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

Morning Folks!!

The written word is still the most powerful medium after all these years. But sometimes the written word can be interprerted in different ways. Wrong ways. Sometimes the true meaning is either lost or not evident as the infliction may not come through. The reason I use caps. Those are the points I want to stress but it is harder on paper sometimes than in person. Have 98 minutes to waste?

This was my most in-depth interview ever. It covers quite a bit before the Internet and how it led me here. I have been considering replacing RicksBlog.com with Rick.tv next year. (Thanks J!) What do you think? Is there a difference between the meaning of the written word as opposed to the spoken word? I can only reach as many willing minds as I can. After that, just not my problem dude. But let's turn every stone and I would say this is the last stone to try and reach the unreachable. So if you have time to waste, or invest, depending on your mindset, here ya go. This is everything I have and has been well receieved. Thank you!

http://www.domainsherpa.com/rick-schwartz-domainking-interview/

Transcript of Interview

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I think most of history was based on limitations. What you could not do. What you were not allowed to do, dream or think. That changed over time for some when many questioned the limits and decided to define new limits or break the limits completely. That is called the freedom of “Positive thinking”.

That thinking process allows you to visualize and taste success or anything for that matter without actually doing it yet. . Rely on yourself for that success. Based on whether you had the true fire in the belly for that success. That seems to have given way to an entirely different type of thinking. The “Entitlement think”.

Entitlement think is very dangerous and then of course you become dependent on others to take care of you where you are lacking. Everyone pays the price for that.

Forget about it in the political sense of entitlement. I see it right here in the domain industry. 500 real domainers and thousand and thousands that think they are entitled to the success those 500 enjoy but that they never even worked for. Never struggled to get. Never took the risk. Never had the faith. Never did what is needed to join the 500 who would happily welcome them to the group and even write a blog post to lend a helping hand.

Problem is those that I am talking to are shaking their head while the 500 that get it are nodding their heads. The 2 groups look at the world from an opposite viewpoint. The thousands have to explain and excuse and are so busy doing those antics that they refuse to take the time to listen to the 500 and how they see it.

Those 500 see things that the naked eye can’t. Like opportunity or just reading between the lines without distorting the message to fit their own agenda.

Timing is everything but you can come into THIS industry at ANY time and make your fortune IF you start to think and see things like the 500 do. The 500 are not some super geniuses. They just have a vision and follow thru each and EVERY time.

No other business on this planet has more opportunity than what we are doing. If success is eluding you, then it is obvious that you are doing something wrong. I have spent over a decade trying to explain what constitutes a good domain. A domain with value. It has less NOW to do with the extension and more to do with what the domain means. Meaningless domains are worthless until you find somebody that is more clueless.

My only goal is to expand the 500 into 5000. Your success won’t change my success. Is not a threat to any of the 500. We for the most part, don’t look at life that way. We give back. We want to guide and help. Plenty of room for everyone.

Mike Berkens discusses what CRAP “Domainers” bought during the opening of .CO when they could have had anything. Because they don’t understand what makes a domain have value, they pick Pigeon Shit when there is a FEAST of Great domains available. They are stuck . That is why 10 great domains make you a domainer and 1000 domains that mean nothing and nobody wants makes you a pigeon shit farmer.

So once again I am taking my time to point out how to change that dynamic. Most of you folks are much smarter than me. Have a better education than me. Are younger and more energetic than me. Have longer to look into the future than me. But until you understand noun’s, verbs and adjectives and how those elements are the FOUNDATION of domaining, and then match it with the size of the audience and the buying power that audience has, you will be without a compass, direction or a destination. You will wallow in frustration and anger and fear. That's called a 'Bad Attitude'. Most grow out of it. Some are stuck for their entire lifetimes. EVERYONE has the choice. EVERYONE!

You my friends are entitled to NOTHING! But you have the POWER to do, to be, to achieve, anything you want. If things are failing, just STOP. Stop and regroup and look at it differently. Lashing out frustration NOW, proves you don’t have the power to change even when you really do.

So hate me for telling you the hard truth. Hate me for being right. Hate me for 100 reasons. But don’t anyone hate me for THEIR own shortcomings, failures and other obvious thoughts of entitlement. This is business and nobody gives a rat’s ass.

Success in domaining has little to do with domaining and everything to do with the thinking process and understanding how different groups think. It has more to do with attitude and direction. Domains are the vehicle. Shoes are the vehicle. Any commodity service or idea is the vehicle. It should take you only a few days to learn about the vehicle. A few MONTHS at most.

But it takes a lifetime to learn that you ain’t entitled to anything but air. The rest is solely up to each and every individual. Some never learn that. Maybe they just don’t know because they just can’t see it. Education is WORTHLESS without that element. Without a positive attitude all the knowledge in the world won't overcome some of the simplest obstacles in life.

So they live life on false hope with no foundation of success. Walking EAST to find the SUNSET!! Ain’t EVER gonna happen my friend. But a SIMPLE adjustment changes the dynamics of everything in life. But until they STOP and take the time to turnaround, their destiny is decided and that single element controls them forever. Not me, not you, not Santa Claus.

I bet I have written similar posts to this 10-15 times over the years. The ones that can benefit the most, are the ones that get those with a bad attitude angered the most. Go figure. In my pea brain I figure if I reach one mind, it was worth my time. If not, it just reinforces what I already know and what the 500 already know.

This is not unique to domaining. In every single sector you will find those 500 and you will find those that have not made it. But in EVERY case, in every industry, in every sector, the mindset is what determines success. The 500 would likely find success with many vehicles. That is why a successful CEO in one business can go into any other business and can have a very good chance of repeating that success. He may know nothing about the product. He can learn about the product. But you can’t learn a good attitude. If you stuck yourself with a bad attitude you wlll carry that undeveloped mindset for a lifetime like it was your best friend even tho the 500 can clearly see it is your worst enemy. Attitude is everything. Sooner we learn that, the better life we have.

Some take things personally when I talk in generalities. I mention no names. Just a way of thinking and that sets off the folks that can benefit the most. The 500 are never threatened by debate. They learn from it. The others, they just do what they do and repeat hardship and failure for them and their families and blame me or whoever is convenient at the time but NEVER look at themselves. How sad in this day and age where in a recession we still have more opportunity than ANY POINT in history!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I would not like to be Rob Hall today. This was going to be a comment over at TheDomains.com but decided it was worthy of a stand alone post.

After reading the comments, Why is everyone so positive on something (either way) that there is no way to know how it will unfold?

“So why wouldn’t you sell your generic .com’s and use the money to fund new gTLD’s”

Let me remind Rob Hall that 'dotcom' is the single most used word in the world today. Unless somebody develops something new and better and more useful, that will likely not change in most of our lifetimes. And where did he make the leap that you would have to SELL your dotcoms to fund a new gTLD?? What the hell does one have to do with the other? His logic is flawed in this respect. However he does make a good point as he asks Mike about Stuff.com but agan LOGIC is missing as I will explain.

“So would you rather own Stuff.com or .Stuff for $185K?

“If you owned the TLD don’t you think you could sell 10,000 registrations a year at $10 or make $100K a year.”

Maybe you would sell 50,000 registrations a year and now make $500,000 a year and that would be an annuity in perpetuity.

“So why wouldn’t you sell your generic .com’s and use the money to fund new gTLD’s”

This is a different mindset because it is not as a 'Domain Investment' it is as a business venture. But he fails to ask the next LOGICAL question. Would .stuff want stuff.com? And the answer is you bet your sweet ass they want and NEED the domain. But it does not matter if Mike sells Stuff.com and you can ask the folks at Anything.com who has XXX.com. Worth less???? Are you in your right mind? Worth less???

That said it does not mean there won't be 'Opportunity'. But don't confuse opportunist with opportunity. There may be plenty of both. So while I don't agree with Rob Hall on domainers selling their dotcoms, there are other things he says that may have some validity. So let's pick it apart a bit without the knee jerk and emotional reaction. Maybe a few FACTS.
Opportunity comes in many forms and lots of people make millions on failures.
Relying on the domain investor community to buy into 1000 different extensions is not going to happen. However it will draw those that missed the last domain rush into wasting most of their money on something that won't be a success for 20 years if ever. Most will fail out of the gate on their own weight and lack of knowledge.

It's all about the advertising and who does that advertising. CNN branded 'Dotcom'. As I can remember, they were the first. All day, All night, when it meant nothing to 99% of folks. So without that type of distribution, it is going to be a very uphill battle for 99% of all new extensions.

Wishful thinking won't work on either side. Hard facts and how it unfolds will.
Humans are very adaptable when they see a direct benefit to themselves. So never say never. But also realize how long it takes to change a foundation. You have to eat TODAY. Some of these new 'Roads' may not be traveled in our lifetime. They are building interstates but if they go nowhere and lead to nothing it won't matter.

The bottom line is it always comes down to the idea. We will never run out of domains, but we sometimes run out of ideas that just don't copy what already is.
The internet is like LIFE and will and has become destination based.

As a consumer I could care less about the extension. I just want what I need and want. Problem is when the average person tells others, the confusion with dotcom is HUGE!

For example. There is a big thing going on about being 'Topless' for women. So they have a site at 'GoTopless.ORG. Would you like to know how much traffic the .ORG is LEAKING?? Right now to the tune of 2000 visitors a DAY as I own GoTopless.COM.
Now I like .org. I believe it is the #2 extension and have stated that for about a decade now. BUT, folks MUST deal with this issue or they are FOOLS. Period. How do you ignore that??
Now if you ran a business and you lost 2000 customers a day having something other than .COM maybe an intelligent businessman would figure out it is costing them a lot of lost business. And if I were their competitor, I would be eating their lunch and owning THEIR customers. That leak can sink a ship. A person could make a living off a 'Leak'. Can make a FORTUNE off a LEAK.
So get .whatever and the dotcom version goes up 10 fold or 100 fold by ACCIDENT! I just proved it. The dot com owner is YOUR MASTER! Want to be freed of your MASTER?? That takes $$$$$$ to buy the dot com.

ANYONE that thinks a company can get a .whatever and not have the dot com and not lose is just closing their eyes to PROOF! If a guy on Madison Ave gets a .whatever for his client without the .com, he screwed over his client BIG TIME! PERIOD!

But with all that said, there will be BILLIONS of dollars thrown at .whatever and that alone is something that should give everyone reading this a little pause. Not just a knee jerk reaction. Just remember those BILLIONS will ALL need the dotcom counerpart.

I am THRILLED that most in mainstream will disagree with me. Most are looking for the second coming and 1 or 2 out of 1000 just might happen. THEIR success is OUR success. Not the other way around.

Be Loyal to what you believe and what matters. This will bring a tear or more to your eyes and make you pause for just a moment. Nothing to do with domains, everything to do with life.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Evening Folks!!

DEVELOPING! The leader of one of the world's largest most innovative companies that has more CASH than the USA is resigning!

The Thomas Edison of the era is stepping down. One can only ASSUME at this point that it is health related. (See second line of letter below) We wish him the best and our prayers our with our 'friend' that has changed the lives of every single person reading this.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-24/steve-jobs-resigns-as-apple-ceo-to-be-chairman-tim-cook-named-successor.html

Here is a copy of Jobs' resignation letter:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple''s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple''s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

Will this matter to Apple? Of course it will. However he leaves knowing he has planted the seeds that has set the direction of Apple for many years and perhaps decades to come. While he may have the title of 'Chairman', it may be nothing more than window dressing to prevent any overreaction that may make their stock take a short term hit. I smell a buying opportunity. Apple is going nowhere but up for the forseeable future.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Want to know the future? Study the past. Understand the past. Live the past for a few minutes.

The industrial age is not dead. It has moved to China and some underdeveloped countries. The Information Age is something we entered more than 50 years ago but most only saw it 20-30 years ago and used it only within the last 10-20 years if that.

But what is after the Information Age? How will the Information Age change, transform and branch off into other sectors?

Have you been paying attention to the “Pivotal Moment” that I have described in my last posts? Have you seen it yet? Do you understand it? Do you know the bi-products? Do you know how to pick a domain name for the FUTURE not the PAST??

Here is what is going on outside our walls. The entire world is buying up domain names at a record pace. Now I made that up. I don’t know if it is true. What is true is that corporations FINALLY have seen just how important domain names are and they are gobbling up everything they can think of.

I am just reading some of the blog post headlines over the past few weeks. Many sounded like this except with different company names.

“Rim gets 300 Names” is just one of DOZENS of similar articles and events.

http://fusible.com/2011/08/rim-registers-nearly-300-domains-for-blackberry-curve-9350-9360-and-9370/

So what does this mean?? It means everything and timing is STILL the key. So don’t listen to BULLSHIT about values going down. Quite the opposite. But those spreading that BS DO have a motive and there are MILLIONS of them and just a few hundred of US.

So we have finally entered the stage where in business EVERYTHING starts with a domain name. Corporations have people like at Rim to sit around and think of domain names now. How novel!! Why didn’t WE ever think of that? DUH!

But finally an event that should have happened 15 years ago is now VERY important to business. Hooray. They are getting it. They are seeing the importance of a “Domain Strategy”. (This is one way I find domains.I write a phrase like “Domain Strategy” and then see if it is available. In this case our “Friends” at Fairwinds own this domain. See, kind of proof of what I am saying)

Back to the subject matter. Domains now matter in the boardrooms of corporate America. They will hand register most, buy some and bully a lot of folks. Why all this effort?? Because they realize the FUTURE VALUE of domain names. Not the current value. They understand the POWER that can come with a domain name. They understand the THREAT a domain name can pose in the future either directly or indirectly. They have finally figured it out.

Domain Names are THE subject right now. The story about the Hurricane Irene registration yesterday made national news when the media contacted the new registrant. It was an AOL headline and some in the industry have written about it.

http://www.dotweekly.com/flood-of-hurricane-irene-domains-to-be-registered/

To listen to folks talk is amusing. I see it this way. We are 6000 feet up the world’s tallest mountain and the masses claim because they hit a “Peak” therefore it is downhill after that. When you have a view from there, they can only see where they are but maybe not what where they are going or what is to come. From a plane you could see clearly they are wrong and are only part way there not all the way there. A FRACTION of the way to the summit.

Just like the earth shook yesterday domains are shaking today because the foundation had never truly been set until NOW. Definition and clarity are HERE for some and getting closer for others. They have lessons to learn and facts to discover. They are years behind us but the path is set and paved and they will rally. They always do. Just not at the timing most of US set. This the 20 year plan and this is just too exciting for words. 15 years ago they laughed at me for trying to think what things would look like in 20 years. Some will laugh now for me simply focusing on a 5 year span.

If you don’t see it this way that is okay. But in the next 5 years you will slap yourself silly for not seeing what is coming. Not seeing what is HERE. Not seeing the most pivotal summer in any of our lifetimes. Not seeing the EVIDENCE that is coming out daily in huge purchases and ones you will never ever hear about that are 10x greater than the ones you do hear about.

If you are not getting your share, you are doing something wrong. You are looking at things wrong. You are chasing yesterday instead of understanding how things are unfolding tomorrow. The next 5 years are OURS!

EVERY single day NEW type in domains are born. EVERY single day. But when you chase yesterday, you will never find the sun. When you don’t believe that exists you will never find that gold. Most of my domains start with zero type ins. But when you see the future unfolding you can get to an intersection before anyone knows there is going to be an intersection there to get to. Some by luck, some by design. But nobody keeps score of that because it does not matter.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

When we left off nearly 2 months ago I said we were at a “Pivotal Moment”. Anyone out there that does not believe that now? The entire landscape has changed. But what does that mean? I needed TIME to THINK and understand how overnight, DOMAINS and Internet Addresses became the center of the universe.

Go back to my 2008-2010 posts and you will see I have consistently said the worst part of the recession would start in mid 2011 because of the extended weakness we were about to endure. Welcome to that point. This is when the recession STARTS, not when it ends. This is when it can become dire for some and great opportunity for others. But if you saw this coming you had time to prepare. While others laughed at my doom and gloom, I prepared. While others got weaker I aimed to get stronger.

You have to step back, take a deep breath and STOP. I have said so right on this blog many times. How will things change? What direction will things go in? I get some laughs out of some of the comments of what it all means. Let me be 100% clear. It DOES mean something. Something very big. Something that looks very different.

I learned about hypothesis vs. predictions and the difference. A monkey can make a prediction but hypothesis is based on experience and events and knowledge and understanding and training and life and common sense and 50 other ingredients and awareness’s and senses. There is a BASIS for an outcome, a conclusion. That’s how you see what will unfold tomorrow while FAILURE chases YESTERDAY or just curls up and dies as they become VICTIMS of events instead of beneficiaries of those events.

Most base their predictions on hopes. Or they base it on what they need and want as opposed to whatever REALITY is. Turmoil and Opportunity. That is what best describes exactly where we are. For some FEAR is the natural reaction. Some get paralyzed. But if you figure out how to time things right, you just focus on the byproduct of that fear and that is called “opportunity”.

Nobody has talked about that and now you will hear that phase over and over again. “Turmoil and Opportunity” is the place and the moment. Both are huge, one very dangerous and one dreams are made of. During the months ahead more industries will be disrupted than ever before.

Just in our tiny little corner of the universe there are companies in our space that are on the verge of collapse. There are companies that wander aimlessly. There are companies that are hiding under their desks. These companies risk sitting on the sidelines while others eat their lunch. In sports they call that a “Forfeit”. There are companies that came with fanfare that have now quietly disappeared. Don't forfeit.....FIGHT!

Don’t know what I am talking about? Then that is exactly what I am talking about. You can’t see great opportunity so you miss it because peril has you paralyzed. That’s just Human Nature at work. But if you don’t understand that part, then you miss it. I agree it is invisible. It is invisible because it is based on conditions and many conditions at that. But if you are oblivious to these things of course you would react negatively. Human Nature.

Instead of forming an hypothesis, some form fear or baseless predictions of no value based on want rather than reality as I stated above.

We may be in a recession, we may be in a crisis, but none of that can harness progress and progress is happening faster than I can type this. So are you getting your piece of it? There has never been so much money sitting on the sidelines. Plenty of cash out there. This is NOT a cashless recession. This is a recession of ideas, a recession of business acumen a recession of risk and know how. It’s generational but this time the generations are determined by how computer literate you might be or many other factors.

Generational because in less than 20 years we have gone from factory based societies to information based. Where the #1 tool in the world went from a hammer to a keyboard. And while you might think 15-20 years is a long time, it is not when you talk about progress. We had 1000 years of progress in 20 years. That’s like driving a Ferrari at 200mph when you’re taking a right turn. We added a communication dimension we never had and it is NOW that we are just understanding the new things that can evolve from that. Recession forces folks to step up.

How do you blog when the changes that are happening at this very moment are the most profound in any of our lifetimes? And on the other hand there are such numerous things coming out each and every day that no human or group can even chronicle the changes or stop long enough to understand the impact if indeed there is one.

So many companies are being rocked to the core right now. Others are rocking and rolling like never in history. What a stark difference. But these dynamics are what create opportunity on a large scale. See the largest changes in history are happening each and every day and while you may not see it, I am telling you, I sure as hell see it.

Just look at how many industries the iPad is revolutionizing. If you have not noticed then you are doing something wrong. You are not paying attention to the future. The iPhone was Apple's 'Backdoor' to taking market share. But the iPad is a disrupter right through the front door. And while there are now 100 tablets on the market, when added all together, they are still in the shadow of the iPad and will never catch them.

How many new uses and applications and cost saving and other features just from this one device? I have been all over since day #1 because I understood what was about to happen and why it was about to happen. Still we are in the infant stage and most don't see or understand it. There is a REASON Apple has more cash than the US Government.

Let’s analyze unemployment. That is a fallacy. What has changed is who provides the job. Who books your time. In more and more cases it is ourselves. We, as a society, no longer work for the factory in town. We create revenue streams not a 9-5 job. The largest, fastest growing parts of society are the people that move and shake and make things happen one deal at a time. One job at a time. One contract at a time.

Massive changes are coming to the Domain Industry. An entire new breed with very deep pockets are coming to the table. The biggest are faultering. The smallest are disappearing. The weakest are already gone.

10 GREAT domains make you a domainer. 100,000 worthless domains makes you a pigeon shit farmer at best and a fool at worst. The quantity game has collapsed. Quality is and always has been the real game.

I have listened to a LOT of propaganda over the past couple of years. Most of it was not true. Just based on a wish. Based on a prediction. Based on need and want. Not an hypothesis based on how things were actually unfolding and then finding a parallel in history to help understand.

I watched the entire future unfold with doteverything going viral overnight. But .everything just made .something (dot com) much more valuable and famous. The new game is expensive, but the game is trying to duplicate something you can’t duplicate. Every .everything will want, need and HAVE TO HAVE the dotcom counterpart. That counterpart is worth a king’s ransom!

Exciting times. Lots of new ways to make new money as I watch the masses…..GET IT WRONG once again. But wrong does not mean unprofitable. Right does not mean you will get rich. Confused? Start reading this blog and you will get a lesson in life as a dividend of learning and understanding domain names and what they have to do with Human Nature. Seasoned domainers, pay particular attention to the May and June posts. It only proves what I have said for a very long time. Some folks deal with the truth and some folks do what they do when confronted with it.

I have been very public over the last 15+ years as I did everything in my power to bring domain names to the consciousness of everyone and have them understand why they were important and valuable. With .everything, that mission has been accomplished and then some. Critical mass in domains has been achieved!

So the next phase is completely different. It’s based on another hypothesis. The one I came up with in 1995 and 1996 is now blossoming and unfolded as described back then. The new hypothesis includes the entirety of the last one plus 50 other ingredients and awareness’s and senses as described above. The only difference is in 1996 I yelled it from every mountaintop for all to hear without VISIBLE BASIS and now I see no need to do that. Point proven. The record speaks for itself and I intend to exploit that record.

My blog is my diary and opportunity to memorialize things with a date certain. To announce events and sales and thoughts and ideas. I always believe my posts would stand the test of time. Now more than ever. On the record, for the record.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz