Teach a man to fish - Co-creating Abundance

[Rob Monster]

You all know the famous proverb from Lao Tzu:

I think it also applies to domaining.

I believe in teaching people to become sovereign, so they can provide for themselves, provide for their families, provide for their communities and also have time to contemplate the meaning of life.

So with this in mind, I have sponsored a number of initiatives, which I will not name here because that would be promotional and the mods don't like that.

However, I do want to share something and invite input to it. About 6 weeks ago, Epik acquired 2 brands that had training products associated with them: DomainFlippa and Domain Graduate.

The Founder of Domain Graduate, Sean Stafford, and I have a shared passion for teaching people how to become successful domainers. This project fits my personal interest and calling: (digital) empowerment.

In the past, Domain Graduate and Domain Flippa were both paid courses. The existence of a fee implicitly meant that most people would never participate since there was a large toll at the entrance.

When Epik acquired these brands, it was with the specific goal of making the pie bigger. We want to help teach a lot more people to be good at domaining by tapping the wisdom of those who mastered it.

With this mind, I am sharing a living draft, of what is to become Domain Graduate 2.0. It is the collective wisdom of some professional domainers. You can download a copy here:

https://my.armored.net/index.php/s/dG7MkwJAp9H3L43

This document will continue to be iterated, so if you see issues or opportunities to improve, we'll use this thread to invite discussion about how to empower more people to become effective domainers.

As for the draft document, here is my ask:

- If you have time, review it and send any editorial feedback to @DomainGraduate.

- Comment publicly if you like to discuss or share some technique that you think belongs in the course.

- Feel free to invite non-NP members to visit this page to retrieve the draft course.

We will add an acknowledgement section collating the input and refrencing the attributed contributions. That section might get large, and that is fine!

In about one week, we'll have a final version and we'll publish it with a beautiful cover, and put it online at a new and improved DomainGraduate.com so anyone can download it.

After that, we plan to recruit translators to localize the document and where appropriate add local resource tips. Different countries will have different versions to reflect language, ccTLD, local laws and local customs.

Finally, for anyone who wants to contribute to the cause, domain name donations are welcome to the eRise Foundation, for which a latest update is described here.

So, that's it. Tell us what you think.

On behalf of the Domain Graduate Team:

Rob Monster, @Abdullah Abdullah, and Sean Stafford

 

[Samer]

Only other credible one i kno, cost hundreds ($499 lifetime)

Great, updated, but yu cant go wrong with free

Give credit, where credit’s due.!! Cant wait try!!

Samer

 

[Rob Monster]

Only other one cost hundreds $$ (499 lifetime)

Great constant update, however, but u cant go wrong with free

Give credit, where credit is due.

Cant wait to try,

Samer

ICYMI, the draft course is live already:

https://my.armored.net/index.php/s/dG7MkwJAp9H3L43

So, have at it. Some early reviewers found it very helpful so I think it will help some folks. I am sure it will be improve a lot in the coming days.

We have confirmed translators already for:

- Arabic
- Bahasa
- French
- Vietnamese

I am sure much more on the way. I have asked them to hold off on translating for a week so we can round up some collective input.

 

[Ategy]

Updated proverb:
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day ...
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime ...
.. until too many men learn to fish and all the fish are gone!

Anyhow .. environmental depression aside .. the fate for the oceans isn't necessarily the same for domains .. more domainers does mean more competition and higher acquisition prices .. but it also means more liquidity.

I quickly skimmed through the book .. and there's a lot of good stuff in there .. and a lot of outdated/filler info. Not sure if people need to know about parking in 2019 .. or at least not so much.

Will go through it a bit more in the days ahead. Definitely take your time on this ... usually 1 week to @Rob Monster = about 17 hours .. lol .. this definitely needs a significant amount of work and updating. I would avoid putting a time limit on it and instead give it enough time to get it right!

Only other credible one i kno, cost hundreds ($499 lifetime)
Great, updated, but yu cant go wrong with free
Give credit, where credit’s due.!! Cant wait try!!
Samer

@Michael Cyger's DNAcademy is a great course, yes it isn't cheap .. but it's worth the value for those with long term goals of being a domainer and are willing to work. He is an amazing teacher!

That being said .. when it comes to domains .. yes .. 100% you CAN go wrong with free. It all depends on the content. There are so many nuances to domaining .. and if someone only gets some of it but not enough of it, then it can be devastating! Look all the majority of horrible domains we see all over NamePros .. NamePros itself is the largest repository of domainer information in the world .. all free .. yet look at the results. The problem with teaching people about domaining .. is that it's fairly complex ... but in order to be a good domainer you also need outstanding language and marketing skills .. which obviously can't be taught as part of a quick domainer course (paid or free).

 

[Rob Monster]

Updated proverb:
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day ...
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime ...
.. until too many men learn to fish and all the fish are gone!

Anyhow .. environmental depression aside .. the fate for the oceans isn't necessarily the same for domains .. more domainers does mean more competition and higher acquisition prices .. but it also means more liquidity.

I quickly skimmed through the book .. and there's a lot of good stuff in there .. and a lot of outdated/filler info. Not sure if people need to know about parking in 2019 .. or at least not so much.

Will go through it a bit more in the days ahead. Definitely take your time on this ... usually 1 week to @Rob Monster = about 17 hours .. lol .. this definitely needs a significant amount of work and updating. I would avoid putting a time limit on it and instead give it enough time to get it right!




@Michael Cyger's DNAcademy is a great course, yes it isn't cheap .. but it's worth the value for those with long term goals of being a domainer and are willing to work. He is an amazing teacher!

That being said .. when it comes to domains .. yes .. 100% you CAN go wrong with free. It all depends on the content. There are so many nuances to domaining .. and if someone only gets some of it but not enough of it, then it can be devastating! Look all the majority of horrible domains we see all over NamePros .. NamePros itself is the largest repository of domainer information in the world .. all free .. yet look at the results. The problem with teaching people about domaining .. is that it's fairly complex ... but in order to be a good domainer you also need outstanding language and marketing skills .. which obviously can't be taught as part of a quick domainer course (paid or free).

Thanks @Ategy.com.

I am delighted that you are getting your paper-shredder ready because I think it needs to go through some brutal editorial review. I was hoping you would engage. I will return the favor.

As for Mike Cyger, you know I reached out to him twice. He blew me off both times. I think we should have acquired DN Academy so he could go jogging the world. Unfortunately that did not happen.

So, thanks for helping with the free course. Let's make it so it doesn't suck.

 

[Reddstagg]

Rob,

Sorry, but I only got to the second line of text. I will read the full draft in time and let you know what I think.

"Tapping the Online Mines" - I feel that this might be a little insensitive in countries that have had or continue to have problems with land mines.

Kind regards,

Neil

 

[bmugford]

Rob,

Sorry, but I only got to the second line of text. I will read the full draft in time and let you know what I think.

"Tapping the Online Mines" - I feel that this might be a little insensitive in countries that have had or continue to have problems with land mines.

Kind regards,

Neil

I feel like that is a major stretch. Mines there is clearly not referring to land mines.
It is referring to mines, as in mining for gold.

Brad

 

[Rob Monster]

Rob,

Sorry, but I only got to the second line of text. I will read the full draft in time and let you know what I think.

"Tapping the Online Mines" - I feel that this might be a little insensitive in countries that have had or continue to have problems with land mines.

Kind regards,

Neil

Thanks Neil. Good catch. This was some old copy from Sean. I think we can improve that wording.

 

[bmugford]

Thanks Neil. Good catch. This was some old copy from Sean. I think we can improve that wording.

I guess you could use a term like digging for gems, unless that is offensive to someone also

Brad

 

[Ategy]

@Reddstagg .. as @bmugford pointed out .. he's referring to "mining for gold"

I guess you could use a term like digging for gems, unless that is offensive to someone also

As long as it's not mining for booger nuggets!

You can pick your friends ...
You can pick your nose ...
... But you can't pick your friend's nose!

 

[Rob Monster]

@Reddstagg .. as @bmugford pointed out .. he's referring to "mining for gold"



As long as it's not mining for booger nuggets!

You can pick your friends ...
You can pick your nose ...
... But you can't pick your friend's nose!

Digging for Gems. Panning for Gold. Any of those. "Mining" is a word with some baggage, e.g. blood diamonds, mining accidents, etc. Fair point, really.

 

[bmugford]

That being said .. when it comes to domains .. yes .. 100% you CAN go wrong with free. It all depends on the content. There are so many nuances to domaining .. and if someone only gets some of it but not enough of it, then it can be devastating! Look all the majority of horrible domains we see all over NamePros .. NamePros itself is the largest repository of domainer information in the world .. all free .. yet look at the results. The problem with teaching people about domaining .. is that it's fairly complex ... but in order to be a good domainer you also need outstanding language and marketing skills .. which obviously can't be taught as part of a quick domainer course (paid or free).

I agree with this. It sounds great in theory, but I think the domain industry is going to be a niche business for a long time. There is only so much room for people to make money on the domain investment side.

There is a reason so many people fail in this business currently. It is not from a lack of information; it is a lack of everything else. Some skills can be taught, some can't.

The more information the better, but it is not that easy to just follow an A,B,C template to make money in this field.

Brad

 

[Rob Monster]

I agree with this. It sounds great in theory, but I think the domain industry is going to be a niche business for a long time. There is only so much room for people to make money on the domain investment side.

There is a reason so many people fail in this business currently. It is not from a lack of information; it is a lack of everything else. Some skills can be taught, some can't.

The more information the better, but it is not that easy to just follow an A,B,C template to make money in this field.

Brad

Brad - I know you think this but I do think you are thinking too small. I said it before.

Reminds me of this famous Ken Olsen quote:

 

[bmugford]

Brad - I know you think this but I do think you are thinking too small. I said it before.

I would say I am factoring in the intricacies of the field. I have been doing this long enough to know there is no one size fits all solution to achieve success.

I prefer to take a practical view. If it was that easy everyone would be successful.
They aren't, so it can't be that easy.

I don't think an online course is likely to change that. It might create a certain foundation though so you have a slightly better chance to succeed. That is better than nothing.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

I skimmed over the information. It is not until page 40 of 74 that it starts to touch on aftermarket sales.
I think a lot of this information is certainly outdated and could be streamlined, removed, or moved to a different course.

The buying & selling part could be its own guide, and then domain monetization could be another.

Some of the information in there go against comments you have made, like shooting for the moon on pricing.
There is talk of buying a domain for $10 and selling it for $300 for instance and investors being too greedy with their pricing.

I will say it does touch on unsold domains being a liability, which is good.
Many courses gloss over that and just count the wins, not the losses.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

Overall I would say there is some useful information, especially for a beginner.

It does need better formatting as the information kind of seems all over the place, not always in a logical order.

Still I don't think it would really help much with choosing specific domains, knowing what to pay, what to ask, how to negotiate, etc.

To me it would be like reading a basic book on stocks or options. It might help with a foundation, but when it came to actual investing there is still a lot to learn.

Brad

 

[Rob Monster]

Overall I would say there is some useful information, especially for a beginner.

It does need better formatting as the information kind of seems all over the place, not always in a logical order.

Still I don't think it would really help much with choosing specific domains, knowing what to pay, what to ask, how to negotiate, etc.

To me it would be like reading a basic book on stocks or options. It might help with a foundation, but when it came to actual investing there is still a lot to learn.

Brad

Will discuss with @Ala Dadan. This was still draft, partially laid out. There is a layout version with a very nice cover and more elegant styling. This draft was shared in a form that is easier for the writers to edit.

Thanks again for the input. Specific edits welcome, or feel free to submit entire sections if you want to be included in the Acknowledgements section.

 

[JB Lions]

So with this in mind, I have sponsored a number of initiatives, which I will not name here because that would be promotional and the mods don't like that.

First, seems like some blatant disrespect to Namepros and their staff. Said you will not name your other initiatives, then proceed to do exactly that linking to:

DomainFlippa
Domain Graduate
Personal Calling thread
Armored.net
erise.org
Philanthropy thread

----------------
As far as this project. Probably didn't sell in the past because there are better ones out there and free. Ones from Estibot, Escrow, one by Andrew Alleman - How To To Sell On Domain Marketplace, much better than this one. I have all those in a folder and more. Free.

I went over this one and it was expected. Lots of affiliates do this, I have newsletters for my sites, Adam Dicker did this, where it's "free" but with affiliate links or promotion. So you want people to spend their time tidying this up to help promote Epik? They're the first registrar mentioned, first parking company mentioned etc.

Then we have threads with domainers complaining about stuff like bots and GD auctions, and auctions getting bid up. So let's train some more competition?

 

[Rob Monster]

First, seems like some blatant disrespect to Namepros and their staff. Said you will not name your other initiatives, then proceed to do exactly that linking to:

DomainFlippa
Domain Graduate
Personal Calling thread
Armored.net
erise.org
Philanthropy thread

----------------
As far as this project. Probably didn't sell in the past because there are better ones out there and free. Ones from Estibot, Escrow, one by Andrew Alleman - How To To Sell On Domain Marketplace, much better than this one. I have all those in a folder and more. Free.

I went over this one and it was expected. Lots of affiliates do this, I have newsletters for my sites, Adam Dicker did this, where it's "free" but with affiliate links or promotion. So you want people to spend their time tidying this up to help promote Epik? They're the first registrar mentioned, first parking company mentioned etc.

Then we have threads with domainers complaining about stuff like bots and GD auctions, and auctions getting bid up. So let's train some more competition?

Oops.

 

[JB Lions]

Oops.

https://www.namepros.com/forums/promotional.15/

 

[Rob Monster]

https://www.namepros.com/forums/promotional.15/

JB - I disagree. This is straight up co-creation of something we are giving away for free. Why do you want to keep people ignorant? What's up with that?

 

[JB Lions]

JB - I disagree. This is straight up co-creation of something we are giving away for free. Why do you want to keep people ignorant? What's up with that?

I'm actually doing the opposite. Understand you're not the only one here with a marketing background. I mean sometimes it's just so blatant. I won't name my other projects...........then links to 6 different projects/threads. Quote something specific in my post you think I got wrong or disagree with. What you call co-creation, I call free labor for yourself. Just hire some people to spruce it up, update it.

 

[JB Lions]

I don't want to "keep people ignorant" so:

The one I mentioned, not sure if it's still available but - https://domainnamewire.com/2014/05/21/how-to-sell-domain-names-on-marketplaces/

Free tutorial videos:
https://www.estibot.com/guide

Appraisal Guide
Lead Guide
Whois Guide
Expiring Domains Guide
Lead Score Tool Guide
Brandable Domain Generator Guide
Domain Name Parser Guide
Domain Name Keyword Extractor Guide
Domain Trademark Checker Guide
Domain Availability Checker Guide
Bulk DNS Checker Guide
Domain Categorization Guide
Domain Web Crawler Guide
Business Locator Guide
Domain Generator Guide
Typo Generator Guide
Organic Traffic Checker Guide
Domain List Filter Guide
Understanding the Scan Queue

Just checked, videos are working.

There is this domain forum, full of free info - https://www.namepros.com

Maybe a caring person can make a thread and put all this type of stuff in 1 post. To help the world out, co-create abundance, insert some other marketing phrases here

 

[Laguna]

@Rob Monster
I have another proverb.
"Give a man an inch and he'll take a mile "

 

[Rob Monster]

Here is a version with graphics and cover:

https://my.armored.net/index.php/s/ktffwW5GeeymENT

More edits coming. Keep the input flowing.