Frank Schilling and Mike Mann Discuss gTLDs

[EJS]

I posted two interviews on my blog today - one with Mike Mann and the other with Frank Schilling. Each of these guys have made millions of dollars from their domain investments. They each run successful companies in the domain industry.

Despite their similarities in terms of successful domain investments, they hold opposite viewpoint about gTLDs.

Here are their thoughts:

Mike Mann - http://www.elliotsblog.com/mike-mann-on-gtlds-9737

Frank Schilling - http://www.elliotsblog.com/frank-schilling-on-gtlds-7163

Feel free to chime in to ask questions or comment.

 

[Vito]

Very Interesting.
2 Hugely sucessful domain pioneers with entirely polar opposite views.

Mike Mann is negative towards the new gtlds?....I am surprised.
Didn't Mike Mann just make hundreds of thousands of dollars on Dot Co?

So, I google - Mike Mann Dot Co

In the 7th link on page one
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/11/heres-what-mike-mann-thinks-about-new-tlds/
I see this quote from Mike Mann...

"Co is a fantastic extension that even makes more sense than .com in many" ....

a gTLD making more sense then .com in many ways...
Ok, I absolutely agree with that statement on some gTLD's thats why I invest in dot tv, but for him to sound negative on gTLD's after that quote it just doesnt seem to make much sense to me.

As for Frank Schillings Interview, I agree whole-heartedly.
These gTLD's will only bring more eyes to all domain names which will be more great branding sales potential for any serious investors/developers who were late to the .com era.

Nice Job Elliot.

 

[EJS]

Very Interesting.
2 Hugely sucessful domain pioneers with entirely polar opposite views.

Mike Mann is negative towards the new gtlds?....I am surprised.
Didn't Mike Mann just make hundreds of thousands of dollars on Dot Co?

So, I google - Mike Mann Dot Co

In the 7th link on page one
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/11/heres-what-mike-mann-thinks-about-new-tlds/
I see this quote from Mike Mann...

"Co is a fantastic extension that even makes more sense than .com in many" ....

a gTLD making more sense then .com in many ways...
Ok, I absolutely agree with that statement on some gTLD's thats why I invest in dot tv, but for him to sound negative on gTLD's after that quote it just doesnt seem to make much sense to me.

As for Frank Schillings Interview, I agree whole-heartedly.
These gTLD's will only bring more eyes to all domain names which will be more great branding sales potential for any serious investors/developers who were late to the .com era.

Nice Job Elliot.

Thanks for the compliment... You should post that as a comment and maybe Mike will address?

 

[Vito]

Thanks for the compliment... You should post that as a comment and maybe Mike will address?

Ok, Done.

 

[Kate]

I don't think that there will be a lot of opportunities in new TLDs for domainers - unless you are a registry or registrar.
Predictably Frank holds positive views. By running a registry he will be on top of the food chain.
There will be a (limited) primary market but I don't see a thriving secondary market, therefore domainers are not going to benefit. Accordingly Mike shuns new TLDs.

Everything is relative depending on where you stand on the chessboard.

Have you noticed that the registrars always say good things about the extensions that they carry, even the most pointless extensions ?
Their job is to sell domains, they are not your branding advisors.

Just because Frank put a lot of money in .xxx doesn't mean it's a good extension and you should invest too. Maybe it will pan out well for him, but for pretty much anyone else it should be avoided... his circumstances are not mine or yours...


What about the end users ?
New TLDs will not have visibility until end users start using them massively.
What are the real benefits if consumers are confused ?

It's easy to say "the public will eventually catch on", look at what happens when a companiy like Overstock tries to be creative and do something different. Not exactly a rewarding experience.
Who wants to be the next ?

 

[HeyNow]

Very Interesting.
2 Hugely sucessful domain pioneers with entirely polar opposite views.

Mike Mann is negative towards the new gtlds?....I am surprised.
Didn't Mike Mann just make hundreds of thousands of dollars on Dot Co?

So, I google - Mike Mann Dot Co

In the 7th link on page one
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/11/heres-what-mike-mann-thinks-about-new-tlds/
I see this quote from Mike Mann...

"Co is a fantastic extension that even makes more sense than .com in many" ....

a gTLD making more sense then .com in many ways...
Ok, I absolutely agree with that statement on some gTLD's thats why I invest in dot tv, but for him to sound negative on gTLD's after that quote it just doesnt seem to make much sense to me.

As for Frank Schillings Interview, I agree whole-heartedly.
These gTLD's will only bring more eyes to all domain names which will be more great branding sales potential for any serious investors/developers who were late to the .com era.

Nice Job Elliot.

First, .co is a ccTLD, not a gTLD. The big difference is that, eventually, ccTLDs will only be as viable as the respective countries which they represent. Essentially, a ccTLD is much like that country's currency. Wait until the sh-t hits the fan when the fools who use .tv thinking it stands for "television" realize they've branded in the country of Tuvalu. Ironically, flag-wavers like Glenn Beck use Tuvalu's ccTLD instead of his own country's ccTLD. That yahoo will be left with egg on his face down the road when someone hits him with it in a public forum.

Anyway, all that is several years away, at least, unless school systems start teaching this stuff to kids sooner.

 

[mjnels]

What are the real benefits if consumers are confused ?

whether there are benefits or not i dont think the consumer will be the one deciding this.

It's easy to say "the public will eventually catch on", look at what happens when a companiy like Overstock tries to be creative and do something different. Not exactly a rewarding experience.
Who wants to be the next ?

lets forget for a second whether it is a good idea or bad idea. with this many new TLD's coming i think we can all agree someone (probably hundreds) will be "next"... they may end up being "pawns" in the build-up to public awareness but i think its incorrect to say businesses arnt going to *try* branding themselves with some of these new TLD's

rebranding as O.co was stupid - they already had a website. i think domainers are too focused on the argument that "this company isnt going to change their website"... well i'd say thats probably correct in most cases but it forgets new businesses come online everyday.

 

[ezcoms]

I just bought my first .co today actually... And it was a local city in my area.

 

[Kate]

...
rebranding as O.co was stupid - they already had a website. i think domainers are too focused on the argument that "this company isnt going to change their website"... well i'd say thats probably correct in most cases but it forgets new businesses come online everyday.

Indeed. The end users that already have a domain name (and branding around it) are not the target.

But if a company sets up shop in 2013 using a .inc or .whatever it will be swimming against the tide and make its branding efforts more difficult.

Whenever I have to set up a new business venture, my first task is to identify and buy a fairly solid domain on the aftermarket, because I know that a strong brand name and matching domain name will bring credibility so it is my way of rising up to the standards of the established players in the field...

So far the options traditionally available have been:

• use a longer .com
• use one's own ccTLD
• use a 'secondary' extension
• buy a domain on the aftermarket

These options remain valid. In quite a few countries ccTLDs are now the norm. So there is little room for more generic TLDs. They just aren't relevant.

Finally, .com has 100M+ regs and growing and frankly I doubt that the combined volume of all new extensions can match that.

My observation is that nearly all recent extensions have been failures and end users have been extremely reluctant to embrace them. How is that supposed to change all of a sudden ?

 

[mjnels]

Finally, .com has 100M+ regs and growing and frankly I doubt that the combined volume of all new extensions can match that.

My observation is that nearly all recent extensions have been failures and end users have been extremely reluctant to embrace them. How is that supposed to change all of a sudden ?

i dont see the combined volume getting (sustainably) to 100M registrations anytime soon either but i dunno..the public hasnt embraced them and ill go one further and say a good portion still dont know they exist (or suddenly remember they exist when you remind em)

the MAIN reason i think its "different this time" is the pure volume being unleashed. it simply becomes 100x harder to ignore than just 1 TLD coming out each year. like the 2 homeless people standing outside my window..no idea how long they've been there and i dont even notice half the time. 50 standing outside daily ill start to notice.

 

[Kate]

it simply becomes 100x harder to ignore than just 1 TLD coming out each year.

In theory. But because of the dilution each TLD will have less visibility as a result, and few will attain critical mass.

like the 2 homeless people standing outside my window..no idea how long they've been there and i dont even notice half the time. 50 standing outside daily ill start to notice.

Each extension represent a different 'clan' of bums, they compete for the same resources and don't cooperate much with each other, sometimes they fight and the weaker are pushed back farther into the ghetto because the street is jammed already, the end result is that they are unable to shake up the 'system' :gl:

 

[mjnels]

In theory. But because of the dilution each TLD will have less visibility as a result, and few will attain critical mass.

probably.. but it aint my money involved in the thousand TLD fight. from the sidelines if you pay close enough attention i'd imagine you could pick out some winners - or at least have a better chance than trying to pick out moderately successful ones just by the way the TLD sounds and how generic it is - because if thats all there was to it .travel, .pro, .jobs would already be a hit.

Each extension represent a different 'clan' of bums, they compete for the same resources and don't cooperate much with each other, sometimes they fight and the weaker are pushed back farther into the ghetto because the street is jammed already, the end result is that they are unable to shake up the 'system' :gl:

not out here, they're pretty chill..must be the weather. well yeah thats what im talking about - some of these winning gTLD applicants will probably end up being "pawns" on the pathway to public awareness that .whatever exists. advertising campaigns that are overspent and fail.. ridiculous superbowl ads followed by bankruptcy, etc... probably, but it aint my money..

 

[freedom30]

...Anyway, all that is several years away, at least, unless school systems start teaching this stuff to kids sooner.

..funny you should mention "kids", as they are the generation that doesn't seem to concern themselves with what deity is at the right of the dot.

This attitude, of course will carry them into adulthood and the remainder of the 21st century. For many domainers, time stands still and they expect their progeny to worship the same extension that they stubbornly adhere to. Time will tell, of course, but in the meantime the youth are getting quite comfortable with the variety of extensions that have actual content instead of the vast sea of parked pages that .com has waiting to be purchased at over-blown prices. The endusers of today have a choice of cost-effective extensions and an audience who doesn't care as long as they access what they came for...

Time indeed will tell if it is just the way it is, I guess...

 

[EJS]

I posted a poll today to see who people believe may be accurate: http://www.elliotsblog.com/vote-mike-or-frank-7639