The .PRO Discussion

[InvisionTech]

It seems .PRO is slowly coming out of the cage with cheaper reg prices than they were a year ago and major registrars like netsol taking notice of the extension and promoting it.

Here are some that I picked up in last couple of days:

Alexandria.pro

Anchorage.pro

Arlington.pro

Belfast.pro

Birmingham.pro

Budapest.pro

Durham.pro

Fairfax.pro

Italian.pro

Lisbon.pro

Fire away with your regs after the relaunch on September 8th, 2008.

 

[JoeBiz]

I was hoping we would see sexo.pro sale on dnjournal this week. But maybe it was a private sale. That would have been nice.

Wouldn't we benefit more by having a cumulative record on NameBio?

 

[edom25]

Who can will prompt to me where I can register 3 - alphabetic domains in an PRO zone?
At us in Rissia not it is impossible to register 3 alphabetic domains.
Thankful in advance to you!

 

[yesonline]

Who can will prompt to me where I can register 3 - alphabetic domains in an PRO zone?
At us in Rissia not it is impossible to register 3 alphabetic domains.
Thankful in advance to you!

You can not register 3 letter or characters .pro, they are not open to public for now.

 

[Archangel]

More proof to me that .pro is a waste of money to own or use:

http://www.thedomains.com/2010/11/21/namejet-pro-auction-fails-to-impress/

Just fold the failed experiment already!

 

[InvisionTech]

More proof to me that .pro is a waste of money to own or use:

http://www.thedomains.com/2010/11/21/namejet-pro-auction-fails-to-impress/

Just fold the failed experiment already!

Sad.

The restrictions, confusion over rules and "requirements" is what is keeping users away. What is even more pathetic is that registrypro and whoever is incharge there is totally clueless.

With over 215+ .PRos that I have, I am paying special attentions to any good names that I want to keep and flush the rest as registrypro management has failed it self as well as .PRo extention while crap like .ME and .CO take on and once RegistryPro is done munching on the regulation/restriction sh!t, it will be too late.

The incompetency of registrypro is another reason why registrars like Godaddy and moniker have not gone after .pro, with all the rules/restrictions, they would have to add another layer of support just to handle requests from new users about .pro and canceled orders because some users may not meet requirements!!!!

 

[Archangel]

There are a lot of issues, I know. But I think the crippling factor is that .pro isn't as known as .com. Hell, it's not as known as .cc. That itself is a scary thought. If you have over 100 of them, I'd suggest you keep all your category-killers and professions and let the rest drop.

Sad.

The restrictions, confusion over rules and "requirements" is what is keeping users away. What is even more pathetic is that registrypro and whoever is incharge there is totally clueless.

With over 215+ .PRos that I have, I am paying special attentions to any good names that I want to keep and flush the rest as registrypro management has failed it self as well as .PRo extention while crap like .ME and .CO take on and once RegistryPro is done munching on the regulation/restriction sh!t, it will be too late.

The incompetency of registrypro is another reason why registrars like Godaddy and moniker have not gone after .pro, with all the rules/restrictions, they would have to add another layer of support just to handle requests from new users about .pro and canceled orders because some users may not meet requirements!!!!

 

[skylineleong]

The reason is registration cost & page rank.

 

[mwzd]

I got one I really like - infinity.pro

An anti-thesis? A brandable in an extension for professionals...

Or a domain of significance, time will tell.

 

[webdomain]

Most owners of the 50K plus registrants of this domain are holding tight. Nobody appears to be dropping significant keywords. I'm joining that crowd and will be holding and developing out my portfolio in the mean time.

Hope the 3 auction fizzle gives the board a good reality check. That could be the best thing that comes of it. I agree with much of the criticism. But, don't see the gtld being thrown out any time soon.

What I'll be interested in is what happens when the .cc or .co thing loses some steam and resales plummit or don't meet expectations. At least with .pro, we know where we stand.

 

[akcampbell]

What some people can't grasp about .pro is it's not the absolute that matters, it's the relative. Buying a .pro is like buying a share in a small company that nobody has heard of, buying a .com is like buying a share in a Fortune 500 company that everbody has heard of. For $1,000, you don't get much of the Fortune 500 company but with .pro you get alot more as a %. For you to double your money with a Fortune 500 company a company has to got from a $50bn valuation to a $100bn. To do the same with a .pro, the company has to go from $5m to $10m.

Since I started registering .pros, total domains registered have gone from 6,000 to 48,000, an eightfold appreciation. Registration fees have gone from $100 to $20 and with the recent announcement of the drop in wholesale prices to the level of .com, registration fees could fall further in 2011. I registered domains like Gadget.pro and Piano.pro from the WHOIS in 2007, now Tea.pro sells for $1,700.

The fact that SSL.pro sold for $2,600 should be celebrated, 3 years ago you wouldn't have got $100 for that domain name. Either somebody applied for SSL.pro during the request for proposals and got their application rejected or it was down to putting .pro in front of a bigger audience. When people registered top .coms in the mid 90s, .com was as little known then as .pro is today. You don't get anything for nothing when it comes to investment, there is no guaranteed strategy, it's a question of judgement.

Although I share InvisionTech's frustration, I accept that this is what I bought into, a hopeless registry with uncommercial restrictions and almost non-existent distribution channel. However, when I started registering .pros they had all this plus they weren't sold by Network Solutions and eNom, there were no Namejet or Snapnames auctions, restrictions were even more draconian, and registration fees were $99.

I agree with InvisionTech's strategy. I am always looking at what to drop. I dropped Poem.pro and Poetry.pro this week, nice keywords in .info, for example, but they don't fit with what sells in .pro in my experience so they had to go. My logic is if you drop an average .pro, you can afford to keep a better one for twice as long. However, balanced with that, if top .pros like Mortgage.pro and Loan.pro come along, I'm still a buyer at Snapnames prices.

 

[Archangel]

This holds true with many extensions, not just .pro. What I'm trying to figure out is: What makes .pro more special than .info or .biz etc etc etc? Nothing differentiates it aside from the fact that .pro (on the outside) has a usage. Even that means nothing considering .info and .biz are obvious to their niche but still are on life support.

What some people can't grasp about .pro is it's not the absolute that matters, it's the relative. Buying a .pro is like buying a share in a small company that nobody has heard of, buying a .com is like buying a share in a Fortune 500 company that everbody has heard of. For $1,000, you don't get much of the Fortune 500 company but with .pro you get alot more as a %. For you to double your money with a Fortune 500 company a company has to got from a $50bn valuation to a $100bn. To do the same with a .pro, the company has to go from $5m to $10m.

 

[Kate]

What some people can't grasp about .pro is it's not the absolute that matters, it's the relative. Buying a .pro is like buying a share in a small company that nobody has heard of, buying a .com is like buying a share in a Fortune 500 company that everbody has heard of.

Investing in small companies is okay when they are promising and there is a likelihood of a return. Investing in .pro domains is like investing in a dead sacred cow and hoping for resurrection.

The fact that SSL.pro sold for $2,600 should be celebrated, 3 years ago you wouldn't have got $100 for that domain name.

I don't see reasons to celebrate, the recent auction has been a flop and it confirms the market is dead. It's just not an extension that sells well. Yes, there are more sales but you will still struggle to offload your .pro domains. In fact, I suspect the proportion of domainer to domainer sales is higher than in most other extensions.
Where are the end users ? Who visits .pro websites on a regular basis ? I don't.

What I'm trying to figure out is: What makes .pro more special than .info or .biz etc etc etc?

It's brandable, it's something I readily agree with, but it won't help I'm afraid.

 

[akcampbell]

I don't see reasons to celebrate, the recent auction has been a flop and it confirms the market is dead.

It was a success in terms of values achieve for very average .pros. 2-3 years ago it would have been impossible to sell .pros like this for $100.

What I'm trying to figure out is: What makes .pro more special than .info or .biz etc etc etc?

Very simple, it's more brandable than .info and prettier than .biz and .mobi. Pro is a branding prefix and suffix in business, there are 24,707 references to Pro in the Combined Word Mark search on USPTO.gov. The way businesses choose to market themselves offline influences what letter combinations work as domain extensions.

 

[Archangel]

No offense but this is just an opinion of yours, not a fact. I'm sure millions of ppl see .info as more brandable (and maybe .biz but it doesn't help any).

Very simple, it's more brandable than .info and prettier than .biz and .mobi. Pro is a branding prefix and suffix in business, there are 24,707 references to Pro in the Combined Word Mark search on USPTO.gov.

This has no basis of reality. Of course, if you could supply evidence, I'd be more than happy to read it.

I'm not trying to start a war or something. I just want to understand why anyone seriously invests their time ad money in .pro. I see no logical reasons why it's a gamble better take than a sucky yet better known ext like .biz.

The way businesses choose to market themselves offline influences what letter combinations work as domain extensions.

 

[webdomain]

.pro is worth the risk. I can't think of a better extension where you can pick up a premium domain for the prices you can here right now. By the time you hear somebody outside of this circle talking about a .pro you already better be in.

---------- Post added at 04:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:45 PM ----------

I like the debate. Here is a list of .coms that utilize the word .pro as pro is used alot to demonstrate being an expert on something. I do think its highly marketable. Of course all of us will agree that you can market anything if you put enough money behind it. But my general sense is that .pro would be easier to market.

http://www.avid.com/US/products/family/pro-tools

http://www.nfl.com/probowl

http://jblpro.com/

http://www.amaproracing.com/

http://www.ehow.com/pro-fishing/

http://www.profitnessclub.com/

http://prodanceelite.com/

http://prowax.com/

http://www.profootballweekly.com/

Generally, companies market their best performing products as pro or professional.

 

[Archangel]

I suppose everyone has preference. A day may come when .pro is actually used. Owning one or 2 right now might be a good idea. But I think it'd be unwise to own many of them. But that's my 2 cents.

 

[akcampbell]

I just want to understand why anyone seriously invests their time and money in .pro.

Have a look at the sale prices page on Total.pro. 10 of the low to high $X,XXX sales in the last 14 months are mine.

 

[Archangel]

They use 'pro' in their domain and that makes .pro well worth the risk? There are many with 'info' and little with 'com.' So where is the argument?

I like the debate. Here is a list of .coms that utilize the word .pro as pro is used alot to demonstrate being an expert on something. I do think its highly marketable. Of course all of us will agree that you can market anything if you put enough money behind it. But my general sense is that .pro would be easier to market.

http://www.avid.com/US/products/family/pro-tools

http://www.nfl.com/probowl

http://jblpro.com/

http://www.amaproracing.com/

http://www.ehow.com/pro-fishing/

http://www.profitnessclub.com/

http://prodanceelite.com/

http://prowax.com/

http://www.profootballweekly.com/

Generally, companies market their best performing products as pro or professional.

 

[webdomain]

I suppose everyone has preference. A day may come when .pro is actually used. Owning one or 2 right now might be a good idea. But I think it'd be unwise to own many of them. But that's my 2 cents.

There is an argument for the extension. Whether its widely adopted is yet to be seen. Alot of foreign people getting into them so its audience much larger than the US.

I provide the list of companies who are using the word pro as marketing within their websites. Not my fault they haven't recognized there is a more suitable extension out there for them to promote.

 

[webdomain]

calendars.pro is ranking second page on search for calendars on yahoo!!