The BS of BS. Are you ready to get it?

Morning Folks!!


Last post this morning before I get distracted. The one question I hear more than any other and sometimes the question comes with an accusatory tone. Like I am supposed to apologize for recognizing the value of domains in 1995 when others did not. Like I have something to be ashamed of. Try they may, but it will never work. So back to the question. 'If you were to start today how would you do it?' Of course the underlying tone is 'You could not do it.' which is of course nonsense.


First I always say....Stop buying WORTHLESS domain names. But few pay attention. They still buy garbage and in many cases pay for crap what I pay for a domain that can be a business standing by itself.


So look at the list of domains I bought this week. Nothing over $10k. The best domains cost me the least. There were a dozen others I could have won as well but at this stage of things I am looking to fortify what I have which is different than somebody starting out today.


Rick Latona Auction:


1. Rickshaws.com $5500
2. NetMarketers.com $1250
3. BreakfastBars.com $1300
4. AsianFlu.com $3000


Moniker Auction:


1. HotProducts.com $9000
2. ReTrain.com 4500
3. Bribes.com $3000
4. AffiliateAdvertising.com $5000
5. Wager.co.uk $5000
6. Exhibiting.com $5000


Now some of these domains are not the way I would START a domain collection....but domains like breakfastbars.com that is a multi billion dollar industry is an example of how to start. $1300 to go into business?? Insane! If I had nothing in life to do, I could make a living with this single domain name. Same with RickShaws.com. Same with AffiliateAdvertising.com. Same with HotProducts.com.


So while others are buying qzy.com for $20,000 and dgrhyd.com for $1000, I do it differently. I look for meaning. I look for a domain name standing alone to be a business. I don't expect anything less. So I will say to folks, it is time to raise your game. Liquidate the CRAP and buy prime. There are sooooo many GREAT domains coming to market that you have ONE LAST CHANCE to make it in domaining. This is going to be your very last chance of buying great domain names. The window of opportunity is open. I am not smart enough to tell you how long that opportunity will last. Months maybe, a year. That's about it. So if you pay a lot in renewals and your domains don't do it, get rid of 160 worthless domains that are a liability and trade it in for one breakfastbars.com or thousands of other domains that actually mean something. Turn your liabilities into assets. Quality rules now and rules always.


Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz


New Video Surfaces of Auction. Look into the eyes of Determination

Morning Folks!!


Last night a new video taken at TRAFFIC was posted on my blog. As I was sitting right next to Div it shows something that until now I may have been the only one privy to see.
Here you can see a close take of Divyank's face during the ad.com auction. Those are the eyes of a hunter. The eyes of determination. The eyes of a tiger doing battle and getting the prey. It is PRICELESS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypz3Mf7xHkI


Posted by Javier Zaffaroni as he took the video at TRAFFIC sitting about 3 rows in front of us. Thanks Javier for sharing this intense video.


Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz


Domainers Fail to Even SPOT an End User

Morning Folks!!


There has been a lot of talk about the 'End User.' But I am not too sure domainers even know what an end user is or looks like when they see one. See there was an auction last week. An end user bought the highest priced domain but domainers think he too was a domainer. WRONG! Div bought Ad.com NOT as a domain industry pro. He bought it as an end user and now has the chance to transform Skenzo into a mainstream powerhouse. This domain puts Skenzo right in the middle of Madison Avenue and not even they know what has really happened.


By acquiring Ad.com as an END USER, Div has the chance to transform his business into something priceless. He has a chance to disrupt things on several levels. So my surprise is that nobody recognized the end user when they saw one. Maybe we need to pass out t-shirts with END USER in big bold letters.


Now as far as end users......both Moniker and Rick Latona spent countless hours courting end users. It works a TINY little bit. In this case, enough to show what happens when you have a real auction and you mix it up and have the right audience. As I have stated now countless times....End users are coming one domain, one project, one need, one use at a time. They will likely never come in mass. We all hope they do. We will see many more auctions like this if that were to occur. But stop thinking it will happen overnight. It will happen, but we could still be a decade or more away. You can't force them to get the religion. It will happen when it happens. But when and if that day ever does come, it will make major art auctions look like stuff for rookies. Imagine not domainers selling to end user, imagine end users selling to end users. What does an auction for Loan.com look like if auctioned by Bank of America and 10 banks are there? Now THAT is an auction and that is likely something we may never see. At least in our life times.


Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz