discuss Thank you Radix, NamesCon(.)Online and NamePros

[ThatNameGuy]

Anyone here go to the NamesCon Online conference? While I didn't, I plan to go later because it was virtually online. So why would I be thanking Radix? Because Radix is the registry behind the extension .online.

Here is what the good folks at NamesCon said about Radix;

"The Right Extension for the Right Message"

NamesCon also said this;

"the .online extension remains a total no-brainer for us! We love .online because it both conveys and strengthens our message: it’s easy to remember, simple to share, and powerful in its storytelling. This is what a domain name is supposed to do, after all.

So thank you again, Radix, for helping us smoothly transition NamesCon from offline to .online!"

While nothing is in concrete, I'm looking to partner in some capacity with the fastest growing new gTLD in the world. I see .online as serious competition for the millions of .com domains hiding in the wine cellar just collecting dust because the average business consumer just can't afford them. Someone, not me, but I agree there are literally BILLIONS of dollars of perfectly good domains in the cellar that an even better extension is ready to replace.

Finally I want to thank NamePros for giving me a voice and letting me share my opinions with thousands of domainers the world over.

 

[Joe N]

Oh....as for "details" have you seen the numbers/figures I just shared with NickB about .online being the fastest growing gTLD in the world right now?

Those aren't details. It's a vague and potentially biased statement. You can't just say it's the fastest growing gTLD. That's an example of making the numbers say whatever you want. You need to be specific:

• Fastest growing over what period of time?
• Fastest growing by volume owned, or by percentage increase in ownership?
• How do you define "fastest growing"? Is it based on # of registrations, # of aftermarket sales, # of developed sites, or something else?

If you care at all and have an interest in why i'm investing (not gambling) in these names I'd recommend you check to see if any of these businesses do "online" banking, and as for GreatHomes.com I'd suggest you look into whether there are any pure play online real estate businesses like Homes.com that transact all their business "online"

Everyone does online banking. There's no correlation between online banking activities and the .online extension, unless you can show us a data driven correlation.

There's also no correlation between online business transactions and the .online extension.

You're making tenuous links between the real world and domain extensions, and there simply isn't any evidence to support them. You may as well register 700 .bike domains because 94% of adults can ride a bike... or 700 .men domains because there are almost 4 billion males in the world.

 

[james haw]

NamesCon also said this
We love .online because it both conveys and strengthens our message: it’s easy to remember, simple to share, and powerful in its storytelling

This is purely my opinion, but "online" to me is too long and is superfluous as an extension to a domain name which is by nature an online thing. So it being longer means it's hardly "simple to share" and neither conveys or strengthens a message as the "online" message with a domain name is already there as the viewer is already "online".

And what is this "storytelling"? It's just hype.

When a car mechanic says "your car need new tyres, an exhaust, and new spark plugs" imagine them instead saying "your car needs new tyres, your car needs a new an exhaust, and your car needs new spark plugs" the "your car" would get tiresome to say/hear repeatedly.
The context of it being "your car" is already a given as he's the mechanic in a garage you took "your car" to and that is what you are both discussing.

So "online" for something that is "online" seems silly to me.

And honestly, in a world of new generations who reduce words to acronyms and initialisms, from phones and the internet to now real life speak, I don't see them embracing such a long extension.

 

[Joe N]

I thought you might show up and your buddy would like what you said....problem, I didn't read but the first sentence of your post because I know your agenda. The fact that you even showed up tells me I'm on the right track.online. Thanks

My agenda has always been pretty clear: good discussion, self-improvement, and wanting to use data and common sense analysis to dig into domaining strategies.

You're welcome to ignore my posts at will. In fact, I encourage it. They're usually directed to the many newcomers here who deserve to be properly informed.

I do wish you the best of luck with your next great attempt at turning a profit!

 

[NickB]

Thanks for the Kudos Nick! You may recall what Rob Monster said about me, Richard can sell ice to Eskimo's, he just doesn't know what Ice to sell to what Eskimo. In all due respect, Rob doesn't know me either because I haven't left the starting blocks yet. I think most everyone thought I'd be gone by now, but like my old friend Gomer use to say, Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

LetsGo.Online.....remember, I really don't care what you or other domainers think for I'm not selling domains to you....no offense.

I have given up getting offended by you you might be slightly annoying, opinionated, brash etc etc but most sales people are (some much more than slightly)

You do your thing and others will do theirs, but you will get push back and rightly so.......data vs hype

There needs to be checks and balances in every debate/argument so people can make informed decisions and not get carried away by the hype but can verify (or not) with data, proof etc etc.....

How the hell you turned my post into Kudos is something else though

 

[Joe N]

LOL. In what world is CasinoOnline.com a reg fee domain?

Brad

Beat me to it.

 

[Joe N]

Why in the world would he buy Taste.com for $600,000 when he could own Taste.Online for less than $10,000?

This is a good question. It's the right question to ask. You need to know and understand the answer to be a successful domain investor.

When you say .com is no different than .online or .anything, you're only partly right. In practice, they're pretty much all the same in that:

• You can build a website on them
• You can brand them
• They can rank well

The key difference is global perception. People know .com. They trust it. They put their faith in it. Within .com there is an artificial authority that no other extension has yet come close to matching.

 

[james haw]

I never even looked at the prior sales data for .online and now that you mention it, it doesn't deter me in the least

So you are gambling and not investing? I'm not being slanderous, it is exactly accurate based on the definitions of those words:

• Invest - put (money) into financial schemes or a commercial venture with the expectation of achieving a profit
  
• Gamble - take risky action in the hope of a desired result.

As there is no data to be able to draw a scientific analysis from, or even a vague educated conclusion, no-one has any idea what will happen to .online in the future. Look, it could boom and you sell all your names for $10K average and become super rich. I am not saying that won't happen, I'm saying I have no idea, and neither can you, or anyone

As it stands there is no viable business model at all that can be sustainable with 28 sales per year at average $3k per sale when those sales are shared across millions of domain sales and tens of thousands of domainers (active and successfully selling). I.e. in 3 years of trading you probably won't make 1 sale...

And since all these newfangled extensions started to spring up people have been saying "any day now my portfolio will become a great investment, you watch". Yet, 5 years on, the same thing is being said. Heck even with a full year of the huge internet boom from Covid and stay at home has not pushed these dreams into reality.

Why? Looking at sales like FindMe.online for $10,000, AirConditioning.online for $17,500, MyWorld.online for $2,669, Transparency.online for $10,000 and Design.online for $57,500 speaks volumes to me

Those domain sales are from the top premium keywords in the industry, or where they fit perfectly with the .online extension. Keywords that sell for notable values in every single extension we have. Some oddball extensions have 5 and 6 figure sales for Casino. This is is a reflection on the premium keywords, not the extension they are in. And to be fair, "casino.online" is a great combination. But that is a rare thing and doesn't mean suddenly all .online names will boom.

of my 700 names I have a lot names just as good, and some maybe even better. If you don't believe me just send me a PM and I'll share them

I have no reason to not believe you, but how many offers have you had of 4 or 5 figures? How many have you sold?
How much of a yearly expenditure is that? Even at $5 per renewal, that's $3.5K per year, ironically the average sale price so even with all the luck in the world of selling 1 of those of the 28 sold per year, you break even?
If in 2 years you sell none, that's $7k - you can get a really good domain at wholesale and flip it for triple without much work.
Each to their own of course

You can trash .online and my strategy until the cows come home, but I don't give much weight to your negative approach.

I'm doing no such thing. I'm discussing the validity of investing in a domain extension based on the current market and historical sale trends. The fact that happens to contradict your strategy is not a personal attack nor does it mean I'm being negative. I'm specifically being objective and scientific.

I don't want this to seem like I'm bashing you, .online could flurry and you will have the last laugh (I hope for you it does) but all I'm arguing is that there are no solid metrics or possible future predictions of any kind of accuracy. It is hope based on very little evidence or historical sales

 

[NickB]

Could've, would've, should've .....

maybe, possibly.......

billions here.....
millions there......

The only numbers / stats that matter?

Namebio Reported Sales

Total .online sales over $100 = 146
Total .com sales over $100 = 708,562



Keep blowing that Trumpet.......

 

[Future Sensors]

Sure....my optimism and intuition in life is based on a whole lot of things. How do you think Thomas Edison invented the light bulb?

He didn't

 

[Peak.Domains]

You'll notice by the reactions to my latest post that "the haters" ("the hoarders"?) are finally starting to understand. This is why innovators (you, rare) sometimes need a little help from salesmen (dime a dozen) to craft their message.

At least they're trying to understand now.

They're listening.

I think they'll get there, just give them time.

It takes me a few days to get used to a new brand of coffee, so an entire paradigm shift in the industry will take them a while.

Be patient with them.

They'll need to see "sales data" and other superfluous relics of the old guard.

Imagine being the first person to discover a diamond mine, and excitedly running to tell the rest of your village...

But instead of sharing your excitement, they start asking questions like, "Okay but how many of these have sold in the past?"

Well, not a lot, because we're on the cutting edge.

It's lonely when you're on the cutting edge, but it's better than being on the cutting room floor with the rest of yesterday's extensions.

Such is the price of innovation.

You're blazing the path, and you already know that in a few months or years everyone will be following the path you created, thanklessly.

They'll get their "sales data" or "proof that anyone at all wants to use this extension", but by then, it might be too late for them to take advantage.

Can't say you didn't give them a heads up, though! You could have kept all of this to yourself, but you didn't, and has anyone even thanked you?

 

[Joe N]

There you go again....assuming a "small profit" Sorry bud, but I never assume anything on behalf of someone else. Frankly I don't care what you do because I know you have an agenda. I've not once been concerned about renewal fees like everyone has told me I should be. Why do you think that might be Joe? And for the newbies who may be reading this don't fall for the trick "the renewal fees will kill you". Why? You don't ever have to pay a single renewal fee unless you can afford to or you want to.

It's true, I could easily be wrong. My expectation is based on observed data and personal experience, but you could very well find a way to make this work and go gangbusters despite what folks are telling you. I hope you do! It would make for a great success story.

There's one member on the forum who actually seems to do very well with the .xyz extension. His sales are mostly single words, and I think his portfolio must be very large, but he makes good sales regularly. I find this particularly impressive since .xyz was mocked heavily by many domainers in the early days. I mean, it's still pretty sketchy, but this member has shown that it can work well as an investment if you really know what to buy.

I do see your point about renewals (and not needing to pay them). I just think it makes a tough recipe for long term success, because you're constantly putting all your hopes into selling names in the first year. The more sustainable method is to only buy names that are good enough to warrant renewing, but I think people need to discover that on their own. Cheap domains are always so tempting when we're getting our feet wet; it takes time and sunk money to learn that they're cheap for a reason.

 

[Joe N]

 

[bmugford]

He didn't

What are you going to tell me next that Columbus didn't really discover America?

Brad

 

[Future Sensors]

@ThatNameGuy

With your optimism, you would be a good broke(r) guy (j/k)

Taking this higher level. I wish you and all domainers good luck in any TLD. Predicting the future is difficult, and as you show, it's not always easy to tell with certainty who invented things in the past.

In the end you're doing this not to convince other members on this forum, but only for yourself (and humanity).

 

[Joe N]

I plead guilty to not knowing what a BCG Matrix really is, and unfortunately I don't have the time to research it on my own. However, back on topic, I was attempting to buy a .online domain last week when GD's system ran into a technical glitch. So I speak to a GD rep, and she see's the glitch and the problems I was having and tries to help me complete the transaction. Upon my request they open a complaint ticket and here is the email I got back from GD yesterday:

Discussion Notes
Support Staff Response
Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting GoDaddy. I am a member of our Advanced Technical Support team and would like to thank you for your patience while we investigated this matter. Your request regarding reservations.online has been directed to our department for review. At this time, we have heard back from the registry. The domain is available for a $500,000 one-time price or may be available for a smaller recurring yearly price from other registrars. If you are interested in the one time price, please contact us and we can move forward with the transaction.

Again, thank you for your patience. Please feel free to contact us 24/7 should you need any further assistance.

Regards,

Alex M.
Advanced Technical Support

Folks, this is just one of the reasons why I bought the domain Whistleblower.online. As it turns out Go Daddy and their "aftermarket" division know as Afternic are involved in one of biggest scams/frauds I've ever witnessed. I'm starting to understand why Afternic and Go Daddy have more than an arms length relationship. I'm not sure the legal term for the game GD and other major brokers in the industry are playing, but if it were "usury" a lot of people would be going to jail.

Llike I said i'm keeping this on topic in order to champion consumers and business people the world over. Thank you Verisign for confirming what I already know about this industry.

I'll be back,

The Whistleblower

It looks like this one is being held by Radix as a premium registration. I have it listed here for $40K CAD and the same price for renewal. I'm not sure where the 500,000 price came from, but GoDaddy would have no control over the pricing of a registry owned premium name.

 

[Joe N]

Say Joe would reservations.online have been top tier if I could have gotten it?

Yeah, that would be one worth hanging onto for sure. Generally any single word with strong commercial applications is a good investment with some of these better new extensions. Two word names seem to be much harder to sell unless they're extremely strong terms.

btw, you don't know what I own and what I don't own.....NEVER ASSUME anything about anyone, but you might assume I'm able to remove brick walls

Like I said, I was only going by the names you've posted to this thread. But name ownership is also easily tracked with a reverse WHOIS search unless you have your names under privacy.

I know you and Brad question my investment skills, but that's what I do. I exploit hidden opportunities. Not only do the .com's have an outrageous valuation, most of them are "hoarded" in the cellar. I know what I'm doing is putting pressure on king .com, but that's part of my plan.

I only question your investment skills to date because the sales aren't there to back them up. It's nothing personal. I'm just not sure why you feel the need to pump your domaining skills so hard without having yet profited from selling domains.

Your ideas have value either way, and they'll get a lot more traction if you present them with some humility, and without dumping on people who have put years of hard work into becoming successful in this industry.

 

[Joe N]

It's my opinion that .online is the second best thing to king .com, and who's to say it isn't Afterall I'm not selling domains to other domainer's like you....i could really give a rats petuna what you think about it. I have a business resume that far exceeds yours Joe regardless of what you think or say. Why should I be humble if it's a fact

And I have a domaining resume that exceeds yours, so I think that makes my opinion valid enough. Why did you turn a good discussion into an attack on me?

Anyway, .online may very well end up being the next best option for end users one day. All I said was that I wouldn't know how to market it as such. Your argument that all domain extensions are the same applies to all domain extensions. So what makes .online stand out beyond the word itself? Like you said... it's your opinion.

 

[bmugford]

As someone who works very closely with some of the top domain hoarders in the industry, I know firsthand that they have some very grave concerns about things that are being alluded to in this thread. They're afraid, and that's saying a lot, because these are the types of people who aren't afraid of anything or anyone. I've never seen it before, I've never seen them so... unsure what to do. I was listening to an emergency call with the CEO of a massive domain company the other day, you've heard of them, and I think they may want to acquire the Whistleblower.xxxxxx domain name to ensure that their secrets don't get out. OP might already know this if he's been paying attention to his traffic logs. I'm not supposed to be talking about this, but there were a lot of... let's say... "concerned investors" in the call. They're here now, too. Hi guys and gals! The general consensuses was that if they can acquire the Whistleblower.xxxxxx domain name, there would be no other alliterative venue or equivalent domain to use to get this information out that would carry the same authority, since this domain name is such a perfectfit.online, so they want to buy the domain name to stop this whole operation in its tracks before the momentum grows and shifts and starts to hurt their bottom line more than it already has. But make no mistake, these people care about a lot more than just their bottom line. You get the idea if you're paying attention. They thought they could control the flow of information.online but an innovative mind has caught them off guard. They never thought it would get to this level. They truly weren't ready. Honestly, I hope that you go forward with whistleblower.xxxxxx because these guys can't keep getting away with what they're doing. I'm not sure if anyone has already reached out to OP or not so I can't comment on this but if this project never ends up launching, we'll all know that somehow they got through to him. If the domain changes hands, we'll know OP took a payoff. I wouldn't blame him. I wouldn't be brave enough to go up against these forces.online, the ones who controlthings.online. I have to be completely honest withyou.online, I'm not sure if OP is a genius for talking about this project in public before it's ready to launch, or if he's a fool - but it doesn't matter as long as the outcome is the same. Isn't that how most geniuses and innovators are treated.online, anyways? I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I didn't want to chime in at all but if op is willing to takeachance.online, then this is the least that I can do. I don't know why OP would talk about this so early in the process, to be honest, that's still a puzzle to me. Why warn them? Unless he's giving them a chance to change their ways. Maybe they will clean up their acts on their own, knowing the threat that is bubbling below the surface. Or maybe OP just doesn't care and wants to do what's right for this industry and is just completely fearless.online. I know I'm not the only one who is confused about this but I'm trying to study and understand instead of some people who just want to spout off and defend the statusquo.online, they're carrying water for the hoarders and they don't even realize it. Or maybe they do realize, and they themselves are a part of the hoarder-class? Why else would they be so concerned with having a definition for something that everyone can just feel? Why do we need to define feelings.online? For what purpose.online would that serve? Either way, there's somethinghappening.online and if the chatter I'm hearing from the very top is any indication, it's going to be very big. Unless OP decides to take the money and run, in which case we'll probably never hear anything about this ever again. The whistle goes back into the pocket, and the hoarders continue to crush small businesses for fun. That's the canary in the coalmine.online. I truly believe that whistleblower.xxxxxx might be the only opportunity to tell the truth - isn't that what the internet was created for? Isn't that why we're.... dare I say it... .online? We can all see the pushback in this thread. We don't believe that's all organic, do we? Who is giving the marching orders? I guess time will tell. It takes a brave man to stand up for what he believes.online.

Yeah, I think we are all just so scared of Bulloney's innovation.

If he can crack the code to selling terrible domains in .online, what are all the people holding quality .COM domains going to do?

It looks like I might have to start looking for a new career.

Brad

 

[Peak.Domains]

I'm on your side. I think the truth needs to get out there, and I think you're the man to blow the whistle. You've already proven yourself more than capable.

Here's something that needs to be considered with the .online extension that some people are forgetting.

Imagine if it was possible to ask a question and have every single person give the same answer. No matter who they are, no matter what they do, no matter their age, no matter if they have $1 in the bank or $50 million. What if they could ALL be united by one common answer? TNG understands this, he knows the answer already, and he's spent 8 pages trying to explain it to people who don't want to understand the lesson.

That question is: Where are you right now?

The answer is: Online.

"Com" doesn't unite people the way online does. Who even knows what "com" means? If you have to explain it, it's not self-explanatory, and that's a problem. Everybody knows what online means.

Com is divisive and that's not what this world needs right now or ever. There are com's for poor people that are very long with misspellings or numbers added to the end, but you have to be very wealthy to afford the best .coms. There's .com's that have been hoarded for decades by older people simply because they got there first, coms that younger entrepreneurs will never have a chance to own. Com discriminates by class, by age, etc. Online is accessible to everyone, just like it should be. Don't even get me started on the ccTLD's that discriminate based on geographic location.

Online is for everyone.

Where are you right now?

You're .online.

 

[james haw]

How do you think Thomas Edison invented the light bulb? How about Henry Ford the automobile? The Wright Brothers the airplane? Alexander Graham Bell the telephone?

Science, real life science that had actual trials, obviously failures, but then more trials and success!

How much success has .online so far? Pfft
How many websites are on a .online ext? Pfft
How many domainers have made any reasonable profit from more than one or two for it to be a sustainable business? Pfft

Oh and BTW, perhaps a bit ironic on the topic of forecasting based market predictions and innovation. Of the 4 people you mention, 3 of them didn't actually invent what they were credited for.

1. Edison was not the only person trying to invent an incandescent light bulb, and many at the same time and before him had working prototypes. His was just a bit better. That is not invention.
2. Karl Benz invented the car with the first patent, Henry Ford only mass produced a car afterwards.
3. Many people had a telephone invention the same time as Bell did, he was just first to patent and go public. Like the light bulb, numerous others had working prototypes around the same time.
4. And while generally the Wright Brothers are credited as the first to fly an aeroplane, there are strong debates that they did not fulfil the full criteria of it being legitimate due to having assisted take off requirements.

My point being, your research abilities are flaky

 

[bmugford]

I see .online as serious competition for the millions of .com domains hiding in the wine cellar just collecting dust because the average business consumer just can't afford them.

No chance.

There is nothing special about .online, especially as a domain investor.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

like you I'm a domain investor, and when you see a disconnect like this;

Casino.com - Sold for $5,500,000 in 2003
and
Casino.online - Sold for $201,250 in 2017

there must be a pony in here somewhere

keep in mind I don't hoard domains, i just sell them. I just sold Skyline.homes last Friday for $1,799, and I have you and a few others here to thank for your support and encouragement

I hate to break the news to you, but if you own more domains than you sell you are hoarding them.

In reality though, waiting for the right buyer is not "hoarding"; it is investing.

Brad

 

[NickB]

Sure that's exactly where it comes from Nick....my point is I wasn't making it up. Unlike you I can't post links or I would have. Then did you read my post about Taste.Online vs. Taste.com? Sometimes i feel like I'm speaking English and others are hearing Chinese, and before anyone gets carried away, i like the Chinese as much as the next race

It was more pointing out that the sponsors and NamesCon come up with all this marketing BS to get people to buy into it......you should know this Rich, being a sales and marketing Guru

Also I read you loud and clear, difficult not to with all these "next big thing" threads

 

[Joe N]

NO JOE....your agenda here has been pretty clear to me, and I don't like it one bit. Your accusation's and insinuation's about my agenda are false hyperbole pure and simple. When saying things like, investing $1 in a domain name that has the real potential of being worth thousands of dollars, it tells me you don't understand Risk vs. Reward, and apparently you never will. In my book, that's either agenda driven or ignorance. Personally I think its agenda driven, especially considering the source.

In the post you claimed not to read, I was actually saying that your .online venture may very well have a chance of being profitable as long as you can continue to pay very low prices for acquisitions and renewals.

Now, profitable is of course a rather huge range, and I think this would end up on the lower end of that range. But really, any profit in domaining is better than most investors can hope for.

The large amount of time you're spending on this small profit potential is another matter... I'd be much more worried about opportunity cost than risk/reward here. But you seem to be in this for the fun more than the money, so it's likely a moot point.

 

[sellian]

I think the only time dot.online competes against dot.com is when the dot.com domain has the word Online right before dot.

Example: PianoLessonsOnline.com vs PianoLessons.online

If I was the end-user, and both were priced the same, I would most probably buy the dot.com.

Now, if the dot.online version was 1/5 the price of the dot.com (or cheaper), I'd probably start considering buying it.