Thanks seven. Just my luck.
Any particular reason, why it's not a good idea to register these?
With every domain you register, ask yourself the likelihood of either you seriously putting a site on it or actually being able to sell it to someone.
Yes, there is a huge search engine using the type of domain you're using, but that value doesn't necessarily carry over to the AskName.com domains. I'd say something like AskJohn.com or AskChris.com are decent values but that's just because John and Chris are so common.
There are a few generics for Ask that are valuable like AskALawyer.com, AskAnExpert, etc. but that's because of their generic phrase quality.
If you go out and get AskThomas.com or AskJohnathan.com, they could be nice in theory but in theory doesn't make you money. Nowadays, people don't usually pay big bucks for these sort of quasi-arbitrary domains. They'll just get something different. For example, look at the JustAskGemalto.com domain.
Companies more and more are adding words and going with diluted domains which makes registering stuff like AskName.com more of a shot in the dark than a solid register. So it all comes down to will somebody be interested in buying your domain? It doesn't really matter if your domain has a good look and sound to it if it isn't likely that someone would be interested enough to pay $500 or more for it.
Distinguish the Ask + Name from something like Generic + Tube. Tube has caught on as synonymous with an online video site. Video sites are pretty popular so the demand for a generic keyword in a key niche + Tube is pretty high.
For example, SportsTube.com, PokerTube.com, CookingTube.com, HomeTube.com, etc. can all demand good prices because of their generic and non-arbitrary qualities.
You finding AskChristy.com or some other middle or lower tier first name is too much of a long shot. Build your portfolio on a strong foundation of domains like Generic + Blog.com, Niche + Shop, or Geo + Niche.com (just for example).
Unless they're extremely common, name based domains (aside from names themselves) are too arbitrary to really have a strong base. You register AskCindy.com and odds are no company or person is going to come along and beat down your door. Then, even if someone was interested, it's going to be hard to command much of a price given both parties know there likely aren't a bunch of people waiting outside your house for this one.
Instead of focusing on new regs, if I were new to domains, I'd get a good feel for what types of domains repeatedly sell on Sedo and then hop onto TDNAM and try to pick up some bargains. I see some pretty good domains fly under the radar every month there. This is not to say there aren't good hand regs right now and in the future because I know there are, but I think you have a better chance of picking up something on the aftermarket and selling it for $1,000 than you do of hand regging something and getting $1,000.
Whatever you do, don't build up your domain portfolio too fast. I made that mistake and I wasted a ton of money. Some of the domains even looked and sounded good but that really doesn't matter if you can't make a worthwhile sell.
The advice you read on here is so true. Spend time learning first. Don't worry about domains being snapped up because there will always be more good ones at good prices. Every now and then some pretty good ones are sold here for really cheap. I remember kicking myself for not buying load.info for $200 or $250 on here. Within a day or 2 it was on Sedo auctions and closed at $800 or something like that. Talk about fast money.
