Afternoon Folks!!
WOW!!! Major announcement!
I have the great pleasure to announce that T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is getting one of the Legends of America to come and speak to us. Not since Steve Forbes have we had someone of such esteem. While Steve is a billionaire he was born into money in a way few have. But earned his wings when he could have been a goof off like me.
Now we have a self made man quite like no other. That proves that ANYTHING is possible in America. Living proof. Perhaps the greatest promoter since PT Barnum himself.
I am here to announce that DON KING is coming to TRAFFIC. If some of you don’t know who Don King is, you have some homework to do.
Mr Don King 'Only in America!'
We are really happy and proud that Don will be joining us and want to thank Rick Waters of Webcast 1 for making this happen in behalf of TRAFFIC and the industry.
Folks, this is what I always envisioned should happen with such a dignified groups as us. EACH of us has a role to play and it is nice to see folks working so constructively in behalf of everyone. I hope we can continue this spirit as we are all in this together.
Rick and Howard
David J Castello
This is SO bizarre, Rick. I was watching Don’s cameo in Devil’s Advocate last night and I thought,”He’d be a riot to speak at TRAFFIC.”
BullShitwebsites
I like his quote:
*I’ve always gotten what I’ve wanted because I’ve got the right combination of wit, grit and a big pile of common sense bullshit.”
Troy
This is hilarious!
Best of luck.
Uzoma
Only in America!
Well done. I can’t wait for the action to begin in a few days.
Stephen Douglas
Well it’s finally happened…
The domain industry’s most”prestigious” conference has America’s most-embarrassing sports promoter speak. I’m sure business marketing teams are”all a twitter”… oops.
Don King is just what we need right now. His”inspirational speech” surely will bring credibility to any domain auction sales at TRAFFIC for not”taking a dive” (which ironically was the subject of Rick’s blog yesterday)
Can’t wait to hear how Don King will assist domainers in their efforts to become recognized as”legit” in mainstream business. Stomp an employee to death can be a new business policy.
It only takes a minute to look up the Don King bio on Wikipedia.”Early Life” starts it off, 2 murder charges, organized crime connections, jail terms, fixed fights. This is EXACTLY what the Domain Industry needs.
Good call, Rick.
I may never post another comment anywhere extolling the benefits of domaining after this.
Just imagine hiring a PR firm and spending $100k to promote this TRAFFIC blunder:
“We’re legit and so is investing in domains! Don King has been invited to say”ONLY IN AMERICA!”
After all the fraud, bailouts, and economic pain, a domain conference now turns to Don King to give it guidance to credibility.
Davey C says”this is so BIZARRE” —
’nuff said.
chris
Great, Don King came from nothing, only with good business sense and taking advantage of good timing. He has started people like Ali, Oprah etc.
Its worth the money just to hear his insights and wonder if he has a portfolio as such.
Bernie Maddoff would have been better though.
Rob
This is the first time Rick does something I really don’t like… There are many famous people with positive impacts on our world.
Source”Wikipedia”:
Don King was born in Cleveland, Ohio. After dropping out of Kent State University, he ran an illegal bookmaking operation, and was charged for killing two men in separate incidents 13 years apart. The first was determined to be justifiable homicide after it was found that King shot Hillary Brown in the back and killed him while he was attempting to rob one of King’s gambling houses. King was convicted of second degree murder for the second killing in 1966 after he was found guilty of stomping to death an employee, Sam Garrett, who owed him $600. In an ex parte meeting with King’s attorney, the judge reduced King’s conviction to nonnegligent manslaughter for which King served just under four years in prison.
During a 1992 Senate investigation, King pleaded the Fifth Amendment when questioned about his connection to mobster John Gotti.
Mike Tyson sued King for $100 million, alleging the boxing promoter cheated him out of millions over more than a decade. It was settled out of court for $14 million.
sick
totally agree with Stephen Douglas.
i did post yesterday but it wasn’t printed
double murderer, fraudster, universally disliked apart from a few with their eyes wide shut
this is a ridiculous decision to allow a lowlife like this speak
very good at self promotion, yes, but so was adolf hitler. not putting king in that category but what else does he bring to table?
absolute joke, i wouldn’t be paid to listen to him, let alone pay.
although the usual suspects will be out in force, furthering their own agendas
Rick Waters
The man has turned his life
around and is a well known philanthropist and promoter
of peace. As a matter of fact
Israeli Prime Minister Shimon
Peres named Don King an ‘Honorary Ambassador of Good Will
for Peace’ in 2008 – look it up!
Jim Holleran
I think you should of got Jim Brown instead.
Jim Holleran
I think Jim Brown would of been a much better choice.
Alan
I have a hard time digesting the word *esteem* in the same sentence with Don King. He’s a cartoonish egomaniacal buffoon with a violant criminal past and a history of bad business practices that has left clients paupered and punch weary. If Don King is the message you want to project to Madison Avenue, perhaps the domain industry needs a new messenger. Maybe its time for YOU to hang up the gloves and leave the ring before you embarass yourself and the domain industry any further.
David J Castello
I don’t disagree with the comments about Mr King’s past. However, we are an industry that is basically being ignored by the vast majority of powers that be. They don’t play fair and many have decided it is in their best interests to block us out as long as possible. The reason I believe that Don King may be a good strategic move here is that people like him are press magnets. This is America and the American press has the uncanny ability to open doors that are bolted shut. And the more the press writes about us the better – even when they get it wrong most of the time.
tricolorro
“Not since Steve Forbes have we had someone of such esteem.”
Esteem?
I think this is where you lost a lot of folks.
Steve Forbes is probably cringing.
(I’m using the 4th definition of”cringing” from from
merriam-webster.com:
“to recoil in distaste”).
–
Definition of Esteem from dictionary.reference.com:
“es·teem (verb):
to regard highly or favorably; regard with respect or admiration: I esteem him for his honesty.
es·teem (noun):
favorable opinion or judgment; respect or regard: to hold a person in esteem.”
I just think Esteem was a wrong choice of word.
Prowess as a promoter, self-made man, etc. certainly is valid.
Would anyone here allow Don King to broker your domains?
Rick Schwartz
ok, well we can debate the use of the word”Esteem” but it does fit according to the definition.”to regard highly or favorably; regard with respect or admiration”
Well, I do regard him highly and admire how he pulled himself up and turned his life around. That he is the single best promoter. That he understands the power of”Eyeballs” better than perhaps anyone on the planet.
Does not mean I condone anything he has done etc. But to think he does not have something to offer, to teach, to help, is not being objective.
Here is a guy that turned his life around. Came from a tough neighborhood and while he has done some bad, he has done more good. On balance, I would like to hear what is arguable the #1 promoter in the universe.
So I am PROUD to stand behind and with Don King and when the story is written, it will validate having him speak and what we will take away will be worth the price of admission alone.
Oh, and for the record, for people with short memories……I took a lot of shit when we announced Steve Forbes. I am sure many remember. Go figure!
Anunt
When i was a student in school, i use to raise my hand to answer a question…and the students would stare at my hairy armpits and say,”Hey look, it’s Don King!”
Don King does not know shit about domain names.
Rick, if you want a sold out TRAFFIC Show and improve the Domain Industry, bring Frank Schilling or Kevin Ham to speak….it does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out…domainers love these guys!
I’m glad i’m not coming to this Traffic Show…and if i was coming there and you were planning to bring Don King, i would ask for a full refund and also sue you for the nightmares that i’m having now.
Now that the damage is already done…one way to improve this Traffic Show from here… is for Rick to comb his hair like Don King and show up at the show…that’s your only way out Rick!
LOL
When i was a student in school, i use to raise my hand to answer a question…and the students would stare at my hairy armpits and say,”Hey look, it’s Don King!”
Don King does not know shit about domain names.
Rick, if you want a sold out TRAFFIC Show and improve the Domain Industry, bring Frank Schilling or Kevin Ham to speak….it does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out…domainers love these guys!
I’m glad i’m not coming to this Traffic Show…and if i was coming there and you were planning to bring Don King, i would ask for a full refund and also sue you for the nightmares that i’m having now.
Now that the damage is already done…one way to improve this Traffic Show from here… is for Rick to comb his hair like Don King and show up at the show…that’s your only way out Rick!
Rick Schwartz
Yeah Anunt, I left your double post up so the folks in the inustry know what an anon looks like. Nice job!
What other masks do you use?
Anunt / LOL
What do you know about domains Anunt/LOL ?
Could you even afford a flight, admission ticket, and hotel expense
Shaun Pilfold
Rick, bad choice. The resaons are rather obvious.
Ray Neu
Being a Criminal Justice major in college and having spent my pre domain life working for a Federal Law Enforcement agency; I do not condone any criminal activity. But it is very apparent he turned his life around.
I am very excited to meet Don King. Tell me that those who posted your negative comments would not have posted a pic of Don King on Facebook if you met him elsewhere. Just a quick search I see a very nice domainer, who everyone likes, with a pic of he and Don King.
I am very disappointed in many people who have had such negative things to say. It takes the class of someone like David Castello to put things in perspective.
See everyone in Miami!
Uzoma
It’s obvious this Anunt Character needs to be banned from this website. He is not witty, he is not even funny, so what’s the point letting him fester?
howard
One of the primary reasons that T.R.A.F.F.I.C. has been so successful is that Rick Schwartz is a man of vision. He sees things that others don’t see and he is always one step ahead of everybody else. In all of my years as his partner, I have never seen him work so hard as he has for this upcoming show. So when I heard that we might be able to get Don King, I admittedly wasn’t too thrilled. but I believed in Rick’s vision and felt that this was indeed a good choice for the conference. Therefore, I would urge all of the naysayers (who frankly have good cause to feel that way) to think more deeply and more positively about this man who, because of his presence at the conference, can bring a lot of public attention to the Domain Name Industry and the word will start to circulate that Domain Names drive traffic and are a good investment.
Anunt
Uzoma, i tell it like it is…i’m not an ass-kisser like you and others.
Would you like to see Don King or Frank Shilling at this Traffic Show?
I think over 90% would pick Frank Schilling over Don King….and the Domain Industry would benefit much more…and Rick’s Traffic Show would be over booked…that’s how you put on a show…not trying to beg people to come to your traffic show by giving discounts and bringing people like Don King who dont know shit about domains…
I tell it like it is…sorry for ruffling your feathers Rick…but thats how i feel…and i’m sure thats how others feel too…but they dont say shit…but i do.
I vote for Frank Shilling or Kevin Ham…time to move this industry forward…they can talk to google and yahoo and microsoft…not Don King!
Rick Schwartz
So Franky has to be on stage at TRAFFIC for it to have value?? Having a cup of coffee with him or a beer has NO value?? WTF?? That’s just STUPID in my book and spoken by a FOOL that has never been to any event in the industry.
Did you ever even consider that some folks have been on the stage so many times they just don’t want to do that and have other ambitions at TRAFFIC? Meetings, things to do? Networking?
Do you know how many domainers are not on the pre conference schedule and then appear on a panel?
Do you know how many times Franky amd Kevin have spoken at TRAFFIC?? Of course not, you have never gone so all you do is sit on the sidelines and have all types of diffetrent anon handles and spew shit!
Now that is differernt than those that disagree with the wisdom of Don King and express their views. We can agree to disagree and someday after the show I am sure some will come to me and say they were wrong and got GREAT value at what Don King shared with them.
At least everyone knows my goal and if some want to make me the devil for that, so be it. Good decisions don’t always have to be popular decisions. They just have to prove themselves in time.
Dean
Any publicity is good publicity even if it takes Don King to publicize the Domain Industry. Strange choice I agree, but I think this guy probably has some funny crazy stories to tell.
Don King is a walking talking publicity machine, so we could all stand to benefit from his approach.
Never know where the next idea is going to come from.
Steven
I am not going to the show but I think Don King is very interesting choice and one that shows Rick was really trying to have a speaker leave you motivated, excited, and hopefully inspired.
Some of these comments are too stupid to mention but if you think one speaker at any domain show is furthering the domain industry….I have some ocean front property in arizona.
I think most people will really enjoy Don King once they put aside all past drama associated with him.
Good Luck on the show.
mike berkens
Ok here are my thoughts on Don King.
1st of all Don King is local.
Don Kings office is located about 15 Minutes from my house right off 1-95.
Every time I get off or on I-95 I pass his office.
So he’s not traveling far and I don’t think he is getting paid a lot or even much at all.
Over the past 8 years since I have lived in South Florida I have wound up on with King on flights from New York to Ft. Lauderdale, not by any planning just because we live close to each other.
Here’s what I can tell you.
He fly’s commercial.
This may not be a big deal for you but for someone who has made the money he has, its pretty strange to see a guy like that flying on a commercial jet.
He is what else you should know:
He’s is friendly as can be.
He not stuffy or standoffish
He is in public like he is on TV.
He wears his sparking coat with”Made in America” on the back and he walks through the airport waving American flags and talking to anyone who will listen.
When people see him they love him.
Love him.
People flock to the guy.
They want there picture taken with him.
They want to shake his hand, give him a hug or a kiss and guess what?
He welcomes them all.
All the pictures, all the handshakes, the hugs the kisses, he spends the time and love’s the attention right back
I haven’t meet to many $100 million+++ people that will walk around without body guards and talk to and take pictures with everyone that wants to talk to him.
He loves the US and he is the walking american dream.
He is corny for sure, but he believes in it, all of it.
He came from nothing.
Nothing.
No money, no family, no business
Nothing.
Having said that why do we care and why do we want to listen to the guy?
Well for me, anytime I get a chance to sit in a room and chat with a guy that came from an environment when he had zero dollars, and really on paper no chance to succeed, to the point where he has made hundreds of millions of dollars, I think its worth 20 minutes of my time.
That’s just me.
I probably don’t agree with everything he has done in his life but I’m not god.
The question from me is it is worth it to sit with someone for a few minutes and walk away with one piece of information, one idea, one thought, one spark that I can take with me for the rest of my life.
For me I will listen to a guy like Don King any day of the week for free.
Moreover if we can inspire a guy like this to fall in love with domains it couldn’t hurt to have a guy like that promoting domains.
Finally when I first got into the domain business, before I lived on the east coast of Florida I registered the domain OnlyInAmerica.com
Although Don King had a trademark on this term before I had the domain, he stepped up and bought the domain from me rather than going the lawsuit or the UDRP way so I will always have a place in my heart for the guy.
The guys has done what hundreds of millions of people have not been able to do, overcome incredible odds to become a huge success story.
Yes I have 20 minutes to listen to the guy and will be happy to do so and yes its only in America that this story can come true.
Personally I can’t wait
George
Don King..? Yeah…
For the next meeting I
Vote for:
O.J. Simpson !!
I dare you find a better one.
George
George
Don King..? Yeah…
For the next meeting I proppouse:
O.J. Simpson!!
I dare you to find a better one.
George
YouAreLosers.com
Most of you are lonely losers that nobody has ever heard of. Don King has accomplished more than all of you combined. He had national and worldwide significance and you clowns are trying to rob people with dotmobi, .co, and charging people for appraisals, while letting fraud run rampant on the forums and elsewhere.
Piggly Von Crust
Don King is a good choice. Most of you anonymous loser domainers will never have significance.
Rick is the Domain King and most of you are losers trying to push .mobi or the new fraud .co.
Well over 90 percent of you are SCUM, and it shows. You don’t even throw out scammers from the domain forums, or publicly expose those who are shill bidders.
If you ahve a problem with Don King that is because you are a loser who sits around in your underwear as the world passes you by.
Anunt
Rick, i apologize…i’m sorry…i really am.
You and your team have worked extremely hard having sleepless nights to put this show together…and in the end, it’s your show…you can bring whom ever you please.
Only one week left before the show…you probably have lots of stuff that needs to be done before this show takes place…and you dont need all this bullshit drama, especially not from me nor from anybody else…i fully understand and i apologize for that….sorry!
Good luck with the show Rick!
BillW
The way I see it is you are getting a free”bonus” speaker at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. since he was not on the original schedule. Nice job Rick to land someone that just might have some unconventional wisdom for people in an unconventional industry.
If you don’t like the guy or don’t want to hear what he says then hang out by the pool during the session and quit your whining!
BillW
Interesting…..OnlyInAmerica.com is a parked page at Network Solutions. Maybe Don King will learn something himself at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. about developing that nice name.
King may be controversial but nonetheless he will surely be interesting. Nice job Rick! He a bit of a free”bonus” to those attending the show as he was not even on the original agenda.
Those that don’t like him or are offended certainly don’t have to attend that session… quit your whining and head for the pool or down to the beach and chill.
Rick Schwartz
Funny thing….
!. Don King is a bonus
2. None of the complaints have come from anyone attending.
3. We can agree to disagree but if he is good enough to be at the White House with Presidents then I think there must be something there that many may be missing.
4. The zero tolerance Don King is getting would be more convincing if as an industry we were clean. But so many turn a blind eye to what really affects them. Google and Yahoo have done more harm to you and your family than 1000 Don Kings. Where the hell is the outrage there??
Uzoma
Here’s Bush and Don:
http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2004/05/05/bush-king.jpg
Danny Pryor
Why are so many nay-sayers so afraid to use a real name? What is up with that? If you have an opinion, don’t be afraid to tell people who you are; anything less than that, and your opinion means little.
This is a coup for this industry. This show will be the most insightful, controversial, powerful mechanism the domain industry has had from which to learn, grown and define itself. Don King’s attendance is proof of this, and we can all – every single one of us – learn from a man who started with zero and became the most ubiquitous promoter the world has ever known.
James
@ Anunt -“Would you like to see Don King or Frank Shilling at this Traffic Show?
I think over 90% would pick Frank Schilling over Don King….and the Domain Industry would benefit much more…and Rick’s Traffic Show would be over booked…that’s how you put on a show…not trying to beg people to come to your traffic show by giving discounts and bringing people like Don King who dont know shit about domains…
I tell it like it is…sorry for ruffling your feathers Rick…but thats how i feel…and i’m sure thats how others feel too…but they dont say shit…but i do.
I vote for Frank Shilling or Kevin Ham…time to move this industry forward…they can talk to google and yahoo and microsoft…not Don King!”
Nothing at all against hearing the wisdom from top industry players as you mentioned, but they don’t provide a much needed link to the non-domaining world that a speaker like Don King does. Domaining is an incestuous business which gets few opportunities to get the right sort of publicity in the ‘real’ world.
Not only that, but what about the Frank Schillings and Kevin Hams? Who do they want to hear speak?
I’m sure that King will be as keen to understand our industry (especially when he realises how much money there is to be made)as the attendees will be to hear from him.
domain guy
anunt you bought flowers.mobi for one reason only to put up a website to criticise rick.
this is not a ligitimate use of a domain this is revenge.
it is not wise to antagnize
successful individuals.
it would be wise to use this domain to further the domain industry not ostracize fellow domainers…use just a little bit of wisdom in your future endeavers….