.tv THINGS WE'VE LEARNED - A free tip from each TV buyer

[GoneWalkabout]

I've just realised that the way I approach .TV names is very different than just a few months ago. In many ways - and like many of the people who have been here some time - I have evolved.

Perhaps we should pass on some of our hard-found wisdom one tip at a time.

My tip is that it is better to buy one good name for five years (while the intro reg is cheap) than five not-so-good names for one year each (and then be hit with increased price renewals or the dreaded drop)

Perhaps others might wish to pass on their tips for making a better TV world.

 

[Ross]

Buy to develop.

 

[Steven]

jimbojimbo, I agree.

 

[discovernow]

Don't buy to flip. There are always exceptions though. .TV is gaining ground but it's still early in the game, and I started buying .tv in 2000. Develop does makes sense for some but it's very time consuming and it's all about ROI and that includes your time. Keep your eyes open for strong foreign language names, Spanish, German, French, etc, or even IDN in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc. Higher premiums do not mean better names, that is for sure. Before, going to enom.tv to check on premiums check on auctions and namepros.com about getting names that people want to let go because DM/Verisign is jacking up premium prices if those names expire.

Thanks, Jim

 

[equity78]

Quality over quantity, this is not a tapped out .com market there are plenty of good names still available. Just because you may not like the premium system $500 is not too much for a serious development plan. 2 $500 premiums are much better than 50 $19.99 Godaddy made up brandable domains IMO. You could have regged Norway and South Beach for $500 each and I think the returns on those names as developed or resold far exceed the returns on 50 made up or so-so "hey look it is in the dictionary." non premium .tv.

Secondly if you reg a .tv and think it is a great idea develop it, do not try to sell it to other .tv wholesalers who can hand reg a competing name instead of paying you $300.

Thirdly, KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW. Do not reg adult names if that world is foreign to you, and you cannot develop it if you do not sell. Stick with names that you can answer YES to this question. "If I cannot sell the domain, do I like and know enough about the topic to develop it?"

Again IMO

 

[treebytheriver]

I have finally learned Jimbos hard lesson above. (it took a few friends to pound it into my head , it finally stuck

My tip is: Short names are not always the best names.

 

[MicroGuy]

Diversify, diversify, diversify. High risk TLDs should be a small portion of a domain portfolio.

 

[Jammer]

All great tips so far.I have to agree with don't buy to flip...I've sold a couple great names with development potential for peanuts....have a plan for development and don't be in a rush to sell.
Thanks folks!

 

[Dr. Mindwrecker]

You should have a realistic idea in numbers how many potential viewers will come to your site, based on your market.

and then be hit with increased price renewals

Have they changed the policy? Your price renewal does not change as long as you own the name.

 

[TheBulldog]

I learned that Liberace was gay. No clue before, I just thought he was happy.

Oh, don't bother with trying to flip right now. Spend 20 bucks a month for an ok hosting account and at least put up a crappy site with adsense to start learning how to do it.

 

[Cate.tv]

so your social network has got you down
and you look and there's no one around
google analytics they tell lies
what you need is socialbutterflies! .tv


Engage, engage, engage - online and offline - o l o l MEDIA

 

[hullswingerscom]

dont buy domain name when drunk..drunk reging cost money.

if you by a keyword.tv..have a look see if the keywordtv.com is avalable

learn to spell.

dont tell the wife.

 

[GoneWalkabout]

Help people - make friends - be nice.

But don't forget how hard it was to make the money in your hand in the first place.

 

[htmlindex]

If you are hand regging now, do it @ Godaddy as they are the cheapest & reg it for a minimum of 2 years to secure the discounted price to beat the higher renewals.

Also, be very picky in the names that you reg & make sure the names you reg have very good development potential to them.

 

[mckennaronnie]

Great advice so far.

My bit would be to ONLY buy domains in genres you know about & if you plan to develop then make sure you enjoy the subject you are workin gon or you will grow to hate it very quickly.

Other advice that stands out is:
Buy Quality over quantity
Dont take big risks on the Credit Card with high premiums you hope to flip if you cannot afford to renew them all in 1 years time.
Developing is NOT easy, it's not a case of just throwing up a site and the traffic & advertisers will follow.
Dont buy Geo unless it's pure Geo's, i know they are expensive but the market is very crowded with 2nd rate Geo's so i would not try buying anymore unless they are pure.

I like this thread, will be great for some of the many new .tv members.

 

[ownthisdomainnow]

Don't count on the influencers (Demand Media, Enom) to actually do anything to make your domain/site worth more money. It just won't happen.

 

[jeffoverman]

Quality over quantity. Wish I did this when I first started out. Now kicking myself but can't look back and only forward. I was naïve when I first came inn and was buying things left and right, this concept, that concept or format of the domain. A year ago I could have really grabbed some amazing names for 500 dollars and would have rather had 4 top notch names vs 800 names I was carrying in total. All extensions not just .tv. But thankfully the damage wasn't that bad for me and had an awesome sale in .tv. Can't disclose, sorry but was from an end user. In the red some but not as bad.

I agree with equity, invest in areas you know or have smarts on. I am after 2 to 4 main areas for the future of .tv

Good thread here. There is nothing wrong admitting your mistakes openly and learning from others. Some peoples ego is to hard to swallow and never fault or mistake.

 

[vaunter]

Cool head to buy and sell, no feelings allowed.

If you are thinking on your domains as your children, is normal, we use to do that, but don´t forget the goal is to make money... unless spending money is your hobby.

:wave:

 

[mcgauley10]

Great advice so far.

a case of just throwing up a site and the traffic & advertisers will follow.
Dont buy Geo unless it's pure Geo's, i know they are expensive but the market is very crowded with 2nd rate Geo's so i would not try buying anymore unless they are pure.

I like this thread, will be great for some of the many new .tv members.

great advice mckennaronnie, just out of curiosity, what is your definition of a "pure" geo and a 2nd rate geo?

 

[localexperts]

Pure GEO - Charlotte.TV

Second Rate GEO - CharlotteNC.TV, CharlotteNorthCarolina.TV, MyCharlotte.TV, etv