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

Morning Folks!!

My original objective was simple. I wanted to create a “Revenue engine” that would be capbable of making me $2740 a day. $1M a year for the rest of my life. THAT was my objective and THAT is what I built. A financial bunker of sorts with a $1M moat during the worst of times and hopefully a little more in better times.

I started my journey at $1/day. Then $2/day, then $5 a day and so on. But I always focused only on the day. Like focusing only on the next step of a ladder. Others would make $100 one day and $0 the next day. That was not what I was looking to do. I was looking for consistency. I was building a foundation.

I was building a virtual engine with domains. Adding cubic inches as I added domains with traffic. I could make that engine any size because it was Virtual not Metal. But I just wanted that $1M a year before I even woke up in the morning. So some days I am retired and somedays I work until I fall asleep at my computer. But it was and is MY CHOICE every single day since then and even before then.

Funny thing happened on the way to that. I obtained the goal in late 1997. In January 1998 I sold all the traffic for $30,000 a week. $1.5M/year. Even better than my goal. After I sat around and goofed off for a a few months I asked myself what was stopping me from doing that again? Repeating what I had done. And so I did. In the next 18 months I built another revenue engine duplicating what I had done before. $1/day, $5/day, $10/day and so on. I finally did that one more time just as an insurance policy.

My goal was to create revenue streams and not work. Creating work would have been much more fruitful as many make much more. But I never wanted to be dragged back into a job. Into a commitment. My soul was paid for and the last thing I wanted to do was re-mortgage it. Retired and that was how I wanted to stay.

As for the domains, I knew they would skyrocket in value and that was another train that would come online with more gold on it. The biggest booty. Booty that would put what I already made in a shadow. I still believe that. My mission was to accumulate great domains and afford to renew them for 20 years.

Yes the days with those 3 duplicate revenue streams are over for now. But the moat is still in tact and then some.

Lastly, revenue since I am online has now crashed THREE times. In the adult world around 1999. In mainstream in 2003-2004 and as we are all witnessing 2010-2011. But each time the crash occurred, things ROARED back stronger than ever. That's the nature of things and I don't expect it different in the future.

All I can do is share the path I took as I don't know the other paths as I was not on them. But I did watch from afar as many fell off a cliff. They were much smarter with much more talent and know how than me. But they still fell off a cliff. I know that cliff and all I knew is I did not want to be anywhere near it. So I built a moat to keep me clear of that. Once I built that I knew I had the luxury of time on my side.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

All the words in the world can say one thing and it won’t matter one iota if the numbers don’t match the words. My compass is numbers. Numbers don’t lie, people lie. Pretty simple starting point. Your job in life is to be skeptical, however, not to the point of dismissing new numbers, facts and discoveries. Numbers should be your friend. Your closest adviser. The determining factor in most cases.

I am a mathematician by hobby. SIMPLE MATH. Addition, subtraction, division, percentages and equations. I really sucked in Algebra until I became really good in Algebra. The rest really was made for the calculator. But somewhere along the way they drew that line way too low and many never learned the basics.

So while others use words with motives behind them as their compass, I use numbers that are not clouded by words. Not bent and bastardized by words. Not adulterated and whored by motives. Numbers paint one picture and words can paint another. A mirage if you allow yourself to do that. A Blue Sky.

Folks swallow bait instead of doing the hard work of finding out themselves. They use a calculator because they don’t know the multiplication tables. Never heard of the “Ben Franklin Method”. Don’t understand that in negotiations it is a game and anything goes. That “John Jones” has eyes and your job is to get into those eyes to see what he sees because what you see is meaningless if you want to sell them something.

Everyone in business MUST be a salesman. So if you never sold anything, the transition may be difficult. Every successful businessperson must wear a number of hats to succeed. Psychologist is one of them so you can relate and understand reactions and human nature and other emotions.

But through all that, numbers never lie and when someone says it is only a penny or a nickel or whatever, tell them that billions are made a penny at a time. When they say this or that does not count, then you know either are the words coming from their mouth.

Those that valued domains on a PPC multiple used a flawed and useless model. I am on record for years saying that. Now look. Who wants to use that model? Here’s the secret. It was NFG then and it is NFG now. It was based on something sure to fluctuate. That is what markets do. They go up, they pop and they go down and crash. Then they repeat the process.

If you feed the calculator the wrong numbers and you don’t know they are wrong and don’t know what the approximate answer should be, then you are lost. In a fog. No way to even realize what a wrong answer is and what a right answer is or anything even close. That is the same with opportunity. If you don’t know what to look for, there is little hope on grabbing it. Especially when opportunity usually is invisible and seldom if ever has a neon sign showing the way.

You can’t be first on the next thing until you clean that up. It will keep you boxed in of your own device forever. Don’t do that to yourselves. Make numbers your friends. They will never let you down and they will never lie to you.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Now let me tie the last 2 posts together as they are all related and it shows that Google is under siege. Now that is nothing new. What's new is it is now costing Google a LOT of money, a lot of customers and for the first time they are being reactive on their heals not their toes.

It was actually my brother that discovered Groupon just 1 year ago. And until this week, I have never actually used a Groupon or purchased one.

So Brother#1 buys a Groupon for 50% off a boat charter on a specific day. Brother #2 asks “What if it rains that day?” Brother #1 did not think of that. I don’t know if they have a rain check or not. But illustrated the first challenge. But the risk might be worth the reward for the customer. Just depends.

Now let’s fast forward to now. Last Sunday I had a Groupon for a place that served breakfast that I had never been to. So at the end of the meal I whip out my Groupon and the Owner whips out his list and we begin to talk.

I asked him how he liked the Groupon. He said he loved it. He said he sold 400 of them. I told him that was the first time I had been there after living in the area for 12 years and that it was working. He was thrilled and started telling me about all the new faces he was seeing and how good business was.

Point is he saw the results. He could measure everything. It was so simple. With Google, you can wipe that smile right off. He hates wasting his money. Etc Etc. So for those that think those are different dollars, I beg to differ.

If you have a $1000 budget, you have more choice now than before and when you are faced with that choice, Groupon wins. Newspaper, direct mail, Google, Yellow Pages, Radio, TV, Magazines, Billboards and now Groupon. It eats at ALL of their profits and bottom lines. They all compete for that $1000. or $100k or $1M or whatever.

What was in concrete for decades is now fluid. It's changing and when things change you have winners and losers. Groupon is the big winner and Google is the big loser. Many don't see the connection. I do and I just showed you why by just touching the surface of all this and it is much deeper and will play out on many levels.

This hole in the wall restaurant told me everything I needed to know. If it works for him, it can work for anyone that knows how to run and grow a business. The owner is back in control and he is online and cool and all the rest. I told 12 people about this place this week. Some knew, some did not. Some that go will share it with their friends on Facebook. So Groupon can become the nucleus of your marketing efforts if used correctly. Or Rue La la or Gilt or whoever is next. It does not matter. It matters that it WORKS! It matters that it deflects and disrupts dollars from going into one company pocket as opposed another pocket.

So as I wrote last year……I am happy Groupon resisted Google’s offer. That was a BOLD move and it illustrates how much they believe in what they have. Groupon gives you the power to open a business and effectively market it from day #1.

Yes, others can/will/have copied their model. They do that because it works and that only accelerates Groupon’s marketing efforts. You can't measure the effectiveness of Groupon the way many here do. You have to ask yourself how much is a new customer worth?? How many more times will he come in and pay full price?

Did you consider that you could create an INSTANT business with just one Groupon? Just think in terms of a grand opening where most give things away. There are 'Flash crowds', you could create a 'Flash Business'. Sell umbrellas when it rains.

This is what I wrote about Groupon on December 15^th: Some folks did not understand where I saw this, now it should be more clear.

“Then in a year from now they are likely to really get down to comparing results and see that Groupon is really a much better buy than Google. Which would explain why Google wanted to buy them and Groupon said no. Thank you Groupon!! That was a bold move and a win for all of us whether you see or understand it or not. Google buys anyone they see as a threat so they can control everything. Our job is to help those that can challenge them and gives us all alternatives. So pray that Groupon and Facebook and Twitter and others stay independent. If you wake up one day and Google bought them, it will be a bad day.”

http://www.ricksblog.com/2010/12/the-budgets-for-2011-and-beyond-cpas-going-nuts.html

The world changed in the last months. Facebook, Groupon, Twitter, LivingSocial and others have changed the course of things and the Google Highway is off kilter.

So I salute all of these companies for changing the dynamics and the playing field. This is why I have been saying this is like the first year of the Internet, Because now there are things to copy and to build on. There are now more and more profitable working models and competing forces. This rose is blossoming and we are finding that Google may no longer be the center of the universe. That's a BIG change. That's a GREAT thing.

So I LOVE Groupon. I think Facebook is the Hula Hoop of our day. And Twitter is the soapbox we each have for whatever audience we have. There are so many more emerging it will be hard to keep up with.

But the bottom line is that Groupon is the FIRST truly great marketing concept that works for any size business doing about anything. Groupon is an INSTANT business if you look at it properly. Groupon is a great tool and there will be so many ways to take advantage of it. Sorry, but Google can't compete with that. They are so busy screwing over folks that the first alternative that came along would pull many away. So many in fact that Wall Street is not going to like what they see. This is just the begining of their problems. When they see just how vulnerable the 'Invincible' is, they are going to be shocked.

Now Google is not going anywhere soon. Matter of fact, some would say their best days may be ahead of them. But the Arrogant Google that said it would never split it's stock and was going to be like Berkshire Hathaway, well that Google.....is DEAD! That Google is not going to go where they expected. That Google is off course and just searching with them is becoming more and more painful.

Do I blame Amazon? Walmart? Verizon? Sears? Best Buy? Kmart? NextTag? Amazon? Target? Amazon? No, not at all. But Google may win the stupid award. Why? They may be making themselves irrelevant. When you keep serving up those results in half the things you search for, well that's just a list of national chains and some guys pay to be in the list twice. What happened to SEARCH? This is should be called the OBVIOUS ENGINE! Search you would expect a result you would not have already thought of. DUH!!

Things are moving so fast nobody can truly keep up with the innovations. Google can't keep up with the future which is changing faster than I can write this. Now Google is not Alta Vista. They have invested wisely. But Google may have lost their balance. The VC guys like Schmidt ran the company a certain way. ran it for Wall Street. And failed the last few years. But they did permanent damage and set a bad tone over those years. No longer that warm fuzzy company. What happened to a company folks used to love? My advice, get back to basics.

I enjoy looking at things in a number of ways and from many viewpoints. The way to do that is make a bold statement and then discuss. All relative points get added to the equation on either side of the argument and that always helps make things more clear no matter the subject. Many of you think there is no relationship whatsoever between these companies. I see an entire different picture coming. As always, time will tell. But I still see what I see and I am just sharing that with you the reader.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I am amazed that so many domainers do not understand why Groupon came out of nowhere to be where it is now and a threat to Google. Stop looking at things like a domainer. That is short sighted. Look at it thru the average consumer, the average small business. When you do that, everything looks different.

Let’s start here. More retailers on Main Street have tried Groupon in the first year than have used Google in 7 years. There is a reason for that. I can’t believe so many folks are missing that. Maybe they need to talk to the business owners that use and LOVE Groupon.

Results they can see, measure and make money with as they instantly grow their businesses.

Google for the first time is REACTING to both Groupon and Facebook and Twitter is still a tool. Google is no longer setting the agenda in the way they did just MONTHS ago. They are wobbling and a talent is leaving.

Will Google ever get back to $750/share? I sure as hell could make a case that it won’t happen. That the numbers a year from now will look terrible compared to their past growth. That Schmidt was brought in to raise the value and with his departure will go the stock price.

Groupon a fad? Could be. But fads have disrupted things before. A fad may only be a stopping point to something even bigger. But I don't think it is such a fad. It will last too many years to be a fad. By that time it permanently changed the landscape.

See, I have seen similar scenarios play out during my life. A cycle of sorts that repeats itself. The names change but the events don’t. Just different facades.

Google is being disrupted and now they are trying to disrupt. It shows a reaction as opposed to leading. It won’t lead where they expect and that opens up a can of worms that they can never control again. Knowledge is power and they are going to be met with opposition as the little guy embraces Groupon, Facebook and Twitter because they understand it better than they do Google. They see the results. They get it.

You can't be myopic on this. There are just too many things to look at and outside forces not in their control. As domainers we may look at it one way. Just keep in mind you are only looking at it in one way. But how does the retailer look at it? The manufacturer? The ma and pa businesses? The consumer? They count more. Google can make a bad decision somewhere along the way and it could end up doing more harm to themselves than even those companies mentioned could.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning folks!!

This is a great day for some and a nightmare for others. I am here to applaud Google’s decision. Taking the CRAP out of results helps everyone. Especially domains with natural type in traffic.

I mean step back and think for a second. Why would Google want to pay for traffic that they gave for free to begin with??? Crappy, washing machine traffic with very little real value other than it went thru the Google Laundromat controlled by the spammer. Google giveth, Google taketh away. Hooray for Google!!!

So I would imagine that when you get rid of the “Ghost traffic” you can replace with more meaningful traffic and you can pay more because you are not wasting all those dollars and getting crappy results.

More than that…..GROUPON is Google’s worst nightmare. Groupon is costing Google a fortune. Groupon is a thorn in the side of Google and finally Google has to satisfy their customers instead of fucking their customers. Why? Because Groupon is giving GREAT value and results business owners see.

Things are tied together.

In turn, we may start seeing payouts stop being strangled because they are talking SOME of the MUD out. They are being forced by Groupon to show their customers that Google is a value. Google forced to compete! Google cleaning up the results.

This is GREAT news for the domainer that has natural type in traffic. It may not be obvious overnight, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

A distinction MUST be made between spammed traffic and real traffic. There IS a difference.

Many of you are not going to be happy with my post. But when you base your business in the control of spamming the engines, what else did you really expect?

I hope they ban eHow. What a crappy experience and I don’t even know if the stuff they print is accurate.

Now most of you won’t even see the Groupon-Google connection. But this is the bigger than you think. There was a reason Google wanted to buy Groupon rather than compete with them. Now you are seeing it manifest itself. Why? Groupon is kicking ass. Business owners love Groupon and so does the consumer. Compare that to how they feel about Google.

No connection??…..keep thinking that. 99% won’t agree. That is why I roll the way I do. But go ahead, take a shot. Tell me why I am wrong. The future will be my proof. I can only hope trademarks are next!

And of course on the other side of the street you have Facebook and they too are aiming at Google. So a 2 front war. And have you noticed that Google is still a long way from their $750 stock prices pre crash? Others have eclipsed where they were. Not Google. They are still off 25% and have gone nowhere recently.

So Google having to react to these challenges is a very good thing for all concerned in the long run. Imagine Google may now worry about actually giving their customers quality results! That can only help domainers with REAL type in traffic. Gold is gold and maybe they can now separate the mud out. JMO.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I have been working on a new auction format and rules since October and discussed it a bit with this post earlier this year. So without further delay, this is what we intend to do in October to change the dynamics of the live auction.

The only domains that we will accept directly are the ones that have a flat fee paid in advance for the listing. All other domains MUST go through one of the brokers like Sedo, or Aftermarket.com or any of the other premiere brokers in the space. We will be publishing a list in the next few weeks. Each of those companies will submit their list to us and we will work closely with them to choose the ones we think will sell. We will supply the venue, the auctioneer and the production.

Those supplying names to us for our “Guaranteed Placement Program” will pay a flat fee and a very attractive commission schedule that can save you a lot of money IF you are serious about selling and IF you want to participate in your marketing. If you have been frustrated by not having the auction houses select your name, this gives you control.

Even the more modest levels will save you quite a bit by paying a listing fee and showing folks you are actually serious about selling your domain name at an attractive price. On a $50,000 domain name you will save $2500 if you are willing to step up with $1000 up front. The savings get more substantial on higher ticket domains. A $1M domain name will save you $82,000.

Plus, you can list TODAY and have 6 MONTHS to market, promote and be public about it. The last thing you want is to have it in just days before the auction. DUH! I think historically the auction list would come out 2-3 weeks in advance and that really was no way to do it. I hated that. I know it takes TIME to get the word out.

We are going to change the dynamics of the auction and we are going to see some excitement. We don’t need or want 200 domains for a successful auction. We just need motivated sellers that know we have the premier domain audience at our shows and all they want is a great domain.

As far as end users. That has to be an industry wide effort. If you know someone, say something. None of us can crack this egg by ourselves. It would have been a wasted effort before now. But today the timing is right to begin this phase of our efforts.

Bids will start low and work up from there. The days of looking for suckers at high levels is over as well as narrow and high reserves. This is a wholesale auction not a retail one. However we will join you in an effort to get the end user. But let’s be honest. With ALL live auctions combined over the years, end users combined would not fill your bathroom. They have been few and far between. So we can talk, but the reality does not match the words.

If you look at the successful auctions they each had a great domain up for grabs with multiple serious bidders. THAT is what makes a great auction. It's a contest!

So if you want a different result you need a different formula. I am happy to announce a really big change in how we will do the auctions and others will follow our lead.

Every auction should be a contest. That is why I don’t care if there are 5 names in the auction, 10 names, 100 names. The only thing that counts is there are interested parties ready to bid and prepared to win. The days of 200 domains crammed in an auction to put everyone asleep are over. Those that continue to put the audience asleep will not survive and will look foolish from this point on.

On the spreadsheet below you will see the current 15% fee on top compared to the new formula at each level. At the $5000 level there is no savings but you do have the benefit of securing a spot without any headwinds. The 'Guaranteed Placement' has great value.

Plus here is an idea for those that get a lot of inquiries on a specific domain. Just tell them it will be up for auction in October. YOU have the ability to control that now where before you never had that POWER! Create your own auction and your own competition. That's a winning formula!

Lastly, we are considering some other interesting ideas. One of which is for a no reserve auction for high profile domains with a twist that protects the owner from letting it sell too low.

What we know is the old way no longer works. It is stale. Long boring auctions are out of vogue. We believe these changes will reinvigorate the process and bring the excitement level back. We will also be eliminating the silent auction. So you only get one bite of the apple.

Bottom line, a serious auction for serious buyers and sellers. No fake bids or prearranged sales to save face. No return favors to include crappy domains that wastes everyone's time. Our auction is the 'Main Event' and it should look and FEEL that way.

Morning Folks!!

If you have been reading my posts in 2008-2009 you would have read the discussion about tax time 2011 and 2012 as being the depths of this recession. The big squeeze is on. Folks are financially weaker than ever and the pinch is coming at the same time. For some, this is the last nail in the coffin. They will not survive April 15th. The money is due and many just won't have it. This sets up a problem that may not actually manifest itself for another year or two.

The dollar is worth less than ever at the same time there is a shortage in dollars and prices are skyrocketing. Food, gas, clothing all going up significantly and that just adds to a squeeze that is already dangerously tight.

There is a lot of activity but that may not translate into a lot of success. For some, this will be the last gasp.

Closer to the domain industry payouts are rock bottom and each day more premium domains are being pulled from PPC to try new things. Small businesses are struggling to keep afloat. Their biggest hope are the corporate giants with giant reserve of dollars that are becoming worth less each day.

I never thought that I would want to trim my 'Exposure' with cash holdings but that is exactly what I have been doing for the past 2 years. Buying whatever I can that I think can hold value. Gold, silver, collectibles, classic cars, property, domains and anything that will hedge against the dollar. Diversifying ASAP.

Remember one thing. Gold was at $500 when Steve Forbes came to TRAFFIC just 4 years ago. Today about $1500. That is your dollar eroding away. That is your buying power being washed away.

Gold could retreat to $1000 and lower. But I don't care if I have a loss like that because what I am protecting against would see gold at $15,000 an ounce. Inflation is coming and it will be like something we have never seen before in the USA. Inflation is the ONLY thing that can payoff the debt.

Meanwhile I sit here and rack my brains out each day thinking about this or that. The silver lining is I see PREMIUM domain names as still being the only thing SAFER than gold and it can be income producing which gold can't do. The #1 investment I see is STILL premium domain names. I STILL hand register domains everyday because the world evolves every day. Most won't pan out. But it only takes patience and ONE to pay for THOUSANDS. That is the simple formula.

The good thing about April 16th is folks know where they are financially and can then plan from there. That translates into a bump for business and businesses able to make Capital investments as they also have a clear road ahead.

I expect many high profile domain deals between now and the end of the year. I think domain names may finally be entering a new phase. I see more and more stories about domain names in the media. Just this week it was Trump making news with his new domain. This is going to become more and more common place. Imagine the evening news starting with who bought what domain? It's coming!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Ok, let's start here year #5 with this. Content ain’t shit without a “Mousetrap” attached to it that can produce dollars. You can spam the engines for a living and try to fake folks out or you can build a business.

You can have the entire content of the universe on your site and it is meaningless if you have little or no traffic or even if you have masses of traffic and no way to turn a profit. The “Mousetrap” that I used to talk about in the 1990’s is not talked about in domaining and now is the time to do it.

What is content? Content are keys to locks. Answers to questions. Depending how you use your content, you will either be giving something away for free or creating a “Mousetrap” that has a purpose behind the content. An idea behind the content. A profit making business behind the content. A Cash Register! Without that, you have a content page to spam the engines and basically hustle like a waitress for the rest of your life.

You can CHASE mice and hunt them with a shotgun or you can TRAP them. If you hunt them you have to work hard and your job is never done. Plus your home will be riddled with holes from the buckshot. But when you set a “Mousetrap”, you can go about your life and come back periodically to see if your “Hunt” was successful. You could even do that at multiple locations simultaneously. That's called working smarter not harder. Working less to get more. Cloning your work. Thinking is the work. It is hard work. But with thought you can jump from last to first even if you come late.

Domain + Traffic + Something traffic wants + Mousetrap = Sales + Dollars + Profit + Building a business.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I started my morning posts that way since 1996. But it was not until 4 years ago that I entered the 'Blogosphere'.

4 Years
1460 days
208 weeks
Posts: 525
Just a little over 2.5 posts a week
Comments 8125
Average 15 comments per post
Over 850,000 Page Views
Average over 1500 readers per post

The last thing I wanted to do 4 years ago was start a blog. So let me take this time to blame those responsible. First we have Jarred Cohen. He told me about RicksBlog.com dropping. I could care less. Somewhere along the line he convinced me I should care.

Then we have Sahar. He kept prodding me to start a blog. After years of essentially posting a blog before there were blogs I was less than enthusiastic about the thought of starting again to get as much as I could even remember on record.

Then there was Owen. Don Quixote himself. I was just another windmill for him. He explained blogs and social media and all the rest and now my head was ready to explode. But I got that bouquet and here we are. Thankfully Owen was also able to dredge up some of my old posts from 2000 and 2001.

Someday I would really like to uncover those Ynot archives of 1996-1998. I think folks would be stunned by the conversation. Both as dinosaurs and as folks 20 years ahead of what was unfolding. A very diverse group all pulled together by some common threads. Still some of the sharpest folks I have EVER met.

Point is, trying to reconstruct some of that was a monumental task that I was not looking forward to. The readers changed but the conversation was and is largely the same in spite of all that has unfolded and the very proof as it lays for all to see.

But today I feel good. I am on record for eternity. My thoughts are my thoughts. I just share what goes in between these ears in real time and that always keeps the wind blowing. The conversation going. The passion on both sides. Some do it in a constructive manner and some do what they do. But they illustrate the vivid difference in view and thought and vision and values.

I never understood why folks can’t step up and just “Disagree without being disagreeable”. When you do that you find answers and solve problems and make progress one stride at a time. The rest is all a side show to distract from what I described above. You can clearly see it in the comments at times. And this is one time in which the written word and this screen is more powerful than meeting in person as you get to really look into their minds by their word.

I wake up each day evangelizing my thoughts on domain names. Each day we adjust for the progress the day before. The picture constantly changes and now it is changing so fast NOBODY can actually keep up with it.

I write for like minded people who share their positive energy and know that quality will always trump quantity. I write for those with opposite views to share them in a responsible way. Pure thinking. Pure digging. Pure searching and exploring for things unknown looking for answers what ever the true answer proves to be.

And the other clowns, well, I see them as only getting in the way. Trying to distract at a precious moment in history. A 20 year moment.

But the core of so much of how I work is pretty simple and old school. “Make hay when the sun shines”. Which means work your ass off when there is plenty of business and you will be able to enjoy life when things go south and others are forced to split a much smaller pie with many more mouths. (Like now)

I love the blog for one great reason. It is on record, time stamped, my name, my thoughts and over time I hope it gets discovered because there may be a lot of crap, but that fertilizer has some of the most fertile and long lasting thought soil that is available. Discount at your own peril. But the words here will long outlive me and prove valuable to those that WANT to understand what I see and how I see it.

I am used to folks telling me how wrong I am every step of the way. It is a way of life for me. Always has been, always will be. I remember how my friends and even my family thought I was crazy for taking jobs that were commission only back in 1972. But those were the only jobs with no ceiling. That would pay me upon what I produced and the only limit was the one I placed on myself. The goal I set. I learned one thing early. The gift of setting goals and knowing which ones are obtainable and useful. Which goals would waste too much time while other goals were more important.

I learned a lot on this journey. Mostly about human nature. That is the one common thread. So some of my readers I try and take on a great and interesting journey and some I fuck with in the head. But the journey they take is not up to me. The power is with them regardless of how loud they yell it isn’t.

Glass half full or half empty. My words can piss you off when you look at it as half empty. Those folks are easy to spot. Human nature. You can spot them with the words they use. Their reactions to things. Their judgment. Winners view the universe one way and losers view it in a much different way. If something like that pisses you off, don’t play poker. You just gave your hand away. That is why you lose. The winners are all laughing. The losers are angry. I aim for the winners. They get what I just said. The others think I am talking in code.

That is how I see the universe. If you don’t, tough. What do you want me to do about it? I can only tell you how I see things. Share what I deem important. You can tell me how you see things and do it in a manner to persuade by facts and numbers and history. That takes a certain amount of credibility.

Some of what I see ahead is not very good. Some are things that dreams are made of. You have to see it all. The road is not smooth. It is littered with pitfalls and storms and unexpected events. Navigating those challenges is what life is all about.
I think corruption and conflicts of interest are the main challenge facing our industry today.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

A look into the time capsule:

Blog Announcement:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/coming_soon.html

Then a couple of foundational Posts:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/hi_folks_a_few_.html

The Famous 'Line in the Sand' post

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/the_line_in_the.html

'Why the Internet Crashed'

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/why_the_interne.html

And finally, my actual Grand Opening Post

http://www.ricksblog.com/2007/04/happy_grand_ope.html

Morning Folks!!

Supporting Posts and Events that led me to this:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2010/12/another-day-another-domain-industry-scandal.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2010/12/the-privacy-issuewho-has-access-to-that-info-what-they-can-do-with-it.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/01/ostrich-eagle-or-corporate-cubicle-whore-.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/03/time-to-set-the-record-straight-.html

http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2010/december.htm

http://www.thedomains.com/2010/12/31/moniker-issues-statement-on-unauthorized-data-release/

http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2011/dailyposts/20110317.htm

http://www.chefpatrick.com/chefpatricksucks-com-the-real-truth/

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/03/it-is-far-from-over.html