.tv Demand Media Update

[qdaly]

Hi Everyone, Since we announced our deal with Verisign in December, the team here has been working on plans for how best to drive the popularity of .TV. I do have an update as today we announced that our eNom resellers will be given a tool set that will enable any user who has purchased a .tv domain name to build a "channel" featuring our social networking tools for free. The press release is on our website (demandmedia.com), and details on this program will be available in the next 30-60 days, at which time I will let the group know. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]. Thanks.

 

[SKG]

Thanks for the update Quinn

 

[RPK]

Great News! Thanks for the update!

 

[RogueWriter]

-VERY- interesting, thank you for the update!

 

[Dr. Mindwrecker]

Hi Everyone, Since we announced our deal with Verisign in December, the team here has been working on plans for how best to drive the popularity of .TV. I do have an update as today we announced that our eNom resellers will be given a tool set that will enable any user who has purchased a .tv domain name to build a "channel" featuring our social networking tools for free. The press release is on our website (demandmedia.com), and details on this program will be available in the next 30-60 days, at which time I will let the group know. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]. Thanks.

Hi Quinn, Thankyou so much for this post. I had sent an email to you but figured I would post here as I had a couple questions. I am extremely excited about your company but really am in need of more information.

1.If we use your tools, are you also supplying us with bandwidth or storage, or do we have to pay for it? Do we pay your company, or do you have a partner, or do we have to find our own hosting?

2. Will your firm be inserting ads into our sites if we use your free tools?

3.What type of technical support will there be? I have sent emails to ENOM and I know you are all busy and this company is really still in development phase, but it takes weeks sometimes to get a reply, and the phone number I call does not ever seem to work. This concerns me, if my system crashes it could hurt me during a resell.

4. Will we be able to edit the social networking parameters so that member categories will have more flexibility. I.E. a dating site might like to divide people by ethnicity or region, I would like to divide a music site and be able to add different genre categories, or a car site might like to be able to allow members to have make and model, etc...

 

[MillersCrossing]

Hi Quinn, Thankyou so much for this post. I had sent an email to you but figured I would post here as I had a couple questions. I am extremely excited about your company but really am in need of more information.

1.If we use your tools, are you also supplying us with bandwidth or storage, or do we have to pay for it? Do we pay your company, or do you have a partner, or do we have to find our own hosting?

2. Will your firm be inserting ads into our sites if we use your free tools?

3.What type of technical support will there be? I have sent emails to ENOM and I know you are all busy and this company is really still in development phase, but it takes weeks sometimes to get a reply, and the phone number I call does not ever seem to work. This concerns me, if my system crashes it could hurt me during a resell.

4. Will we be able to edit the social networking parameters so that member categories will have more flexibility. I.E. a dating site might like to divide people by ethnicity or region, I would like to divide a music site and be able to add different genre categories, or a car site might like to be able to allow members to have make and model, etc...

I think Larry has asked some very good questions......it is all ok for everyone to thank Enom for posting here that they will be announcing an announcment over the next couple of months or so.....but the truth is that right now, this is a very very brief press release indeed - to the point of being redundant.....great, we will be getting some social network tools.....we knew that months ago.....


Also, as Larry has alluded to, but which I will spell out, customer service at Enom is nothing short of abysmal right now, for any of you that want to verify this, get on the phone to Enom with any question at all regarding your account and watch yourself have time to make your way through a three course meal before they pick up the phone .........

So yes, using these social networking tools which we have heard so much about is great, but unless Enom/Demand Media invests in a customer service infrastructure, these tools may yet turn out to be a double edged sword. I for one remain utterly sceptical and that is based upon Demand Media's handling of .TV since their caretakership began.

 

[equity78]

I agree 100% Millers, this is March basically Demand Media took over 12/12/06 and little has gotten done. Without this forum renewals may have stayed the way they were and prices not honored. A pr to tell us the same thing we read everytime we reg a domain ? IS someone kidding? I feel like I am taking crazy pills..... People are interested in regging premiums but have not been able to for over 3 months...WHY? I mean the registry was already in place this was just a change in running the retail side of the business. The tools are great, but it would be great to have customer service to help a .tv newbie help I call enom and stay on the phone for 46 minutes, that is too long IMO to get a live person on the line. There was a relaunch party on the 5th in Las Vegas Ron Jackson from DNJournal told me he was going it will be interesting to see what was said at the party. I mean Demand Media has already missed 1 quarter of the year. I mean I know this forum has carried .tv for the last year but lets get the tools and the premiums going.

 

[DNWizardX9]

demand media is such a joke - i have some premium .tv's and nothing has been done in the past few months

 

[MillersCrossing]

I agree 100% Millers, this is March basically Demand Media took over 12/12/06 and little has gotten done. Without this forum renewals may have stayed the way they were and prices not honored. A pr to tell us the same thing we read everytime we reg a domain ? IS someone kidding? I feel like I am taking crazy pills..... People are interested in regging premiums but have not been able to for over 3 months...WHY? I mean the registry was already in place this was just a change in running the retail side of the business. The tools are great, but it would be great to have customer service to help a .tv newbie help I call enom and stay on the phone for 46 minutes, that is too long IMO to get a live person on the line. There was a relaunch party on the 5th in Las Vegas Ron Jackson from DNJournal told me he was going it will be interesting to see what was said at the party. I mean Demand Media has already missed 1 quarter of the year. I mean I know this forum has carried .tv for the last year but lets get the tools and the premiums going.

Trust me Equity,

I had to tone down in a major way from how I wanted to put it........but now that it is out in the open, I will say what I really want to say....I feel as though Rosenblatt has cannabilised the.TV ext for his own interests....like you said there is no excuse why the premiums should be unavailable for so long unless its because one person/one company who has got the keys to the cookie jar is looking to best position himself to take best advantage of .TV when he is good and ready and not before......

I have no problem with a company looking out for its best interests and maximising its advantage over other competitors.....but running an extention should be just that - running it, not manipulating it.........by turing off the premos for so long, he has effectively shut down the ext, creating a lack of interest, an apathy towards the ext , that I see playing out more and more in the low level of interest building up more and more each month...........

Demand Media is in the business of buying up .com websites, adding user content and profitting from that - great - I wish them the best of luck.....but why should .TV and those who have an interest in the ext have to wait for a sideline business to sort itself out even for a day, never mind three months +.....

I was actualy insulted at the press release on the .TV forum posted today..........I am not that cheap, gullible or grateful enough to Demand Media for throwing me an old and used line again and again every three months.......QDALY, I understand that you are a spokesperson for Demand Media, so dont take this as a personal attack, but rather pass this back on to the decision makers......you know the line that guy uses when he is in the shower....."get yourself your own channel"....I would adapt that for Demand Media......"get yourself a new line" every time you keep on delaying the release of the premiums and "tools" for .TV.

 

[SKG]

I think everyone is getting way too worked up about this. This is not just about releasing premium names and tools. Premiums have been available for years and the only new story in the last six months is word of tools and applications to run ones own channel. It has been repeated many times that this is an enduser's extension. End user's then do not hold their business plans in a line waiting for tools. That being said, Demand Media is making a big step in now possibly advertising this extension to the laymen and not just the end-user. In order to to do this with maximum impact I am almost sure that a lot of preparation must be done, to include an improved customer service platform. They are well aware that the current model of service is not good. If everything happened at a flick of a switch there would be many unhappy people complaining left and right.

People, have a little trust in Rosenblatt. He is not as successful as he is by chance. There are many competitors and investors watching his every step. Demand Media will be going public later this year if everything goes to plan. The last thing they want I am sure is failure before IPO.

Why have they lot released premiums? Well, it could be for a number of reasons, one being maybe they are backdoor marketing to major corporations, maybe their are sampling and taking some of the top tier to develop and release, who knows......but we do know that by not releasing they are not collecting premium fees so in order to forfeit premium registrations fees for a quarter of the year of more they must have a valid reason.

All I can say is to continue to work on your names, build partnerships, research what you need to learn and make things happen for yourself. In the interim, I am sure Demand Media and their PLAN will only add to what you have already started.

No news, same news, different news, we should be thankful that we do have the ear of Demand Media as represented here by Quinn. She is telling us all what she can, when she can which is more than we have ever had in the past by former giants like .TV corp.

 

[MillersCrossing]

I think everyone is getting way too worked up about this. This is not just about releasing premium names and tools. Premiums have been available for years and the only new story in the last six months is word of tools and applications to run ones own channel. It has been repeated many times that this is an enduser's extension. End user's then do not hold their business plans in a line waiting for tools.
No news, same news, different news, we should be thankful that we do have the ear of Demand Media as represented here by Quinn. She is telling us all what she can, when she can which is more than we have ever had in the past by former giants like .TV corp.

SKG,

I have had enough of you being sensible and even handed..........

The problem with " telling us what she can when she can" is that it means nothing if its the same news release again and again, with just the full stops and commas changed around............

 

[Dr. Mindwrecker]

I understand your points,
but I dont want these posts to distract from the questions I asked.

SKG, These questions are highly relevant and need to be answered, as a matter of fact, anyone that has invested at least $1000 in .TV through enom should be enititled to this information. This in someways is almost the equivalent of buying stock in a firm, as this is an investment, and these products have been advertised, and although no "deadline" has been missed, I think we still deserve to know more information.

These tools were suppose to come out right after Q1, we are entering Q2, and the 30-60 days thing, knowing what I know in business on how deadlines are never usually met for launches, I think we are now looking at Q3.

From a business standpoint, im concerned about waiting another quarter. If I know more about what these tools will allow me to do, if they will meet my business needs, then I will wait for them.

I also understand Demand needs time to get things correct before they launch, but this board deserves a little something more, as it has been really supportive to .TV.

On the flip side, if Demand Media launches an IPO, and they do not have too much debt, im in!!!

 

[SKG]

I understand your points,
but I dont want these posts to distract from the questions I asked.

SKG, These questions are highly relevant and need to be answered, as a matter of fact, anyone that has invested at least $1000 in .TV through enom should be enititled to this information. This in someways is almost the equivalent of buying stock in a firm, as this is an investment, and these products have been advertised, and although no "deadline" has been missed, I think we still deserve to know more information.

These tools were suppose to come out right after Q1, we are entering Q2, and the 30-60 days thing, knowing what I know in business on how deadlines are never usually met for launches, I think we are now looking at Q3.

From a business standpoint, im concerned about waiting another quarter. If I know more about what these tools will allow me to do, if they will meet my business needs, then I will wait for them.

I also understand Demand needs time to get things correct before they launch, but this board deserves a little something more, as it has been really supportive to .TV.

On the flip side, if Demand Media launches an IPO, and they do not have too much debt, im in!!!

I will try my best tomorrow to try and find out what I can in regards to your questions. Your points are valid questions to ask but please keep in mind nobody should be investing 1K plus on domains based on tools that were never defined in the first place. For the last couple months many tools have already been available to create flash intro pages, multiple web pages, uploading of pictures and logos, counters, etc and all for free as an added benefit to the cost of a .tv domain.

I sincerely do not wish to sound like an advocate for Demand Media, I do not work for them. I just feel they deserve a little more slack then they are getting. :hearts:

 

[Dr. Mindwrecker]

Your points are valid questions to ask but please keep in mind nobody should be investing 1K plus on domains based on tools that were never defined in the first place:

Thats not what im saying, and I dont think anyone in there right mind would invest money in a .TV based on just Demand Media's tools, especially at this point.

But I think people who want to develop sites, want to be able to get an idea what these tools are, before we start going out and investing in other software packages and designs strategies.

Rosenblatt says they have "Strategically" bought up various companies and invested in tools, I think Demand Media has hinted they will have tools that will rival that of youtube and myspace. I mean if you go to channelme.tv the tiny screen shots look like those type of social networking sites, and in the short term, I may want to get those up and running for a few of my regs and focus only on one site for a more expensive package.

Im not attacking Demand Media, as a matter of fact, I see whats going on with the premiums and although I have mixed opinions on it, I won't discuss what I think on that at this time.

I appreciate your assistance.

 

[SKG]

Thats not what im saying, and I dont think anyone in there right mind would invest money in a .TV based on just Demand Media's tools, especially at this point.

But I think people who want to develop sites, want to be able to get an idea what these tools are, before we start going out and investing in other software packages and designs strategies.

Rosenblatt says they have "Strategically" bought up various companies and invested in tools, I think Demand Media has hinted they will have tools that will rival that of youtube and myspace. I mean if you go to channelme.tv the tiny screen shots look like those type of social networking sites, and in the short term, I may want to get those up and running for a few of my regs and focus only on one site for a more expensive package.

Larry, have you seen the tools that they unleashed months back, ie of some application of those tools:

www.SatelliteChannel.tv
www.BargainChannel.tv

This is just a small example and is not completed but you get the idea.

 

[localexperts]

On the "going public" comments, in my former job if I had a $1 for every

company who called me and asked me to merge with them so we could both go public, I would be richer than the Google Guys. I've had companies tell me they have filed paperwork and then weeks later take an extra round. Just because someone says they are going public, doesn't mean anything.

IMHO, DemandMedia will need to show a valid and reasonable business model.
Can these social networking tools get eyeballs and generate revenue.

The ability to monetize traffic, that is the key.

For example, look at the associated city network. The GEO .COM sites have very little traffic. Only 2-3 are ranked Alexa 100K or above (and while you can manipulate Alexa to the upside, my experience is a dud is a dud). Yet, the Associated City sites are able to parlay this small amount of traffic into significant revenue.

And the registrar business (enom) is not being viewed in a favorable light these days by the street. Too much deferred revenue and an inability to raise prices due to limited product differentiation.

Demand Media will need to prove itself (as everyone company in this space must do) in Q2 and beyond.

 

[Dr. Mindwrecker]

Larry, have you seen the tools that they unleashed months back, ie of some application of those tools:

www.SatelliteChannel.tv
www.BargainChannel.tv

This is just a small example and is not completed but you get the idea.

SKG, yes I have seen those tools, I appreciate your reply they do look nice, but if you go to channelme.tv it says clearly "Build a community on your own channel using state-of-the-art social networking tools".

Those are the tools we need to see, not the generic web page tools.

It has said that on channel me page since I started regging.

Again, part of this is I am excited about what Demand may have to offer, which is why I havent gone out and spent more money on development just yet.

 

[SKG]

SKG, yes I have seen those tools, I appreciate your reply they do look nice, but if you go to channelme.tv it says clearly "Build a community on your own channel using state-of-the-art social networking tools".

Those are the tools we need to see, not the generic web page tools.

It has said that on channel me page since I started regging.

Again, part of this is I am excited about what Demand may have to offer, which is why I havent gone out and spent more money on development just yet.

Yes, it does seem they jumped the gun on the channelme.tv ad and why they did that I have no clue except to say they got people excited to buy. Now hopefully they will deliver.

 

[Dr. Mindwrecker]

And the registrar business (enom) is not being viewed in a favorable light these days by the street. Too much deferred revenue and an inability to raise prices due to limited product differentiation.

Id have to agree most IPO's are junk "Its Probably Overpriced"

Bu I think this company is a different beast all together.

How much revenue are they making off each normal Reg?

Didnt Rosenblatt quote that they have 500 million invested?
Where is the funding coming from?

Perhaps another part of the mystery of the premium pricing is to cover what they need in that 500 million?

 

[SKG]

Demand Media plans for 2007 IPO
Filed under: General — Chief Editor at 2:07 pm on Monday, November 27, 2006

Demand Media, founded by former MySpace executive Richard Rosenblatt earlier this year, hopes to go public in 2007.

When Business 2.0 published an article in December 2005 called “Masters of Their Domains”, many in the domain industry sighed. They knew that a bunch of people would read the article and believe they could still get rich with domain names. An employee of a domain parking company told me that after the article appeared they got calls from people who had just registered a domain and hoped to earn thousands in parking revenue.

One of those “newbies” who read the article was MySpace.com ex Richard Rosenblatt. Since reading the article he has raised $220M in capital for his domain company, Demand Media. The company bought registrars eNom and BulkRegister and is snapping up domains left and right. His goal is to turn these domains into destinations with user-generated content (a la MySpace).

Raising $220M in less than a year is quite an accomplishment. But Rosenblatt isn’t stopping there. According to a Business 2.0 article called “Giving the Audience Its Own Domain” (December 2006), he plans to take the company public near the end of 2007 and achieve a $2B market cap the following year.

Before he can do that, Rosenblatt must prove that users will contribute content to his niche domains — and that he can scale the process. Running thousands of user communities across various industries is easier said than done. Furthermore, it’s unclear how the registrar acquisitions will further this plan.

But one thing is for sure. Money is flowing into the domain name market, benefiting almost everyone in the industry.

Source - Monday, November 27th, 2006 - Domain Sales