LLN Domains

[HFear]

What's the value of a LLN domain name that's a .com, .net, and .org? And are .info LLN's worth anything?

 

[Grrilla]

Difficult to pinpoint and I know there is some strong disagreement about their potential usefulness and value. The fact that all LLN .coms, (and the vast majority of LLN.nets), are regged and that there seems to be an increase in brandable letter-number names showing up in advertisements and at the front end of some search engine results, gives me the impression that they have alot of potential, so much so, that I have made them a bit of a specialty over the past 6mos, particularly brandable ones.

There are only a finite number of possible combinations and, like their LLL and NNN relatives, they have the qualities of brevity and memorability. I particularly like "4" used as "for" at the head end of a meaningful abbrev, ie 4MD, 4TV etc. as well as a "1" at the end ie NY1.

However, I have not seen many enduser sales, so it still is a little early in their evolution to place accurate values on them, IMO. I do see enough potential in this group, to have placed $60 backorders on ones that I believe to be very strong, and have been beat out a few times.

 

[AdoptableDomains]

My personal opinion is that the reason they are all normally taken is that newbies here the valueof LLL names and don't differentiate between letters and characters and think they have something of value. Unless they can be made to project some meaning, I don't think they have much real value for resale. I only have two of them (n8o and b8e), and both phonetically sound out another word, one of which is my last name. I bought it and hold it, but have never done anything with it.

Personally I think they are a pretty hard sell. I have seen a couple actual ones in use, but can't remember them. For development, they have on the plus side that email addresses are short. On the negative, they are not that memorable, hard to brand, have no keywords for SEO, and there will be 9 other similar names per TLD, plus all the other TLD's.

 

[Grrilla]

I have to disagree w/ your take on memorability and brandability. For instance, I can recall most of the NLL names, (w/meaning), that I have regged, whereas I'd be hard pressed to list all of my LLL names w/ random letters. I don't think that the bulk of of mixed NLL names are brandable, but the select few hundred that are, are highly brandable, IMO. Having other tld's, cctlds to contend w/, is true of all names. Am not sure of what you mean by 9 similar names/ tld as it applies to names w/ meaning. 4MD only works as 4MD, not M4D, MD4, D4M etc.

 

[AdoptableDomains]

Am not sure of what you mean by 9 similar names/ tld as it applies to names w/ meaning. 4MD only works as 4MD, not M4D, MD4, D4M etc.

The thread is titled LLN. If you have ab6.com, then others have ab1.com, ab2.com, ab7.com, etc. Not referring to names with meaning or phonetics in this regard, just plain random LLN.

 

[Grrilla]

Gotcha. I was thinking that LLN was being used generically to mean 3char mixed L's and N's. I agree w/ you that most random, as well as, serialed LLN's, that don't connect to a meaning, would be hard to find an obvious commercial use for and have the negatives you described. A few mos ago, I did pick up a couple of dropping random mixed N/L .com names, 0RJ.com is one I remember). because I saw they were being gobbled up as soon as they dropped, which made me think they were hot- but I really don't know what I can do w/ them. Perhaps they will gain a life of their own and have value someday, (cringe), as a collectible. Not my cup of tea, but it is a possibility, though, perhaps, a little far-fetched.

In a sense, the domain name market has, itself, evolved into having a life of it's own, because income can be generated through a name alone, independent of any direct attachment to a specific business. The concept that a domain name's *only* purpose is that of a direct gateway to an online goods or services enterprise, seems to have become obsolete, at least among our crowd, but I digress.

 

[mole]

In a sense, the domain name market has, itself, evolved into having a life of it's own, because income can be generated through a name alone, independent of any direct attachment to a specific business.

One would have thought that logic was the other way round, that the market actually started off by having an unimpeded life of its own, and the equation became more and more cloudy as people increasingly embraced and trusted the power of search engines or good directories/portals.

Of course 3LLL.com names are great, look at CNN.com or BBC.com, who can dispute that!!? *cheeky*

 

[Grrilla]

I'm reacting more to the indignant, PO'd business owner who sees the domain name marketer as a snake that has no business picking up a name for development and/or resale, and who divorces search engine rankings and word popularity from the equation. I sometimes find myself on both sides of the fence- investing in names for resale and getting upset that a name I could use to help build a business, has been taken by a reseller. There are some names that would support lampdesigner.com, ie artlamps.com, handmadelamps.com, etc, that have been regged by domain marketers, not unlike myself. I see my own hypocrisy, but you can't accuse me of not wanting to have it both ways.

 

[mole]

The concept that a domain name's *only* purpose is that of a direct gateway to an online goods or services enterprise, seems to have become obsolete, at least among our crowd, but I digress.

That sounds logical, la.

Domain names (.COM or otherwise), if used properly, have 5 root purposes:

1. To serve as a means for the brain to remember - later go to, or come back to, a particular site eg. travel.info

2. To quickly help frame site content and objectives - underlining its specific meaning/value to the Internet user eg. cancer.info, care.org

3. To act as a Branding tool for online presence eg Amazon.com, Ebay.com

4. To create clear industry/category roadmaps on the Internet eg. london.travel, boston.travel, germany.post, unitedstates.post etc

5. To connect different protocols together under one common platform eg. ftp://www.namepros.com, [email protected]

Making money, or what people like to call "monetization", of URLs, belongs to the lowest rung in Maslow's Hierachy Of Domainers Need.

 

[Grrilla]

Great synopsis! Can I quote you? :hehe:

Making money, or what people like to call "monetization", of URLs, belongs to the lowest rung in Maslow's Hierachy Of Domainers Need.

I thought that a lower rung was reserved for the more common problem of "reverse monetization".

 

[mole]

I'm sometimes find myself on both sides of the fence- investing in names for resale and getting upset that a name I could use to help build a business, has been taken by a reseller.

That's the way the cookie crumbles, la. I like .COM for example, but I know that when you chirp with the choir, beat drums with the natives, roll in mud with the hippos, you only end up becoming a hippo that sings with a hiccup.

The only way to give yourself a fair and "relatively cheap" chance is to come in early, very very early, for each new namespace.

To sit down and wallow that you didn't have a credit card back in 1995, is not an excuse, more of not being at the right time at the right place with the right money.

Live with it! Then go dig out gold from 400m down the ground where the crowded wolf packs dare not go. I firmly believe in the semantic web, for example, but I get the occasional PM telling what the hell am I raving about this semantic web delusion. That's fine. Just like Europe, then US, now Asia, water will find its own level.

 

[mole]

Great synopsis! Can I quote you? :hehe:

I thought that a lower rung was reserved for the more common problem of "reverse monetization".

Oh, you are talking about the absolutely lowest rung - where sex sells. :D

 

[Grrilla]

That's the way the cookie crumbles, la.

I tend to thrive on paradox, so having it within, and living with it, is comfortable for me. The idea that two seemingly opposing forces are, in essence, the same force, is very appealing, and provides a measure of hope/mystery to the existential landscape.

 

[mole]

The idea that two seemingly opposing forces are, in essence, the same force, is very appealing, and provides a measure of hope/mystery to the existential landscape.

There is no hope or mystery here, la. Only Balance. Only ying and yang. :blink:

 

[Grrilla]

Spoken like a true taoist, another matrix that I find appealing. Lately, I've been acting so yin that I've gotten very yang, indeed.

The IChing has always held a power for me, when I avail myself of throwing it.
For the past few years, I have been drawn to science and all things cosmic and quantum- maybe a reaction to a liberal arts education. Nice little chat, mole.