Morning Folks!!
This is no joke. ALL hands on deck! Unless your portfolio has no value. Then they will be doing you a favor!
But, if you have a domain portfolio with VALUE, this is not the time to be passive. We have to be united with one voice! This is a chance for the ICA to become truly relevant and opening up the doors to rank and file domainers.
https://twitter.com/DomainKing/status/1196377351229247489
Rick Schwartz
Erich
send an E-mail to Donald! He will fix the ICANN-corruption
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Domains
Another troubling anti-domain registrant initiative from ICANN.
But domain investors need to step up to defend their interests too. The ICA can’t fight every battle for domain investors, especially if domain investors don’t properly fund the ICA. Contribute to the ICA now, make it stronger, get behind it, and it can do more to protect your interests. Otherwise nobody will be looking out for domainers’ rights.
Yakov
ICA is a non-litigating entity. They have no power without litigation. Their opinions are being successfully ignored.
Rick Schwartz
This is their window of opportunity to be relevant and spearhead this.
I agree about litigation.
Domains
If domain investors will not fund ICA, then those investors need to hire their own private legal team to fight for them. The ICA is not a volunteer association at domain owners beck and call serving them for free. I woke up to this and every investor negatively impacted by ICANN decisions needs to as well. Just like you give your military arms to defend your land, domainers must give ICA the funds they need to operate so they can defend our property.
Rick Schwartz
ICA has an opportunity to come out with a plan, recruit registrars and become relevant. THEN they would see $$$.
It’s really a now or never moment for them and I hope they seize it!
At the same time a company like Godaddy can become leaders and heros. It’s up for grabs and THIS is the moment and THIS is th issue!
Domains
The ICA has a plan and is working tirelessly on domain investors behalf. We just need to tune in to what they are doing. Further, keep in mind that they are doing things you might strongly agree with that are not always visible publicly.
The ICA is already stepping up, and have been for a long time. it Is high time they get credit for their efforts on our behalf.
This was released on Friday, just one business day ago:
https://www.internetcommerce.org/ica-calls-for-icann-to-withhold-approval-of-purported-org-registry-sale/
The emergency vehicle can’t ride to the scene of the crime any without fuel in its tank. So let’s fund the ICA and give them the resources they need. We will all contribute together.
Otherwise, domain investors must each pay five or six figures to hire their own individual counsel.
Rick Schwartz
I appreciate what the ICA is doing.
The ICA has a visibility issue among domainers.
There is no marketing and little out reach.
They don’t see any direct benefits like other industry organizations have.
Domains
Fair enough.
But let’s not set an unreasonably high bar for the ICA. Let’s focus on the reasons to support them, not to deny them funding. When we deny them funding, we just shoot ourselves in the foot and the other side wins. The stakes are too high to hold back support.
Domain investors can also act on their own with some of the good suggestions that have been made in the comments section.
But the most effective way is to directly support ICA and equip them with the funds needed to defend our assets.
Rick Schwartz
It’s about motivating domainers and what the ICA has been doing since inception has not worked particularly well.
Give folks a REASON to join. A concrete reason. The more the better.
Membership has privileges.
There should be a bullet point list and not anything vague. It costs NOTHING to negotiate a discount that more than pays for a membership. ICA keeps 100%.
Promos work and that’s how you fund the ICA and then get annual renewals.
I would like to see a strong industry organization.
There are so many successful models to copy. They are flushed with $$$.
Copy what works. ICA has always resisted and I have no idea why.
Jay
It’s true. No coincidence we aren’t seen rdnh findings lately. Its a monopoly with huge domains paying icann for the right to operate 1500 registries. They will sell .com from under Verizon. They will try offering $1 first yr promo at the registry level! This will destroy registars operating margin. Domains will drop as they raise renewals to domainers and endusers. The $1 promo will remain so huge domains can drop and reg domains for $1 perpetually. Anyone else stuck paying higher and higher prices to maint. Registars and domainers go extinct under those circumstances.
Jay
Keep calling @icann out on Twitter! Use hashtags #icann #monopoly #corruption #investing
Ask them to disclose their personal domains! Now with whois block we can’t find these conflicts of $interest!
Jay
@ShitFadiSays voted to remove #icann authority to EVER cap .org price. Next #scam: selling .org to http://ethoscapital.com (HE reg’d the name yrs ago!) while at @icann he transfered the ‘public interest registry’ rights to #ethos , his private interest #investment co. #Monopoly
Yakov
They only understand litigation.
If we don’t litigate, we will not succeed.
Brad Mugford
This on the heels of ICANN approving unlimited price caps on .ORG, right before being sold to a private equity firm connected to former leadership from ICANN.
ICANN is supposedly a “multi-stake” shareholder public benefit organization, but that is far from the reality.
ICANN, the altruistic stewards of the internet. Looking out for the public interest. NOT.
This proposal is ridiculous. It is straight up theft.
Brad
Rick Schwartz
This is a time for companies that we have supported throughout the years to step up and use their VAST resources, LEGAL and otherwise, and help protect their own customer base!
Sponsorships are nice, but this is an industry emergency and I TRULY hope they step up for this! We NEED your help!
Yakov
We need to proceed with a class action lawsuit. Who will hold the funds?
Brad Mugford
I have said this before; companies like GoDaddy need to get off their ass and step up.
They are large portfolio holders. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire many domain portfolios.
Large companies like GoDaddy have as much skin in the game as anyone when it comes to drastic price increases in legacy extensions, outright theft of assets, etc.
STEP UP.
Brad
Rick Schwartz
I hope they do.
They have a legal depertment and apparatus in place.
The world’s largest registrar has CLOUT!
I would URGE all registras and registries to show ther support!!
Yakov
Just a thought, we can contribute $1 per domain owned towards the lawsuit, or may be $10 per domain owned. I think this would be enough to bring a class action lawsuit.
Yakov
GoDaddy can afford to get out of domain investing segment, like Marchex did. Domainers could not afford. Leave alone GoDaddy, it is unlikely they will do anything. Lets litigate ourselves.
jay
IM WITH YOU RICK 100%
Rick Schwartz
Here is the point with the ICA.
Today I sent in my $145 for my NPPA membership. That’s the national press photographer association that I’ve been a member of for nearly 40 years.
They negotiate all types of deals and discounts and perks and all types of stuff that make $145 not a payment it’s a down payment on benefits.
I’ve had my AAA card for 45 years. That cost me about $150 a year. But I get 10 times that back in benefits. The ICA needs to have benefits.
They need to learn how to market and make a profit.
You make a profit by negotiating deals with suppliers that can only be found through the ICA. That gives people a reason to join. Without that, you have no spark plug and that’s why the ICA is where it is and has always been.
Like I said this is an opportunity but the ICA has to spearhead and lead it and I just gave you the roadmap.
Domains
Reasonable suggestions.
Speaking for me personally, I’d rather have the ICA focus on defending my assets, 100% all the time, as intangible a benefit that might be. I’ll find my discount movie tickets elsewhere.
But, the ICA listens to the community it serves, and values their input, so I’m sure they will incorporate your feedback into their planning process.
Rick Schwartz
You are missing the point and the opportunity.
It’s giving folks a REASON to join other than the intangible benefit or maybe even lacking it.
A charity or any organization revoles around income.
Charities and organizations always host fun and sometimes lavish events to pitch the willing of why they should be supported.
Power in numbers. Income is king. The ICA needs rank and file domain investors.
I would have handed over the keys to TRAFFIC to the ICA had it been a strong industry organization. That was my hope.
Mark Thorpe
A $200 or less ICA membership fee would be better than the current $600 fee. ICA would have more people and businesses buying a membership and more members standing with them fighting for their domain name ownership rights.
Domains
So if the ICA offered all those little benefits you liked, would you join?
Rick Schwartz
It isn’t about “those little benefits” or me joining.
It’s about 10,000 or 100,000 domainers and organizations that have not joined and that the ICA ignores. It should have been a campaign going on for a decade now but never truly started.
The ICA needs to be run like a business and in turn the $$$ will come in and that’s the issue and always has been. An engine has to be built.
For example. ICA could make a deal with Godaddy. Transfer 100 names to Godaddy and they will provide you with a professional membership for your first year with the ICA. You can get their info and keep in touch with them and offer them things of value and hopefully gives you a year to show the importance of the ICA but the ICA needs to be seriously proactive in providing all types of EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES!
Also, $600 is not a marketable membership level.
Try $99 first year and $199 renewals.
Become valuable to the domain community in a big and visible way and ICA will thrive.
Domainers are like herding cats. Support is hard to get. Exactly the reason you need to make it a value where it is a NO-BRAINER to join.
It’s about the ICA taking in money consistently and increasing every year with more and more people that you represent.
1,000,000 people paying a $1 each has CLOUT!
1 guy spending $1 Million is great, but without the same CLOUT!
How many members are currently in the ICA?
Mark Thorpe
$99 first year membership fee and $199 renewals is a good idea.
Rick Schwartz
As you can see, they are not interested.
Franky
I think domainers should split their portfolios up into various shell companies based on a risk assessment. This strategy might work to sheid domainers.
Domains
Really? $50 a month is too much to participate in your very own trade association and defend your business assets? Cmon! That’s less than two dollars a day. Get over it.
I bet most of those people who say membership should be $99 and that $600 is too much are spending hundreds of dollars every day or every week bidding on one name after another at auction, giving all their money away to the GoDaddy’s of the world.
They buy one asset after another and then leave them unprotected and vulnerable to seizure by ICANN and all the registries, as Rick highlighted in his original tweet.
Time to see the big picture. Quit quibbling over small change.
Rick Schwartz
You are just not listening to rank and file domainers and that will be ANOTHER opportunity that the ICA loses. INSANE!
Maybe YOU GUYS are the ones quibbling. I see an industry wanting and willing to join but they are always met with resistance and looked down upon.
80 people is a JOKE!
Represent 8000 people and be taken more seriously.
ICA needs to be fixed and needs to adapt. It’s stuck!!
It has nothing to do with bidding or buying domains. That’s THEIR business not yours! It has to do with the REASON so few support the ICA.
I was a founding member and appeals for inclusiveness has ALWAYS fallen on deaf ears at the ICA.
So there you are. STUCK AGAIN! What a shame!
Jay
I agree with the $1 first year. Run a promo, explain the cause, and aim for a million members.
Domains
Well, maybe they will implement those suggestions.
Anyway, remember that people are free to contribute $100 or $1 to ICA anytime they want to. They don’t need to be a full Member to do so. Nothing is standing in their way.
(Queue the criticism…)
Domains
People can also write letters to ICANN on any issues they oppose, submit comments during comment periods, join working groups at ICANN so that their voices are heard on important policy decisions, etc.
That is all free and you don’t need to join the ICA to do it.
Erich
If this current “ICA Organization” is not doing a proper job, why not create a new Organisation ?
I think if Rick would create such a new organization, many many domainers will join.
Why?
Because domainers all over the world have TRUST in Rick.
Don Murray
If it is all about raising money$$ domain investors will not cut it.
Need to have with every registrar have an option when they check out for a new domain name or renewal asking the question:::
Would you like to support this organization to protect your domain property?
GD, NameC,google, bluehost, gator, uni, all the rest could just add a simple line of code asking them to add 1 or 2 bucks to donate. They’re are the only ones that have the power. You have 2 billion websites on the internet convert 1/4 of 1 percent problem solved.
This is the only way otherwise no money will ever be raised. Getting 1 dollar from people is much more easy! than say 300.00
Jose
I find it incredible that you do not agree to pay a $ 99 membership for the first year to ICA and a $ 199 renewal.
If I or you have 100 domains and must renew at the new price as an example a (.com) to $ 100 per year x 100 domains = $ 10,000 me and the vast majority Domainer prefer to pay $ 99 to ICA than to pay the renewal at the new exorbitant price.
I also believe that domain registrars have to put money on their part for ICA.
Actually if we do not do so, without the unity of all of us there is no future for the domain market and Domaining.
Those who wish to go with lawyers are at their right and risk.
Bud
Represent two unsuccessful udrp complainants and your license to practice law is suspended. Your firm may have to shut down as a result.
File two unsuccessful udrp complaints and your company’s trademarks are suspended and you lose the right to file for or use any trademarks in the future.
That would make it a fair and equal proposal, wouldn’t it?
UFO
Hi Rick, hope you’re enjoying the big spike in property due to people bailing from NY to Florida.
Anyway, it would be great if you could do an article on valuing a great domain with respect to its impact on an online business.
My views from various sources is that a premium on the nose domain is worth 10% of the market capitalisation…
I would like most people would be interested in your valuation logic for candy.com and the betting domain, can’t remember if it was ibet or ever etc…