Morning Folks!!
Grab a cup of coffee, this may take a few minutes.
Wouldn't be great if we all got along? Based on the past, that is unlikely to happen so let's admit it and then define it and then deal with it. Keep reading. I will do all three.
As time goes on, more and more LEGITIMATE and SMART domain investors and others in the business, see the BS of the Peanut Gallery. But sometimes the gallery deserves an answer. Sometimes, however, they deserve what they get when the truth is revealed.
Guess which type of post this one is? Are we having fun yet? Did you grap that coffee? Now grab a napkin for the times you may spit up laughing and agreeing or even if you are getting mad as hell and screaming at your screen, you will still need that napkin.
I have been criticized, damned and harangued and sometimes even worse, for everything that we create and accomplish at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Every change that we make is accompanied by a chorus of complainers. Every decision we make. Anytime you just mention the words, T.R.A.F.F.I.C., or Rick Schwartz, you know that the morons won't be far behind spewing the garbage and hate of the day. I learned how to handle these folks from guys like Jeter and Jobs. So let's cut the cord.
You know who they are, because it is almost always the same naysayers and guys with pseudonyms and aliases to protect their identity. Why don't the 'Ghosts' post under their real names? Because deep down inside, they know they are Morons just trying to stir the pot and adding something nasty to the stew. The more they fail the more moronic they get. Their worst offense is that they drown out legitimate discussion on each and every issue. They slow progress.
Nearly 100% of the complainers have one thing in common. They have never gone to T.R.A.F.F.I.C. to begin with or they have an agenda. They are not the professionals in the Domain Industry, our customers. We would like SOME of them to be, but not most. So let’s review what they complain about and why they are irrelevant.
Some are upset because they don’t go to the show and we have eliminated online bidding. But that’s too bad. We have a well-thought-out reason to do away with online bidding that I have articulated during the year. We still have phones, so if you are LEGITIMATE, you can still bid. So what is the takeaway? In my little pea brain, I believe that SOME of those who complain could easily be the ones who abuse the system the most.
Let me illustrate how silly the complaint is since there is still a way to bid that just makes sure you are LEGITIMATE. I would liken this to folks complaining about us not using a calculator to add up all the sales and using the old fashioned method of simple addition. That is a threat?? No, that just screws up scammers. That puts them out of business as far as T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is concerned. Anyone who is LEGITIMATE and really wants a domain name in the Auction, will find a way to locate one of those old fashioned phones.
Now what makes it laughable, is that these are the same folks who complain that we have crappy domains in the auction. But If the names are so crappy, why would they be concerned about no online bidding?? If the names are so crappy why would they be investing so much time in trying to discredit T.R.A.F.F.I.C.? Because that puts them out of business as far as T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is concerned. And as I stated in THIS POST, until folks have confidence and trust they won't be able to take the auction seriously. What we are doing is designed to accomplish that goal.
Interestingly enough, not a single seller has an issue with the way we are conducting the auction. In fact, most agree with it and are happy about it. The others are open minded enough to try something new because they already know what 'broken' looks like.
I would suggest that a STRONG T.R.A.F.F.I.C. auction could be a threat to many companies and many folks. It shouldn’t be, but some folks see everything as a threat. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is also rewriting the rules for live auctions that others will eventually be forced to follow if they want to have credibility and be taken seriously going forward.
I'm certain that I don’t have to remind everyone of the colossal glitches that have happened that have delayed and cancelled live auctions after months of promotion. Whether they were technical or maybe there were just no bidders, I guess we will never know.
But one thing is for sure; eliminating the bidding on the internet solves one problem and having 300+ of the top domainers in the world present at the live auction, solves the other. Either way it was bad not only for them, but for all of us. We are all connected.
Teams of tech's could not fix the online problems and all the selling in the world won't make an overpriced domain look attractive.
Some folks believe that if my side of the boat sinks, their side stays afloat and they will have a better life and greater success. I would love for every domain auction venue to do GREAT! To set RECORDS! To get HEADLINES about their premiere sales. That is good for all of us. By the same token, when things don't go well, that hurts all of us. Nobody intentionally fails or has something go wrong. So we should all applaud the effort.
Now let’s address the quality of the domains in the auction. This is going to be my favorite part.
Many thanks to all the Pigeon Shit Farmers giving ME advice on picking good domain names. MY reputation is on the line. All I can do is pick the VERY BEST domains available on the market at the time of the show. Once I PROVE what I MUST prove here, then it will get a little easier in the future. But I can tell you one thing for sure. The 115 domains in THIS auction are better than 99% of the Naysayers' ENTIRE COLLECTIVE portfolios by a wide margin. A guy that gets into the business TODAY, can buy every domain in the auction and be in better shape than most of them. That’s the truth.
Lastly….the ONLY FOLKS I am accountable to are the Buyers, Sellers and Attendees. PERIOD! THOSE FOLKS AND ONLY THOSE FOLKS! And guess what? Not a single one of them has had anything negative to say. Not a one!! Want to know why?? Not because they necessarily agree with me. That ain't it. It's because they know that I am trying to do something very big. They know that I am fighting against the norm. They know the “Norm” is broken. They know that there are shill bidders driving up prices. They know some have been caught and many more are still in operation. They know there is so much abuse that they know they think twice and more before they bid. They know whatever is going on a lot of feathers are being ruffled and we are doing the ruffling.
They also know (or hope) that I might fail. But that's not likely! We all know that it may or may not work. And if not, I'll just keep fixing it and tweaking it until we get it right. They root against everything that I do, and I love cramming it up their collective asses when I achieve my goal in the face of their negativity that I use for FUEL. Not that I need any more fuel or the desire to put up with needless shit from morons and trolls that sit in the bleachers but have yet to step on the playing field.
It’s in the collective best interest of the entire industry and our futures that we have a good auction. I have done what I can to insure that this will be the outcome. We have 25 domains at NO Reserve. We have 25 more domains under priced. We have 12 domains from .xxx that will be exciting as hell to watch develop. So, I will say with a fair amount of certainty that you will see a minimum of 40%-50% of the domains sold on Tuesday, October 18th.
Lastly, let me thank the sellers personally for having confidence in me and what I am trying to do. You guys have set the price. Many of you have paid for a Guaranteed Placement because you were sick of being told “No” or it was too much money or whatever. YOU took control and I believe the market will reward you. You are actively courting end users and sending out Press Releases. You understand that I can't do it alone. Your reward is that you take control and then you get a second reward by paying a substantially lower commission fee.
This is the reason why this will be so successful. I can give a date and time certain with a credible and qualified audience at a credible venue with tight controls and as much transparency as any live auction has had.
This is what I can promise. This will be the single most exciting live domain auction that you have seen. I have sat in the audience for each and every live auction. I know why folks fall asleep; why they leave early; why they don’t pay attention. Wthin the first few minutes EVERY person in that room is going to know, understand and watch something unfold that they are going to love. And to show you how much confidence I have in the outcome, the next session following the auction is “Meeting of the Chiefs” and the #1 subject will be the auction, the results, the good, the bad, the ugly.
So I ask you to reserve your judgment for another week. That is the only difference between “Fair Minded People” and “Agenda driven people” and their know-nothing followers. That's the 1 over 2 in this equation. Fair minded people vs. all the bullshit. I am the one at the plate and if I strike out, we all strike out. If I hit a home run, we all hit a home run.
That's all I have to say on the subject until 2PM Tuesday October 18th. I am asking you to root for OUR COLLECTIVE SUCCESS! Those who root against us can only be Morons, Trolls and Blah, Blah, Blah! The rest of the industry should note who they are. They add nothing to the industry. They perpetuate the negative stereotype of domainers as cybersquatters and those who yell the loudest are most often anonymous and if THEY were held up to public scrutiny like they try to do me, they would not last the day before becoming 'Personna non Gratta' to most of you who read this.
And when the curtain of anonymity comes off of them, they blame me. That's coming soon. Exposed! Tail between the Legs, take a hike. I don't mince words or play games. Life is too short for those who waste your time and energy.
I just do what I say. I do what I promise. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it does not. All I know is I have done my very best to make this work. The rest is up to the market and as you know, I do trust the market. Good luck to all the buyers, sellers and bidders!
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
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