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

Morning Folks!!

The new gTLD's have a very tough road to cross. The sharp ones have already thought of this. Then many have not. So let me pose the question and see what the answers are. What happens to a new gTLD when all the domains that are registered are only to domainers and there is not an end-user in sight? What happens?? Tulip Festival?

The reason .com is a success is from the approximately 120 million registrations, probably 80-100 million of them are registered by individual end users worldwide. Tens of Millions of end users. Matter of fact, my prediction is .com will have more end-user registrations in one day than 700 new gtld's combined have in a day, week.......

My point is these gTLD owners must walk a very fine line or they risk collapse. Another risk of collapse I should say because I have shown pitfall after pitfall after pitfall. Huge pitfalls and  a dynamic difference from what happened with .com. The pitfall is much deeper and more damaging if you have not thought of it.

I think some will get in trouble pretty fast when they don't see registrations flying in and when they do, it will be domainers. Which devil do you want to deal with first because they are both likely scenarios that many will have to deal with? How does an extension survive in the long run if 100% of your base is domainers? And on the other hand. How does an extension survive in the long run if  your base is not domainers?

Worse than all this is many of these gTLD operators are not financially prepared to make a difference. They could not even afford to hire professional domainers to consult with. They have virtually no advertising budget to advertise with. It is stunning to watch.

So we know once this race starts some 20 new extensions will come out each week. That is 4 per business day. Really? I don't recall a "spectacle" like this ever to have happened before. Maybe they can create a frenzy. Maybe they can't. Chaos for sure.

Are they anticipating the elbows flying in this crowded field? I could come and make a list of so many pitfalls that have never been discussed internally by some of these companies. So when they go into battle the marketplace, they could get whooped! I see it less with the domainer based outfits because they have a knowledge base the others just don't have but the carcusses of the others has the potential to impeded and derail everyone. Like a train wreck. Like a multi car pileup and you just happen to be caught in the middle due to no fault of your own.

We'll see. But it's tough to win the battles you don't see and come sneaking up behind you. The battles some are not armed to fight. The battles and battles and battles before we even get to the main battle of Need, Want, Desire.

Rick Schwartz

Afternoon Folks!!

They say once you go black, well nevermind. Anyways. check out the new EYE POPPING Hall of Shame with Black Background. I think you'll agree that it really pops and adds a new dimension to the look and feel. Thanks Francois for playing with our logo on Domaining.com as that inspired this latest update. Hope you like it! Don't forget to hit refresh!

Rick Schwartz

Hall of Shame Roastmaster!!

Morning Folks!!

Hall of shame has been updated once again. What's new in this version?

We added a RDNH  "Breaking News" section to the RDNH Watch Page that we will be enhancing and expanding as time goes on.

We added a "Join the Fight section"

More banners coming next week!

In 5.0 we are going to make POTENTIAL Reverse Domain Name Hijackers even more educated and especially their lawyers some of which need LEGAL and ETHICAL training when it comes to RDNH and THEM abusing the process. Those harsh remarks are largely aimed at the attorney. They can't brush this aside. It's on record. Not my record. The PUBLIC record.

We will be adding a Fact page of Do's and Dont's, FAQ, as soon as I have time to figure them out and jot them down. This way they have

The first page we got nailed now. It works. It's powerful.

I am still polishing the "About page"  It is a hard-line to walk to get the message across, keep the passion and not repeat too much. I removed "Ass" and "F*ckers" but had to leave the word PRICKS. :-)

Each of them are invited here to make a statement. I have no problem giving them the platform. Would love to hear if they learned anything or they are angry at somebody like me shining a light on THEIR BEHAVIOR! Mia Culpa baby. You can do it. Not hard. You'll feel better and you won't continue to look as bad as you ALL do RIGHT NOW!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

First you got to look and learn from history because MOST of the answers are there and that is why society spends so much time on it.

So you have a town. Not everyone in that town likes each other. Matter of fact some hate others. It's human nature. Give me ANY town of several hundred or several thousand and that is the case 100% of the time. Go watch "Lord of the flies" and understand yourself and society and how it unfolds the same way EVERY time.

Our industry is a town.

With certain things there is a "Common Cause".

So what that means is that even people who don't see eye to eye can agree that a Fire Department is in the best interest of everyone.

They can agree that the area needs policing to protect their valuables even if they are not crazy about each other.

They agree they need a hospital if somebody gets sick even if they are not crazy about each other..

So there are common causes that trump all the bullshit.

I am just saying get involved. It does not have to be thru me or my way. You can do it yourself. You can do it from RDNH.com you can do it thru any vehicle you like. But are you really going to just sit there when there is a real window of opportunity to stop something that may eventually bite you in the ass? Start your own fire department. The more the better. Right NOW we have the upper hand on a fire raging for 15 years. I truly believe in my heart we can reduce this practice by 95%. I see that chance. It's a common cause.

This WILL go mainstream. Guaranteed! We have already done enough to accomplish the mission. But we can't stop until the fire is out.

Many of you have done a really wonderful job of helping and supporting and thank all of you for that. You have been terrific. Incredible in fact. Taken on the burden of all those on the sidelines and not a one of them even appreciate the hard work YOU GUYS have done. Well I REALLY appreciate it. You folks have defined yourselves in a very good and gracious manner. A seed has been planted and a satellite launched. And you can all be very proud when we see a RESULT for our efforts you will know in your heart that you DID make a difference.

If you SHAME them they will STOP their SHAMEFUL behavior.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Afternoon Folks!!

Well seems Tata Group not only owns the company found guilty TODAY of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking Croma.com but also owns Jaguar/Landrover another of their Subsidiaries found GUILTY of Reverse DomainName Hijacking mountainrovers.com earlier this year and featured on Hall of Shame.

It seems Tata may be a RUNAWAY in this year's RDNH of the year and a new high member of hallofshame.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Group#Subsidiaries

Tata seems to be a 2X loser!

More to come, I am just STARTING this post!

Can you imagine the DAMAGE these 2 cases are about to do to these companies and brands? Not to mention the Lawyers that represented them and their law firms? More heads are gonna role. WHO and WHAT DEPARTMENTS are RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS MESS??? You could not afford to do it the right way? Top 600 companies in the world. Possibly higher by now. OUTRAGEOUS!! Tata, any comments??

Infiniti Retail Limited of Mumbai, India, (a Tata company) represented by Anand & Anand, India (Nice building guys. What responsibility do you think you have in this given the langauge used  and being "expert counsel". Really? So either you guys are just as guilty as your clients, incompetent or you lost control? Wouldn't you agree it would have to be one of those? If not, why not? What say you?)  I think my case trumps your case and I am just a guy with no training. But I have seen enough attorneys that are either clueless, incompetent or not in control or involved in the hijacking.  Read those words and weep!

http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=D2013-1360

So we just want to know....WHO SCREWED WHO?? Tata for SURE got screwed. But who screwed them?? Did they do it to themselves or are their lawyers responsible? Or their employees??

Same question for Jaguar/Landrover and Jennifer M. Hetu of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, Michigan, USA. Didn't anyone advise the potential DAMAGE they and their clients Jaguar/Landrover brand could suffer if you did what you did and found GUILTY of trying to reverse hijack a domain name???

You folks know I could go on for an hour. It IS outrageous. These domains I am sure were affordable had they wanted them but they decided to resort to tactics that tarnish ALL OF THEM. Let them come explain what the decision make said about the abuse and such. Dance!

Rick Schwartz

Afternoon Folks

And another decision Reverse Domain Name Hijacking decision!! Croma.com

Hall of Shame got TWO new members this month and they will be updated next week!

And the sole panelist scolded the "Expert attorney" for allowing this action to be brought to begin with.

"UDRP panels have long accepted that the third element of the Policy has a conjunctive requirement and that both registration and use in bad faith must be found for a claim to succeed under the third element. The Panel finds it difficult to believe that the Complainant, who is represented by expert counsel, was not advised accordingly"

Infiniti Retail Limited of Mumbai, India, (a Tata company) represented by Anand & Anand, India (Nice building guys. What responsibility do you think you have in this given the langauge used above. "expert counsel". Really? So either you guys are just as guilty as your clients, incompetent or you lost control? Wouldn't you agree it would have to be one of those? If not, why not? What say you?)  I think my case trumps your case and I am just a guy with no training. But I have seen enough attorneys that are either clueless, incompetent or not in control or involved in the hijacking. 

Here is the Revere Domain Name Hijacker's online store.

Congrats guys!! Nice going! Pretty big slap to Anand & Anand, India. They have to live with this STAIN as well. And for them it could be very costly.

So if you are an attorney, don't be stupid and don't allow your client to soil and damage YOUR firm and YOUR reputation. Who is the biggest loser here Mr. Attorney? Me thinks it is you pal!

"The Panel finds that the Complaint was an unnecessary imposition upon the Respondent and an abuse of the Policy. There is moreover no evidence before the Panel that the Complainant ever previously communicated with the Respondent, whether concerning an alleged infringement of its rights, or with regard to commercial acquisition of the disputed domain name. It appears to the Panel that the Complaint was simply brought in an attempt to obtain a domain name that the Complainant decided after the fact it would like to own for its own business purposes. In these circumstances the Panel has no hesitation in finding that the Complaint amounts to an attempt at reverse domain name hijacking."

http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=D2013-1360

More about this case from ME is here. We given them a little lesson!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Sex, drugs, rock and roll. The way of the world. Notice that "Sex" is first? Guess what? Always has been, always will be.

So lets see just how mainstream who pushes sex day and night can't quite go where LOTS of the customers they are chasing are at.

So my friends, please tell me what happens when an end-user finds out certain things.

Let's say on Google he spends $1000 a month and gets 100 new customers. $10/customer.

Let's say an end-user can advertise on a porn site and spend $100 and get 300 new customers. 33 cents/customer.

Tell me what that would mean to an end-user?

What would it mean to Google?

Here is the story of EXACTLY what it means to an end-user.

Now at the end of my 20 year plan, porn traffic will be highly desired. Very highly desired.

Why? NUMBERS!

Now many point to me and call me names because I own some adult terms. Ya know the ones they say on TV all night long.

But I don't have adult content anywhere on the Internet. Others do.

My traffic goes from me to Frank or Donny and then it goes to Google and Yahoo and a few others.

So this entire division between traffic is silly.

Go watch a show tonight on network TV and you will hear EVERY ONE of these terms.

Ass, slut, whore, porno, orgy, etc and they do it to attract their audience. No other reason.

Miley Cyrus goes on stage and tries to have an orgasm in front of the world and folks point to me owning dirty words. Are you serious?

Mainstream needs to grow up. They are past puberty now. They should be waking up soon.

And you now what happens when they wake up? It unleashes a TIDAL WAVE of new business. A TIDAL wave!

So if JCPenny and a few others really want to try to survive instead of rolling over and going DEAD, maybe it is time to take a walk on the wild side. That is where YOUR CUSTOMERS are hanging out. Dare to try!

Go check out that story!

And it is not perfect. It is still flawed because they talk about "Impressions". So still have  a ways to go but the path is being laid as we speak.

One day that dam is gonna break and things will change in a very big way. Porn IS coming to manistream because they have no choice. That's the single biggest untapped market. The bean counters will eventually have to look that way if they want to have more beans to count and a job.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

On one hand I am very gratified about what we have been able to accomplish with Hall of Shame in just 1 week! Our version 4.0 came online last night.

On the other hand it is quite disappointing that WELL over 95% of domainers would not lift a single finger to help. I mean literally not a finger. Not a finger to help themselves and their own livelihoods. Are you kidding me? Inexcusable when there is a vehicle that can get the job done!

Then of course the same people always jump to help. They look for ways to help. They understand. It always falls on them. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

The ones that need to be protected most are MIA! The ones that can't afford to defend can't afford to lift a finger either? BULLSHIT!

But so be it. I guess I should not have expected more, BUT I DID! If you won't lift a finger for a FREE insurance policy then how lazy can you be?

We have less likes and tweets than we have attendees at TRAFFIC. Less than 5% of the mailing list even cares.

I am very sympathetic to those that cannot defend but I will be less so if they don't care enough to lift a single finger and help themselves. If you ask for help after the fact, do you really expect it from me when you won't help yourself NOW?  Forget about it! Why? Pay forward now for free or don't whine when you have a problem. I won't be sympathetic. I will point you to this post. That is why EVERYTHING I do is on the record. I can just point!

Meantime the 3%-5% that are involved have done GREAT work!!! But this does illustrate how hard it is to move the needle when you can't even get the folks most affected on board. Thousands can do this and that and waste time and bullshit on the forums, but to do something proactive that you can't see an immediate benefit from and no way Jose!  AWOL!

Guys, I am protected. Nobody dares come after my domains and if they do I am well armed. But the ones most exposed are either not interested, don't like me personally or are just lazy and don't care. So be it. But if you won't help yourself NOW, don't expect ME to help you LATER! I won't lift a finger either. There is an 18 wheeler that is very close to getting over the crest of the hill and those walking away in the other direction are being foolish with their futures.

All you have to do is going to HallofShame.com and Like, tweet, circulate, link. Going to our new Facebook Page.

If you want to STOP Reverse Domain Name Hijacking in its tracks, THIS is an effective way to get a result. If you don't like my way, then point them to RDNH.com.

If you want to suffer for another DECADE, then do nothing. If you help me and yourself now, by this time next year RDNH will be a very rare event.

You will be happy to know I won't ask again. Really. I have tried my best and given it 110%. I won't beg folks to protect themselves.

My job is complete but my mission is not. What's YOUR excuse?

Now back to my regular job! I invested 7 or 8 days in YOU!

Rick Schwartz

Evening Folks!!

Just listed the newest case on the Reverse Domain Name Hijacking watch list at Hall of Shame provided by Michael Berkens.

We now have a page devoted to the watch list.

The domain is Ovation.com and as a GENERIC registered in 1994!!!!

We will have to wait for the info to come out on which trademark of MANY using Ovation it will be. If they got their trademark recently, I think this one will get a STANDING OVATION!

It's a new day folks and all eyes are watching and they will know it!

Rick Schwartz