Yet another mainstream article calling us squatters...

[the_poet]

Snagging an unclaimed great one is almost impossible these days because domain "squatters" gobbled up a lot of the catchy real estate several years ago. Kevin Ham was the most powerful dotcom mogul you've never heard of in 2007, reports Business 2.0 Magazine. Here's how the master of Web domains built a $300 million empire of over 300,000 domain names.

http://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-pay-a-premium-for-your-company-domain-name-2011-4

 

[DU]

The problem isn't the name it's the business of speculating. Speculating in domains just isn't akin to real estate and monetary...yet. The general public equates it with those folks who go to a store and buy up all the hot toys for Christmas and then sell them at a premium on EBAY.

Closer analogy than real estate.

What do domainers right now think about those investing in oil futures - supposedly driving oil prices higher.

Savvy investors?
Scum?

It's all relative.

 

[the_poet]

It looks like this article is having some echoing in the domain blogosphere:

http://www.dnjournal.com/lowdown.htm

http://domainingtips.com/martin-zwilling.html

 

[Sparhawke]

Is anyone suing them for libel?

As far as I read of that he is simply rehashing tired old bovine scat without actually adding anything new...

Does this person who wrote the piece have anything original to say?

 

[sobeman88]

Unfortunately I agree. People these days become crazy when it comes to domains. Its virtually impossible for a normal person like myself to ever own a good domain....unless I pay thousands of course. But that just isnt fair. Even most domain hosts are snagging the good ones when they expire before they get into the "real world"

 

[dnbknowledge]

As the_poet mentioned, I covered this story on my blog (Domaining Tips Dot Com) today and 30 minutes after the post went live, Martin Zwilling edited his article and dropped by to write a very reasonable comment.

Unlike most mainstream writers I came across up until this point, Martin was professional and at the same time open minded. This situation just goes to show you that we as domainers have a voice (blogs such as mine, forums such as NamePros and so on) and that if we stop limiting ourselves to being passive, we can gradually change the way our industry is perceived, one seemingly insignificant incident at a time

 

[the_poet]

@dnbknowledge

Thanks for your clarification. He's substituted 'squatters' with 'investors' in the same article on his blog.

http://blog.startupprofessionals.com/2011/04/when-to-pay-premium-for-your-company.html

Here's what I call a great article about domain names:

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-10000-for-a-domain-name-is-still-cheap-2011-4

 

[SimpleDomaining]

i don't understand where is the logic in the article... it calls people that buy domains "squatters" but it calls domains "catchy real estate".... So why people that buy real estate in quantities are usually being called landlords/businessmen/real estate brokers/etc... and domainers are being called squatters??????

 

[Weber]

Not sure that is an issue.

A Stock Trader is a "Trader" (not a Stocker)
An Auction Professional is an "Auctioneer"
Some who Legislates for Government is a "Legislator"
A person who deals in Jewels and Jewelry is a "Jeweler"

The problem isn't the name it's the business of speculating. Speculating in domains just isn't akin to real estate and monetary...yet. The general public equates it with those folks who go to a store and buy up all the hot toys for Christmas and then sell them at a premium on EBAY.

Sorry, I was already aware that a stock trader is not called a stocker. That was my point, LOL.

By the the way, a "trader" can be anyone that trades in any goods or services, not just stocks.

"What's in a name"? It can be quite important.
Think "public perception".
"Public perception" is what will determine whether this business op lives or dies.