Morning Folks!!
I usually write every morning but I don't always post those writings. I have dozens and dozens of those posts that for one reason or another I just never posted. I see what I see and I have learned not to be persuaded or waste time by those that don't even take the time to try and visualize what that exactly is but are quick to argue and disagree.
Things are tough out there and I am enjoying the opportunities that are coming to the surface. All I can say is that I am in 'Observing mode'. I am observing a very quickly changing landscape and new ways to make lots of money. I am observing the masses doing things right and also still doing things wrong.
But they are in the game and on the hunt and thank you Facebook! Thank you Groupon! Thank you Twitter! Thank you for changing the habits of billions of people. Thank you Charlie Sheen for showing how quickly one can take that soapbox and make others react. That is the story!!
I still rarely use Facebook, but you can't deny the impact and change in behavior and how much time is being spent online. The world has changed. The iPad with 45 million units out there and counting with another few million being sold tomorrow alone. A new category and a new opportunity and challenge.
The debate about the Internet being a 'Fad' is over. Every business is now focused on doing business online. Their entire future and energy and dollars are headed online. Now just get out of the way and allow things to flourish over the next few years. Enjoy the Magic Carpet as it whisks us all away and mostly in different directions.
The ICANN meeting won't be boring. I have spent a great deal of time considering the pros and cons of .XXX and the headwinds they are experiencing. I will write more about those thoughts in the coming weeks. I will say that it will be an easy extension to block and then the question becomes how much of the Internet will turn off .xxx? With an ailing adult industry the timing could not be worse but as always, we will all see it unfold together.
To see how far we have come you need to stop and observe and then understand and digest where we are and where we are headed and how long it will take to get there. Houston, we have IGNITION!
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
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Andrea
In ten years the young people who are now studying in high schools and universities, and who grew up with an internet connection in their rooms, will be”business decision makers” who have not experienced the pre-internet era.
Every decision will be made considering the internet as a solid economic reality.
Things such as PPC, CPA, direct traffic and domain names will not be new models to be tested, and looking back 20 years, these people will see tens of thousands of successful companies born thanks to the Internet.
They will also see companies in traditional sectors of the economy collapsed because their executives, in 2011, are still wondering what a good domain is and whether it is worth investing more than 3% of their advertising budget on the Internet.
Jeff Schneider
Hello Rick,
How about Comments not being Posted by S.E.O. Centric Blogs ? I have talked to many Domainers that experience Censorship, and there is a pattern forming on this front. We all know that there is a pent up demand for a Direct Navigation Alternative.
There is a HUGE pent up audience of Business Owners that favor a system that does not Game them by changing Alogs to pervert common Word Roots, that actually steer Traffic away from them and to their largest competitors.
As you know We are not fans of the blurred lines in the sand, that are being drawn to wrench control away from Online Business Owners.
We feel that the need for a leveling of the Search Industry field , in favor of Direct Navigation is forthcoming, and the goals that we have set for our five year plan of 1% of revenues could be very conservative. This is due to the Underlying Market Forces that are driving Direct Navigation back to Pre-Google levels.
Online Business Owners and Domainers hold the Foundational Keys to unlock the power of onlne Marketing.They always have and they always will.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
DomainPig
GOOGLE IS GOING TO FUCK .XXX
.XXX could be the start of the internet 2
2012: The Year The Internet Ends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2XPiqhN_Ns&feature=related
o2 phone network stops you accessing porn,gambling,etc
http://www.onelittleduck.co.uk/web-stuff/have-o2-censored-your-website-certificate-18-1784.htm
Google Hacks China!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86GBxQ0fZLg&feature=related
Google makes huge amounts of revenue from these industries
and they are going to do their best to keep advertising them.
Look at what they done to China when they hacked them they
will do the same thing to .xxx and find ways to annihilate the competition!!!
BullShitWebsites
Domain pig…ha ha ..that a nice one.
It is already here and unfortunately those who don’t see it and partake in it are the biggest losers.
“Their entire future and energy and dollars are headed online”
Anunt
How much coke does Charlie Sheen do?
Enough to kill 2 and half men.
stfu.com
Dan
Hi,
Those of you in ‘SF’ On March 17th may want to ‘accidentally’ run into this while the wife is site seeing some where else… so you might ‘accidentally’ do some ‘site seeing’ yourself…
________
“Porn Stars To Rally Against .XXX At ICANN San Francisco”
Quote:
All adult industry professionals and supporters of the adult entertainment community are being encouraged to protest against the proposed .XXX sTLD (sponsored Top Level Domain) at the ICANN meeting in San Francisco next week.
In the final of five articles written by Diane Duke, Executive Director of the Free Speech Coalition, in which Duke has called .XXX”all bullshit” in each article, Duke has called for a protest on Thursday 17 March from 12:30 to 14:00.
Given the domain name industry’s interest in scantily clad women, such as the DOMAINfest Global conference that has included a visit to the Playboy Mansion as part of the conference activities for the past three years, the protest is sure to attract a lot of attention and camera-wielding attendees.
The Free Speech Coalition is also organizing key leaders in the adult community to speak at the conference during the public forums as well as the protest outside.
The article also questions the amount of money invested in the .XXX proposal by ICM, a total they claim to be $12 million. The article claims this has bought ICM a number of favours and influence on the ICANN board.” End Quote
The full article is available from news.avn.com/articles/What-s-Wrong-with-XXX-Part-Five-428480.html.
____
Regards,
Dan
ASK
Rick, you are the man. Love your posts.
Chadi Ghaith
First, let me say the sky looks strange today here in Mount Lebanon, and it certainly its much stranger in Japan…
My heart goes to the Japanese in those hours, even though I’ve learned to believe in the karmic equation fate to the point of never feeling sorry…
Secondly, yes I always stop by at your blog, even if non of your posts are among the Domaining newsletter, and even though I’m mostly busy. I’m not a Domainer, and I still don’t understand what draws me to this industry…
I get the impression you must be too busy to write, so I’m kinda surprised to learn that you do actually write that which you do not necessarily post…
This is good, it make the posts that actually make it more condensed and right to the point…
Yes, the rythm of life in general is welcoming more and more the internet as The Way, so much so that the world seems to be slowly yet surely uploading itself online. Its maybe an addiction to shortcuts – the internet allows less time wasted on hands shaking and more time invested in thoughts mating.
Plus, the internet I believe encourage higher spending dollar, because of the way we think of numbers in mind as opposed to paper in hand.
When I withdraw cash from an ATM and count it like the good all days, I suddenly feel bad for spending x and y online. Its like magic, I can’t believe I don’t feel the importance of 1k the same online as it is in hand.
From here, I believe the internet is inherently prepared to be a money making machine had there been less and less real life alternatives.
I can tell you also that all the nations on our side of the earth that are experiencing the change represent a huge quantity of newcomers that’ll crowd the internet suddenly like a tsunami, and they have dollar to spend, because most of them rather not eat but own a mobile and an internet account…
Everything is heading that way and I know you’ve captured the essence of the moment by the Red Carpet analogy…
I know this industry is living a unique moment, and I was drawn into this uniqueness more than to domain names or domaining. It made me feel that if its true what life promises in success genres that there comes a moment in life where a unique business chance or opportunity comes your way and you’d have to be smart enough to recognize it and must possess just the enough sense of adventure to risk and take a quick bite whilst others are in doubt — well,
I feel I’ve ran into this model with the domain industry. I don’t know, I found myself for once not afraid to invest, not afraid to dream…
I don’t believe 10 yrs from now thing’ll be as easy or simple… I feel that.
So, yes, I intuitively feel its a special moment in the life of this industry and your posts are very reassuring of this intuition, which is why I bother reading or reacting to it, and I don’t like the way people rush to behave in blogs before they think…
Steve Cheatham
Change is inevitable as the eyes of those who have known the Internet since birth start participating.
For historical reference look at the evolution of tevevision. As a boomer born in 1950 I watched the crude, post radio, TV try to struggle with the new technology. Then the boomers took it over and content radically changed to fit the medium.
That’s where we are at today with the Internet… changing over to the young folks who grew up with the net. Content is going to explode and the Internet as we know it, blogged to death, will be over.
Let’s get on with it. It’s the quick and the dead.
Avantscape Webdesign
.XXX could to be like .asia. Much hype created and an enormous number of registrations. XXX basically gives the adult industry its own identity but not sure if that’s what the industry wants :) As Rick says, .xxx extension is more prone to getting blocked off easily and for countries with internet censorship, xxx will be an easy target.
ScottM
Another funny one: CBS is going to make a new series starring Lindsey Lohan and Charlie Sheen called Two and a Half Grams
Landon White
.XXX another loser extension:
/// horny dorks dreaming about getting laid …
wasting there Domain money once again
they are the ones …
who will get reamed in the end. lol
Landon White
@ Dan
THANKS FOR THE UP!
A must read to”STOP” from making you submit your”ADULT SITE FOR APPROVAL”
………BEFOREHAND……………….
ICANN will be in a position to make a great deal of money if .XXX is approved. But there is a voice of reason in this catastrophic mess called ICANN. ICANN’s Government Advisory Committee (GAC) has, on three occasions, noted the lack of support from the sponsorship community and also a number of other problems with .XXX; GAC has reached consensus opposition to .XXX. ICANN is required, by its bylaws, to take GAC advice into account. Moreover, the US government, the entity that authorizes ICANN to oversee the domain name system, has expressly cautioned ICANN about ignoring GAC advice, basically threatening to take away its authority if it continues to overstep its boundaries by ignoring the public policy concerns of world-wide governments.
—-
Mar 08th, 2011 12:03 PM
.XXX is ALL Bullshit! It’s Crunch Time, Let’s Fight Back!
By Diane Duke, Free Speech Coalition Executive Director
You may have noticed a common theme throughout my articles about .XXX. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised by the reaction I received in my use of the word “bullshit.” I know that it is out of character for me to be so, shall we say, blunt. But those who know me, know that I take professionalism very seriously; some might say to the point of being boring. Guilty as charged. But I had to get your attention. .XXX is a serious threat to the adult entertainment community, and it is now crunch time, folks.
The last four articles in this series were designed to explain the threat of .XXX. I pointed out that ICM is using “child protection” as a way to demonize our industry and convince ICANN that the adult entertainment industry needs someone like Stuart Lawley and his company, ICM, to force the industry to be “responsible.” I showed you how Stuart and ICM lied to the industry and to ICANN about support from the adult entertainment industry. I explained to you how ICM is using the threat of damaging your existing brand and traffic to force you to “voluntarily” purchase .XXX versions of your domain names. I have revealed the farce of an industry-guided regulatory board (IFFOR) that is supposedly separate from ICM, when in reality it is not only selected, but also chaired by none other than ICM’s CEO, Stuart Lawley, who would have veto power over every decision made by the IFFOR policy council and Board. I have also pointed out the fact that ICM promised ICANN that it would use IFFOR funds to protect the children and consumers from our “irresponsible” industry, while at the same time promising the adult entertainment community to invest those same funds to protect our industry.
There are a few other points that are imperative for you to understand concerning .XXX. If you auto-redirect your existing .com at your new .XXX domain, your .com domain will be required to follow the same regulations as .XXX. That means you have to let whatever entity that ICM has chosen to automatically scan and monitor your .XXX site for “illegal and offensive material” and to make sure you are compliant in the best practice regulations that IFFOR (or should I say ICM) imposes, to monitor your .com domain. Also, if .XXX passes, there are governments that will block .XXX. This will not only immediately de-value your .XXX domain, but will also pose a threat to your click-through .com domain. From a business perspective, purchasing .XXX domains is a bad investment and is potentially dangerous to your existing domains and traffic.
It is likely that ICANN will vote on .XXX at their March 18 Board meeting in San Francisco. We will have a strong presence there, but, I will be honest—the cards are stacked against us. ICM has invested over $12 million to push .XXX through the ICANN machine.
So what has $12 million bought ICM?
* Sponsorships for a number of conferences at which there were votes for .XXX.
* An independent Review Process that voted in favor of ICM on the issue of “sponsored” community (i.e. the adult entertainment community) even though no one from the adult entertainment community was questioned or interviewed in the process.
* An ICANN insider, Becky Burr, to represent ICM in all ICANN matters—did I mention that she was on ICANN’s Accountability and Transparency committee for a good portion of her time, representing ICM to ICANN?
* An ICANN Board Chair adamantly in favor of pushing .XXX through.
* An ICANN Board member, Sebastian Bachollet, hired to be on the IFFOR Board (can you say conflict of interest?)
* A shortened public comment period at the San Francisco conference—two hours rather than the usual five hours, in an attempt to silence the adult community’s public voice.
* ICM’s ability to conceal the information they submitted as proof of sponsorship support, knowing full well that the actual sponsorship community easily would refute the “proof” submitted.
* A vote by the Board to move forward with the process even though they knew and stated publicly during the board meeting that what they were voting on was a lie.
ICANN will be in a position to make a great deal of money if .XXX is approved. But there is a voice of reason in this catastrophic mess called ICANN. ICANN’s Government Advisory Committee (GAC) has, on three occasions, noted the lack of support from the sponsorship community and also a number of other problems with .XXX; GAC has reached consensus opposition to .XXX. ICANN is required, by its bylaws, to take GAC advice into account. Moreover, the US government, the entity that authorizes ICANN to oversee the domain name system, has expressly cautioned ICANN about ignoring GAC advice, basically threatening to take away its authority if it continues to overstep its boundaries by ignoring the public policy concerns of world-wide governments.
Adult industry professionals must take action NOW!
On March 17, ICANN will convene a public forum, albeit much abbreviated. FSC is organizing key leaders in the adult community to speak at the conference during the public comment period. We know they will limit the number of speakers inside the conference, but we can have a pronounced voice outside the building. In a time when rallies are changing the world around us we are…
Calling all industry professionals to rally in San Francisco against .XXX!!
When: Thursday, March 17, 2011, from 12:30 – 2:00 pm
Where: ICANN Conference, the Westin, San Francisco, Union Square, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco
What: Press conference and rally outside the Westin
Who: All industry professionals and supporters of the adult entertainment community.
If you can participate in the rally, contact Kim at Free Speech Coalition, at (818) 348-9373) or by email at joanne (EMAIL ADDY) freespeechcoalition.com.
We will provide additional information.
It you cannot participate but still want to be heard, we will launch a tweet campaign-make sure you are signed up and able to tweet by March 16, follow FSC on twitter and we will launch our campaign so that the decision makers are fully aware of where we stand on the issues.
In the long run, if .XXX passes, FSC is considering the following possibilities:
1. Filing a dispute through ICANN’s IRP (Independent Review Process), although we are rightfully wary of all things ICANN
2. Filing a lawsuit, including an immediate injunction against ICANN—we have a team of attorneys considering best possible arguments
3. Organizing a boycott of .XXX—there are two ways to defeat .XXX. One, with a BANG, and the other, with a trickle. Clearly, we would prefer to have .XXX defeated, over and done with. However, passage of .XXX does not necessarily mean that it is viable or will be successful. ICM needs adult businesses to purchase .XXX domain names. ICM has reported over and over again that its business model relies on between 300,000 and 500,000 .XXX domain names. After over five years of actively marketing pre-registrations, ICM has just over 200,000 pre-reservations —and remember, that includes registries that have reserved a number of names in hopes of re-selling to the adult industry. It costs absolutely NOTHING to pre-reserve a domain name. Once money has to be paid, those numbers will decrease. Couple that with a boycott and .XXX could fail before the end of its first year. Remember, more of these domain names have failed than succeeded, and without the support of the industry it is purported to serve….XXX is history!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Landon White
EXCERPT FROM ABOVE POST:
About Monitoring your Adult Web site… and BLOCKING IT!
Has chosen to automatically scan and monitor your .XXX site for “illegal and offensive material” and to make sure you are compliant in the best practice regulations that IFFOR (or should I say ICM) imposes, to monitor your .com domain. Also, if .XXX passes, there are governments that will block .XXX. This will not only immediately de-value your .XXX domain, but will also pose a threat to your click-through .com domain.
GO BACK UP=READ IT ALL!