Dot COM is king, every other extension sucks.

[daj]

" Dot COM is king, every other extension sucks, Your name isn't worth anything, if only it was dot com"

I'm so tired of hearing this same line being said over & over again on this forum by myself and the mass majority here. Even for great one word names that people have registered on other extensions, the same thing is continuoulsy said in the domain appraisal thread.

I will no longer refer to dot com as being a good extension, and only support the weaker extensions for use for now on. That's one of my goal for 2009, to bring out the public awareness of the awesome other extensions that are available.

I'm disappoinited in ICANN for designating dot com as the only extension for widespread use, and all of the people involved with making that one extension the leader when it comes to domains. I dare any registrar to not even include dot com on their list of tld's to choose from, and to only support the exotic extensions. Seriously.. start supporting the other extensions! Put the rare beauties at the top of your list, and put dot com on the bottom. These 60+ other extensions are just as good, and the only way they will become players in the domain world, is to start using them, developing hot sites on them, and opening people's minds to realize dot com isn't the only extension...

For now on the dot com extension is dead to me. :bah:

 

[bmugford]

The question is not which is better. The question is which is better for the price. Would you prefer StockMarket.com for $100K or StockMarket.net for $4K.

The price you pay makes a big difference. COM does not offer the same ROI as .NET if you know what you are going.

Yes a Ferrari is faster than a Mustang. But one is $250K and the other one isn't.

Brad

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't big business end users? So, when Apple bought iphone.com. They bought it as a domainer and not an end user?

Some domainer's too are end users, like me.

I own both .net's and .com's but make no mistake about it, I would prefer every .com over .net if I could obtain them.

 

[wakish]

Yes, people will still type .com out of habit. The more people on the web, the more people on the .com. The more people remember .com. People won't remember all of these new tld's.



I personally invested in many extensions, idn's, etc.. In fact I have dot.es at auction on Sedo right now. The thing you miss is right in front of you. The largest companies in the world have branded the .com. There are no personal agenda's. They have ingrained the .com into the minds of the public so that it had become synonymous with the Internet itself.



It's already happening? You couldn't be more far off than with this statement. Name me the top video site? youtube.com. How about the top ecommerce site? Amazon.com. How about the top social sites? Myspace,facebook, all .com. Top news sites? .com. There are no changes. .com is leading in all of those places, in fact even when these companies make another website with another tld it's not long before they seek the .com and the .com becomes very valuable due to the huge traffic increase. The .com is an essential part of every major company's portfolio.



Again, if you are correct about this than why wasn't monster.jobs a huge hit? Instead here comes indeed.com, a new jobsite. Who uses a .travel site daily? Why do I need cnn.cnn or cnn.news when I can go to cnn.com? This may change but it will take a long, long time and in that time, all the traffic to these new tld's will go the .com. .com is branded and well established. I guess grandpa was right to stick with the .com.

Wow, 4 goals in a row quad-trick
Definetly true..

Internet is an infinite ocean, so giving it many addresses is just making it worst. Everything on the net is rendered close to a standard to better internet experience in all angles. Now if we are going to add several .abcxyz, there's no way a standard can be maintained, it will just be chaos; at least from my perspective.

I think the mere fact that some people cannot digest the authority of a .com, is simply because they are late in that race. Common most of us here are late, it's not our fault. But by accepting this fact sensibly, we are trying to 'stay in that race'..

Cheers!

 

[animeenergy]

The question is not which is better. The question is which is better for the price. Would you prefer StockMarket.com for $100K or StockMarket.net for $4K.


Brad

I bow to you Brad
:sold:

if you market dot net, the owner of dot com will reap the fruits of your labor!!

ha ha

 

[bmugford]

Your 26 posts make you the authority on the subject I guess.

Brad

I bow to you Brad
:sold:

if you market dot net, the owner of dot com will reap the fruits of your labor!!

ha ha

 

[corgi]

I bow to you Brad
:sold:

if you market dot net, the owner of dot com will reap the fruits of your labor!!

ha ha

To an extent, yes.

But look at that price differential, the .Net, in this example, is 96% cheaper.

With that difference, one can not only save money...but do a lot of marketing, seo, and development.

All in due time, stockmarket.net will rise in seo rankings - assuming continuation of those efforts.

I'm not picking one over the either - just saying they're both fair game.

 

[snoop]

So if Facebook buys .facebook and everyone has their own username.facebook domain name, that is going to strengthen the .com brand?

How about if MySpace uses .myspace, Apple uses .apple, Microsoft uses .ms, YouTube uses .youtube, eBay uses .ebay, etc.?

Surely the best thing is to have your own .™TLD and if you can't afford it then go for the .com?

Won’t .com be relegated to 2nd best option, maybe even 3rd or 4th or 5th in some cases, if this happens?

I mean lets face it, most of you here are invested heavily into .com so for your own personal agendas are going to keep saying that .com is KING and is going to be KING forever. Unfortunately nothing lasts forever and IMO .com domains will become synonymous with “the old web” or “my grandpa’s web”.

Cool new extensions will become a HUGE hit with the youngsters. .TV will be the number 1 choice for online video / television, .mobi will be the number 1 choice for mobile sites, etc. In fact I’d say that it is already happening in those areas…

.music and .game will most likely make a huge impact on the web. All musicians will want to have their own ‘Eminem’.music site! Game developers will want to release their own ‘OnlineGame'.game

I think new extensions diluate the existing extensions to some degree, for the .com and the major country codes I think the effect is small. Would facebook really want to promote .facebook and will even even get to the stage when a tld can be given out for only one company? It sounds cool from a domainers point of view but these people aren't domainers, they'll thinking about issues like confusion, branding, cost/hassle of managing a registry etc. It is a bit like .mobi, about half of the big companies on the Internet came out of the woodwork as backers, we were told this was the extension of the future. In the end none of those companies used it. Instead of talking about Google.mobi the .mobi folk now talk about Purina.mobi. (What the heck happened?)

btw: .tv isn't a "cool new extension", it is 13 years old and some may argue it actually represents a dying media, a media that started in the 1930's.

 

[acronym007]

The question is not which is better. The question is which is better for the price. Would you prefer StockMarket.com for $100K or StockMarket.net for $4K.

The price you pay makes a big difference. COM does not offer the same ROI as .NET if you know what you are going.

Yes a Ferrari is faster than a Mustang. But one is $250K and the other one isn't.

Brad

You have a different viewpoint Brad. I guess we're looking at the same subject from two different angles. I would still in this case prefer the.com but could only afford the .net so I would buy the .net if I needed or wanted the domain.

 

[allroundguy]

I think most opinions in this thread are both right and wrong.
I am pleased to see that NP members are getting more and more realistic.

It may be necessary to go back to the basics of Internet and Domains.
Read a little at IANA, ICANN, InterNIC and W3.
Because that is where many people get their information.
It is official first-hand information.
It surely can be sometimes used to decide upon what SLD or TLD/CC to choose.

It is all just a matter of viewpoint, approach, goals, priorities.
What about extensions like:
.co.uk
.me.uk
.net.au
.com.cn
.net.cn

.com was initially promoted for general business purposes.
.net for network related activity.
.org for not-for-profit activity.

There probably was a suspicion that .com was used for top-$$$ businesses.
A number of people found it was necessary to introduce .biz as a not-so-popular but affordable business extension.

TM issues with TLD domains are easier to resolve than cc extension domains.
It is not easy to file a lawsuit upon cc domains on the other side of the world.

Also, we see that some countries already make difference between .com and .net etc. domains.
It has a reason.

Indeed, the wide public has been used to see a .com extension behind the name of the largest companies in the world.

But nothing is King:
It is about not how sellers perceive things.
And certainly not about third party estimates.
It is all about how potential buyers could think.
It is about why somebody would buy a given domain.
Is the SLD most important? Name, brand, slogan, product description, vanity, etc.?
Or is there already a web with content that is important for some reason?
Is existing traffic relevant? Not necessarily!

It must be understood that many businesses render services locally.
Those businesses are mentioned in the yellow pages.
A web account is usually just to have email access.
And a simple storefront with often only a route plan and opening hours.

Imo, most domain sellers lost contact with the basics of business:
Demand and supply.

As we more or less all agree, value depends only from what somebody pays.
And, it is clear that what is usually announced as " ... domain sold for $,$$$.$$ ..." etc. is not for the domain itself but for the business that currently uses it.

Indeed, end users pay what they can afford to get what they want.
For who content is important, the SLD, TLD or CC of a domain may be totally irrelevant.
For who the SLD is important, the TLD, CC or web content may be irrelevant.
Traffic King? Only if it is required, else it is waste.

Imo, Thumb Rule is to see each domain independently from the industry.
Focus on why somebody would buy a given domain and how to fix it.
Disregard any whatever third party opinion, especially pricing.
Appraisers never know about a potential buyer's motivation. Period.

Lastly, it may be dangerous to develop successful non-com websites.
TM holders for the SLD might get hands on Your work and make You pay for it .
But this works vice-versa, too.

Anyway, people don't care about the name of their doctor named Cutter, a baker named Fisher, etc. or where they live.
Consumers think product and price.
Quality is often not a high priority.
That's the same in the domain industry.

 

[acronym007]

btw: .tv isn't a "cool new extension", it is 13 years old and some may argue it actually represents a dying media, a media that started in the 1930's.

That's a good point.

 

[DotUSDomains]

never mind

 

[snoop]

The question is not which is better. The question is which is better for the price. Would you prefer StockMarket.com for $100K or StockMarket.net for $4K.

The .com, from what I have seen the .net market has pretty much always underperfomed .com's. Take a look at say how say 3 letter names have gone in each category to get a good feel for the change. I'm planning on selling off most of the ones I own over the next 12 months. The other issue is they generate very low revenue in comparison to the purcahse price.

Yes a Ferrari is faster than a Mustang. But one is $250K and the other one isn't.

I'd compare it to 1972 Mercedes, looks good, probably collectable, but in reality very little performance for the money.

 

[Corey]

it amazes me how many domainers are resistance to change

 

[GoneWalkabout]

btw: .tv isn't a "cool new extension", it is 13 years old and some may argue it actually represents a dying media, a media that started in the 1930's.

Who's the some?

Is that you, Norton Hinckley, Dave L. Tandy, John McCain, John Kerry, Al Gore, Bob Dole, Ross Perot, Michael Dukakis and Walter Mondale?

 

[DotUSDomains]

Amazes me also,

when companies are wasting millions on 1 name, some of us are buying quality names in other extensions at 0.0000000001 % of the price

 

[bmugford]

Snoop, refresh my memory. What extension was it that resulted in a $10K loss for you recently? I think it was .COM

I guess the extension itself is not enough. It also takes making the right decisions.

Brad

I'd compare it to 1972 Mercedes, looks good, probably collectable, but in reality very little performance for the money.

 

[snoop]

Amazes me also,

when companies are wasting millions on 1 name, some of us are buying quality names in other extensions at 0.0000000001 % of the price

The amount of companies buying names for $1million is extremely limited. Handful of sales like that reported each year and some of those are domainers.

Isn't it bizarre that some people would use that as an excuse not to invest in an extension though? According to DotUSDomains the endusers buying .com are supposedly wasting their money, so lets invest in something endusers aren't interested in?

Snoop, refresh my memory. What extension was it that resulted in a $10K loss for you recently? I think it was .COM

I guess the extension itself is not enough. It also takes making the right decisions.

Brad

Yes most definitely. The extension is half of the equation though, and people generally choose extension first, keyword second from what I can see of things.

Lots of people have lost money in .com but it and domainant country codes the only places people have made substantial amounts in as well. The success stories for other extensions tend to be limited to the best examples being a couple of people barely making a living. ie where are the .net millionaires, the .tv millionaires, the .mobi millionaires, the .us millionaires? Lets take it down quite a few notches, how many people have we heard of who even make a living from any of these extensions? How many people have quit their jobs to buy and sell .tv's?

 

[bmugford]

I can only speak about personal experience. I only deal in the Big Three (COM/NET/ORG).

Is .COM the king? Sure.

Are the other two extensions more profitable as far as ROI for me. Yes.

Brad

Lots of people have lost money in .com but it and popular country codes the only places people have made substantial amounts in as well. The success stories for other extensions tend to be limited to the best examples being a couple of people barely making a living. ie where are the .net millionaires, the .tv millionaires, the .mobi millionaires, the .us millionaires? Lets take it down quite a few notches, how many people have we heard of who even make a living from any of these extensions? How many people have quit their jobs to buy and sell .tv's?

 

[Keith]

Amazes me also,

when companies are wasting millions on 1 name, some of us are buying quality names in other extensions at 0.0000000001 % of the price

Problem is that everyone has been trained to look to .com first. Thus the money is hardly a waste for a major corp.

Think of how much money big players spend on advertising. Buying a million dollar .com to them is just a drop in the bucket. Yet the upside for them to own the right name is priceless!

 

[DotUSDomains]

The amount of companies buying names for $1million is extremely limited. Handful of sales like that reported each year and some of those are domainers.

Isn't it bizarre that some people would use that as an excuse not to invest in an extension though? According to DotUSDomains the endusers buying .com are supposedly wasting their money, so lets invest in something endusers aren't interested in?

Lets see if i can make it more realistic, to get my point across.

Say bob has a company in the us, selling drills.

he only supplies the us

.com is $40,000
.us is $2,000

he has the money.

which would you buy ?

i could do a lot more in 1 year (Seo/Marketing wise) with $38,000 than having the .com could do in it's lifetime, i assure you of that.

same goes for any multiple, any extensions. IMHO!

i'm in the 0.00000001% of people who think like that.

i'm going to go waste some more money now.

thanks for listening.

 

[snoop]

i'm in the 0.00000001% of people who think like that.

Exactly right, which is why the comparison above doesn't mean much, because pretty much nobody thinks like that.

 

[bmugford]

People can just stick to doing what works for them. There is really no need to convince others.

 

[DotUSDomains]

Exactly right, which is why the comparison above doesn't mean much, because pretty much nobody thinks like that.

That small % is large enough to mater IMHO! And large enough to make it worth while.

or try and get 1 of these 76,000,000 .com's that are worth reg fee or there abouts and make a profit

Tough choice.

 

[bmugford]

This is true. You don't need a thousand potential targets to get a good sale.

I make good sales with Niche domains all the time that don't have tons of end users.

Brad

That small % is large enough to mater IMHO! And large enough to make it worth while.

or try and get 1 of these 76,000,000 .com's that are worth reg fee or there abouts and make a profit

Tough choice.

 

[snoop]

That small % is large enough to mater IMHO! And large enough to make it worth while.

or try and get 1 of these 76,000,000 .com's that are worth reg fee or there abouts and make a profit

Tough choice.

I think the market is too small to bother with personally. As far as .us goes I'm yet to hear of anyone making a living off it. .info I have heard of a couple and .mobi I think I know of one person, .tv zero. When the top end is like that it makes for pretty ordinary speculation opportunities in my view. None of these markets are easy (.com included), but I don't see the point in investing in markets with very little upside potential.

 

[DotUSDomains]

I think the market is too small to bother with personally. As far as .us goes I'm yet to hear of anyone making a living off it. .info I have heard of a couple and .mobi I think I know of one person, .tv zero. When the top end is like that it makes for pretty ordinary speculation opportunities in my view. None of these markets are easy (.com included), but I don't see the point in investing in markets with very little upside potential.

Theres a few that could make a nice living of .us (you will know them better than i do )

As to why they dont at this time, then we'll find out in the years to come.

i'll never know if i could make it buying and selling .com, but i know i wont be trying.

Good luck with your auctions.