avg intelligence, are sensitive to others and to their surroundings, and are resourceful and creative, so don't get down on yourself or feel, overly guilty if you are in or think you may be in w/ this group. It gets better and more controllable over time, although, it never goes completely away as there seems to be a binge of one kind or another available and waiting for you, just, around the corner.