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My First Ever Pictorial Blog Post

Afternoon Folks!!

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Rick Schwartz

143 thoughts on “My First Ever Pictorial Blog Post”

  5. Rick Schwartz

    Gee Paul,
    I think you are completely out of touch if you came to that conclusion based on these pics. It also seems that examining both sides of all this threatens you for some reason so you have to be condescending instead of addressing all the pitfalls and concerns we may have like Frank and Jeff and a few others have. Of course there is a very good reason for you to be nervous. I would be considering the low interest level and the low quality of your extensions.

    So if you want to be an ass, I can be one too. Most of your extensions are worthless. That’s a just a fact and your investors are going to lose a lot of money!

    Reply

  6. Rick Schwartz

    And this on a day I announced a gTLD auction. Makes folks wonder what you might be scared of Paul? Reality in the marketplace ain’t your thang Paul? Afraid of the market?

    Reply

  8. Rick Schwartz

    Paul is in charge of saying the stupidest things and I am starting to think the other gTLD guys are not happy with some of it. He shows such superior sales skills. Instead of addressing concerns and overcoming objections like normal people he would rather insult those that ask those questions. If you don’t BLINDLY drink his piss water you get insulted.

    Reply

  9. Rick Schwartz

    Paul isn’t scared. he is terrified. The cash register is open and he counts “Commitments” like he counts cash. Sorry, that is fairy dust. Lipstick on a pig. The numbers won’t Lie Paul, but you sure as hell will.

    Reply

  10. Rick Schwartz

    We have nothng to lose if we wait a year or two. If we are undecided and we want to pick WINNERS not LOSERS. But the market is going to decide. Why can’t folks come to grips with that? I am really sorry Paul you never consulted anyone to ask the hard questions YOU have to deal with now and going forward. I don’t hope for your demise. I want to profit from your success. But some fear it could be a black hole and I think insulting those folks won’t be helping your case.

    This is what Buffet says: he operates with two rules: Rule No. 1, “Never lose money,” and Rule No. 2, “Don’t forget rule No. 1.”

    It is therefore easy to see why many have yet to be convinced and you are doing your part to send them running.

    Reply

  11. Aaron Strong

    .mobi, .pro, .travel etc……There is no “change”, just more of the same…….Change would be unproven and would not have indicators. Most of us can logically prove based on indications that most extensions are worthless at this time.

    Reply

  12. Bill Kara

    Paul and D0nuts team, I want to run/own/be part of dot game(s). How can I make that happen? Would gladly invest into the gTLD as well.

    Rick Im not so certain you’ll have gTLDs lining up to sell their domains at TRAFFIC considering how openly you’ve talked them down. Im not sure anyone would consider it an unbiased platform from which to sell or market from.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      Bill,
      It’s called being undecided and examining the issue.
      If guys like Paul are scared to face the folks at TRAFFIC, then this whole thang is a joke.
      I have just maintained that it will be the end user and the marketplace that will decide all this.
      TRAFFIC has offered every extension that has come to market. It is up to the attendees what they will do. Each has their own viewpoint.
      Amazing how many seem threatened by critical thinking of something unproven and what we can point to is not exactly successes.
      But I am tryng to see what they do and this graphic was showing exactly that.

      Reply

  13. Bill Kara

    You’re asking them to PROVE the market 100% before even going to it. That’s a pretty unrealistic expectation.

    If you had to prove TRAFFIC would be running 10 years after its first show, BEFORE you even opened the doors I doubt we’d have TRAFFIC now.

    and I happen to like TRAFFIC :)

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      Bill,
      “You’re asking them to PROVE the market 100% before even going to it. That’s a pretty unrealistic expectation.”

      Excuse me, it is guys like Paul running around making all types of claims. Give me a break! I don’t want 100% anything. I want to see a real vision without shitting on .com and all the rest.

      Reply

  14. Mason

    Rick is not asking for PROOF from where I stand. He is merely asking for a logical argument how you get from POINT A to POINT B. He seems inclined to hear a reasoned argument. So far no one has provided the aforementioned logic.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      Thank you Mason!
      A logical discussion seems to be a threat. I don’t get it.
      I NEVER in my life saw somebody bring something to market with an attitude like this.

      Reply

  15. Bill Kara

    @mason you must have your eyes and ears closed then.

    There are many real life cases from a gTLD operator perspective (.co) from a developer perspective (.me, .co and just a few days ago .xxx)

    So its not a matter of not having that information out there, its discounting it 100% just because its not a 100% certainly of being successful.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      Nobody is discounting anything 100% or I would not write and spend time on this.
      Look guys, if you invest $10,000 today, is whatever.photography your best investment?
      Go make the case for that one Bill. Why is it wrong to want to sort thru the winners and losers FIRST??

      Reply

  16. Domenclature.com

    I don’t think Stahura believes in dialog.

    From what I’ve seen so far, he operates like water; sometimes he is a solid state, another time he is in a liquid from; and many times he’s in a gaseous state.

    A few years ago, I saw a “Paul” always attacking domainers at theDmains.com, and I’ve matched the writing style to fit Stahura’s, I don’t know for a fact, but it’s pretty similar.

    Thirdly, he starts debates, and boom he’s gone, only to come back weeks later with a very long post as if time is not the essence in a debate.

    Over all, he is a classy guy. BUT I don’t know how he is going to pull this gTLD stuff off. Is there nothing that could piss off investors, ever? I mean, if one cared about at least the investors, one would at least be nervous about these applications, over 300? That’s scary pal. I’d be worried

    Reply

  17. Mason

    “@mason you must have your eyes and ears closed then.”

    Bill, you are prickly one aint u?

    Don’t get your feathers in a ruffle

    I am open to success for any of the gtlds

    I just dont understand the business model or grammar of these gtlds as to how they would attract visitors

    Explain the vision and you will have converts

    Right now I just hear ALOT of posturing and noise

    The

    Reply

  18. Bill Kara

    Rick I assure you they didn’t raise a single penny without presenting a very “real” vision of their plan at a macro/micro level of how they see the internet evolving, to a group is very successful investors I might add.

    Frank and others have outlined in various material what they are trying to do, how, why… you don’t have to buy into it but you can’t say they have not said how they plan to go about it. .CO is very open on what they’ve done and how, and what they plan to do. Its amazing how much information about the ups and downs they have presented.

    As for other perspectives, end users, developers have to overcome their own challenges online regardless of what TLD they build on. You blow your budget on a dot com you have less to spend on everything else, you buy a gTLD and you suffer some branding and traffic loss, there is no perfect solution just a swamp you have to navigate through.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      Bill,
      We can agree on the swamp.

      Time tells all and I am very patient when it comes to watching how something will unfold. Especially when you basically have infinite supply.

      As a developer you may see it one way. As a domain investor i look at it through a different lens.

      Reply

  19. Mason

    I am gonna bow out of this debate because I can see that progress will not be made here. Anyways, I am hopeful the gtlds work but I really would like to have a real road map. A “business plan” based off false assumptions aint gonna work for me. Anyways best of luck.

    Reply

  21. Joe Parvin

    “There are many real life cases from a gTLD operator perspective (.co) from a developer perspective (.me, .co and just a few days ago .xxx)”

    Bill, would you please clarify and expand on your remarks. What cases support what hypotheses?

    Reply

  22. Mason

    It is not a waste of time if the participants are willing to have a constructive dialogue

    That is not the case here

    Bowing out starting . . . NOW :)

    Reply

  23. Rick Schwartz

    “It is not a waste of time if the participants are willing to have a constructive dialogue.”

    I am not sure why a constructive dialogue seems so hard? The burden is on folks like Paul to sell, not for me or anyone else to buy.

    If Paul has a coherent argument for .Phototgraphy and not .photo or .pic I sure want to hear it. Without that, it just seems way too long for an extension.

    Or is that not his “Thang” because it would be difficult to defend?

    Reply

  25. Bill Kara

    For some reason “reply” is dumping my comments here and not in the right order, making this harder to read.

    @mason neither of your comments really added opinion you just repeated what Rick said despite the examples I provided. Unless you want to read then reply to my comments I can debate myself.

    @Rick that is certainly the case. I can see this playing out differently for operations, developers and domain investors. Being able to buy certain names at hand reg prices would be something I think many would be interested in. I doubt that is going to move the needle dollar wise for someone like yourself, and of course in your case .com is the only viable option. Most people dont have such a high hurdle rate though :)

    @Joe Parvin examples of road maps, .co – they are on record talking about how they won the TLD, what they have done to promote it, to bring it to market, how they have positioned themselves. By way of example .co / .cm what a different those TLDs are. Thats all based on a vision and execution. So that is one example at a TLD operator level.

    Secondly, from a developer and perhaps domain investor level you have a posting on thedomains on a .xxx developer. I dont have the link but the posting had a ton of details and was worth the read for sure. Its a great example of someone leveraging the descriptive nature of the gTLD to benefit their business.

    Finally from a pure domain investor perspective, look towards none other than the king himself that made more than a pretty penny off a gTLD (ccTLD) with their home run on dot ME.

    These are all recent examples, a dont of details on how they did it, why, road maps ect… recent being the key word here. On top of that you have a number of failed gTLDs which provide great examples of things that didn’t work/failed. Which is actually a positive for the current guys coming to market to learn from. Hope that added some meat to my reply Joe.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      “Rick that is certainly the case. I can see this playing out differently for operations, developers and domain investors.”

      Then logically you would have to come to the unkown point where you develop something that may or may not be embraced and at that point you would have to adjust either way. That won’t be known until you are in business and measure all those other factors and see if it pays. We have to agree that part is unknown. It may work. But what you won’t do is ignore those numbers or those results. Right? You will weigh them at the appropriate time. Right?

      Reply

  26. Kassey

    @Bill, “reminds me for the x millionth time why comment posting is pointless/waste of time” I actually find reading comments/arguments by folks like you and Rick with proven track records very educational. Thank you all.

    Reply

  27. Joe Parvin

    “There are many real life cases from a gTLD operator perspective (.co) from a developer perspective (.me, .co and just a few days ago .xxx)”

    “Bill, would you please clarify and expand on your remarks. What cases support what hypotheses?”

    I’m not a dilettante. I’ve been a participant in the domain space since 1998, and have the dubious advantage of not knowing anyone who has posted here. I’d like my COM’s to do well, but would love to invest early in promising gTLD’s. As a domain investor, I’ve asked the most basic of questions above. Are there any takers on the “buy now” side? Alternatively, should I conclude that there are colorfully expressed arguments on one side, and only static on the other?

    Reply

  28. Rick Schwartz

    Kassey,
    That is what the positive takeaway should be. Unless it ain’t your “Thang.”
    It is just two or more views. The more the better. Everyone will come to their own conclusions.

    The more thought provoking the more important the conversation. It is even good for guys like Paul who seems to be stuck in an old techie thinking position which does not allow dissent nor discussion nor critical or probing questions. A pro would use all that as an opportunity like Frank did. Like the guys from .club did. That is how you EARN business and EARN respect.

    You don’t just go and insult 75% of the industry that have not bought into this as of yet. It may change, but after today, bet that number goes up, not down.

    Reply

  30. Bill Kara

    @joe, not sure what you are looking for in a reply. I tried to provided some good examples as best I could.

    All the best stuff on all the new gTLDs will be taken on the first day. I think you are already seeing tons of pre-ordering and I find the entire pre-ordering process odd and unclear. Yet people are still pre-ordering.

    As for domain investing… take your top generic terms. Apply them to ANY ccTLD, gTLD and the price you it will cost you in the “aftermarket” is going to be higher than hand reg. So as with any new investment there is risk, but the cream will rise to the top and if these domains are going to be offered to the public at standard rates I really dont see how a person could go wrong hand registering a bunch of really descriptive, memorable names within their respective niches.

    I also don’t this this as a gTLD vs dot com opportunity. A person that drops 5k on a single dot com vs a person that drops 5k on a whole bunch of gTLDs. I don’t think its the same type of investment or opportunity going on here. I don’t think they are equal or alternatives.

    Maybe its a bit like buying stock: one person buys blue chip and the other buys penny stocks. Both are equities but aside from that both are very different in terms of risk, reward ect… The person buying penny stocks might do so because they think there is a ton of upside to be had on a company. If that company didn’t exist that doesn’t mean that same person goes and loads up on their 401k.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      “I also don’t this this as a gTLD vs dot com opportunity.”

      Which I agree with.

      Unfortunately that is how the conversation was framed by comments like these:

      “Dot com is your father’s tld”
      “Dot com is dead”
      And of course Paul said the reason I sold ebet.com for $1.35 Million was because I thought dot com was dying or some nonsense like that.

      So I don’t think Donuts and M&M can go around saying stupid things like this and having me and others remain silent when instead of hearing the benefits and reasons we hear garbage spewed.

      Reply

  31. Bill Kara

    “Thanks for your response, Bill. What investment strategy, other than “pick winners”, do you think is supported by the evidence?”

    Yes, I do. “take your top generic** terms. Apply them to ANY ccTLD, gTLD and the price you it will cost you in the “aftermarket” is going to be higher than hand reg. ”

    I believe this is true over 80% of the time.

    **I define generic as single commonly used words, or two words that are used together to describe something. I’d add to this 3 letter/number domains as well.

    Reply

  32. Bill Kara

    There is enough marketing hype to go around for days. I like it!

    Just bringing more eyeballs into the industry, feels like the juices are flowing again. Talking about small tweaks to parking landing pages and mini-sites and epic (fail) bucks was really getting stale. I’ve had at least 5 people that sort of know what I do asking about the various shows coming up. People that for years were just on the sidelines. I think the pie is getting bigger and its going to be a lot of fun to watch it unfold.

    Somehow .tel has kicked along this long. Dot Tel? You can’t do anything with dot tel, zero. If dot tel can make it this long .ponyride has a chance in my view hah

    Reply

  33. Rick Schwartz

    So let’s take these one by one

    “Myth vs Fact”
    In Paul’s world you can’t and shouldn’t do that.

    “Do something or do nothing?”
    I guess discussing whether it is smarter to wait and see or jump in is not valid.

    “Advantage or Disadvantage”
    Crazy to ask this question? Really?

    “Risk vs Reward”
    Come on Paul, you are dealing with professionals and you think this is out of bounds?

    Reply

  34. Rick Schwartz

    I have a mouse an an elephant as you tell everyone how dot com is your father’s domain. It is a very accurate reprsentation of how you want us to see it.

    Finally I have a guy in the middle still looking for answers. Not the answers you want to shove down our throat like a bad used car salesman telling me I am an idiot for going to check out your bullshit on carfax.com but real questions that 75% of the industry seem to share.

    Explain that to me because I don’t think you did yourself or donuts any favors today. I think you showed how weak your hand really is. How unreasonable you folks will be to deal with. I mean really, what you said was not very fair or nice Paul. I can’t imagine how you go into the world with that attitude and expect success. What do you think of and what will you call the end users that don’t buy into YOUR dream?

    Reply

  35. Paul Stahura

    I don’t get the pictures, and I think you do much better with prose than pictures (as your text explanation shows), that’s all. And its no secret you are not into the change that new TLDs are bringing. Hence my comment.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      Paul,
      Just not into the bullshit and hype I am hearing from something that is unproven and the only tests we have out there are not shnining examples of success to point to. I am just waiting to hear a logical argument from you that makes sense. Isn’t your job to persuade skeptics? I am giving you the platform to do that. Make your case. You can’t expect folks to change because it is convenient for you without a reason.

      Reply

      1. Rick Schwartz

        They like change.
        So much so that they count commitments as sales. Now that is a hoot!
        Deposit that in the bank and show them what change is about. lol

        Reply

  37. JBS

    “I don’t get the pictures, and I think you do much better with prose than pictures (as your text explanation shows), that’s all.”

    Most of the pictures include text – 4 / 6 – LOL

    Reply

  38. JBS

    It is unfortunate that we get flooded with all the BS about the eventual demise of dot com. That is just not going to happen in any time frame that matters right now.

    It would be so much more interesting to discuss the possible values of actual domains from specific new gTLDs. But only as completely separate types of domains that have to each stand on their own. That is what actually makes sense.

    Like, what do you think stock.photos will be sold for initially? Would you develop on it knowing you will bleed traffic to the dot com? Maybe that is a result you could live with if it sold for 10% of stockphotos.com. Will stock.photos be worth developing if it is on an unpopular extension overall, as there are a very limited number of decent phrase domains for .photos? And so on for other domains and extensions. Those are the kinds of conversations domain investors are needing.

    Reply

  40. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,

    We can safely say that the .COM subdomain strategy will successfuly replace any generics designation, the gTLDs can supply. This effectively usurps and strengthens the full Strategic Marketing advantage of the already dominant .COM business model. Our advice to gTLD investors is to immediately formulate exit strategies. JAS 1/27/14

    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply

  42. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,

    This whole Titanic gTLD experiment, has been highly suspect from day one. To argue whether there will even be Generic gTLD deck chairs evident in the future will only allow .COM business holders to incorporate these Generic deck chairs as sub domains and part of their dominant Strategic Marketing position. The .Brand gTLD experiment will enrich .COM holders and dash generic gTLD supporters on the global reefs. Don’t blame Rick or me for this eventuality, blame the indomitable marketing genius Rod Beckstrom and his merry band of pirates.

    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply

  44. Danny

    A friend of mine has a little Italian restaurant called Vince’s. He could get Vinces.menu taking visitors directly to their menu or the specials for the night. Restaurants might like this so that when I am going to Cattleman’s I might try Cattlemans.menu. Lots of restaurants might like the dot menu domain even though it might just forward to their main site? Some of the gTLD’s lend themselves to this kind of use but I don’t see much in this for domainers. And going more generic what would Italian.menu be worth? A Specials.menu? I just don’t see much there for domainers. Just some thoughts.

    Reply

  45. Criostoir (@wwwcash)

    i don’t know rick from adam, i am a late comer to domains and a very small player.

    so i don’t know if rick just like to hear the sound of his own voice or is passionate about getting the truth out there.

    and the truth from this humble opinion is that rick is right

    Reply

  47. Advertisement Domains

    It’s like a five year old can understand it now. ;)

    Well done Rick!

    (Not that I have never understood you. Firm believer in pigeon shit is pigeon shit.)

    Best wishes.

    As a matter of fact, I am hoping some day you will do a video on exactly how to structure your types of deals. I am a firm believer in not selling and developing and or retaining a percentage for usage, as that’s what it sound like you do.

    Perhaps you and Michael C. can do a segment on that?

    I have a few questions but don’t care to post them here.

    Best wishes!

    Reply

  50. Domenclature.com

    Dear Bloggers & Domainers,

    I need your help. I have been blogging as if I was elected to represent bloggers, and domainers; and I have been soundly criticized for doing so. The truth of the matter is that domainers have no such structure, or representation, and because of that, we are taken for granted, and disrespected everyday.

    I, therefore, have come to you, humbly, to help me in a battle, a battle that has been brewing for a while now; I am the underdog in this battle; I am fighting this battle for the true domainer, and the independent blogger; my antagonists are mighty men: Berkens and Francois. These two are very popular, and have pedigrees way beyond my reach; they have impeccable backgrounds in the domaining community, and have contributed more than I have, positively to our industry; however, this time around I have something they lack: righteousness.

    Berkens and Francois has super-imposed a Ticker of new gTLDs, commonly known as .whatevers on both domaining.com, and thedomains.com, and are charging these people over $500 for each string per month, and they did it disrespectfully, to domainers who are still asking questions about these extensions. I canceled my subscription to thedomains.com in protest.

    Francois will NOT allow bloggers to advertise their private domain names on their blogs. And he has no respect for domainers.

    Therefore, I’m asking you to take a stand. Help me. I am no match for these two, bt with you, they will both need to respect this industry.

    If you are a blogger, I am asking that you ban Francois from your feed, and use NameBee.com or the other adroit services, and I also want you to boycott thedomains.com for me, until they both take down the ticker.

    Thank you.

    Reply

  51. lyn

    Some people write bad scripts. This is one of them. Who wants to type out .photography? Lets face it investor’s are concerned of unknown. We know .com will be around for awhile yet and will always be imprinted on people’s minds. All these new GTld’s way confusing to the public. Large companies will pay a fortune to market their new GTLD’s. .Com will always be first before any new extension.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      Point is when you bring up a valid and legitimate concern like .photography and look at the alternatives and you have questions nobody will answer Then they just tell you you’re a schmuck if you don’t buy them. Ridiculous.

      What I would expect is a coherent response and maybe even some data to support their theories.

      It is not only the refusal to do this but I think it is very obvious for any one paying attention that we have brought up dozens of pitfalls that some of these guys never thought about. Stunning!!

      Reply

      1. Rick Schwartz

        I think the big difference is they see a sprint to the future and I see a marathon with many, many, many, hurdles at many many many different points that they’re not in control of and instead of addressing they would rather ignore it and for folks to just shut up and go with their program.

        What happens when a .Photography only gets 400 registrations? Value in being so rare nobody wants it? By the time they get done holding the “premium” strings, what is left? How does something like that get any traction?

        That is why i think the existing extensions will be the first to get a second look.

        Reply

  52. Jonathan L

    Common Sense: Words change with the times…. What forward thinking and contemporary person uses the words “photograph/photography/photo’s” these days? The word(s) is old, used and so very last century. Analogous to this would be someone using Pocketbook instead of Handbag or Dungarees instead of Jeans. What should have been applied for is “images” or “Image” for use to the right of the dot… Words that are current, more applicable and make more sense! Google search results for the word “Photography,” generated 446 Million results and a Google Search using the word “Image” generates 2.7 Billion results. May not be a conclusive analysis, but a true indication of potential traffic, eh?
    But either way, regardless of what words are used the right of the dot, they are all losers in the long run.

    Reply

  53. Rick Schwartz

    Here is the donuts list so far with many more to come. http://www.donuts.co/tlds/

    I would think the first thing one would do is to eliminate the extensions one believes has no chance of having a real future. Right or wrong. Then you would try and separate the top 10. Then you would discuss each one and see the need, want, desire, size of the audience, whether other extensions will come and make them obsolete, and a dozen other factors.

    Then you would pick your top 3 and fianlly your top 1. After you did that with donuts I would do the same with M&M and all the others. When you get your top 20 for example, you can go deep or go wide or drill any direction or no direction. But those would be the logical first steps. Drill 20 extensions deep today and where are you? .NL

    Reply

  54. Rick Schwartz

    The top 20 extensions as far as my registrar is concerned:

    .com, .net, .org, .me, .info, .tv, .biz, .us, .de, .xxx, .es, .eu, .com.es, .org.es, .nom.es, .ws, .cc, .co.uk, .org.uk, .nl

    How many of those do you want to invest in? How many will provide a return? How many are liquid?

    Reply

  55. Michael

    Hi there,
    I’m a blogger…..and have now setup a social network for domainers at whizzbangsblog.com. I think that it’s great that they’ve innovated to produce a ticker that allows them to earn money. More power to them! Both Berkens and Francois has built a business on their sites that allow them to earn money. All I can say is, well done!

    Reply

  57. Domenclature.com

    @Michael,

    They did it in a disrespectful manner.

    We are in a middle of a debate on this stuff. Their sites are quasi-domainer dens for all of us. To set up a ticker that is questioning “WHY REGISTER A .COM” is a statement of betrayal.

    Therefore, something must be done to let them own and have their sites, without those sites carrying an aura of the entire domainer community. It’s their stuff, and I’m boycotting them.

    Reply

    1. Rick Schwartz

      And there needs to be a fool to buy for $11k. And this is really the best domain combo to put before .clothing on day 1? Really?

      Domainers still have their biggest problem in picking the words and combos left of the dot. Some will get slaughtered.

      Reply

  59. UFO

    Reading this debate makes me smile. Its like a scene out of Blackadder (World war 1) when they come up with a cunning plan to rush the German lines an 18th time because they wont expect it having got slaughtered the previous 17 times.

    Matter of the fact is, most domainers who have invested in previous new and similar type gTLDs haven’t made anything or lost money. So, the case really needs to be made by the gTLD registries why its going to be any different this time.

    The second issue, is even if the new gTLDs have ‘some’ traction, are they even a suitable investment seeing as the registries will be selling at market value and not some basic registration fee like early adopters of .com got.

    Most domainers have nothing to lose other than an opportunity cost by hanging back a year or two and catching on the drop or when realism sets in.

    Personally, I think a price war will break out in 12-24mths as the shrinking pool or renewal fees means they fight for cash flows.

    Just as registries are over charging domainers for their domains, they may well wish they hadn’t bid so much to get the initial rights to the extension. Its like pass the parcel, before the music stops…

    I’d hate to be standing in front of investors explaining why I hadn’t undertaken enough diligence and sought a whole bunch of worthless crap gTLDs.

    Reply

  60. AlanR

    It’s not going to matter how successful a launch is for any of these gtld’s if the end user is trampled by investors. No matter how much any of these registries brag about how well they are doing in the beginning, it means absolutely nothing! If anything, it means that it is overrun with investors and will more or less fail in 1 or 2 years. At least fail as an investment. Thankfully, the average end user is smarter than the average investor and will steer clear of all the hype. The end user will decide which gtld will survive or not and that is most likely years away.

    Reply

  61. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,

    Here we all sit at the Epicenter of the largest Online Capital Market Formation in history. This 2014-2020 period will see more Online businesses enter Cyber-Space than at any other time in History. The Strategically superior Marketing Strategy to survive and thrive in this environment is unquestionably the .COM Business Model. The Chinese know this along with India, Russia,Brazil and all other major Capitalist Countries. In other words all the Worlds leaders in Online Capital Market Structure Formation, to date , are firmly entrenched with .COM Business Models.
    The current and yet to come, .COM Business Models will continue to dominate and thrive regardless of all other extensions. JAS 1/29/14

    Reply

  63. lyn

    And….I guarantee they have kept behind for themselves anything that could be of any value.

    Reply

  64. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,

    We thnk that the pent up, first mover envy crowd, still insists there will be a better and less costly way to access the largest point of purchase audience in history. They dream of somehow circumnavigating the .COM Conduit to access this massive Cash Cow ! Ain’t going to happen.

    The Smart move would be to swallow your envy and ego and Pay up now or pay Much Much more, later. JAS 1/30/14

    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply

  66. Rick Schwartz

    I am SICK of getting insulted by the likes of Paul Stahura and other domainers with agendas and skin in the game. A game I have no interest in because they are incapable of persuading the majority of domainers with logic so they have to resort to other tactics. It is really sad and I am stunned by what appears to be desperation. “Give me your money or you are stupid” that is basically the pitch.

    Reply

  68. Rick Schwartz

    And here is a real world comment left about the DomainIncite article above:

    “This is the feedback we are getting from our United Domains’ customers in the US and in Europe regarding new gTLDs (we are taking binding orders since Nov last year):

    1. New gTLDs are too expensive. Why pay more than for a .com/.eu/.de?

    2. Ordering new gTLDs is too confusing (e.g. Sunrise, TMCH, DPML, Early Access, Landrush, Auctions, Premium Pricing, Reserved Names, etc…). Why does every registry come up with new procedures and different rules? From the end-user perspective this doesn’t make any sense.”

    So my point of all of this is to tune out guys like Paul and tune in the end users like this. They are much smarter and their agenda is growing their businesses not Paul’s business. They don’t know Paul, they are not friends with Paul, they won’t be pressured by Paul or even insulted by Paul. They could care less about any of this. They only care about growing their businesses.

    Yesterday and today are the first two glimpses of reality with a lot more coming. It will illustrate my New York to London story and one ending up in Africa instead of London. The MAIN MISTAKES ALWAYS HAPPEN AT THE BEGINNING!!

    This boat is now sailing and their destination is completely unknown.

    Reply

  69. Rick Schwartz

    “From the end-user perspective this doesn’t make any sense.”

    So folks, you are about to have a choice. Listen to Paul so he can put your money in his pocket or listen to the end user. Paul keeps talking for the end user but he does not understand the NEED, WANT and DESIRE that an end user has.

    In the year I have been writing about gTLD’s, my MAIN if not only focus has been the end user they all speak for but never actually asked. It’s been a little lonely out here on the edge where few want to go. But I can’t stand idly by either.

    When we played the real world clip at TRAFFIC of store owners and domain names, they all laughed and dismissed it. They should have studied it.

    Reply

  70. Rick Schwartz

    If we eliminated all the domainers that bought domains in the first year, there would be no domainers.

    We each entered at a different point in time and found a path to success. None of us were first. We came in YEARS later. Waiting is going to be a smart strategy given the history AND current events. Waiting is not resisting the change thang, it’s making change!! Making bank! You can participate in a frenzy and buy a pigeon shit domain like “buyit.clotihing for $11k and look for another pigeonshit farmer to buy if for $12k or you can wait as next week it will be $20.

    http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/29/donuts-eap-opens-today-but-only-some-domain-name-registrars-support-it/

    Edit: And when I re-read this comment, I had an unintentional typo on the “clothing” and it was hard to see.

    Reply

  71. Rick Schwartz

    So from now on it is about weighing the EVIDENCE and FACTS as we look for PITFALLS and OPPORTUNITY. Now when you do this you don’t focus on the way you spend your money after you mine your gold, you look for weaknesses in the mine. You take precautions for your safety. You MUST focus on the pitfalls because it is just one pitfall that can become the deal breaker. So to succeed you need to stay away from danger. There are a lot of good THANGS you can focus on.

    But folks that don’t have unlimited funds or are not using other people’s money focus on pitfalls that are dangerous deal breakers and not the blue sky and day dreams type thang. Change comes after you do DUE DILIGENCE not by pressure. Only the WEAK give into the pressure.

    Reply

  73. AlanR

    If this was just about ICANN releasing a bunch of new extensions for the sake of having plenty on hand when or if the internet ever needs them, then there would be no argument. But since all these greedy registries and registrars are looking to create a new gold rush for their pockets sake, then that’s when the argument begins! They are intentionally trying to deceive the general public by making bogus claims knowing full well that there is absolutely nothing to back up their claims. There is no history to base any possible success on! My argument is, this is all about them making lots of fast money instead of making a long and steady change for the internet. When you have a bunch of the same guys using the same sales pitch they used for .mobi, .co and such, to the same audience like domain investors, then it’s hard to just sit back and say nothing to the investors who are about to lose millions looking for the next dotcom.

    Reply

  74. Jeff Schneider

    (In The Real World) / Savvy Online Marketing Strategists, will advise .COM Franchise Owners to employ Sub-Domais for (Risk Free) vertical Growth, which will stengthen and enhance their already Dominant Market Leading Positions.
    We can safely say that the .COM subdomain strategy will successfuly replace any generics designation, the gTLDs can supply, without the added expense and risks inherent in the gTLD Experiment. This Superior Strategy, effectively usurps and strengthens the full Strategic Marketing advantage of the already dominant .COM business model. Our advice to gTLD investors is to immediately formulate exit strategies. JAS 1/27/14

    Reply

  75. UFO

    While I believe th majority of gTLDs will sink without a trace, (ok, maybe some will be the living dead preying on newbies). I have tended to hang out for .brands, but what I have seen and experience even then makes me think they’ll never pick up the ball and run with it. Large corporates simply aren’t dynamic enough, they took freakin years if not decades to get to the ball and get online and quite a few cant even do that properly.

    So maybe, just maybe even .bands will go nowhere. .nike will try it a bit, it won’t do anything for sales and they’ll think wtf whats the point, our business is about selling gear not monkeying around with domains.

    Reply

  77. Jeff Schneider

    I agree with you UFO,

    Even .Brands will lose their punch as an underlying trend of .COM URL Centric Marketing or direct Navigation to .COM Profit Centers continues to grab Market Share.

    Emerging Market .COM business Models are increasingly bypassing Search Engines for their Traffic, in China, Russia, and India, an unerving development to all Search Engine Centric Marketing. Much more unabridged coverage on this unfolding phenomenon shortly, on Domain Kings Joint Venture Group/LinkedIn .

    Reply

  78. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,

    Where have all the REAL visionarys gone ? Take a look around at the landscape of partial belivers selling prime .COM Capital Market Structures for peanuts, compared to the Billions they will be worth as developed .COM Profit Centers in the near future. There are notable characters among those who have lost their original vision, only to grab at the next possible coming, and dumping their .COM gems for the promise of an even bigger payday involving experimental myths.

    We will be exposing powerfull Marketing Fundamentals, underway that are underpinning the .COM Business Models Inertia to higher and higher valuations. Believers need to follow unabridged reports, following Headline Teasers here on Domain Kings Joint Venture Group/LinkedIn .
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply

  81. Marc

    It really kills me to have to agree with Jeff Schneider, but I think he is right with the following quote:

    “Our advice to gTLD investors is to immediately formulate exit strategies.”

    The gtld idea will not work. I, too, would like to see donut’s registration numbers and will seriously question anything over 3.

    Reply

  82. Domenclature.com

    Robin Hood Day

    Dear Bloggers & Domainers,

    This appeal is designed to establish February 5, 2014 as the day ALL Bloggers are Liberated from anti-market dictates.

    Heretofore, Domainers were NOT able to list domain names for sale on their blogs without risking being kicked off the aggregation lineup;this terror worked because no Blogger wanted to be the first to defy it.

    We are therefore, establishing February 5, 2014 as the day ALL Bloggers should list a few names on their blog posts, for at least 30 day straight. ALL Bloggers should do this in other for it to NOT scapegoat the others. It will then be impossible for Blog Aggregators to remove all Bloggers from the lineup, since the Aggregator produces nothing but classified ads himself on his site.

    Thank you in advance for your courage.

    Reply

  83. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,

    The Fundamental Inertia set in place by the secondary market release of .COM business Models , has futher cemented the .COM Business Models Strategic Marketing Position. The historic acceleration of .COM Business Address Assets are now firmly in place. JAS 2/4/14

    Reply

  84. Anita

    Such a cool discussion and so much passion. I bet Rick is enjoying this :-) UFO made an important observation about many domainers selling cheap because they have lost their vision. This might be the next gold rush after all!

    Rick is like a torch in the dark who makes investors think before leaping. If it makes sense then you should invest, if it doesn’t hold back. One example that impressed me is .CLUB which does have a sound logic and seems an exciting space to be a registrar in, good names can bring in money for the domainers too. Simply put it runs parallel to .com and it has its own user base. Most of the other GTLDs seem to want to compete with .COM which is what no one understands. There is no replacing .COM and guys who try that or falsely direct people to that logic are the ones attracting the opposition. Finally, most of us need someone like Rick showing the way to good investing and I think he’s earned his respect in the industry by his thought provoking nature so why the snide comments unless you have an agenda?

    Reply

  85. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Anita,

    I agree, what basis do detractors of ricks visions, have to stand on? There are undeniable Market fundamentals in place that predict a continuing, unparalleled increase in .COM Business Model Addresses Valuations. Something Rick has steadfastly predicted and is now is being supported by factual Marketing Fundamentals.

    If for some unfounded reason you don’t respect Rick? you need to change course now or be left with hollow convictions. Would you rather be right? Or prosperous ?

    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply

  86. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,

    The Domain Blog Industry Scamming continues. There is a shameless diregard for truth coarsing through the Domaining industry centering around thedomains.com and Domaining both, they are nothing more than Schill Ads for all other extensioms other than .COM. Take a look at the .co.com knockoff extension as an example , be sure to check out Graham Schreibers (Attorney) has to sayabout the .co.com hoax. ” Ken Hansen Of NeuStar Resigns to Launch The Co.com Registry With Greg McNair & Paul Goldstone ” at the Domains.com.

    This dishonest Grifting going on has to stop! (Shamefull)

    Reply

  87. s. mugavero coming soon

    As the Investment world starts to chime in:

    Flood of New Domain Names Yields Few Investment Opportunities

    “But it looks like it will take a few quarters for the revenues to be recognized (according to the most recent earnings call). Besides, DMD stock plans to spin off its domain registry business, which has seen meager growth over the years. And the company has provided little clarity on how the new gTLD program will improve the top-line.

    The fact remains that DMD stock has been a long-time loser for investors, with the stock down 73% over the past five years. The domain name/SEO business is not easy, especially when trying to deal with the complex changes in Google’s search engine. Regardless of how many gTLDs get approved, I wouldn’t recommend DMD stock as an investment.”

    http://investorplace.com/2014/02/get-ready-flood-new-fangled-web-addresses/#.UvQ7nbTdCQI

    Reply

  89. YOUR.DO

    I’ve been buying and selling domains since 1999, and I agree that only a few of the new extensions have much intrinsic value – like .web, .online (though it’s too long), and maybe a few other short extensions that have mass appeal and applicability.

    A little over two years ago, I committed (lock, stock, and barrel) to another virtually unknown domain extension — .DO — because I believed it would eventually take off. To me, .DO has the same intrinsic value as .ME and .TV. It’s short and it means something. But it’s expensive to register ($100), and not many registrars even offer them because .DO domains have to be manually registered at NIC.DO (no other registrar can tie in), and NIC.DO is in Spanish, and the payment system showing Dominican Republic currency is confusing.

    .DO domains became available to the general public in mid-2010. I discovered them accidentally in December 2011, and have been buying, selling, and promoting them since then. But ‘big sales’ have been few and far between (and I mean ‘big’ as only mid four-figures).

    The only hope I hold on to is that eventually a few .DO sites will become well known, and then others will follow. Right now, the only ‘cool’ .DO sites/apps are http://www.any.do and http://www.lift.do (backed by Twitter founders), and there are precious few other decent .do sites, like http://www.how.do and http://www.hello.do. I sold over 50 .DO domains in the past two years, and (as is typical) very few have been developed.

    Like someone else said (maybe Rick or Elliot, not sure), the new domain extensions may eventually cause much wider acceptance of unusual extensions, but the ‘market flood’ of so many new domains/extensions will probably devalue all of them.

    In the past couple months – as the new extensions have been promoted – I’ve had an even harder time getting decent prices for .DO’s. So frankly, I’m getting pretty scared. Like most everyone else, I agree that .com will be king for a very long time to come. Until or unless the vast majority of US companies and websites abandon .com, it will never be dethroned, just like 1-800 will always be king of toll-free.

    I love .com and always will. But I’m deep into .DO and still hoping it’ll eventually catch on :)

    Reply

  92. MAGOOgle

    Rick, I am not sure why you have taken so much effort to keep money from shifting to these new TLD’s. It’s obviously not going to change the value of your .COM’s or mine. I hope they do well.

    There are other things in life to be enjoyed and other battles to fight.
    You can’t save anyone from themselves.
    I prefer to leave it at “A FOOL AND HIS MONEY SOON PART WAYS”

    And I’m waiting to see what happens to a TLD when it goes belly up.
    It can and probably will happen to some.

    Reply

  93. Jorge Ramirez

    Rick, Hope you are ok.

    CAX removed and refunded yesterday 3 of my featured domains. I understand your audience may not like my high priced premium .com domains but did you have to remove them all at the same time without notice. It’s ok though I understand and it’s your site. I could have listed some of my other domains based on your criteria but doing it in the way you just did is not proper.

    Does anyone know of a site or place where I can list any of my current or future new or old .com domains for any price I want? I am in no hurry and I only invest, feature and sell or lease .com

    Reply

  95. Jorge Ramirez

    Rick, good to hear you are ok. No worries I knew CAX was not yours and post was for CAX and Francois but he replied to my email yesterday so all is ok.

    Reply

  97. Anunt

    Rick, what’s cooking?

    No new blog posts…

    Busy registering new bullshit gTLDs?

    Cockblocking new gTLDs by registering the dot com, dot net…

    Take a breather…take mining hat off and tell us what’s cooking

    Reply

  98. John

    More posts, please, Mr. Rick. Took long enough for you to start growing on me after I read about you in a book over a decade ago and I don’t wanna keep finding this pictorial post on your homepage now. :-| … :D And thanks for (nearly) everything. : – ]

    Reply

  99. Greg

    The more I look at the new extensions the more meaningless they appear. There is no brandability in the generics, and the non generics don’t make sense. You can build a business on carhire.com, but not car.hire. Time will tell but my money is staying on .com aka internet

    Reply

  103. Steve Mugavero

    Rick until you post, We’re going to turn this into the Flat “Big Board” , like the old days :) flat view… if that’s ok….

    All these lucky folks…. there was a time when you had to be invited… and that was after there was discussion.

    here’s somethong writtten about it:

    “There is a top-secret discussion board where key domain players exchange inside information!

    For obvious reasons, I am not going to provide details! Let me just say this: the discussion board does exist, and it counts some of the most powerful domain name owners in the world (judging by their domain portfolios) among its members.”

    http://www.dynonames.com/article/unbelievable_facts_about_domain_industry.htm

    the inside information part makes me laugh… not saying it was inside info… but it was good shit.. ;)

    Reply

  104. UFO

    If anyone wants to discuss the whatsapp acquisition and these new gTLDs I have a couple of small discussions going on my blog… while we wait for the oracle to next speak.

    stellarspace.com

    Reply

  105. Dan

    I pre-registered tahoe.today with United Domains about a year ago.. The week before last they charged me the 29 bucks in preps to go for it…..then last week when it rolled out they notified me I did not get it. No exact explanation just a gong. Not too bummed yet I turned to .com for comfort. I like the olden days so back to finding something I want and getting it for 8+ bucks. I found a few .coms to hand register so that made me feel better. BronzeSword.com and the plural as well as BridesInWaiting.com and BrideInWaiting.com .. that oughta do. :-)

    Reply

  107. Dan

    to be exact I didn’t exactly register these AFTER not getting tahoe.today as my story goes but days before…. embellished to say.. why spend time and money on these when there are quality .coms to be had. :-)

    Reply

  110. Donna Mahony

    I think I logged a million hours in Afternic chat…that was fun too…and before either Ricks or Afternic, Great Domains was the “in” place. Boy are we old :-)

    Reply

  111. Jonathan L

    Maybe I missed something, but can anyone tell me why domainers would believe dot guru has any merit, use or appeal? I tried keeping an open mind about dot guru and many other gtld’s and quit, they simply do not justify or offer any “need, what or desire.”

    Reply

  114. DomainCheese.com

    I just started a new “article link” domain industry blog similar to Domaining.com, and posted this (linking to this post):

    “After Arguing Vigorously Against New “Pigeon Shit” Domain Extensions, Rick Schwartz’ Blog Goes Quiet”

    :)

    If you have a domaining blog with good articles, please let me know, so I can link.

    http://www.DomainCheese.com

    Reply

  116. Company Names Ideas

    I think sometimes people forget Rick isn’t just an icon of a industry, he’s a person; that probably needs a break. We all need breaks. Overall I think that anyone who are missing posts from Rick should go back and re-read or every post from the beginning. This is the most informative domain blog in the world. Sure there are others, but I personally have gotten the best advice and perspectives on selling and buying from here. We do miss your current posts Rick, but thank you for leaving us with a wealth of knowledge to browse while you are kicking back on a beach somewhere.

    Reply

  117. Anunt

    I have BitcoinSolutions.com … should I buy Bitcoin.Solutions or should i let someone else register Bitcoin.Solutions and receive free leakage traffic?

    Reply

  122. Len

    I think the silence may speak for itself here. In the lead up to the pre-release of all the hyped new dot whatevers, they have all tried to pre-point a finger of anticipated blame on anyone or anything that asked any questions at all about the viability of their new dot blahblah’s… If I were a bettin’ man, which I occasionally am, I would say Rick’s last post was his last words until the eggs of all the new dot chicks hatch, and then see how many of them survive on their own, how many get eaten by the big bad wolf and how many are just D.O.A. – this way nobody at the corporate dot whatevers can say that Rick has swayed their fortunes one way or the other – the way I read his last post it was not a slam against anyone or for anyone – it seems to me to just be a call for asking intelligent questions about decision making, no matter what the subject actually is…. Domains, buying a new car, or what am I gonna eat for lunch today…. be well – seek the truth.

    Reply

  123. Anunt

    i own BitcoinSolutions.com so i decided to purchase the new gTLD Bitcoin.Solutions …but i can not believe that these new gTLDs do NOT work with an iphone unless i type in http://www … new gTLDs suck!!!

    Reply

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