.tv Hype, premiums, bs and Trolls

[equity78]

Amidst the hype,the premiums,the bs and the trolls, you still need to have a gameplan and know who you are and where you want to go with your .tv portfolio.

There is no need for hype, .tv is not new, not the only extension you can make videocentric or place videos on. Buying .tv to sell is not a get rich quick scheme. What it is, is one of the fastest growing extensions being used worldwide on every continent except maybe Antarctica. TV is probably the most recognized two letter phrase regardless of language. Someone in China knows what TV is as well as Russia as well as Sweden etc...

Everything does not need a video about it or will have a big enough audience or be able to be monetized. No one needs a 24 hours Internet TV station on Assholes or twizzel sticks. Pick your niche carefully, make sure there is a market for it, advertisers, and an audience especially.

The adult market holds promise but do not lie to yourself here, you either should be going after end users to sell your quality adult name or if you are going to develop you probably need to create your own content (becoming a pornographer) to stand out. There are 100's of thousands of free sites to see porn. So to standout and make big money you need to have fresh content. You will be competing against people who do this everyday and have experience in the business. You also need to know record keeping for UStitle18 section 2257 is no joke and not to be taken lightly, God help you if you have an underage minor on your site, if you go down the Adult road make sure you have Legal representation. If you just do affiliate programs make sure you check them out thoroughly as you can get in trouble if they are not in compliance with US18 Section 2257.


Premiums are here and they are not going away, Verisign owns the .tv company and TUVALU supports the premium pricing they actually want more. So the talk of whether it is bs or stupid or holding back the extension or Verisign is ripping off TUVALU is just mental masturbation. Tuvalu has bigger problems and it was not caused by premium pricing take a look at your SUV that has probably contributed to TUVALU's problem and if you do not believe in global warming then I guess you can skip over these lines. Either which way premium pricing is here and maybe altered but I do not think you will see top generic or geo or short domains going to change to $20 registration anytime soon. Remember Verisign believes in .tv just like you and you want the max for your names, no one here selling a geo for $100 because x,xxx or xx,xxx pricing is bs or a rip off. Well Verisign liked .tv so much they bought the whole company and started leasing you their names. So if you want $1,000,000 for Vegas.tv they want a piece too.

Premium pricing is also just semantics, I wanted SD.tv and Verisign was willing to lease it to me for $1000 it was their property. .tv is not a public service or a non profit entity. They sold me the lease rights to SD.tv for $1000 a year better known as premium pricing. Now if I went to the owner of SD.com someone who has the same exact rights as Verisign only he controls SD.com he is going to offer me SD.com for a min of $300,000 ? That seems like premium pricing to me I mean .com only cost $7 to reg and this person wants $300,000. Now I know he had the foresight, the genius to register the .com. OK well Verisign had the foresight in 2002 to buy the whole .tv corp. It is either all good business or all bullshit but no different IMO you choose which. Lastly if there was not premium pricing the majority of the people here would have few great names as they would have been registered in 2002-2003.

Now .tv can also be seen as the haves and the have nots. This may set the stage for each persons agenda when it comes to regging, appraising, buying in the aftermarket and debating the extension.

There are some that will say go with the top quality generic domain, geo or top 200 keywords. They do not care about premium pricing they believe they are paying up for quality. These people usually see typos, alternative keyword strategies as second rate or worthless. They do not understand tv.tv or tvxx.tv or *******Channel.tv

Then there are those that do not have the budget for the top domains so they focus on either the good hand regs that are better than the bad premium domains, or they go with Freetv.tv or TVHollywood.tv.

There are those who only focus on end users they could care less what domainers think, they see most domainers as cheap only wanting to buy their $10,000 domain for $1000. This is a longer process with less sales but much bigger returns and where the big money is if they got the right name for the right buyer.

Now I think you need to decide who you are. Are you championing Turnheretravel.tv if you are in the reg quality .tv even at a premium camp?
This is not a good name as far as domains go. The biggest lie ever told is telling someone oh that domain is worth reg fee but developed xxx. NO NO NO Someone is asking the value of the DOMAIN. Once you devleop it the value is based on the underlying revenue of the site. DOTTVNATION.tv sucks as a domain, it served its naming purpose because that is what I have named the community here, borrowing from RED SOX NATION and other sports teams using their NAME and NATION. The value in DOTTVNATION.tv is the content and the revenue it produces. The name is not worth more the name is still worth reg fee.

Jacksonville.tv has value without being developed, Bands.tv has value without being developed, Auto.tv has value without being developed. ChabbaChabba.tv has no value as a domain.

So I see a dilemma for both camps, the Premium quality owners have to look at the fact that there are plenty of unregged .tv that a new upstart could go with instead of buying your TOP quality premium domain. You own Porn.tv and want $500,000 and a new Amsterdam based adult entertainment company decides to go with SEXEE.tv No it is not as good as Porn.tv not even close but they now have an extra $500,000 to market it and they know how to market so they are not worried they will brand SEXEE.tv and it will be great for them. Or someone like Benzdorf created what IMO is a cool made up domain for a search engine OLLO.tv a palindrome domain for $25 what would it cost in .com $5000? $10,000? He did not look to buy Search.tv or SearchEngine.tv or go alternative with Searchtv.tv, He created a cool, easy to remember domain. So there are still so many unregged LL,LLL,LLLL,LLLLL.tv that a new company has a lot of choices to avoid buying a premium for big money. Now maybe if someone only wanted $50,000 for Porn.tv the Amsterdam company would see the value proposition differently.
Now the upside for this camp is they get the well funded company with the same vision of generic superiority and a quality domain.


Now the other camp has a dilemma of being screwed by their own ideology that someone likes their brand but not for$3000 what the heck it is a made up name I liked your chubba.tvbut not for $3000 so I reg unnu.tv or ommo.tv
for $25 I mean if you can make up names so can I. Or you got three keyword .tv that sounds good Hotsexygirls.tv $5000 Nice name but for $25 I will reg SexyHotGirls.tv. So I think the big sale can be harder.

Now let me state that was just a thought exercise I believe both camps can be successful I just think it is good for people to think about a lot of the variables,complexities and overall value proposition.

To the notion of .com bloggers writing CBS buying tv.com could be the end for .tv is borderline insanity, if not for promoting ones .com agenda.
And to those who are just looking out for their fellow man, this forum has always been about educating people, it was started not to hype or for people to buy .tv. It was for like minded people who wanted to talk about .tv and had no place to do that. I have never once told anyone to reg a .tv not in 5000 posts. I have told people to focus, less is more, and find their niche. So where I have criticized Verisign more than anyone, brought things to light now that most if not all in some instances did not even know about. Difference being it is not just to criticize and promote a .com agenda.

Bottom line .tv does not need you and you do not need .tv, it is a choice. As long as their is the current domain system their will be .tv just like all the other extensions. TV will continue to be universally recognized.

For my wrestling fan Mindwrecker "whether you like it or you don't like it, sit back and love it,because its the best thing going today." Ric Flair.

That last part was tongue and cheek before the trolls call it hype.

Lastly remember "Domaining is alot like proctology,you are surrounded by assholes on a daily basis"copyright equity78

 

[virtuali]

Equity... Couldnt have said any part better...... Great post mate.

 

[heroes]

I enjoyed reading that Eq - great post!

 

[jeffoverman]

Good post Raymond and brings out the truth on things and reality of .tv domaining, finding your niche and etc.

Took me close to a year to realize that bigger is not better with name counts and would have rather owned 20 amazing names and couple developments then 300 names in .tv I used to have.

Cheers ray and I am glad you did the post. Hope the newer .tv members read this carefully and good luck and good fortunes!

J

 

[michaeldotcom]

Very interesting post.

Premiums are here and they are not going away

I have no doubt about that either. But I wanted to ask you a question about .tv premiums.

Does Verisign keep adding new .tv premiums regularly ? I mean there are some great non-premium .tv domains that are dropped and others that are still available, and I was wondering if Verisign adds some of them to their premium list regularly.

 

[equity78]

Not sure how to interpret interesting Michael.

They do not usually add, they are nowhere near as focused on premium as people think. Before Demand Media I would bring stuff to Scott's attention and he ran the show he never said let me raise the price on the domain. He would say its a good buy you should reg the domain.

If you dropped a domain that we thought was good it would stay non premium IMO
Seoul.tv is a perfect example, dropped and it was a non premium, regged and flipped for $5000.

 

[heroes]

I am surprised there have not been comments on a post in dottvnation.tv on 9 May 2008, which again Equity mentions above.

Here is the quoted text from dottvnation.tv:

Know the difference between speculating and developing

A lot of times on a forum someone will ask for an appraisal and get replies like "reg fee but more with development". That answer is off IMO, development does not make a name more valuable. Once you get into development you are appraising the site, the business model.

Porn.tv has value the weight of the keyword, the popularity of the keyword is what bring the value to the domain. FreePornOnYour.tv has less value, much less value. Porn247-365.tv has no value as a domain. Developing it does not increase the value. If you create a popular site on the domain and it gets traffic and makes money it is not because of the domain. So development adds no value to the domain because your great idea and marketing could be used on any domain.

Either you are speculating on domains or you are developing websites. They are like night and day.

 

[Traveler]

Awesome post, rep added. (not like you need it, hehe)

 

[michaeldotcom]

Not sure how to interpret interesting Michael.

Definitely in a very positive way. You have a great insight and a precise knowledge of the domaining industry in general and of .tv in particular. It's always a great pleasure for me to read your posts. You're definitely one of the people who make NP a fantastic community.

They do not usually add, they are nowhere near as focused on premium as people think. Before Demand Media I would bring stuff to Scott's attention and he ran the show he never said let me raise the price on the domain. He would say its a good buy you should reg the domain.
If you dropped a domain that we thought was good it would stay non premium IMO
Seoul.tv is a perfect example, dropped and it was a non premium, regged and flipped for $5000.

Thanks for this info. I've always found it hard to understand their premium pricing and I think I'm not the only one (it seems that it's been debated quite a lot before I joined this forum).

For example, I've always been against cybersquatting and I really wish they would remove the obvious trademarked company names from their premium list. It would seem wise for me to just transfer them to those corporations (at regular renewal fee), let them develop them. By building and promoting .tv sites, these corporations would surely raise .tv awareness, which both Verisign and .tv would benefit from.

Let's take the example of nissan.tv. Instead of staying on the premium list at $1,000/year (I don't think anyone would register it as it's quite expensive and could only result in a lawsuit), it would be much better if Nissan owned it and developed it in the same way as audi.tv or mercedes-benz.tv

Let's take another example. Why is redcross.tv on this premium list at $1,000/year ? I would feel bad registering and using this name if it was available as a non-premium. I'm sure it would be much better if it was owned and developed by the Red Cross itself. Lots of people in the US, in the UK and elsewhere are involved in the Red Cross and other NGOs. It would not only be more ethical, but it would also result in an increase in .tv awareness, which would benefit Verisign financially in the long run.

 

[Steven]

Great post :tu:
A very interesting read.

 

[BitcoinDK]

Thanks for your thoughts equity78.

Its always nice to read thoughts and advices from experienced domainers.

Best regards,

 

[jeffoverman]

edit and formed a thread on my post

Some good discussion here. Let's keep it going!

 

[smashfactory]

i guess the only thing i see a little differently is the hype part. i think people get excited. i personally, get excited about .tv. when i make a big sale, damn i am thrilled and want to share, and want my friends in here to be excited with me.

and i get all excited for those who make sales too.

when someone posts a thread that explores another part of tv, i get double excited, because yeah- it has been around awhile, so new stuff gets you all tingly again.

kinda like being married for many years- you know tthe drill, you know the basis of your relationship and you make it work. but then one day out of the blue, my hubby brings me home flowers- and yeah- you get a little excited. or he gets a raise- you get excited.

domains are a very emotional thing. they really are. just because we sit at a computer, and deal with this 2d world and mess with words and names- it is still emotional.

i love when people get excited about .tv, when they express such a positive and full of life attitude about the extension. attitude is a huge part of success.

.tv drew me to this forum, but the people kept me here, because they can get excited and in the same breath talk, debate and help each other figure out the way.

anyways- i just dont see it as much as hype, as i see it as sharing the raw emotion of dealing with an extension that you support. emotion that goes both ways. we have seen both sides, for sure. when i saw that disney promotes .tv on tv- i was literally filled with a very cool feeling, and came right on the forum to post it. wasnt hype- wasnt trying to be hype- i was literally stoked to see over and over DISNEY promoting the .tv extension. i wanted to share that stoked feeling with everyone.

anyways- i just hope people feel they cant be excited. when we stop being excited, well then, thats when you go to marraige counceling-

 

[treebytheriver]

Really great post, EQ, especially for a novice like me. Maybe it should be a sticky! I, like Smash, continue to be very excited about tv. We an a mobile society now, and I think the extension fits in perfectly. Iphones are not going away, and they will see some competition as well. People are now watching tv on subways, in coffee shops, in between meetings etc, where previously they were just listening to music or playing Bejeweled on their phones!

 

[dreamscometrue]

EQ,

Great post!

...If you don't mind, I'd like to share my "2 cents".

Newbies: RESEARCH, research, research *BEFORE* registering. It took me 600 bad registrations, (the equivalent of nearly $13,000), combined with "hundreds" of private conversations with an average of 50 hours per week for 16 months--straight...to finally, "GET IT". I've basically dedicated my every breathing moment to domains...and it has paid off.

I visited every blog, forum, chat room, newsletter, etc, etc, etc, *multiple times per day*, until things starting making more sense. The KEY in my *honest opinion however, like many things in life, is hands-on EXPERIENCE and TIME. They play hand-in-hand, and once you think you understand--you typically do not, but keep studying, it will come. (Geo domains, generic words, short keyword combos)

I personally would *never register a name with a hyphen, abbreviation or number, *EVER again. Also, on another note, I would never register anything other than .COM and TV, as I just do not see the inherent value NOR the after-market demand on a global scale.

Thanks again, and I appreciate you plugging Jacksonville.TV!

Although I have only been investing in Virtual Property aka Domain Names for 12 months...I've been involved in business since I was 12 years old, so we decided to roll the dice on this one...

www.NLVmedia.TV

Please excuse me, as the site is currently under construction and only *70% complete. MUCH more coming soon...



MORE DOT TV news coming next week...




I truly wish *everyone the best year ever.


NY

 

[localexperts]

IMHO .PRO and .NET have value.

I don't get why this is complicated. Check estibot and see if there are any searches for your domain name before regging it. There are searches for Jacksonville, Landscaping, Party Planning, Porn, etc

If there are no searches for your domain, then you need to think twice before regging it. The domain would need to be brandable or something you plan to develop.

This is the conservative way to handle it.

BTW, there are tons of keywords that have search volume unregged in .TV.

 

[equity78]

WOW a lot of comments to get to

First off to all the kind remarks thank you very much, that people get something out of a post means something much more than just making a flip or an appraisal.

Michaeldot.com you are 100 % correct and this is one of the piss poor areas about Verisign's .tv policy. I do not think the Red Cross would need or want the .tv. but it should be given to them nonetheless. It would be a disgrace IMO for anyone to use that name of a widely recognized organization that does good. It is an equal disgrace IMO to charge them $1000. WAKE UP. The cybersquatting of tm is another joke but they have gotten people to reg them like NFL.tv for $12,500 now the NFL dropped it and Verisign marks up a $500 LLL.tv to $12,500 WHY ? Blatant. If NFL.tv udrp or wipo they would win most likely and someone wasted $12,500. They park a lot of premiums too so someone could come after Verisign the same way they do for domainers who park tm domains.

Dottie, I do not consider that hype, excitement for one anothers success is very good. I am not talking about professionals like you I am talking about comments like .tv is the hottest new thing in the world. Or it is easy to become rich with .tv those hyping comments. They usually get deleted right away so most do not see them. I am talking about things like that not congratulating or excitement.

 

[DomainAgency.com]

So I see a dilemma for both camps, the Premium quality owners have to look at the fact that there are plenty of unregged .tv that a new upstart could go with instead of buying your TOP quality premium domain. You own Porn.tv and want $500,000 and a new Amsterdam based adult entertainment company decides to go with SEXEE.tv No it is not as good as Porn.tv not even close but they now have an extra $500,000 to market it and they know how to market so they are not worried they will brand SEXEE.tv and it will be great for them. equity78

Ray, a marketing budget of 500K per year will not even get Sexee.tv in the same league as Porn.tv. In other words, for a major company, they would save millions per year in branding power, dollar for dollar owning Porn.tv by spending the 500K upfront to get the category killer versus buying Sexee.tv a made up brand name. Your logic is they can save 500K here and put it towards marketing/branding when in effect they would be making a bad business decision because they would need to spend more then 500K per year to compete with the category killer they passed up to save money. This is flawed logic. Yes it can be done, but if you have a choice and can get the category killer and have the pockets to do it, it is well worth it and always the correct business decision.

In order to "brand" Sexee.tv you would need numerous millions of dollars. Generic category killers give you instant brand power, increased traffic, and credibility, and this is fact. Your way of thinking here is the same way of thinking that enabled Madison Avenue to fall asleep at the wheel during the dot com boom.

 

[equity78]

I respectfully disagree and more importantly not looking for anyone to agree. It is a hypothetical example. A real one is TurnHeretravel.tv vs not going after travel.tv and some liked that. I don't have an agenda to protect so I do not care either way.

I am merely discussing the two camps not everyone shares the same opinions and thats what makes a market.

 

[DomainAgency.com]

I respectfully disagree and more importantly not looking for anyone to agree. It is a hypothetical example. A real one is TurnHeretravel.tv vs not going after travel.tv and some liked that. I don't have an agenda to protect so I do not care either way.

Fair enough Ray, we can agree to disagree here. My feeling, as you know is that premium fees are nothing more then well spent money that is part of one's marketing budget. A write off for a business. Too many people look at the Google's of the world (not saying you do) and think that just branding a made up word is easy.

The domain market and traditional real estate market are soft right now but here in LA the housing market of 5 million dollar homes and up is doing well, because there is only so prime beach front property and the people with money always desire it. You cannot make more of it.

The same can be said IMO of the domain world. The prime Keyword Generic category killers will always hold value IMO.

The only reason to buy 2 world brandable .tv's IMO is if you are going to develop them and have a plan. To buy a name because you see a vision for a business and think another business will come along and pay you good money for it is a mistake.

I see many many regs in this forum that will be worthless even when .TV does take off. The margin for error is much much smaller in .tv then .com. Some it seems think as .TV goes to the next level they will make money and will be in for a rude awakening.

Those with the Keyword generic category killers will cash in for sure. We all have learning curves I know early on reged some .tv names with the thinking that they were good brandbale names and most of these names I let drop.

It is better to have one gem IMO then 50 decent .tv's. Many Many good buys are out there in the aftermarket in the 1K range.

Keep up the great work Ray and a happy holiday weekend to all!