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

Morning Folks!!

I am aYogi Berra Fan for my entire life. A baseball legend that became an unwitting spokesmen for sillycommon sense in a twisted Mark Twain type of way. A guy with an 8th grade education that will be immortal for both his historical baseball career and even more so for his conflicting words. I have always been a fan of someone that has
some of the greatest quotes of all time. The most famous of which….'It ain’t
over until it’s over” and “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” is as familiar as any I know. But the one I will be using for this post is “You can
learn a lot by watching” which is also the title of one of his many books.

Let me tell you what I have learned by watching this year.
Watching TV that is. I see TV shows pushing Twitter so they can captivate their
audience. Ever notice that? Ever notice they don’t push them to Facebook? Ever
think of the reason why they do that? I already gave the answer in this paragraph.
They “Captivate” and engage their audience. Facebook is a competitor to what
they do. They can’t “Captivate” on Facebook. They would actually lose their
audience if they were to promote Facebook too much. Let me qualify that......they would lose their audience even faster than they are. Viewership on broadcast TV is down by millions. The bleeding is out of control except for certain sports events and a few hit shows. How is that 10PM time slot working out NBC? Once the most coveted hour in TV is now showing re-runs since Jay went back to 11:30. Bet you really boost those ad rates doing that!

So Twitter has become the preferred social media for TV as they fight for survival and relevance.
Facebook has emerged as an unlikely competitor to television time watched and time
focused. So they are in a catch 22 because they can't ignore Facebook and be relevant. And when folks do watch TV, then there is a commercial, less and less
watch that commercial and more and more may be checking Facebook or their
email. That lack of focus will force all their advertising models to change. Fast Fowarding the DVR and skipping the ads. That forces them to reorganize from top to bottom or they won’t survive. Results count. Less Sales = Less Advertisers = Lower Ad Cost = Losing money = Less Content = Out of business or do something differently. Will we put on the TV one day just to see that NBC has morphed into YouTube?

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I just got an email from Weblo and they are taking back their city name assets and forcing you to sell!! I emailed support, and the email bounced. Box was FULL!! I wonder why??

I doubt if domainers and others will be going quietly. Bad decision and I am sure they will pay dearly both in terms of goodwill and legally.

'members who currently own more than 2 cities will be given a choice to select their top 2 cities, while the rest of the cities owned by the owner will be open to other members for purchase. By providing this option to the owners Weblo is giving the original owner the chance of earning at least double the original cost of their city.

After these changes cities on Weblo will be available for $1000, cities with a population less than 50,000 available for $500, and with a population less than 10,000 available for $100 with an annual subscription.'

To this I say BULLSHIT!!!!!!!

Rocky, you ain't gonna FUCK those that supported you to begin with. Mark my words!

Support email is still bouncing. Rocky did not answer my FIRST email. I just sent him a second one.

Email Rocky Direct at rmizra@weblo.com

Just registered WebloBlows.com and we will set up a forum for disgruntled investors that are about to be screwed by Rocky and Weblo.

3/31 7AM....Rocky has answered my second email. He says he is in transit today and will call me tomorrow.

Fine. But there will be another day of damage that can never be fixed. Their reputation is bleeding all over the net. They need to get a clue. They are dealing with people with resources, connections and soapboxes with big megaphones. Things like this can spiral out of their control and they will be left to pick up the pieces. Twitter, facebook, etc. I don't think they realize the collective power this has and how quickly the word can now spread. The TRUST has been broken. Those that invested the most, lose the most. NONSENSE! This is a money grab. MY MONEY. YOUR MONEY! 5 and 6 figures in a number of cases. The bouncing support email for 2 days during this crisis PROVES BAD FAITH imo!

3/31 8AM I got an email from support and awaiting a phone call.

3/31 10:45 Received that call. The only thing I can report is that a Q&A page will be up soon.

Rick Schwartz

PS: You can't change a self serving TOS AFTER the fact and apply it to people you already took MONEY from. That is Illegal. That is a Ponzi Scheme imo.

Morning Folks!!

Do I think the domain sex.com is cursed? Serge says it is so
that gives me pause. The evidence keeps mounting up and so that also gives me
pause. But let me tell you what Sex.com really is. Sex.com is going to tell a
lot about the state of the domain industry for better or for worse and whether you like it or not.

First, no domainer is going to buy this domain for $14 Million. Ain’t
gonna happen. I don’t know a single domainer that would risk $14 million on a
domain that has failed over and over again. As for an adult site buying it, that is a possibility, but not a great
one or it would have already been sold.

I have said for years that the domain business is an incestuous
industry. Interesting that it will be Sex.com that either proves we are still
one or have broken out beyond that in a real burst. Like you, I could easily name a
dozen companies or more that could have an interest in this domain. I could
also see a dozen companies with some very colorful Board Meetings. So will the
end user be in this equation? Yes, in the form of adult interest, but I
certainly would like to see it go well beyond that. As I stated in my last
post……if and when sex.com sells, it will be a bell weather transaction. No
other sale since Men.com in 2003/2004 will give us more of an indication of where we are and
where we are going from here then this sale. As folks trip over themselves trying to get a .whatever registry and looking for the 'Second coming', the most famous .com is now available. But let's be honest, even I would say that buying a SMART .whatever has a better upside than Sex.com for a fraction of the cost and risk. Don't faint! Even I am surprised by that. But I am a numbers guy and I would rather have 50 or 100 .whatever's than one Sex.com. I think the upside on sex.com is limited.

The legal wrangling we are seeing and are about to see should be a
lesson to everyone about controlling the domain AFTER the sale if the deal is
not all cash. More folks lose their most valuable domains via bad contracts.
MANY of these contracts have the INTENT to eventually get your domain without
paying for it. I have rejected more contracts on domains for this very reason
than most people ever sign. I can name folks in this business that basically
did this for a living over the years. They get mighty angry when you figure out
what they are up to. Better for them to get angry then lose your asset. If you sign a contract on a domain and the return of that domain is not spelled out in great detail in case of default, you are going to lose that domain or it will be tied up in litigation and the costs will just mount and mount and you still may lose the domain.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Good Evening Folks!!

This sale won't be a cake walk. It may not even unfold as many think.

According to Serge, the domain is cursed! Don't know Serge? Not my problem. But if he says it is cursed he may be right.

I would imagine that Sex.com will sell for less than Porn.com. I think this is a tough climate for this particular domain north of $5M or $6M. This may be the first 'Tainted' domain. The business model has failed more times than I can even count. Steve Cohen was the only one who really made $$$ with it but last I heard he was in jail and it ain't 1997 anymore.

I think it has more value as an ego stroke OUTSIDE the industry than a money maker inside the industry. Will be interesting to see how things unfold. The surprise could be a strong sale. That imo would say more about the overall condition of the domain industry as opposed to the value of the domain. This domain is worth less than it was 10 years ago. Now we will see if someone will pay more than it is probably worth.
Who will win the CURSE of sex.com? I have my short list. But I think they are all too smart to pay the $$$ that I have heard floated around. I think Wolfgang Puck would do better with Sex.com than with .food. I can think of several companies that could make a play for Sex.com to BREAK OUT! I just don't think it is a 'Domainer' domain anymore. And if it is, that may not be a good thing. But what the hell do I know?

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Pearl 2002-2010

Morning Folks!!

I have a confession to make. I own about 6 iphones. I'll spare you the details of why, but by the end of this post you will figure it out and understand. You will also understand my excitement about the iPad. Apple is printing money when it comes to iphones big brother, iPad.

First we have to rewind to June 30, 2007 when the iphone came out.Hard to believe it was nearly 3 years ago! I said it was a game changer in that blog post and then expanded on that with the #3 comment on that post. I know a sure thing when I see it. I repeated my thoughts often since then. Not everyone agreed. It
was. It is. 10 billion downloads proves it in the app store and we are just starting.
So all that time I had a wish because I loved the iphone so much. I wish they
would make one bigger. Almost the
size of an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. If they did that, I could see many more
uses and applications. The genie must have heard me and others and so Steve the
Wonder Jobs is about to release the iPad. Now there is controversy here. Some think no big deal. But many of
those thought the same way about the iPhone and frankly, they were wrong then,
they are wrong now. Tomorrow they start printing money. Each one they sell will be revenue they never had before. It will also increase the sale of the apps because many will work better on the ipad. They will be measuring sales of this new item in the billions and it won't hurt the rest of their line, it will enhance it.

I will be buying several. Not sure just how many. One for the
cocktail table. One for the bedroom. One for the bathroom. But forget about me,
I see UPS getting rid of their clunky piece of crap that they use all day and
replace with this. I see many companies adapting a system of ipads based on a
single app that changes how they do business. I see this as a computer with no
lid. I see this as a remote control to control more things than I have even
thought about. I see one of these being built in to every room in every new home to REALLY make a 'Smart House' that you can really control from anywhere and do it for fraction of the cost today. One app will change how we view the ipad. One use. One idea. It
says it won’t take phone calls, but let me predict, there will be an app for
that, or as we know, there already is.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

PS: What folks don't get about the iPhone and now the iPad is the number of people switching ALL their computers from IBM based to Mac. Apple is eating at all those companies and there ain't much they can do about it. Apple is going to keep grabbing market share for many years to come. Every point they pick up is not only an incredible number, it is an incredible feat. For those that remember VHS vs Beta. This is like Beta coming back and winning. Apple is set to dominate the computer market. While the other companies battle for their shrinking share, it will be Apple that thrives the most while the others battle each other to death with one hand and try and battle off Apple with the other.

Morning Folks!

I watched a health Care system up close. They
already have death panels. It comes in the form of non caring doctors and an
overworked system. Fall thru the cracks? That is what a hospital is today. A
lot of cracks. Shortages and uninvolved folks all controlled by a central
authority. Actually, there is no central authority Nobody whatsoever is in control. Nobody.

This picture taken yesterday. The system would have rather buried her!

So once we hired our own nurse, we began to take control instead of the broken
system being in control. Given to the system, it was hopeless. I had to intimidate them just to do their job. Just to care. Just to be scared that my will was going to destroy their lives if they did not get with the program.

Today, we had our second Sunday
breakfast. The nurse still is with her around the clock, but I am hoping this
will be the last week and then just have someone with her during the days.
Pretty tough couple months but she is coming back slowly and luckily have had no set
backs. Will she return to her pre cruise health? We don’t know. But she is
about 75% there from as close to 0% just 5 weeks ago. The woman the doctors left to die could be your mom someday. So TRUST, but VERIFY and let them bastards know YOU are watching.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I am a worrier. I worry about this and I worry about that.
But worry is also my greatest single motivator. The fear of failure. The fear
of losing. The fear of things not going properly. That fear is my motivation.
It’s almost like a self contained energy and power plant. Fear leads to worry
and worry leads to motivation. Motivation leads to paying particular attention
to all the small details because the fear of failure makes me worry and the
worry makes me pay acute attention to the smallest of details and paying
attention to details lead to an increased chance of success.

So I love times like this. I am more worried than normal.
But that worry is my energy plant and as long as I am worried, life is just
dandy! But there is a negative biproduct of all this. People think I am
controlling. But is that really the right word? As a worrier, I see failure or
those things that slip thru the cracks that may lead to failure when many
others don’t. So I have the choice. Standby and watching things go south, or
not. If I am not involved, well maybe no need to care. But if I am on the ship,
I am going down too, so I do worry. I do take control when I see that stuff
fall thru the cracks. That is how I am wired. We are all wired a bit different.
So we all need to identify and celebrate our strengths and weaknesses because
we never know which weakness is actually our greatest strength.

Have a GRAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

To understand this post you need to read this one that I
wrote in May first or it will have no value and why waste your time?

http://www.ricksblog.com/2009/05/screwing-with-success-a-change-more-important-than-the-presidency.html

So we have the 15 second SuperBowl commercial with Jay, Dave
and Oprah and nobody can get the right answer so I will publish it here so they
get it. If Burger King went out of
business would McDonalds double their business? The answer is no. If the
Tonight Show has a weak host does that help Letterman? The answer is no.

Now without even knowing the real numbers I can tell you
that Conan did not help Dave. My guess is Letterman’s audience is getting
smaller. He has weak competition and that means the overall INTEREST LEVEL is
much lower and at 11:30 folks are looking for a new home. I like “Forensic
Files”. So a splintered audience is hurting Dave and will hurt Jay. So, just like Ali/Frazier
brought the game of boxing to new highs, so will this. Two Titans back fighting
it out for America’s favorite? Not exactly. Here is what I see and why they
would both did this. They are both in trouble. They are both scared. The 11:30
slot has been the prize of TV for my entire lifetime. But is it today?

Folks change habits over 7 months. This was a big habit to
break. Many broke it. I just
believe they are working with a smaller audience overall and that hurts their
pocketbook. This change could even collapse one or the other. See the equation
is no longer the same. Damage has been done. NBC looks like a bunch of fools
and Dave has plenty of baggage these days.

So while I was pretty certain about the post I made back in
May that pretty much unfolded as predicted, this one is much more murky. I don’t
have a clear vision of the overall outcome. It could go either way. My point is
while I explained in that last post about why this was related to domains and
honing your skills, this one is the opposite. The other was clear and that
presents a great opportunity. This one is not so clear and so it is an opportunity
worth walking away from. It is more of a gamble. The outcome can go many
different ways. So this is how I pick what business to get into, what domains
to buy, what real estate to choose. Clarity of how things will unfold. Then
just get to where the masses go before they even know they want to go there.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Sometimes a simple phrase says more than a book of
words. I heard something today that would fall into that category.A complete recipe from beginning to end and it is basic and simple.

Anything is a possibility

All you have to do is open the door

Create the opportunity

And move forward.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz