The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog: RicksBlog.com – Home of The Domain King®

Morning Folks!!

I know it is not in vogue to talk about hand registrations as I know all the domains of value were scooped up years ago according to many. But while so many shun hand registrations, I managed to register 2840 so far in 2010. As I say many times, I register domains by hand nearly every day of my life. 2010 was the most ever.

Sure it is a different game than 1996. I can buy 8.5 domains now for the cost of just one domain back then. That would have been 334 domains back then. Even at $25 a pop for a .co is still only 25% of what it used to be.

So what is the difference? Well when I buy a domain it goes into storage first. I don’t go and try to sell domains I bought today. They have to be “processed”. Then studied. Then they have to be monitored. They have to ripen. They won’t have much value in 2010. But come back in 10 years.

You have to assume that every domain I ever hand registered had ZERO value or it would have already been scooped up at time of registration. Including the domains I registered today.

The only difference in the equation is patience and understanding how long it takes for something to manifest itself and evolve to a different state of being.

So I keep playing the “Domain Lottery” whether it is popular or not. I play it because it works for me. In these 2840 domains I only have to sell one to pay for all. One to pay for all for many years. In the meantime I BUY TIME. Time for the universe to evolve. Evolve in the direction of the domains I invested in.

2800 of those babies may expire or have no value because it was time related or become Pigeon Shit. But the 40 others, I expect they will rake in some $4 Million over the next decade and provide a nice return. I know many of you don’t like or agree with this approach. Ok. But it is tried and true and it works for me because I have patience and look at things with an eye that combines the evolution of business with the evolution of consumers and then factor in plain old evolution. Success breeds more successes and more folks looking for success.

I have just been betting that success in the future starts with a domain name. Been betting that way since December 26, 1995 and everything I see leads me to believe that it is now happening in a way that I once envisioned. An overnight success 15-20 years in the making. The scene in 'The Social Network' cemented that vision and memorialized it for the world to see.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I wrote this last week and posted it to my blog earlier this morning before the Time Person of the Year announcement. Normally I would not have made it public until next week when I hit my 15 year milestone doing this. But I think it needs to get posted now with the news so that it makes even more sense than it would have.

When I look back at 2010 I will look at it as the first year that the Internet started to really be defined. Not only defined, embraced. Not only embraced, but as predicted for years, the “Savior of Sales”.

2010 was the first year of the Internet because it was the first year that attitudes changed universally. ALL eyes are on the Internet. The future of all business pinned to the Internet. Everyone now online. Everyone. And not only online, but Facebook has put them in the game and right in the middle of the action.

2010 the year of Facebook. We saw it coming but who would have thunk?. But it truly manifested itself this year. Everyone is in or getting in or will soon be in. Things evolved this year more than any other in recent memory.

Have we witnessed another Hula Hoop moment? I think history will tell yea or nay. I vote yea. I also thank the economy for forcing things to break wide open. You have witnessed a truly epic year. 2010 sets up the next decade. Things are just beginning to rev up. This was the year that we left the starting line.

2010 was a tough year. But 2010 was a key year and I am here to tell you this is the turning point and the mile posts I have most looked forward to for all these years. It took these guys 16 years or more to get it right. They blew zillions of dollars! But now, they are in the game. On the trail. In the hunt.

Hallelujah that long lonely trail is about to get more crowded than anything you can imagine. The greatest ego stroke anyone will have in the next decade is a hughly recognizable domain name.

Facebook has ignited the masses in how they spend their time. Between 20 years and a decade ago the average person spent ZERO minutes online everyday. ZERO. Then reved it up to one a month. They weekly. Then daily.

Today, the average person spends hour after hour online. Multiply those minutes. WOW! Many are just starting to navigate their way around. It’s a new world and it started now. 2010.

It takes tough times to make good times. It forces folks to reach deep. What folks learn is when they reach deep, they will find a great success. And sometimes make fools of themselves as all the viral videos prove. This will be the year I remember everyone acting like a clown to bring attention to them and get into the game.

I have been doing these posts for a very long time. Since 1996 I have posted annually about what we accomplished and what was still left. The 'still left' column won by landslides and the 'accomplished side' was barely in the game. Like a see-saw. All weighted to what was still left to do and accomplished still sitting on the ground.

Let me be 1000% clear. 2010 was THE breakthrough year. This was the year that the momentum has finally shifted online in the way it was meant to do. The world is engaged and finally in the game. Those that are not, will be very soon consumed as well. A tidal wave of progress.

The shift has happened. 15 years ago today I registered that first domain. (Actually, my ISP registered it) That was me sticking my toe in the water to see what was going on. By that time 12 months later, I was all hyped up about something nobody around me knew nothing of. I was on a new planet and there was nobody. Barrne and deserted. Was this really the future?

I could see the evolution but would anyone else?? How many could I afford to get at $100 each? What would I do with them? How would I afford to keep these for years while others saw what I saw? All questions. No answers. Nobody to even ask. All that was there were techies and they did not speak the language of business. I could not look at it thru techie eyes. I look at it through the eyes of people. Consumers. Mom and pops and business folks. They saw code. They were geniuses and I was just a guy that stuck out because I was so clueless. We talked different languages and I got banned from the few places I found to try and discuss domains or the future of the Internet. Pretty damn lonely. My only link to any real life was when I looked up a domain name and the same guy or company would own it. Or Proctor and Gamble would own it or somebody that was a hell of a lot smarter than me. So there must be something.

So from that day to this day……I don’t even know how to put it into words. It is almost miraculous to watch something you think will happen actually happen and have it happen in a historical magnitude like this.

Facebook is the “Training Wheels” of the Internet. Facebook to the masses is like the Ynot board was to me and the adult biz in 1996 and 1997 and 1998. Transformitive by taking communications to another level. To take our productiveness to another level. Unemployment is high right now, but only because the transformation has yet to happen. It is in progress. Jobs in 2010 and 2020 won’t look like the jobs of 1910 and 1920. We won’t be going to a “Job” to put a screw in a hole and pass it down the assembly line to be productive. We will be collaborating with our minds not our hands.

So welcome to the most exciting 5 years of your lifetime. The last 5 years of a 20 year plan. The Home Stretch. My mile markers are all lined up for history to see. I knew they would look for that oceanfront land. My #1 job,get to the ocean, set up camp, an umbrella, be as comfortable as possible in the process and pull out 20 years of patience.

Mark it on your calendars. 2010 was the year that changed the game in a significant way. The $$$ are now earmarked toward the Internet. Their time is now earmarked for the Internet. Their energy is now earmarked for the Internet. This is the beginning. 15 years on the on-ramp. But we are now on the superhighway. Getting up to speed and ENJOY the next 5 years.

Take a deep breath. The game starts again now. No matter where you get on board, there are fortunes to be made online. NOW! The guy that gets online today, will do just fine it he has any plan at all and the discipline and patience to carry that plan out.

Congratulations for being part of the single biggest opportunity ever available to the common man in the history of mankind. That is not an exaggeration. That is a fact and you need to stop and get your heads around that one if you want to be one step ahead and not one step behind. The beauty of the Internet, is that even if you fall behind, you can still leap ahead.

So as I start my 16^th year the passion only grows. My single best advice. Go see “The Social Network” Watch it twice. Then re-access and recalibrate everything you thought you knew and apply it to where we are at and where things are going. Don’t look at it thru your eyes, think what the others in the audience are thinking. You can FEEL the energy.

We are witnessing the greatest shift in advertising dollars and investment in the history of the universe. The money is flying towards the Internet. The thing they tried to kill a decade ago is the only thing that can save them today and in the future. Media is tripping over themselves trying to make things go viral. Be relevant. Be social. Talk to their viewers on their level. Some are good at it, some look like fools. Most do. Desperate sometimes. Most times. It looks forced, it feels forced. But from this race the real one finally emerges. Right on schedule!!! That is the mind blower. As much as I have done everything in my power to accelerate things, the 20 year plan will still take 20 years. Except for one minor difference. I believed it would just be starting in 20 years. I did not think we would peak in 20 years. We are 5 years ahead and it took hundreds of companies and thousands of domain owners to get there. Going from the outer limits to the focal point of the new economy.

And around the turn they come…….The finish line now in sight.

Have a GREAT Day!
Have a FANTASTIC New Year’s
Have a Healthy and Happy Future

Morning folks!

Here is the story and just reinforces what I have been posting. Big congrats!! This is really big news for all of us and proves what I have been postig about is worth a deeper look.

It is not that I am even a fan. I just recognize a game changer when I see it even if I am not the first to see it. It's what you do with the info once you figure it out.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2037181,00.html

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

2010 was THE defining year online. There is no question about that. From trying to kill this beast to the bear hug embrace we see today. It is stunning yet fully predictable. They Finally came to the party!! Many years late, but nice to see them all join in. I will discuss more of that on my annual post in the next few days.

But today we are going to talk about Budgets! Not the government budget, but the businesses of the world budgets. The CPA has to add categories next year. Online this and online that. What area are all these payments? What is 'Domain Name Acquisitions'? What is this 'Domain Name Advertising'? What is this to Candy.com? Boutique.com? Groupon.com? Facebook ads? Twitter tweet contest?

Then in a yer from now they are likely to really get down to comparing results and see that Groupon is really a much better buy than Google. Which would explain why Google wanted to buy them and Groupon said no. Thank you Groupon!! That was a bold move and a win for all of us whether you see or understand it or not. Google buys anyone they see as a threat so they can control everything. Our job is to help those that can challenge them and gives us all alternatives. So pray that Groupon and Facebook and Twitter and others stay independent. If you wake up one day and Google bought them, it will be a bad day.

Sorry, I got a little off track, But that station stop was pretty important.

So 2011 will have many new categories and a completely new focus for business plus a lot of accountants that will be figuring out how to treat this or that. They are all sitting around RIGHT NOW discussing budgets for this and that and they have to cut the old stuff that no longer works and add to the new stuff that they have yet to fully figure out but there is no turning back. Meetings, meetings and more meetings. The ink factories are gonna be in trouble because the newspapers are going to be in trouble. What will we use for the bird cage in the future? And the poor newspaper boy is all but extinct. :-(

Make no mistake. This is difficult and painful for business but they are way behind. 10-15 years behind. So when you are way behind, the way to catch up is to throw $$$ at something and get into the game. Welcome to 2011. What a great year it will be when you see it through John Jone's eyes.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

What happened in 2010 will take 18-36 months to completely manifest itself. It's a 'Germination period' and you have to understand and respect that time gap or your crop will never grow and mature. Fruit takes TIME to ripen and sweeten. In business, that cycle is usually 18-36 months. How do you stay ahead of the future? By predicting an event and then the fallout of and from that event and beyond. Just act on a hunch, get it right and be there first.

In January I EXPECT Ron Jackson to report that 2010 was the #1 year for domain sales. That is my assumption and right or wrong, that is what I will base things on. Originally I thought it would happen in 2009, but there was just not enough time for the recession and business realignment to manifest itself. In 2010 there was. So I believe the right prediction, just a bit early, which is infinitely better than being late.

2010 will be a record breaker. A record breaker in a string of record breakers to come. And please keep in mind these are only the “Reported” domain sales. The unreported sales likely eclipse this number. Yes, eclipse. The biggest deals are often silent deals. There is probably not a real domainer out there that does not have at least 1 or more private sales. Many of them have had ALL their deals private. Post and let me know. You won't be violating any agreements with such a general response.

So in the not too distant future we will see $150 million years in REPORTED domain sales. Then $250 million. And in a much shorter time from 1996 to today, we will see a Billion in domain sales in one calendar year. All will happen. All are easily predictable. The only moving parts are which exact domains and what year will each of these events happen.

There are those that would argue with me. I would take their side. I just don’t like being wrong and late to the game. The future will bear that out.

Arguably more progress has been made online in the last 24 months than the last 24 years. Things have a way of accelerating and while we are FAR from full speed, we are FOR THE FIRST TIME, heading in the right direction. It takes a long time to get to where we are. It won’t take so long to get where we are going. Grasp where we are going and you will be rewarded. Go against it and it may cut you to shreds. Don’t get T-Boned by the future. Hit it head on and devour it!

As for Social Media, that requires a separate post. This was a real break out year for this and it changed human behavior more in one year that any other thing possibly in the history of mankind. The Facebook and Twitter logos are on everything. From zero to infinity in 12 months. Like I said, it deserves a separate post. I look at it as an added booster rocket to domain names. Many think the opposite and of course, I believe they are wrong once again. Just like they have been wrong about every other event that was going to destroy domain names. In fact, it does just the opposite. It is the very best thing that could happen to domain names. Facebook and Twitter are the 'Training wheels of the Internet' The starting point, not the ending point.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Moron Alert!

As a habit I don’t publish emails. But when threats come, all bets are off. Folks need to know what type folks they deal with. Here is something all need to see and read. Plus I must set the record straight before it gets off the track.

Initial email I receive yesterday:

Hi Rick!

Would you consider a partnership with Porno.com and xxxxxxx.com?
Your traffic directed to my cashcow! 50/50 profits split.
Penthouse owns Cams.com, a $50,000,000 per year site, their little sister to AdultFriendFinder.com

Streamate dot com and LiveJasmin dot com are 10 times bigger!

(cam girls) dot com is a Streamate cobrand at the moment, but 90% of surfers can't tell the difference,

running a solo site would give us more control.

Some estimated figures.

Porno.com traffic = 25,000/day
Conversion = 500:1
Signups/day = 50
Income = 50 * $100 = $5,000 / day

That's just direct sales, expect 10X expansion, Jasmin is Alexa rank 50 with 20 Million hits/day.

Hope to hear from you!

Graham Cooper
PH +61 420849965--

My Response:

Hi Graham,
I would consider testing the traffic with a link to see if we can get some conversions and then expanding.
Rick

His response:

-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Cooper <grahamcooper7@gmail.com>

To: Rick Schwartz <mr800king@aol.com>
Sent: Sun, Dec 12, 2010 8:01 pm
Subject: Re: Porno.com inquiry

Hi Rick,

I would try a redirect to the pornstars section, very hot ladies and some guys

spend $1000 / day due to the higher rates $10+ per minute.

URL DELETED

URL DELETED

Cheers

Graham

My Response:

On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 8:15 PM, Rick Schwartz <mr800king@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Graham,
Thanks, but not worth disrupting what I have. Wrong direction at that level.
Rick

His Response turns ugly

On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 8:32 PM, Graham Cooper <grahamcooper7@gmail.com> wrote:

What level, Camgurls is a front end for a billion dollar cam site?
You're comparing your trash landing page to Streamate dot com ?

I hope you reconsider, it's only a 24 hour test and I don't see how this

is going to relinquish any setup with Porno.com landing page sponsors.

I'm not sure what your problem is, you renege out of a billion dollar partnership

over a day's earnings?

Shit, what a spastic you turned out to be

My Response:

Every time I have ever emailed you over the years you turn into a name calling ass.
I should have known better than to answer you. My bad!

Now he goes off the deepend:

-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Cooper <grahamcooper7@gmail.com>
To: Rick Schwartz <mr800king@aol.com>

Sent: Mon, Dec 13, 2010 5:55 am
Subject: Re: Porno.com inquiry

You think you're the father of the internet, inside 5 years I'll run the DNS and take porno.com and everything you got, bank balance included.

Graham Cooper
Groom Computer
Wife Finder
Sex Machine
Genesis Adam

KINGS BEACH, QUEENSLAND

what a lying fucking prickteaser, I'll fuck you up so hard you won't believe it

this is the biggest fucking cunt thing anybody has done to me,

and I have the most numerous most powerful enemies of all time

You'll spend 10 years in a dingy for your next voyage

That's the biggest fucking renege in all history you ASSHOLE

My Responsee:

On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 9:01 PM, Rick Schwartz <mr800king@aol.com> wrote:

Good!
Cuz I am going to POST this email for everyone to see what you are.
Plus, as you can see, I am cc'ing a few folks and will keep sending. Many more!
I don't take kindly to threats. Now you can deal with it.
Have a nice life.

And then, all these from him:

#1

name 1!

I am the son of God and have perfect memory.

I channel the word of God with your blog daily for 5 years.

I was your number 1 fan.

#2

That's the biggest fucking renege in all history you ASSHOLE

#3

You call that a spamlist?

I send goatse to 55 FBI departments for fun!

#4

Don't forget to quote your offer you reneged on!

I'll put you NBC you fool, I'll give you 20 years for fraud and fuck your wife

#5

My Response to all 55 he cc’ed

Morning Folks!!

More than domains sales, I have had “Significant” domain sales. Meaningful sales. Sales to build on. Sales I could point at to make my case for future sales. My sales. But my goal was not to sell any for 20 years. In that, I failed. But I needed to build a foundation as part of that 20 year plan to be taken seriously and therefore raise the value of all domains. Not just my domains.

My first sale was eScore.com to Kaplan Education in New York who is a powerhouse in the education field. It was widely reported by the media starting with the NY Times. That was 1999 and 6 figure sales were not common.

My next sale was that of Men.com. This was a very rare 7 figure sale in those days and it came at a time where the bubble had burst and this gave new life to the industry. The sale was reported worldwide in hundreds of major publications and TV. It was a monumental sale of the day.

246.com, my first NNN sale has gone to IAC.

iReport.com was one of my best sales. It took about 6 months to complete. Their opening offer was $10,000. I said no to CNN many times on the way to a $750,000 cash sale. The biggest sticking point, making it public. They did not want to be laughed at for spending so much for a domain name. I assured them that would not be the case.

After a few meetings, they gave in as I would not sell without that single concession. It was worth another $750k to me in publicity and to build future sales on. This domain was the epitome of the Internet. A soapbox like no other. Today, iReport.com is in every country in the world and is one of the most recognized citizen journalist sites ever. The sale that keeps on giving to me and everyone else in the industry.

Candy.com bought in 2005 and sold in 2009 for $3M plus royalties off the GROSS. I believe this to be one of my most valuable domain names. The total value of this deal is unknown, but my projections come in at an additional $2M-$3M. So this deal will eventually be worth $5M-$6M. I also have a clause in the contract that gives me a sizeable bonus should Candy.com be sold in the next years. That would be the biggest part of the contract if that would happen. (More on that in a future post)

PunchBowl.com to MyPunchBowl.com for an undisclosed amount and shares of stock. Another sale with an open ended value.

So of my 15 sales, 5 of them have more significance than just a sale. 2 of them will be spitting out dividends many years after the sale. Some like OnlineCasinos.com I have to keep private. But even if I break my silence, the penalty would be having to buy the domain back. OK!!! LOL.

In the future I will be even more choosey about the deals I make. They will become even more meaningful. It will happen for one major reason. The way I see things unfolding. The way Donald Trump would do it if somebody with an idea for a piece of his land. What deal would he carve out? Now just because this mindset was not “ripe” 15 years ago does not mean it won’t be ripe soon. Very soon. Within 5 years.

Sure, they all laughed their asses off at me for what I do and what I believe. But the laughter subsides as the deals come. Each of those sales above are partially made to silence that laughter and turn it into folks that want to understand more. Whether they understand or not won’t sway me off my path and what I see and what I will do.

My record will speak louder than the loudest naysayer in town. Then a town of naysayers. That was what I believed in 1995 and that is what I believe today. What pisses people off the most is that I have been able to stick to my path and what I see unfolding regardless of the laughs, prods and all the rest. It makes them crazy that I won’t vary off my path. Year after year they laugh and I watch the goal get closer and closer.

As they say, “He who laughs last, laughs best”.

In the days ahead I will post about the seeds of my first NINE FIGURE deal. Even 50% of the choir won’t see it or believe it. But at least they know not to laugh.

Have a GREAT day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!

In 1996 I never dreamed there would be groups just devoted to 3 number domain names. But there are and I have 3 number domain names.

In 1996 I never dreamed there would be groups that focus on 3 letter domain names. But there are and I have 3 letter domain names.

In 1996 I never dreamed there would be groups for this and that and the other thing. But there are and I have this that and the other thing.

For almost every sub-group, I have domains that match that group. Even 3D.

The big difference is I went wide and some drilled deep.

I only drilled deep in adult because that has proven over time that nothing you can do will kill the appetite for adult.

Soon, many new tld’s will come online. New opportunity for some and a black hole for others.

My only point in EVERY post I ever make is that a newcomer can get in the game on January 1, 2011 and make a lot of money IF he gets the FIRST buy right. The FIRST buy. Luckily you can make your FIRST buy right now even if it isn’t your first buy. Fool yourself! Pretend!!

You have experience that the guy coming on January 1, 2011 does not. You are light years ahead. You should whip his ass!! But, if you are not having the results you want and don’t do anything different, you lose. If you are losing, the last thing you want to do is the last thing you did again.

And, you don’t have to have money to make money in domains. You have to have a plan. You have to be smart. You can create opportunity! Did you read that? You can CREATE opportunity.

I have nothing to prove so the easy way out is the loser turning it back on me. That is why you are a loser. Want to change that? Get you mind thinking. But it is more than just trying to make $$$. Calling you a 'Loser' is not name calling. I would much rather call you a WINNER! But if you lose, that by definition is loser. Not personal!

If I was penniless and needed to change that today, I could name a few things I could do. The easiest and lowest entry bar is brokering a domain name. Just find a great domain name. Contact the owner. Get an agreement for a period of time to allow you to market and sell that domain.

A sale gives you seed money. A start. A direction. Of course you have to know how to sell, who to contact and how to talk to them intelligently. You also need to really know what a great domain is or you will be pissing in the wind. It takes the same amount of energy and time and expense to market gold as to market pigeon shit. Read that again. Please! Plus when you market “Pigeon Shit” you get frustration as the reward instead of a cash reward. Why would anyone in their right mind keep choosing Pigeon Shit?

And let me be 100% clear. It is not Pigeon Shit because I say so. It is Pigeon Shit because the MARKET says so. It may just be your timing. It is possible for Pigon Shit to turn into gold. But then wait until it turns to gold and THEN sell. Because right now, it is yet to be transformed. It is still Pigeon Shit.

I have Pigeon Shit. Yes, me too. The difference is I don’t try and sell Pigeon Shit. I let them drop. They are worthless. It is not worth my time to do a $25 transaction for something with no value. Nor would I feel good about it. The only reason I had the Pigeon Shit to begin with is I don’t chase yesterday, I predict tomorrow. When you do that, you may only hit 1 in 100. But for $800 in hand registrations, that 1 will pay that $800 bill dozens of times. It’s a formula that has proven to work for me for 15 years.

There is more opportunity in domains than anything I have ever seen in all my life. There are so many ways to climb the mountain. So many ways to approach things. So many ways to do whatever. Life changes ever minute and every time that happens a new domain opportunity is born.

My only point is that if you are not succeeding, it may not be comfortable, but do something different and try again. Don’t repeat failure, repeat success. You can only repeat something you did. So in January, grab a success and then repeat that success as many times as you can and do it as fast as you can for as long as you can.

The opportunity in domains is just beginning. It is not ending. It won’t end for anyone reading this while you are on this side of the dirt. Your only job is figuring out how to harness SOME of that power.

I was making well into the 7 figures before I ever quit my day job. I urge folks not to quit their day jobs until the time at work interferes with their domain business and ability to make money and grow their business. Then and only then would I have made the leap. So domaining is a natural part time entry until you ramp up.

So it all boils down to whether you have time, patience and a keen understanding of business and what is important to business. Don’t chase yesterday. It seldom works. Predict tomorrow based on history not yesterday. And of course……..stop playing with Pigeons! The same energy to play with Gold. I am rooting for your success. I don’t know if you have Pigeon Shit or gold. The only one that does…..your savings account. Or you can use this test. If my Pigeon Shit category offends you………

And of course it is one thing to buy Pigeon Shit for $8 and another thing to buy Pigeon Shit for $8000. I know. I have done both. But I admit it. I know the difference. I try and not repeat what does not work. The only thing I have repeated over the years that only has marginal success is trying to reach those in domaining reading this without the true success they want and deserve and only have anger and frustration banked up instead of happiness and dollars. But I figure with every post.....maybe, maybe, I sway one willing mind and they get to transform their lives. I may or may not know the result. That is good enough for me! We all have a way of giving back. Some donate to charity. I donate my time and words to willing minds and hearts. I just plant the seeds of thought and know some will germinate. Some with anger, some with greatfulness, some with nothing at all.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz



Morning Folks!!

It was January 1998. Las Vegas. That’s the time my world changed. 2 years of preaching and posting about domains and meeting with the normal naysaying just hit a new reality. To make a long story short, the deal I made with Dean Shannon was big news in the adult world. It really was not until the trip home on the plane when it really hit what I had done. Lee Noga kicks the back of my seat and says “Congrats Mr. Millionaire”. I had not realized it until that moment. It was just a $30,000/week deal to me.

The day before I had made a deal for all the traffic from Porno.com. A deal that would last for 5 years. The deal, $30,000 a week. More than $1.5 million a year for ONE domain name. It was eventually increased as you will read below.

So I was already in the process of selling my real world business because even tho I was making $350k and more a year, it was a distraction. It was taking too much time even tho I did not spend that much time on it, it still interrupted me and my quest for domains.

By March I finally had the deal done and I was out. After a number of months relaxing and vacationing and working and really not that much to do I decided to just repeat what I had done the first time. So I started taking the Porno.com money and I started buying even better domain names. I did that for about another 18 months. I stopped when I had built ANOTHER $1.5 million income stream.

At that point I worked but I also was retired and was taking life easy. Which brings me to the point of this post. There have been several epic events on my journey. These were a couple of them.

But I have a couple more.

In September 2000 I went to New York City. Years before I had predicted that one day we would walk through Times Square and every billboard would be a dotcom advertisement. Of course I was laughed at.

On that September Night just 12 months before 9/11 we walked the square. Billboard after billboard was filled with dotcom ads. EVERY ONE! Ask Serge. Tears started to roll down my cheeks. It was uncontrollable. To get something this big right was huge! Then months later the bust happened. Luckily I was never near the collapse and it barely affected me.

The next years I just coasted along. Men.com deal. Buying Candy.com and Property.com and many more along the way.

That brings me to this Fall. Another Times Square moment happened. A bigger moment. A more ripe moment. I can’t wait to get the DVD so I can play it over and over and over again and really understand it even more than I do. I only saw it once. It was brief. It made tears come to my eyes. It won’t be anything for most. But for me, THIS was the breakthrough event I have been waiting for.

So simple. So subtle. But it comes down to one scene in “The Social Network” where it shows them searching for the domain name. BRILLIANT!! Ground Breaking! The masses just got a handbook and a roadmap to the domain world and it was all by accident. Unintended. But the result does not care about that stuff. The result is the single biggest moment in the evolution of domain names and their rightful role and place.

The masses all saw the same thing at the same time and it is a game changer. THIS is the “Spark” that changes everything. Bigger than the biggest domain sale. This my friends is like a pistol marking the beginning of a race. The great race. The greatest race.

Minimize if you like. I have been around long enough to know a sign like this. This movie besides that scene plants a seed in EVERY person watching it. Not just a small seed. But a burning desire. That is the takeaway. It may start with Facebook. But it does not end there. Facebook is the vehicle that gets everyone online longer and longer as the days pass. The longer folks are online, the better we all do.

This is truly the beginning of a 5 year period that will change the game in the most incredible and significant ways. The eve of the last quarter of the single greatest opportunity in history. I waited 15 years for that one monent. Had no idea in what form it would manifest itself. But it all came down to one scene from one movie. It may mean nothing to you, it means everything to me. And in the coming years you will look back and may see what I see. Either way, I just want to be on record.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Afternoon Folks!!

A few minutes ago I learned that Don King's wife of some 50 years, Henrietta King, Died yesterday of stomach Cancer in Boca Raton, FL.

My sincere condolences to Don King and his entire family. I can only imagine the hole that must be in their heart today.

Rick Schwartz