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

Morning Folks!!

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

UPDATE:

Evening Folks!!

Sales and Auctions are about current conditions of the market. Last year it was difficult to get good names at attractive prices even starting as early as we did. This year it is exactly the opposite. Even though we have not opened submissions and have not even considered the ones we have gotten, I can tell you that folks want to sell and have been sending in domains for months. Quality domains at attractive prices is the way to get an exciting auction. Unfortunately none of those counted because we have not opened the auction process until TODAY!

The domains chosen will either be on the 'Guaranteed Placement Program' as described below or picked by us based on most saleable and most reasonable. I will tell you right now, that unless it is a truly PREMIUM domain, don't submit a domain with a high reserve in 2012. The competition for the slots will eliminate you from the get go. Even 'Guaranteed Placements' have to have reserves in line with current market conditions.

If you don't need to sell, the auction format we have is NOT designed for you. This is basically a WHOLESALE auction, not RETAIL, as the bidders are primarily other domain investors. The market is soft and to be honest, it may be in your best interest to wait for the next pop. Nobody is forcing you to try and sell when things are not that good. However if you are really aggressive and want to turn some of your gems into cash, then that can happen because we have a focused and qualified audience and this is going to be an exciting auction.

My goal is to have a down and dirty auction that moves faster than most can keep up with. If there is no opening bid in the first 10 seconds. GAME OVER! NEXT Domain!

We always go back over the list of domains at the end of the auction if somebody reconsiders and wants to bid. But no more BORING auctions and the way to fix the boredom is to move this puppy at warp speed.

We run a clean auction that you can have confidence in and we proved that last year. The rest is up to the audience, the market and the wallets. What we offer is the single most qualified audience in the business and an open and transparent auction that domainer or auction house alike can participate in.

Your job as a seller is to have a better domain and a better price than the next guy. An auction is about multiple interested parties. The only way that happens is when several folks walk in the room all targeting the same domain name. The bids give the value and when you see who is bidding that allows others to bid with more confidence. That is the psyche behind any auction.

As for bidding, it is either live in person or live over the phone or pre-bids or prearranged text. So we have multiple options for serious bidders. Complain away. But it works and this is the way we do it. Everyone knows in advance and every bid has a person there or on the phone for all to know. Everyone has to be pre-registered to bid regardless so it's a much smaller issue than some like to make of it.

Until we can be assured that an online auction will run without flaws and 350 people in the room won't have to wait and have things slowed down, this is the way we will handle it and nobody is forcing anyone to participate if they don't want to.

You can send your entires to me starting TODAY. Do not send domains that you are advertising all over the place or you are not ready to commit to the auction. Not interested. Don't send me a list of 1000 names. I won't even look. Howard will be in touch and send you a contract once we decide.

Because of the amount of submissions, you will only hear from us if we are considering placement to sign a contact. Reserves MUST be included. Domains will be judged against other submitted domains for quality and price. We reserve the right to reject a 'Guaranteed Placement' on any domain name. If so any up-front money will be refunded.

Please don't get mad at me if your domain is not selected. With a limited amount of slots and unlimited supply, my job is to be very choosey. It may have nothing to do with the quality of your domain, it has to do with how that domain stacks up next to the others. Auctions today are 24 x7 and countless amount going on at once. The ONLY thing that will make this auction a success is the domain names available.

Most won't follow these rules so let me be very clear from the get go, unless the domain actually has a 'No Reserve' price, domains with no prices, no reserve prices = no consideration and I don't do valuations. I will just tell you if a domain is too high for the market and/or the auction. But I don't do valuations and anyone submitting a domain with an apprasial won't even be considered. I am going to talk about appraisals at TRAFFIC and who they are designed to HELP and who they are designed to HURT.

If you want to see good domains with lively action than you need to set some standards and rules. Nobody is forced to participate. Last year we gained back the confidence of running a CLEAN auction. This year we will reap the rewards of patiently planting the seeds and building on what needed to be done.

An auction is about bargains THIS YEAR and in THIS market. Send your BARGAINS Here. We invite brokers, auction houses and domainers to submit domains or even reserve a block of spots.

We charge 15% to auction a domain name. Those that want to help with their own sale and marketing, and want a guaranteed placement in the auction, can pay a fee in advance and get a reduced commission rate if the domain sells. They can play an active role by using their own data to make contact with previous interested parties and end users to announce the place and time. of the auction and create a contest.

Commission rates as low as 6% on the sliding scale below. If it is hard to read on your device, Email me and I will send you an excel file. This allows any domainer to take control.

*Auction houses and brokers can participate on an accepted domain name with a negotiated commission split. Can also negotiate a block of slots. However, individual domainers are given priority.

Morning Folks!!

There is a reason there has been a rash of 'Reverse Domain Name Hijacking' decisions in our favor lately. Since there is no 'Criminal Penalty' YET, we have to institute a 'Social Penalty' by circulating their actions to folks that would think it not socially acceptable to be a thief. Eventually there WILL be a criminal penalty and we are going to accelerate that eventuality. NOBODY likes a THIEF! The way to stop a THIEF is to identify them FIRST and EXPOSE them FIRST.

I have reason to believe that there are a number of folks that have targeted a number of my .com domain names by building on other extensions and then thinking that their success would have an impact on gaining the .com. The same flawed thinking that got my buddy found GUILTY of being a 'Reverse Domain Name Hijacker' and I will use at every opportunity to show what I will do with the next guy. It's a promise.

Now let me discuss the 'Premeditation' these others have been using and has gone on for YEARS. Yes years and the dates of course prove it. In each and every case they made the fatal mistake of building their success on a NON .com and are now paying the price. Or they found a .com with words in front of it and trying the same method. They believe their success gives them more leverage to STEAL your/my domain name. They believe their belated trademarks give them some sort of special rights when in FACT it just PROVES the premeditation of their hijacking attempt. Proves Bad Faith.

I may even begin to list those GENERIC domains I own here as a way of letting these PRICKS know what they are in for. A preemptive shot.

So this is a public warning to those would-be hijackers. Anyone going down this road with ME, will regret that decision for the rest of their lives. PERIOD! I will use the FACTS to make sure their deeds follow them for the rest of their lives. PERIOD! I will do everything legally to disrupt their business if they try and disrupt mine and in EVERY case, they have much more to lose.

It's definitely not a threat. It is just a warning that should have already been heeded by others after the SaveMe.com decision. Poke this lion again and see what I learned from the last episode. Let's just say it is the difference between peeing on an electric fence and peeing on a bolt of lightning! Neither are pleasant, but even a total idiot knows one is worse.

SaveMe.com case was a gift. A gift that allowed me to demonstrate what could and would happen. A gift that will protect you and me from these potential predators in the future by making them aware of the 'Social Penalty' that they WILL pay until a criminal penalty is in place. I am gathering together a list of EVERY case of 'Reverse Domain Name Hijacking' and I am going to start to circulate that list the best I can and there will be fallout. NMPD. (NOT MY PROBLEM DUDE)

Many would think I would be satisfied with a big win. I just see it as the FIRST in a series of stepping stones that will lead to an understanding of what 'Reverse Domain Name Hijacking' is and an eventual Criminal Penalty. A felony. Grand Theft!

I have actually been advised by multiple attorneys going back YEARS saying that I have a basis to preemptively file suit against these companies because I can show their infringement when they knowingly registered the .whatever to impede on my .com with rights they never had. I am a live and let live type of guy. But if that is what it takes to keep a predator away, then that is what I am PREPARING to do! They can go after my domain, but in return I am going for their entire business and their futures just for starters.

.Com domains are a TARGET because when somebody builds their empire on the wrong extension, they eventually regret it and get mad and when they get mad they lash out at the .com owner. Why? Because .com extension has GREAT VALUE to them and they made a POOR business decision and they REFUSE to take RESPONSIBILITY for that POOR decision. Well when they make the second bad decision by trying to HIJACK property that does not belong to them, that will be a decision they can never fix and that gives ME control of their 'Good' name.

I can't help the FACT that I look at a 'Reverse Domain Name Hijacker' in the same way I look at a child molester. It may not be what most would agree with, but it does not change how I see things. That's what brings out the passion in me to stop this practice because it affects folks that can not defend themselves, that can not go after them for 'Reverse Domain Name Hijacking' and have to lay down and let folks STEAL their assets. Their family business. Their livelihood. That's BULLSHIT!

The only way to protect our assets is shining a spotlight on these people, cockroaches and companies and let their own customers decide their fate. Their own business associates. Their own friends and family. They are some of the most despicable people on earth!

Here are a few since my last post LISTING THESE

2 Decisions here of REVERSE DOMAIN NAME HIJACKING:

Mindo.com and Sha.com

http://www.thedomains.com/2012/08/03/2-udrp-panels-finds-reverse-domain-name-hijacking-today-on-mindo-com-sha-com/

Here is another case. All these just within the last 30 days:

etatil.com

http://www.thedomains.com/2012/07/17/1st-udrp-finding-of-reverse-domain-name-hijacking-for-turkey-the-case-of-tatil-com-vs-etatil-com/

And here is the decision and a host of other folks found GUILTY of 'Reverse Domain Name Hijacking'

http://www.ricksblog.com/2012/06/márcio-mello-chaves-labled-a-reverse-domain-hijacker-in-savemecom-case-.html

None of these cases are black and white when compared to the SaveMe.com hijacking and they still came away with a RDNH decision.

In my next post I will tell you how I really feel. :-)

Don't miss the presentation at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. when the 2012-2013 'Poster Boy' for 'Reverse Domain Name Hijacking' is unvelied at 9:30 AM at the Ritz Carlton.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!

Morning Folks!!

'Mediocre' would be the word I would describe myself for the first 50% of my life. I never gave 100% of myself on about anything I was ever graded on.

Somewhere along the way that changed. I learned how to strive for excellence in everything I do. No matter how big and no matter how small. Actually the smaller stuff is just as important. Maybe more important. A grain of sand can bring the biggest machine to a grinding halt.

But I was not taught excellence in any school I attended. I was taught excellence by the Olympics. I realized the difference between winner and loser. Between champion and 2nd place. I realized that while much of the Olympics is physical, more of it is mental. I also realized that the last guy in an Olympic race is still a champion. Still has the mind of a champion and will react like a champion.

I then followed a number of Olympians throughout their lives and saw how almost all were successes in everything they did and it all came down to one word. 'Discipline'. That's the common thread. The pursuit of excellence only goes through the intersection of 'Discipline'. Training your mind not to fall victim to human nature.

Olympians are disciplined. They win in their mind and their body follows along. It is seldom the other way. Giving 100% even in a loss is more gratifying than being mediocre. 'The thrill of Victory. The agony of Defeat.' Such a powerful set of words that describes so well what it is all about.

I never feel guilty when I fail. I only feel guilty when I fail because I did not give 100%. Or I failed and did not learn something along the way. Or I failed for doing something stupid.

The only thing that makes you a loser in the Olympics is bad 'Sportsmanship'. Same in life. No excuses for that one. Badminton anyone?

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

PS: The one person I thought had the most raw talent at the start of these games and had a chance to make it big, won gold last night. Way to go Gabby!

Morning Folks!!

This was posted on Facebook the other day and sometimes it just hits the nail on the head. I am sure we all have people like this in our lives. If not, draw your own conclusions. :-)

Askhole
- A person who constantly
asks for your advice,
yet always does the opposite
of what you told them

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Next to the Bandit Berkens 'Goodwill Ambassador Award' that will be given for the first time, the Hall of Fame is our last category for nominations and one of our most prestigious awards. Each year two people are inducted. These are your nominees for 2012. Congratulations and Good Luck to all!! Well done!!

If you feel somebody deserving was left out of any category, make sure YOU nominate them in 2013 and make sure you read THIS POST!

If you want to VOTE, you MUST be on our mailing list. Send a note to trafficawards at earthlink.net. You MUST include your full name and company. Voting instructions will be mailed out later this month.

The following have already been inducted to the DOMAIN HALL OF FAME: MONTE CAHN, RON JACKSON, RICK SCHWARTZ, MIKE BERKENS, RICK LATONA, DAVID CASTELLO, MICHAEL CASTELLO, FRANK SCHILLING, YUN YE, SCOTT DAY, SAHAR SARID, HOWARD NEU, ADAM DICKER

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Good luck narrowing down to one on this list! I am happy to post this year's nominees for DOMAINER OF THE YEAR!!! I know most of you all personally and you should all be very proud of being nominated by your peers. You are all winners and I think the list basically speaks for itself. The award will be presented on October 9th in Fort Lauderdale at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Congratulations and GOOD LUCK!!!

Past Winners Include: Richard Lau 2004, Frank Schilling 2005, Rick Schwartz 2006, Kevin Ham2007, Rick Latona2008, Mike Berkens 2009, Gregg McNair 2010, Frank Schilling 2011.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Today we are announing Nominations for Sponsor of the Year for 2012. Again, congratulations to all the nominees! Tomorrow we will post the coveted 'Domainer of the Year' Award.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Every time I look over the list of nominees on the categories, I realize how hard your job is going to be to pick the winners. Just 1 winner. This is our first ever 'Domain Broker of the Year' award and the field is crowded with those that deserve the award. So congratulations to all nominees. Winners will be announced on October 9th at TRAFFIC. Tomorrow is 'Sponsor of the Year' followed on Wednesday with Domainer of the Year and Thursday with the Hall of Fame nominees.