Interview with Rick Schwartz the Domain King

[Chef Patrick]

Last week I had the privilege of interviewing the one and only Rick Schwartz. Rick Schwartz is the founder of T.R.A.F.F.I.C., the events that turn out the who’s who in the domaining industry. Rick either owns or has owned domain names like Candy.com, Property.com, Properties.com, Porno.com, ***.com, CD.com, Widgets.com, Men.com and many many more HIGH END names.

Just a brief background on Rick. He has gone from working in the retail furniture business to owning an extremely successful drop ship company. Rick sold the home based drop ship company in 1998 for over seven figures. Through marketing of his own home based business he realized the importance of domain names and having an online presence. Rick purchased a set of domains for his business and then a set of domains related to the adult industry. The adult related domains started producing steady income from $25 a day to a couple years later $500 a day. This at the time was just a hobby. These events and a few others lead up to the day were Rick purchased Porno.com for $42,000, which at that time was unheard of. After Porno.com came ***.com, eRealEstate.com and Men.com. The rest is history and if your in domaining you know what has come of this.

Q. At the last T.R.A.F.F.I.C. event in Brooklyn NY 250 Rick Schwartz
bobbleheads were handed out. Who came up with this idea?

http://www.dnkitchen.com/interview-with-rick-schwartz-the-domain-king/

 

[Ross]

Nice Interview Patrick!

 

[metrisoft]

You know, it makes me a little sick that one of our domaining pioneers made so much of his money dealing in adult names. Pornography and related elements are bad for families/individuals and bad for the internet. Despite the obvious money making potential, I don't know how anyone can have a clear conscious dealing in names like those.

Let's hope our future domaining leaders have some moral standards...

 

[Chef Patrick]

Nice Interview Patrick!

Thanks Ross

You know, it makes me a little sick that one of our domaining pioneers made so much of his money dealing in adult names. Pornography and related elements are bad for families/individuals and bad for the internet. Despite the obvious money making potential, I don't know how anyone can have a clear conscious dealing in names like those.

Let's hope our future domaining leaders have some moral standards...

That is a pretty strong opinion metrisoft. I personally think of myself as a family man and a good person, but I have to be honest. If given the chance I would buy porno.com or ass.com and proift from them in a second. Really, Rick purchased these domains over ten years ago, look at what he has done since. Those purchases have forged him the opportunity to buy domain names like Property.com and Candy.com. On top of that he has opened doors for the domaining industry that may not have been possible if not for him. Look at what he has done with TRAFFIC events.

 

[metrisoft]

Yes, I'm sure he has done a lot for the industry; much more than I have or probably ever will. My personal opinion though is that profiting off of adult names is akin to promoting the adult industry, which has the potential to destroy the internet for a majority of the population and do incalculable harm to families and individuals.

I'd like to think (perhaps naively) that domainers can make it big without delving into adult names....

 

[Ross]

Yes, I'm sure he has done a lot for the industry; much more than I have or probably ever will. My personal opinion though is that profiting off of adult names is akin to promoting the adult industry, which has the potential to destroy the internet for a majority of the population and do incalculable harm to families and individuals.

Its an opinion matter. If you do not like it, block it. There are measures and laws in place to prevent families from visiting these sites and such. If you do not put those in to place then its your fault not the Internets.

I personally do not own any adult names and plan on never doing so. I am not going to go as far as to bash the ones that pursue those properties and gain revenue off of them. Its a business and Rick used it to his advantage. Now if he had done something illegal then there would be a problem.

Back on topic:
The TRAFFIC events have added some transparency to the industry. Thanks to Rick we are allowed to have the events even though most domainers are not able to attend they do offer online auction and live auction events open to everyone.

 

[henniemeijer]

"Q. Besides new extension releases is it possible to hand register a good domain name?
A. You bet. Just depends on the subject matter. 95% of all the domains I get are hand registered."

 

[dmi]

Great read. Thanks very much for sharing it with us, Patrick.

 

[shaper]

You know, it makes me a little sick that one of our domaining pioneers made so much of his money dealing in adult names. Pornography and related elements are bad for families/individuals and bad for the internet. Despite the obvious money making potential, I don't know how anyone can have a clear conscious dealing in names like those.

Let's hope our future domaining leaders have some moral standards...

Ironically, the internet as you know it would probably not exist without the capital, commercialization and technological advances required by the adult industry. The bandwidth demands, requirements to transfer imagery and the drive to commercialize the internet by providing transaction mechanisms were primarily financed by that industry. People like Rick Schwartz created the opportunity you have today by showing how the internet could be commercialized successfully. Demand created by people wishing to peruse porn on the net, in ever greater resolution, is what created the financial incentive to build the infrastructure that makes the net a globe reaching phenomenon.

Without adult domains and those who pioneered its development, you might well be looking at a far less functional internet, far lower bandwidth, significant accessibility limitations and far less revenue potential.

While I understand that you may have philosophical objections to the methods that created the experience you have today, I think it is important to maintain a realistic perspective on how the opportunities that you now have were actually created.

I feel that the thing which makes the internet great is the ability of anyone to access and present information to the global community. Anyone can share their knowledge and opinions, and people are free to select or present content that interests them. This is the essence of communication and essential for the free flow of ideas which are the building blocks of society. This is exactly what differentiates the television news from internet news. It creates a forum where the free flow of ideas can overcome systematic propaganda, so that each can learn the truth for themselves.

While there are many who would prefer that their viewpoint is the only one that can be heard, their view quickly changes when it is their opinions that are suppressed. The mechanism that allows people to engage in internet voyeurism is the same mechanic which allows the highest minded and most noble ideas to be spread.

While your opinion may be that the ground pioneered by Rick Schwartz and others is bad for the internet, on many levels it is exactly what made the internet the multifaceted and globally present tool that it is. I think that it is reasonably probable that we would not be having this discussion at all, in the form that we are having it, without the groundwork set by our predecessors in the domain field. To say that it is bad for the internet, is to completely ignore the fact that it is for practical purposes what brought the internet into being.

If your conscience is not clear with the activities that created your ability to make money through domaining and internet activities in general, perhaps you should find a way to make money in an industry that was built on a foundation that better suits your ethical viewpoint.

[Edit: Apologies for the off topic rant]

 

[GF]

Let's stay on topic, folks!

 

[Domainace]

Nice move! A great interview, thanks.

 

[notlikeyou]

Good interview Patrick, keep us the good work.

 

[maxeaus]

I thought you did a great job Patrick, I also like your two websites, DNKitchen and DomainSubway. Very fresh designs for both. Keep up the good work mate.

 

[Chef Patrick]

thanks guys for the nice words. i have done many interviews already on dnkitchen but have to admit this was my favorite to date.

rick has it rough driving five different cars, just don't know how he picks what to drive every day, lol. that just shows domainers can make millions.

 

[GF]

You asked him some good questions. I'm looking forward to the next interview!

 

[acronym007]

Great interview. Thanks for sharing.

Shaper, please don't make statements like this because it is incorrect and I won't go off topic to comment in this thread but your dead wrong...

"Ironically, the internet as you know it would probably not exist without the capital, commercialization and technological advances required by the adult industry."

 

[Chef Patrick]

You asked him some good questions. I'm looking forward to the next interview!

I just got Rick Latona to agree to an interview. I should have that one posted next week