To .com or not to .com - Thoughts

[Spade]

As a domainer, you must consider the value of extensions when buying and selling. When it is time to develop, is it better to take a great .net ? or settle on a weaker .com?

I recently ran into this problem for a site I wanted to develop. I wanted to create a Sushi review site, but obviously wanted the most generic domain name I could find.... after searches and comparing, I settled on eSushi.net

I typically advise domainers to always pick up .com/.net combinations when developing, but in this case I made an exception over a few other domain names, what do you guys think? Did I might the right decision or should I practice what I preach?

 

[NameClerk]

For development purposes I agree that a great .net is more appealing than a weak .com.

For pure domain speculation I stick to .com. That's not to say that .net won't sell also but with so many domains and extensions, you have to set limits.

-Bill

 

[Keynes]

For development purposes, SEO is the major source of traffic, so having a keyword rich, short domain should suit you well. As Bill said, in terms of resale and large-scale development, always go with .com

 

[Camron]

At least there are some 3 character .net domains available. I always bought .com over .net if it was available, but that's just me. I think of them as both great extensions.

 

[Spade]

I do appreciate everyones comments, I think we all think along the same lines. My portfolio is 95% .com - however typically I'll continue to search out for development a .com/.net combo - in this case I did settle on a solitary .net - I will begin development on this domain name, as I am beginning negotiations with a few others that I think are better.

 

[dotnom]

In the current example the only drawback is that the .com version may get some of your traffic if you develop it and market it right. Apart this i don't think it's bad

As people above said it's better to have a good and short name
If you get returning visitors the TLD will stick with the name

 

[Spade]

Well, I am crossing my fingers that this will be the case. The site will be a simple blog/review for sushi sites in my area (to start). So we'll see what kind of traffic I can bring in..... I am trying to acquire what I consider to be a better .com - again, we shall see if I am able to acquire it for a reasonable price. I appreciate your inputs.

I have added Rep to all who have posted thus far.