HallofShame.com Now has Twitter Account

Morning Folks!!

HallofShamecom is the new Twitter handle. It also opens up a new circulation front. Targets a different group of people and will hopefully have a life of its own. I will be adding many followers which is exactly opposite of what I do with my own account where I follow less than 2 dozen people. Here I am out to circulate RDNH info and so I have a different objective and a different strategy.

It also gives me a chance to really test Twitter and see the power it has and how best to use it.

Rick Schwartz

HallofShame.com New Banners and Icons

Morning Folks!!

Below are some banners and icons for your website should you decide to post it. It comes down to one thing. Circulation. And in my next post I will describe what I will do next. The goal is to stop talking amongst ourselves and get to a wider audience. With your help I am going to stop Reverse Domain Name Hijacking in its' tracks! It is a warning to all what can and will happen. NO MONEY can fix the damage these companies have self-inflicted.

So I will be crystal clear about the YEARS of fallout these companies face should they engage and be found guilty of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking, (RDNH)

I invite any of them to come out and make a statement. Join US in this fight.

125-button02a 125-button02b

leaderboard02

wide-skyscraper02-1

hos_fb_cover_01

Rick Schwartz

HallofShame.com Version 3.0 Now LIVE! New Watch List Now Live!

Afternoon Folks!!

A site is never done. It just keeps getting polished. I think you will see a HUGE difference from 1.0 which was my cut and past and 2.0 which has been up 1 week and this version 3.0 which went online like about 60 seconds ago. I have a secret helper and I want to thank very much for taking their time and energy and putting it into this site. I think you will agree what we have done will be MOST impactful. I am told 4.0 is already in the planning stages.

I too will continue to polish the wording and try to make it more concise. Reverse Domain Name Hijacking is a site that won't be received well by some but will be applauded widely by many. At least that is the goal. Fight back and fight back HARD!

We also have our RDNH Watch set up with the first few cases to be watching.

These folks still have time to rethink their cases. I don't know what the outcome will be, but it would not be a surprise to find RDNH in most or all of these cases. They are very interesting and we will see.

As of this writing we have 108 Tweets and 32 Likes. Long way to go but one hell of a start and I thank you for all your support, help and kind words. This is one fight we need to be shoulder to shoulder on and we are!

Rick Schwartz

The Golden Age of Domaining 2013-2018

Morning Folks!!

It's really not what I say today that counts. But it does. It is about what this post will look in 5 YEARS from now and beyond. Those 1997-1999 posts look better every day! But as I have been describing, we are NOW in the gravitational pull of why I invested in domains to begin with. The next 5 years will just be golden. I don't know how else to describe it.

The leaps we will be taking in the WEEKS ahead will surpass 2003-2004 by a country mile! Clear as day to me. Just look at the size of THIS industry in 2003 and look at this industry in 2013. If you don't see the difference, don't understand the difference, don't know what it means, don't you think you are missing a big part of the equation?

But enough of that. I just want to be so clearly on the record that when we look back, that is when this post has the most meaning.

However, if you want to change your life right this second and be reduced to tears, watch this right now for 1:46 minutes! I GUARANTEE it has an impact. And if not, please know you are BRAIN DEAD! ;-)

Rick Schwartz

 

How Powerful is a Domain? Watch This and See!!

Morning Folks!!

A few thoughts about this video a Friend sent me yesterday;


First of all it is very moving. Secondly it shows you POWER in words.


1) Domains are words. 2) Domains are Powerful 3) Domains are ideas, ideas are powerful as well.

Enjoy! Less than 2 minutes long and VERY impactful. May even bring you to tears.




Cheers!


Rick Schwartz

BREAKING: HallofShame.com to Add “Watch List” for Possible RDNH Cases.

Morning Folks!!

Now it is time to be even more proactive.

If you have a pending case that you know is a Reverse Domain Name Hijacking attempt, we will open a "Watch List" to follow these specific cases. We are going to do everything we can to alert these folks of the pitfalls in front of them. We will make it clear that they are NOT on the HallofShame.com list as of yet, but they sure are heading that way! A "Shot Across the Bow" so to speak as one last warning that this may be a bad and costly decision.

Rick Schwartz

 

Thank You! Now my Strategy to END Reverse Domain Name Hijacking in ONE Year!

Morning Folks!!

There are MILLIONS, no scratch that TENS of MILLIONS. No scratch that. HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of people worldwide that own a domain name. That's a lot of people sharing something in common. I believe that Reverse Domain Name Hijacking is a newsworthy item that has yet to really make big news. My goal with HallofShame.com is to take a common and universal mainstream saying that cuts thru all business and industry and sport and everything else is the perfect intersection to put out a "Distress Sign".

To change how things are first you need awareness. That happens by circulating what it is you want people to be aware of. How you circulate is key. Grassroots is the least expensive way to get something noticed at first. Like minded people who want a similar outcome band together and do what they can. Yesterday you did that when I posted this plea. Nearly 100 f you "Tweeted" and 25 of you "Liked" the site as I write this. That is a HUGE step in circulating our story and maybe theirs as well.

HallofShame.com is at an International Intersection. It just has to be noticed by one news outlet, reporter or VICTIM and this will go into the second stage orbit. I love taking an embryo like this to market and have it shake some bushes and rattle some cages. They can try to blame me but they better look to those internal folks that made the stupid decision of allowing me to do what I do best. BRAND! These companies are BRANDED! My job, our job is to circulate and move the needle.

So thank you for helping me to do something proactive and begin the process of planting seeds each and every day until one day there is a tree and another and another and another. If you get a cease and desist or you get served with a WIPO or NAF suit and you KNOW you are not infringing on any trademarks, just point them to HallofShame.com and let them think about what they are doing. Let them think long and hard. Let them reconsider.

Lastly, the subject of fines. I am NOT in favor of a mere fine! What is $100k penalty when you are trying to steal a million dollar domain? Come on! I am fighting for a CRIMINAL penalty. That's what you do with thieves whether successful at stealing or not. A fine won't stop this, SHAME or imprisonment will. So NO INTEREST WHATSOEVER in a fine. NONE! Fine and imprisonment? Ok, I am on board with that. But until then, we will SHAME these folks and let it be a warning to others that WE as an industry OWN THEIR REPUTATIONS.

My goal, let these companies get interviewed by media and ask them why they did this and if they would like to join me in discouraging this type behavior in the future. Maybe share the lessons they have learned as a warning to others. Maybe even reimburse the domain owner for their legal expenses.

Bottom line, I will PROVE that SHAME trumps dollars. I will prove that my way of ending Reverse Domain Name Hijacking will be MOST effective and IMMEDIATE. I think especially attorneys need to be aware that they are aiding and abetting thieves and NOW they are doing it KNOWINGLY. There is no longer an excuse.

And as I said, everyone with even 1 domain name, especially one domain name, can sympathize with our position. They can put themselves in our shoes and get just as angry. And when they do get angry, they will take their anger out on those they do business with that were engaged in this disgusting act of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking!

My mission will be COMPLETE by this time next year or sooner. But even if it takes years, I will be right here! So you can help or not, but don't you DARE sit on the sidelines and criticize this effort unless YOU are willing to do something bigger, better, and do it right now! Naysayers are people who bring NOTHING to the table and have no place in my orbit and should have no place in yours either. We have a MISSION to accomplish and we WILL.

Rick Schwartz

Update: Live Auction Submissions

Evening Folks!!

I am finished with the selection of domains for the live auction. Many great domains submitted and even tho I may have not selected your domain does not mean it was not a good domain. My selection was based on what was on the market right now. And I think you will like what you see.

Howard will be sending out the contracts next week. Please return them promptly. We can't start publishing and promoting until we get the signed contracts back. With that in mind we would like to publish the initial list no later than Monday the 16th. We may publish a little teaser list before then. So if you want your domains to be out there, help us with the process.

Thanks and I think the bidding will be quite intense!

Rick Schwartz

A LIVE Lesson in Picking a Domain Name.

Afternoon Folks!!

Ocean, River, Lake, Pond, Puddle. Pick which one you want to aim for.

Hint: There is Pigeon Shit in the puddle. So pay attention if you want to avoid. One extra word can be the difference between a 6 figure domain and a worthless domain. I see it all day long.

So verbs and adjectives LIMIT your audience but at the same time TARGETS your audience. Target too much, you have a puddle or maybe just a dried up hole. Here is the recipe for the happy medium.

So here is a real world example of targeting and limiting.

HallofShame.com is universal.

It may not be the ocean of Shame.com for example, but it is a universal domain that is targeted and you know you are going to see some bad behavior when you get there. And in time can become subdomains to include different subjects, industries and companies etc.

What I did not do is use DomainHallofShame.com which would have been much more targeted, but much more limited when we are trying to hit a wider audience. Plus, I already have that ability. Add one more word and you are at worthess.

In each case you must decide who you are aiming for. In this case I am trying to vault over the walls of a POND that would be DomainHallofShame.com. What I am trying to do is jump into the RIVER because the River goes places. It has greater circulation than a pond. It travels. Sometimes you only want to be in that pond. And that is fine. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE! Many do not.

In my case the River may be better than the ocean. That is what targeting is about but you must have a target audience and they don't go to puddles and dried up holes. I could have also had DomainNameHallofShame.com or Domainnameshallofshame.com. Each one gets increasingly further away, harder to remember, less traffic and so on. On the other hand owning those combos can't hurt if you have a business. But that is the extent of it and the value is severely limited.

This is a 3 word domain that just happens to work because it means something. It is a known phrase. It has already been advertised and sold to the public before I ever entered the picture. Something most domains and most new gTLD's won't have the luxury of.

Now I have a running start and all I have to do is BRAND. Yes Brand. Not selling. I have nothing to sell. I have something to brand. Something the startup guys need to learn the difference about. If THEY are busy branding they are busy going out of business because they CAN'T sell. If they COULD sell, they would be busy selling because that way they make money and grow. Branding means you got  a bag of shit and the only way you can make it is trying to be cool. Good luck with that.

Point is, if you approach it from left field you may end up in left field. These are the basic building blocks I and most other successful domainers use and you can reject at your own peril. Most do. I can only put it out there.

AdjectiveKEYWORD.com

VerbKEYWORD.com

NounKEYWORD.com

DescribeKEYWORD.com

LetterKeyword.com (i or e)

NameKeyword.com

LocationKeyword.com

That is the foundation I use.

Rick Schwartz

 

I Seldom Ask for Favors, But I need a Favor Today!

Morning Folks!!

I have often talked about harnessing the power we as domain investors have. Another inadequate result for me. You too. Harnessing our power to try to do just one big thing. It's what my 18 wheeler story is based on. So let's try an experiment. It costs nothing and I can envision a big dividend. It's an insurance policy and today and together I can give us all free insurance policy against current and future Reverse Domain Name Hijackers.

Now some of you are already moaning and I have not even asked the favor that is in YOUR best interest. It's a simple one. Go to HallofShame.com and Tweet the website. Like it. Circulate it. If you want to make a difference. If you want some insurance. If you want to HELP ME do something proactive to help YOU, then simply do me that small favor. Please.

I never talk about the cost to defend a domain name from a predator. It's part of the cost of doing business. I have been fighting since 1999. BIG companies. Campbell's, Lilly Industries and even bigger. In the 1990's I had so many cease and desist letters that I registered ceaseanddesist.com. I still have the letters. I met this guy named Howard Neu. I liked him right away. Instead of scaring me with this and that, he told me to toss them in the garbage and let him know if I ever heard from them again. 99% never. The 1%, we fought, mostly won and have taken the battle to even the biggest like P&G and now Jaguar/Landrover.

Folks always ask what they can do to help. Well today you really can help. Just help me get to 100 tweets on HallofShame.com, 50 folks can certainly like it, etc. That's it. That's all I ask to show what we can do when we actually harness the power we have. If you don't care, why would anyone else? Laws don't get passed by the tooth fairy. It happens with simple grassroot efforts like this. Ya never know who might ally with us.

Michael Cyger asked me on his show this week why not just point to RDNH.com. I said it is a great resource but it is a little too inside for me with initials where HallofShame.com is very mainstream and I am hoping will catch the eye of whoever in the future and then you will understand why I need your help. I am hoping that the passion I have comes thru and shines a bright light on this practice. So help me do this. Please.

While Reverse Domain Name Hijacking is a scourge that must and will end, I still relish each win. It tastes good! It feels good! It shows that no company is beyond being labeled for LIFE a Reverse Domain Name Hijacker. It helps to show others see our point of being abused and it validates what we do. The risk we take. The INVESTORS we are and the game of Capitalism we play and play well. No GIANT is too big to go down against the smallest of us.

So I ask you to help me move this one 18 wheeler over the crest of the hill and you can make a difference. Besides. It's in your self-interest. And you will see what SEO is all about because I will do nothing proactive search wise and because of RELEVANCE HallofShame.com will be on the first page in the weeks ahead. PURE SEO. Matched content not designed to fool but designed to be what it is. RELEVANT.

Why do this? AWARENESS is the result of circulation and that is the road to protecting all of us. Grab a shovel or hit the road! YOU can make a difference.

HallofShame.com