Morning Folks!!
My Business Model never included Google, Bing or PPC. Never had Facebook or Twitter to depend on. It was a nice perk along the path, but the model never included them because they did not exist so it is easier for me to brush off the current changes as a non event compared to those that are here BECAUSE of those companies etc.
Think about that one for a minute. See while all that was a pleasant and scenic detour, for me, it was the main path for most. Now there is some heavy duty scrambling going on. I know those spread sheets are going to be all over the place for everyone reading this. For me, I just pick up where I left off in 2001. Really!
I guess that can only lead to huge consolidation in the future. The first evidence of that will be late July? Why then? Because that is when all the .CO renewals come due and THAT is going to be a barometer of not only how .CO is doing but how the general population of domainers are doing.
This is a very visual test we are about to see in just over 60 days. We will find out about the viability of a new extension and at the same time see the financial strength of domainers and whether they will risk more $$$ if they have yet to see any real activity. From the outside and when I discuss the issue with others, it would seem that things have stalled. Fast out of the gate with milestones announced has given way to speculation about registrations.
I would say that maybe they did 600,000 in the first 60 days and another 150,000 thereafter. Just a guess for reason of example. So how many will be renewed? That is the $64 question. My guess is that it will be UGLY!
Just yesterday I learned I will be challenged with one of my .co domains. I hope to shove it up their ass as they got the trademark AFTER I registered the domain name.
Notice any companies disappearing? People disappearing? They don’t put up a billboard or make a big announcement. One day you just wonder what happened to so and so?
It would appear to me that a major shakeout is coming. Is already in the works. Is quite different than anything we have seen previously. At the same time new folks are coming in and they have no guidelines and really don’t care. Whatever it takes to make a buck.
Meanwhile while all this is going on internally, outside the industry they are making great strides to understanding why their domain name is so important to their futures. Why their domain name is the foundation of everything they do from this point forward. Why the domain name is like a diamond with many facets. It is your name, your address, it describes what you do in many cases and it is the lifeline that determines your future. Wind in your face or wind at your back. Fighting a blizzard or surfing with the waves.
.co, .xxx, .whatever are all likely to have the same end result with a few exceptions along the way. Sorry, but the facts are stronger than the hopes of the second coming. There are hundreds of extensions and soon to be thousands. A great success on .com does not make you wake up and get all of the others extensions. On the other hand, a great success on one of those thousands would likely create the appetite to want the .com version.
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
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