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

Morning folks!!

This is a great day for some and a nightmare for others. I am here to applaud Google’s decision. Taking the CRAP out of results helps everyone. Especially domains with natural type in traffic.

I mean step back and think for a second. Why would Google want to pay for traffic that they gave for free to begin with??? Crappy, washing machine traffic with very little real value other than it went thru the Google Laundromat controlled by the spammer. Google giveth, Google taketh away. Hooray for Google!!!

So I would imagine that when you get rid of the “Ghost traffic” you can replace with more meaningful traffic and you can pay more because you are not wasting all those dollars and getting crappy results.

More than that…..GROUPON is Google’s worst nightmare. Groupon is costing Google a fortune. Groupon is a thorn in the side of Google and finally Google has to satisfy their customers instead of fucking their customers. Why? Because Groupon is giving GREAT value and results business owners see.

Things are tied together.

In turn, we may start seeing payouts stop being strangled because they are talking SOME of the MUD out. They are being forced by Groupon to show their customers that Google is a value. Google forced to compete! Google cleaning up the results.

This is GREAT news for the domainer that has natural type in traffic. It may not be obvious overnight, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

A distinction MUST be made between spammed traffic and real traffic. There IS a difference.

Many of you are not going to be happy with my post. But when you base your business in the control of spamming the engines, what else did you really expect?

I hope they ban eHow. What a crappy experience and I don’t even know if the stuff they print is accurate.

Now most of you won’t even see the Groupon-Google connection. But this is the bigger than you think. There was a reason Google wanted to buy Groupon rather than compete with them. Now you are seeing it manifest itself. Why? Groupon is kicking ass. Business owners love Groupon and so does the consumer. Compare that to how they feel about Google.

No connection??…..keep thinking that. 99% won’t agree. That is why I roll the way I do. But go ahead, take a shot. Tell me why I am wrong. The future will be my proof. I can only hope trademarks are next!

And of course on the other side of the street you have Facebook and they too are aiming at Google. So a 2 front war. And have you noticed that Google is still a long way from their $750 stock prices pre crash? Others have eclipsed where they were. Not Google. They are still off 25% and have gone nowhere recently.

So Google having to react to these challenges is a very good thing for all concerned in the long run. Imagine Google may now worry about actually giving their customers quality results! That can only help domainers with REAL type in traffic. Gold is gold and maybe they can now separate the mud out. JMO.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I have been working on a new auction format and rules since October and discussed it a bit with this post earlier this year. So without further delay, this is what we intend to do in October to change the dynamics of the live auction.

The only domains that we will accept directly are the ones that have a flat fee paid in advance for the listing. All other domains MUST go through one of the brokers like Sedo, or Aftermarket.com or any of the other premiere brokers in the space. We will be publishing a list in the next few weeks. Each of those companies will submit their list to us and we will work closely with them to choose the ones we think will sell. We will supply the venue, the auctioneer and the production.

Those supplying names to us for our “Guaranteed Placement Program” will pay a flat fee and a very attractive commission schedule that can save you a lot of money IF you are serious about selling and IF you want to participate in your marketing. If you have been frustrated by not having the auction houses select your name, this gives you control.

Even the more modest levels will save you quite a bit by paying a listing fee and showing folks you are actually serious about selling your domain name at an attractive price. On a $50,000 domain name you will save $2500 if you are willing to step up with $1000 up front. The savings get more substantial on higher ticket domains. A $1M domain name will save you $82,000.

Plus, you can list TODAY and have 6 MONTHS to market, promote and be public about it. The last thing you want is to have it in just days before the auction. DUH! I think historically the auction list would come out 2-3 weeks in advance and that really was no way to do it. I hated that. I know it takes TIME to get the word out.

We are going to change the dynamics of the auction and we are going to see some excitement. We don’t need or want 200 domains for a successful auction. We just need motivated sellers that know we have the premier domain audience at our shows and all they want is a great domain.

As far as end users. That has to be an industry wide effort. If you know someone, say something. None of us can crack this egg by ourselves. It would have been a wasted effort before now. But today the timing is right to begin this phase of our efforts.

Bids will start low and work up from there. The days of looking for suckers at high levels is over as well as narrow and high reserves. This is a wholesale auction not a retail one. However we will join you in an effort to get the end user. But let’s be honest. With ALL live auctions combined over the years, end users combined would not fill your bathroom. They have been few and far between. So we can talk, but the reality does not match the words.

If you look at the successful auctions they each had a great domain up for grabs with multiple serious bidders. THAT is what makes a great auction. It's a contest!

So if you want a different result you need a different formula. I am happy to announce a really big change in how we will do the auctions and others will follow our lead.

Every auction should be a contest. That is why I don’t care if there are 5 names in the auction, 10 names, 100 names. The only thing that counts is there are interested parties ready to bid and prepared to win. The days of 200 domains crammed in an auction to put everyone asleep are over. Those that continue to put the audience asleep will not survive and will look foolish from this point on.

On the spreadsheet below you will see the current 15% fee on top compared to the new formula at each level. At the $5000 level there is no savings but you do have the benefit of securing a spot without any headwinds. The 'Guaranteed Placement' has great value.

Plus here is an idea for those that get a lot of inquiries on a specific domain. Just tell them it will be up for auction in October. YOU have the ability to control that now where before you never had that POWER! Create your own auction and your own competition. That's a winning formula!

Lastly, we are considering some other interesting ideas. One of which is for a no reserve auction for high profile domains with a twist that protects the owner from letting it sell too low.

What we know is the old way no longer works. It is stale. Long boring auctions are out of vogue. We believe these changes will reinvigorate the process and bring the excitement level back. We will also be eliminating the silent auction. So you only get one bite of the apple.

Bottom line, a serious auction for serious buyers and sellers. No fake bids or prearranged sales to save face. No return favors to include crappy domains that wastes everyone's time. Our auction is the 'Main Event' and it should look and FEEL that way.

Morning Folks!!

If you have been reading my posts in 2008-2009 you would have read the discussion about tax time 2011 and 2012 as being the depths of this recession. The big squeeze is on. Folks are financially weaker than ever and the pinch is coming at the same time. For some, this is the last nail in the coffin. They will not survive April 15th. The money is due and many just won't have it. This sets up a problem that may not actually manifest itself for another year or two.

The dollar is worth less than ever at the same time there is a shortage in dollars and prices are skyrocketing. Food, gas, clothing all going up significantly and that just adds to a squeeze that is already dangerously tight.

There is a lot of activity but that may not translate into a lot of success. For some, this will be the last gasp.

Closer to the domain industry payouts are rock bottom and each day more premium domains are being pulled from PPC to try new things. Small businesses are struggling to keep afloat. Their biggest hope are the corporate giants with giant reserve of dollars that are becoming worth less each day.

I never thought that I would want to trim my 'Exposure' with cash holdings but that is exactly what I have been doing for the past 2 years. Buying whatever I can that I think can hold value. Gold, silver, collectibles, classic cars, property, domains and anything that will hedge against the dollar. Diversifying ASAP.

Remember one thing. Gold was at $500 when Steve Forbes came to TRAFFIC just 4 years ago. Today about $1500. That is your dollar eroding away. That is your buying power being washed away.

Gold could retreat to $1000 and lower. But I don't care if I have a loss like that because what I am protecting against would see gold at $15,000 an ounce. Inflation is coming and it will be like something we have never seen before in the USA. Inflation is the ONLY thing that can payoff the debt.

Meanwhile I sit here and rack my brains out each day thinking about this or that. The silver lining is I see PREMIUM domain names as still being the only thing SAFER than gold and it can be income producing which gold can't do. The #1 investment I see is STILL premium domain names. I STILL hand register domains everyday because the world evolves every day. Most won't pan out. But it only takes patience and ONE to pay for THOUSANDS. That is the simple formula.

The good thing about April 16th is folks know where they are financially and can then plan from there. That translates into a bump for business and businesses able to make Capital investments as they also have a clear road ahead.

I expect many high profile domain deals between now and the end of the year. I think domain names may finally be entering a new phase. I see more and more stories about domain names in the media. Just this week it was Trump making news with his new domain. This is going to become more and more common place. Imagine the evening news starting with who bought what domain? It's coming!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Ok, let's start here year #5 with this. Content ain’t shit without a “Mousetrap” attached to it that can produce dollars. You can spam the engines for a living and try to fake folks out or you can build a business.

You can have the entire content of the universe on your site and it is meaningless if you have little or no traffic or even if you have masses of traffic and no way to turn a profit. The “Mousetrap” that I used to talk about in the 1990’s is not talked about in domaining and now is the time to do it.

What is content? Content are keys to locks. Answers to questions. Depending how you use your content, you will either be giving something away for free or creating a “Mousetrap” that has a purpose behind the content. An idea behind the content. A profit making business behind the content. A Cash Register! Without that, you have a content page to spam the engines and basically hustle like a waitress for the rest of your life.

You can CHASE mice and hunt them with a shotgun or you can TRAP them. If you hunt them you have to work hard and your job is never done. Plus your home will be riddled with holes from the buckshot. But when you set a “Mousetrap”, you can go about your life and come back periodically to see if your “Hunt” was successful. You could even do that at multiple locations simultaneously. That's called working smarter not harder. Working less to get more. Cloning your work. Thinking is the work. It is hard work. But with thought you can jump from last to first even if you come late.

Domain + Traffic + Something traffic wants + Mousetrap = Sales + Dollars + Profit + Building a business.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I started my morning posts that way since 1996. But it was not until 4 years ago that I entered the 'Blogosphere'.

4 Years
1460 days
208 weeks
Posts: 525
Just a little over 2.5 posts a week
Comments 8125
Average 15 comments per post
Over 850,000 Page Views
Average over 1500 readers per post

The last thing I wanted to do 4 years ago was start a blog. So let me take this time to blame those responsible. First we have Jarred Cohen. He told me about RicksBlog.com dropping. I could care less. Somewhere along the line he convinced me I should care.

Then we have Sahar. He kept prodding me to start a blog. After years of essentially posting a blog before there were blogs I was less than enthusiastic about the thought of starting again to get as much as I could even remember on record.

Then there was Owen. Don Quixote himself. I was just another windmill for him. He explained blogs and social media and all the rest and now my head was ready to explode. But I got that bouquet and here we are. Thankfully Owen was also able to dredge up some of my old posts from 2000 and 2001.

Someday I would really like to uncover those Ynot archives of 1996-1998. I think folks would be stunned by the conversation. Both as dinosaurs and as folks 20 years ahead of what was unfolding. A very diverse group all pulled together by some common threads. Still some of the sharpest folks I have EVER met.

Point is, trying to reconstruct some of that was a monumental task that I was not looking forward to. The readers changed but the conversation was and is largely the same in spite of all that has unfolded and the very proof as it lays for all to see.

But today I feel good. I am on record for eternity. My thoughts are my thoughts. I just share what goes in between these ears in real time and that always keeps the wind blowing. The conversation going. The passion on both sides. Some do it in a constructive manner and some do what they do. But they illustrate the vivid difference in view and thought and vision and values.

I never understood why folks can’t step up and just “Disagree without being disagreeable”. When you do that you find answers and solve problems and make progress one stride at a time. The rest is all a side show to distract from what I described above. You can clearly see it in the comments at times. And this is one time in which the written word and this screen is more powerful than meeting in person as you get to really look into their minds by their word.

I wake up each day evangelizing my thoughts on domain names. Each day we adjust for the progress the day before. The picture constantly changes and now it is changing so fast NOBODY can actually keep up with it.

I write for like minded people who share their positive energy and know that quality will always trump quantity. I write for those with opposite views to share them in a responsible way. Pure thinking. Pure digging. Pure searching and exploring for things unknown looking for answers what ever the true answer proves to be.

And the other clowns, well, I see them as only getting in the way. Trying to distract at a precious moment in history. A 20 year moment.

But the core of so much of how I work is pretty simple and old school. “Make hay when the sun shines”. Which means work your ass off when there is plenty of business and you will be able to enjoy life when things go south and others are forced to split a much smaller pie with many more mouths. (Like now)

I love the blog for one great reason. It is on record, time stamped, my name, my thoughts and over time I hope it gets discovered because there may be a lot of crap, but that fertilizer has some of the most fertile and long lasting thought soil that is available. Discount at your own peril. But the words here will long outlive me and prove valuable to those that WANT to understand what I see and how I see it.

I am used to folks telling me how wrong I am every step of the way. It is a way of life for me. Always has been, always will be. I remember how my friends and even my family thought I was crazy for taking jobs that were commission only back in 1972. But those were the only jobs with no ceiling. That would pay me upon what I produced and the only limit was the one I placed on myself. The goal I set. I learned one thing early. The gift of setting goals and knowing which ones are obtainable and useful. Which goals would waste too much time while other goals were more important.

I learned a lot on this journey. Mostly about human nature. That is the one common thread. So some of my readers I try and take on a great and interesting journey and some I fuck with in the head. But the journey they take is not up to me. The power is with them regardless of how loud they yell it isn’t.

Glass half full or half empty. My words can piss you off when you look at it as half empty. Those folks are easy to spot. Human nature. You can spot them with the words they use. Their reactions to things. Their judgment. Winners view the universe one way and losers view it in a much different way. If something like that pisses you off, don’t play poker. You just gave your hand away. That is why you lose. The winners are all laughing. The losers are angry. I aim for the winners. They get what I just said. The others think I am talking in code.

That is how I see the universe. If you don’t, tough. What do you want me to do about it? I can only tell you how I see things. Share what I deem important. You can tell me how you see things and do it in a manner to persuade by facts and numbers and history. That takes a certain amount of credibility.

Some of what I see ahead is not very good. Some are things that dreams are made of. You have to see it all. The road is not smooth. It is littered with pitfalls and storms and unexpected events. Navigating those challenges is what life is all about.
I think corruption and conflicts of interest are the main challenge facing our industry today.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

A look into the time capsule:

Blog Announcement:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/coming_soon.html

Then a couple of foundational Posts:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/hi_folks_a_few_.html

The Famous 'Line in the Sand' post

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/the_line_in_the.html

'Why the Internet Crashed'

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/why_the_interne.html

And finally, my actual Grand Opening Post

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/happy_grand_ope.html

Morning Folks!!

Supporting Posts and Events that led me to this:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2010/12/another-day-another-domain-industry-scandal.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2010/12/the-privacy-issuewho-has-access-to-that-info-what-they-can-do-with-it.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/01/ostrich-eagle-or-corporate-cubicle-whore-.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/03/time-to-set-the-record-straight-.html

http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2010/december.htm

http://www.thedomains.com/2010/12/31/moniker-issues-statement-on-unauthorized-data-release/

http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2011/dailyposts/20110317.htm

http://www.chefpatrick.com/chefpatricksucks-com-the-real-truth/

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/03/it-is-far-from-over.html

Morning Folks!!

Here is the combined results of all inquiries for the first quarter of 2011. I have left the duplicates intact so you can see which domains get offers each month and the ones with an 'asterisk' are multiple inquiries for that specific domain name. 399.com was the only domain that I received multiple offers during each month. Properties.com and 899.com were tied for #2.

These are basically unsolicited offers as I don't have my domain names listed for sale anywhere with a price. Most come from whois.

Offers are like fish. The small ones you take off the hook and throw them back. Even on my parked pages at Parked.com for example, my domains are not offered for sale. 'Lease This Domain as Low as $1000/month Please contact us for more information.'

The minnows are swimming by. But I am not fishing for minnows. I am fishing for whales. I am fishing for record setting catch. I am certainly not fishing for domainers. Don't take offense. I just don't sell wholesale. I sell retail and I sell retail only. Of the 12 domains I have sold, 4 have made national/international news. The other 8 averaged more than $125,000 per sale. Even some of those were SACRIFICED because I was out there turning theory into reality. You don't make a headline turning down a deal. You make headlines when you do the deal. Something that was FREE had now transformed itself into some of the most valuable property in the world.

The 20 year plan would land me in 2016 as when domain names will BEGIN to reach full potential. That period will likely last 20 years or more. Likely much more. But we are not immortal and for most, it won't matter what happens in 50 or 60 years. The earlier you make the $$$ the longer you have to enjoy them. You just have to understand that a Ferrari is way cooler to have when you are 35 than when you are 85. Something just a bit sweeter there if you know what I mean.

Frankly, I am insulted when it comes to domain values. Domains have MORE value than the physical property. At LEAST base the foundational costs on what a real world storefront would cost and all the associated expenses. Laugh. I could care less. It will happen in the 5 year period I am talking of now.

When it hits PAR......we can talk. Until then, there is not much to say. Just take 10 minutes and sit down with a spreadsheet and add up all the costs. ALL of them. Tell me how much even a modest store would pay in all those expenses, fees and such. Until folks do that, there is no reason to do anything.

And when it hits PAR, I will give you a barrel full of reasons why the domain is worth much much much more. Your ticket to the world stage. Your ticket to a dream. Your ticket to do anything with little to hold you back. Your ticket to fame and fortune. So just because it takes time, does not mean you have to give in or give up at THEIR calling.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

These are my domain inquiries for March 2011. The domains with an ' *' are the ones with multiple parties that have contacted me about that specific domain. As this is the 3rd month I have done this you may begin to see a pattern developing.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

VirtualDates.com
Pornflix.com**
VideoDates.com
1978.com**
915.mobi
CandyCam.com
VirtualTours.com**
StartThinking.com
Jigolo.com
Property.com
StartLiving.com
6565.com
939.com**
GoGoClubs.com
StartThinking.com
8181.com
9595.com**
1012.com**
VirtualSecretary.com
NNN.co (All NNN that I own)
RowOne.com
eBid.com**
BodyOdor.com
899.com**
GirlsWanted.com
Harems.com
Luv.com**
399.com**
i-watch.org
oidd.com
Properties.com
Casinonline.com
TeamTiger.com
EroticSites.com
UnNatural.com
Panti.com
Sexo.com
SWJ.com
Wants.com
IHF.com
Serge.com
Dick.com
Watching.com
Widgets.com
Surf411.com
DotComNudes.com
LipService.com
CamCam.com
RumorMill.com
iBankOnline.com
TennisWorld.com
Vanity800Numbers.com
Undressing.com
Ass.net
GoldenTouchMedia.com
PartyGirls.com
BWU.com
WholesaleJewelry.com
238.com
295.com
Girls.net
750.com
969.com
975.com
977.com
989.com
987.com
VirtualMuseum.com