Morning Folks!
The Domain Industry is expanding by leaps and bounds. It is
expanding to every corner of the world and every corner of every industry and business. With
500 new TLD’s it will likely change the face of domaining in a way few have
thought about or imagined.
And while the Industry is expanding there are fewer and
fewer full time domainers by percentage and maybe even by actual number. There
are probably more employees at GoDaddy than the entire number of full time
domainers. Now start multiplying that with all the other allied companies and registrars.
The point is while there may only be 200, 300, 500 maybe
even 1000 full time domainers, there are so many more working at the edges in
allied industries that domainers are the minority and thus domainers are at
risk of losing control of what they do. Personally, I think it already happened
and there are so many competing forces out there protecting their turf and such
that things are not as good as they really should be and sometime creative ideas are silenced because they see what happens when they speak up.
So we keep talking about development and I have been talking
about it since 1997. But developing without a real business behind it is
missing something. Maybe the way to develop is to start with a “Cash Register”
and then build something around it. Work backwards. That was how I bought my first domain.
Working backwards.
This industry needs a giant leap. So we need to think about what was not available back years ago and
is today or was very costly then and not now. Tools that we have and how to use them. Many new tools in the toolbox
and we really never had time to sit back and discuss those tools. The hammer is
great the pliers are great but sometimes having the hammer maker and the plier
guy right there pitching their tools all the time may not be the best way to
allow your creativeness to come out until you start to use all the tools in the
chest together.
So back to my original point. There are many more folks
employed in the domain industry than there are full time domainers. That
presents problems and opportunities and to exploit the opportunities, sometimes
you need to talk privately with your own ilk about both.
I realize the audience that can truly understand and embrace
what I say is not getting any bigger and the critics only get louder. So what? Does that mean I have to stop
progressing? Does that mean I have to follow the crowd and do what others do?
Does that mean I can’t take risk and try new things? So maybe there are 500
full time domainers. Next year there will be 480 as some sell or go other
directions and who knows if those 20 will be replaced. But what we do know is
the registries will be hiring hundreds if not thousands of new folks. Not
domainers, but now in the Domain Industry. I am sure they will be wonderful folks. But they won’t make
you a dime when you party with them.
My point is the core group of domainers is not really
growing while the allied industries are because of what is coming. Domainers
are now the minority in the domaining Industry and while you may not have
thought about it before, maybe it is time to start now. That was the motivation for the following paragraph in yesterday's mailer. Something Howard and I have been discussing for years and we knew would be met with strong headwinds. But we will be doing it anyway.
'In 2011, T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is strongly considering the
possibility of having a 'Non Sponsored' event. That means NO
SPONSORS! Domainers only. The purpose is to keep the
advertising and commercial part out and the ideas
in. It could be a very controversial event,
but we are DETERMINED to put on a domainer only show in 2011,
to discuss where we are, where we have been, where we are
going and what is the best way of getting there. We will do
that without Registrars, PPC companies, SEO 'experts' or
Developers, or any other company selling something to us. We
will go into this in more depth during and after T.R.A.F.F.I.C. SOUTH
BEACH in October. We would like to hear from you on this novel
idea, because this is YOUR show.'
It will be a gathering of like minded folks. Cost will be modest. Only requirement is that you are a full time domainer. We also know that some are domainers and they have companies, they too are welcome, but they have to leave their company hat at home. This show will have a specific purpose. Nobody will force anyone to come. But those that understand the message will and others should not be threatened because what we come up with just might help what you do.
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
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