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

Morning Folks!!

Common sense is the key to success no matter what you do. If you don't have common sense, you are not able to see the SIMPLE and EASY things. You can't make the easy decisions. Everything has to be complicated because you are so smart!

There is no such thing as a 1 word GTLD. There is a MINIMUM of TWO words and a consumer needs to memorize them and get them both right! On the other hand .Com is already baked into the cake and the memory banks of every human being on the planet. So there is no need to even mention the .com. It's the default.

Many commercials don't use the .com. They don't have to. It's the default. Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that.

A genius will start with a square wheel. The guy with common sense will come along and simply sand down the edges and make it work.

So a 2 word left of the dot GTLD is really a 3 word GTLD. Way too many moving parts to remember. I know, you are a genius and you remember everything. But if you had any common sense, you would know that the masses easily confuse things. And your argument is always to minimize each and every pitfall that a GTLD has. To turn a blind eye not to one pitfall but 100's. 100's of small leaks on a ship will surely sink that ship if ignored. And that is what we are seeing. A sinking GTLD ship. BYE BYE!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

When you see the domain show for 23 years you see things repeat themselves several times. I am such a moron for not investing in IDN's. Just ask any IDN guy that never found the end of the rainbow.

I am a moron for not investing in .net even though the techies told me to. Now we can see not only is there low demand for .net there is also very low value as well.

I am a moron for not investing in ccTLD's. Now there was a place for those but I did  not want to waste my time chasing those when there were still .coms to chase. And they have less value and less demand than their .com counterparts. So, just not the best way to invest my TIME. But I understood those that did.

I did prove to be a moron myself when I bought into .Mobi. I had a lot of company at the time. lol Remember, when I bought Flowers.mobi I was bidding against several bidders that went to $150k and one that went to $195k. But when I think back, that may have been a cheap lesson. Look how much I saved not buying into the GTLD .CRAP!! That was when there was just ONE new extension and they failed miserably. Now we have 500-1000 that are doing the exact same thing.

.Win is a big loser for domainers. Back in November 2016, 2 YEARS ago, .win peaked with 1.3 Million registrations. Today, only 549,000 left and dwindling. Godaddy has a whopping 1029 registrations.

Those are domainer dollars being flushed down the toilet. How do I know it is domainers? Well, only a fool would even ask.

Domainers that invested in GTLD's are not being quiet. Many of them are GONE! Even the registries are "Dying on the vine". A term I have used for YEARS to predict the fate of this GARBAGE!

GTLD's have detoured and delayed the demand and diminished values of legacy extension domains. It's nothing more than a cancer on what WAS a HOT and THRIVING Domain Industry. Now look at it!!!!! The only ones you can blame are domainers. They burnt down their own industry.

These folks crapped on their own golden goose and we are all paying the price in TIME and VALUE.

At least I can say that openly now and I don't care if you disagree. It is what I believe!

"When you put a single piece of SHIT in the STEW it is no longer STEW, it is SHIT!" We have hundreds floating around now.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I have been talking about Supply and Demand and Need, want, desire, value for a very long time. It's the foundation of business itself but domainers seem to ignore this small fact. They are not immune and we are in the midst of a "Domain Glut" whether anyone knows it or not.

The domain industry is littered with crap and great domains. The crap has pooped over everything and we are all paying the price. Some are paying a higher price. Some will be washed away.

Ask yourself the simplest of questions. "How many TENS of MILLIONS of domains are owned by domainers"? Realize that almost every one of them is for sale and 90% of those are 100% worthless.

We talk about "Exact Match Domains" but I really focus on and want to find "Exact Match Companies"! I want  "Exact Match Companies" to match up with my "Exact Match Domains".

The supply of .com domains was always UNLIMITED but folks wanted you to believe they were not. There is an infinite supply. But now we have infinity spread over the land like HORSE SHIT! Infinity x 1000.

The good news is many of these domains are going to be washed away. The carrying costs of PURE pigeon shit guarantees this. The only ones that don't know it are the Pigeon Shit farmers themselves. But they will figure it out when the bills and the rent are due. Math has a funny way of equalizing things!

The golden goose is still golden, but it has supply and demand to deal with for the foreseeable future.

With that all said we could end up seeing a very widespread domain name frenzy in the months ahead as business has to re-strategize their social media outreach, marketing and control to something they control more and that is DOMAINS!!! The future sovereignty of business DEPENDS on domain names. Business has yet to truly understand and use domains strategically. THEY WILL!! They are being FORCED to wise up!

The most common and visible examples are those that want to upgrade their .whatever to Whatever.com. That's the #1 sector in domaining now and I expect that trend to continue. That is where we still have "Supply and Demand". The only missing link there is "Value" and that is something that comes with time and demand!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I believe domains are so damn cheap! Multi-million dollar domains are CHEAP! Regardless how others view it, I view it totally different. That makes my value different. When others laughed at me for believing I could sell my domains for 6 and 7 figures, I just went out and did it. And I did it OVER and OVER and OVER again DOZENS of times. WHY? HOW? Because I see things differently.

I ask questions and make real world comparisons and parallels. I don't use estibot FOOL!

I ask "How much does it cost to build a single Sear's store?" Or any store? How much rent? How much money outfitting it. Electric, trash, insurance, security, maintenance. I could go on and on. All that for a 25 mile radius vs a WORLDWIDE radius.

Don't like my example? Tough! It's how I value and how I sell. So go ahead, leave millions on the table if you like or if you even are in that position.

A REAL Domain Name Investor buys prime and is not afraid to overpay! Yes, overpay. I would rather overpay for gold than get a bargain on shit! Pigeon Shit!

Because overpaying today is still a bargain tomorrow when you focus on great domain names.

A domain name remains the greatest bargain ever known to man. The greatest equalizer ever known to man. I would imagine more total money has been pumped out of the Internet than Gold or oil out of the ground or will eclipse it in the future. Everyone can have their own oil wells and their own gold mines! Just got to make the right connection, with the right domain and look at it in different ways! My way of looking at it is probably more profitable than most and I am not going to change! I have proved the value of domains every step of the way in face of a world of naysayers and crap like Estibot!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

A REAL Domain Name Investor KNOWS that every domain he or she buys and the $$$ associated with that purchase will be tied up for a VERY long time! A REAL Domain Name Investor does not chase yesterday, he looks at how tomorrow will unfold. A REAL Domain Name Investor does not buy a domain and put a price on it 5 minutes later.

A REAL Domain Name Investor studies their new domain name.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not even think about selling, he thinks about VALUE.

A REAL Domain Name Investor thinks about how it fits in with their other holdings.

A REAL Domain Name Investor never uses Estibot to buy, sell or value domains.

A REAL Domain Name Investor will  not answer many inquiries.

A REAL Domain Name Investor will not answer low ball offers.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not sell to other domain investors  except for the tax loss when needed and all GTLD's.

A REAL Domain Name Investor will not even give a counter price until there is a bonafide offer in the proper price range.

A REAL Domain Name Investor would never even answer an email with somebody pointing to Estibot.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows a registry has 1 or 2 basic functions.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not do business with registries or registrars doing "Clawbacks" after the fact!

A REAL Domain Name Investor invests in GOLD not Copper or Tin.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows that .Net is an orphan

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows that .org has more identity and importance than a .Net

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows that before an end user gets to .Crap-----.net, .Info, .Org, .TV, .Biz and ccTLD's will all be considered FIRST. Oh did I mention .com?

A REAL Domain Name Investor has valuable domains and they are easily recognizable.

A REAL Domain Name Investor has actual earnings and maybe sales to point to.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows this is a lifetime journey and not a sprint.

A REAL Domain Name Investor can rattle off their top 3 domains in a heartbeat!

A REAL Domain Name Investor gets up early, works late and NEVER really takes a day off.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows the WHOIS is the #1 place to sell a domain name.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not list their names at every outlet as fast as they can.

A REAL Domain Name Investor is very careful about how they sell a domain and who has the authority to do so.

A REAL Domain Name Investor earns a living from domains or has the potential for a windfall.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not buy NNNNNNNN.com domains

A REAL investor does not buy LLLLLLLL.com domains they buy WORDS!

A REAL Domain Name Investor can look at a list of 100 names and pick out the best one in less that 10-15 seconds.

A REAL Domain Name Investor can find a decent domain in any sector in minutes for $8.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows what Pigeon Shit Smells like, looks like but hopefully doesn't taste like.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not say it is "Unique". ALL domains are unique!

A REAL Domain Name Investor is prepared to LOSE money!

A REAL Domain Name Investor is prepared to MAKE money.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows the difference!

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not have time for fakers.

A REAL Domain Name Investor makes MONEY with domains.

A REAL Domain Name Investor learns everyday.

A REAL Domain Name Investor appreciates the freedom and opportunity domains give.

A REAL Domain Name Investor understands the POWER a domain can have.

A REAL Domain Name Investor is a critical thinker.

A REAL Domain Name Investor has business acumen.

A REAL Domain Name Investor understands sales, marketing, advertising, history, retail, wholesale etc.

A REAL Domain Name Investor understands, Need, want, desire, value, timing.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not dismiss "The Radio Test"

A REAL Domain Name Investor understands the masses and the average person.

A REAL Domain Name Investor can see John Jones Thru John Jone's eyes.

A REAL Domain Name Investor understands how large companies work.

A REAL Domain Name Investor understads how small companies work.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows the difference between the two.

A REAL Domain Name Investor lives and breathes domains.

A REAL Domain Name Investor will pass their holdings on.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows that domains are not liquid and may have no or limited cash value.

A REAL Domain Name Investor wakes up and thanks the Lord every single day to be in such a great business.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows he is alone on this journey.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows there is a lot of trial and error.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows what a Domain Vein is.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not care about the age of a domain.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows how to dig deep or scratch the surface and the difference.

A REAL Domain Name Investor knows the true value of what they have and can say NO.

A REAL Domain Name Investor would never sell for chump change.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not Shill bid at auctions.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not support auction houses that don't STRONGLY enforce shill bidding rules and publicly suspend those that violate their terms.

A REAL Domain Name Investor does not infringe on Trademarks!

A REAL Domain Name Investor is not a Cybersquatter!

A REAL Domain Name Investor..........Add YOURS in comments! It could go on for days.

A REAL Domain Name Investor........

A REAL Domain Name Investor.......

A REAL Domain Name Investor.......

Coming Soon, how to spot a A FAKE Domain Name Investor!!

Rick Schwartz

PS: A REAL and SMART Domain Name Investor invests in .COM DOMAINS! :-)

A REAL Domain Name Investor reads RicksBlog.com ;-)

Morning Folks!!

As far as I am concerned, Domain Trade Shows are DEAD! They are run for the wrong purposes, for the wrong people and are just spamfests! They no longer have value. It really stinks when YOU pay and MOST don't! That makes YOU a FOOL! You got fooled!

So I think UNSPONSORED  "Meetups" are far superior now and in the future. Forget about the spammy speakers. Forget about the travel and hotel and airplane expense. Forget about it!

Get 10-20 REAL domainers together and just have a "Dutch Treat" dinner and talk, talk, talk. Compare notes. Look for real answers that you can no longer find at the Spam shows.

See "Domain Investors" got overrun by all those companies like registrars, registries,and all related and allied fields. It is THEIR AGENDA not YOURS!

See there are less than 500 professional domain investors in the world. That's about it! There are 12x more people that work for Godaddy than all the domain investors in the world. So if you add up all the people working for companies that CAN'T MAKE YOU ANY MONEY, you will see it is in tens of thousands. Why are you wasting your TIME with THEM????

Look at the shows. You are lucky if a handful of actual Domain Investors actually show up. And it is watered down by perhaps a couple hundred folks that KNOW NOTHING about investing in domains. They know about trying to sell you something. Mostly WORTHLESS GTLD's.

So imagine you go to a show with 190 GTLD registries and a bunch of registrars and 10 domain investors vs a meetup with just those 10 maybe even 20 REAL domain investors. Which do you think has more value? Cut out the sponsors for your free lunch or free whatever and pay $100 for a dinner and do some business!

Non-profit meetups vs ????

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Let me start with my "Update" in yesterday's post.

UPDATE!: In the past 24 hours I have seen 2 high profile incidents where on TV they did not send their viewers to Twitter or Facebook but instead are promoting their own WEBSITE! We may be at a watershed moment. People got the message about controlling their own destiny!

I continue to see commercials and I am seeing social media links that are GONE and replaced with their domain name! This is a BIG deal! It is widespread and spreading very fast.

As many of you know I closed my Twitter Account last December and soon after I did the same thing with Facebook. Why? One word. TRUST! TRUST! TRUST! I no longer trust these platforms in any way, shape or form. These platforms can ruin your life as fast as you can post something that offends somebody.

I experienced it first hand. Threats of violence and worse. If you hit a nerve, watch out! But the way that society is now designed your social media is part of your credit. Part of your job application. Part of everything you might ever do!

But now back to business. They relied on these platforms to open shops and do business and customer service. That was plain IDIOTIC! It's one thing to make a contact on social media but the first thing folks should be doing is directing them right back to their website to help them with whatever they need.

Businesses work so hard to be cool so they bought in to the Social Media nonsense. Then they watched as many got bitten and others were put out of business overnight on the whim of some MORON working at one of these companies. Their stocks are down for a reason. What's coming is going to be ugly for them.

Please pay attention to TV commercials and magazine advertising. The shift and the speed of that shift is stunning. They seem to finally get it! Putting a businesses destiny in the hands of third parties like Twitter, Facebook, and Google is simply insane. Especially NOW with what we have all learned this year.

Whether that helps to ignite domains again is unclear. Why? Well, they already own their domain, they just did not promote it or use it in the correct way. Then biggest opportunity in domaining is with companies upgrading their domains to something more prime. Big sector and big money!

This is a perfect example of why you need to pay attention on a daily basis. When things change, it may take a long time, but when that change actually happens, it happens very fast!

So look at the TV commercials and you will see social media links are GONE and replaced with their domain name. THAT'S a GIANT LEAP towards the right direction!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I get emails all day long from folks trying to sell their domains. But there is a difference of late. They are no longer trying to sell one or two, they are trying to sell their entire portfolio and get out of the domaining business all together. Problem is there are no buyers.

Domainers are selling because their one time assets are now liabilities. They are bills. And those wasted $$$$ could be paying the mortgage. And I am really sorry to say I have not seen many portfolios with value. To be honest, most don't have a single domain of any value whatsoever. And they are competing against those with really nice portfolios that can't sell either. The good ones are way too risky to tie up any more $$$ with regardless of the quality.

Demand is simply WAY down. Domainers are financially weak and they are not buying. Plus they already have a boatful of domains themselves that are moving VERY slowly.

Folks like Godaddy won't buy most portfolios unless they are filled with NNN.com and LLL.com and alike. Why? Because they are clueless on what a valuable name looks liken or how to price or sell them. So they stick with these type domains that they can buy and sell rather easily compared to domains of great value.

I have a pretty decent portfolio. Here is the list of my top 10 offers I have had for my entire collection over my career. I am retired. I would love to get a lump sum.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

That's right! Nobody has offered me so much as a penny! (Except for some wise guy commenter after I write this)

I have been the #1 proponent of domains for over 23 years. But I always deal with reality even when it is hard. As the new GTLD's die off, things may improve. But then again, that's the exact thing that drained the money out of the industry to begin with. I don't know that domainers can EVER financially rebound from those losses and continuing bills. Believe me, the desperation level is the highest I have ever seen it. Domainers are BEGGING for folks to buy their domains and get out of this business.

The next few months are going to be important for our sector. We are smack dab in the middle of "Domain Season". But that season is not for marginal or silly names. It is for serious upgrades and serious startups. BIG deals.

The best thing that happened to domains this year is the continuing implosion of social media. The veil is off. We have been lied to, suckered, silenced, used and worse. The fuzzy glow of Facebook, Twitter and Google are GONE! Their power and how they used it against us was exposed. The shift is still happening.  This is the silver lining but we don't know how that will manifest itself yet. It should benefit domains.

A domain is about making a statement. It's about memory. WeBuyUglyHouses.com is the perfect example of why the average end user can and will find a $10 name in a few minutes. More meaningful than the crap domainers have for big money.

My domains have nothing to do with your domains. They are all unique assets or unique liabilities. Either they have FACE VALUE or they don't. Either another party would want to own them or not.

If you play the lifetime domain game it does not matter. If you are buying and selling, it does matter.

Year over year on DNJournal.com's sales tracker it appears that 2017 and 2018 numbers will be very close. Then again these are only reported sales and in fact, most big ticket sales are never reported.

I think there are ways to report those sales without breaking any confidentially agreements by simply giving a bottom line of all sales in any specified period by a broker, domainer or company. I could say I have $20 million in sales for 2015-2017 but I don't have to give specifics. I may even be able to list the domains sold without violating any agreement or spirit of that agreement. Things like that are helpful to an industry like ours but many won't contribute to that effort. It hurts them as well.

The GTLD frenzy is over. The Chinese frenzy is over or at least on pause. Many are on the downside of the slope when it comes to domaining. No matter how much they made in the day, the day is over and they are coming to grips with that. I'm sorry that is happening to folks. But it's the reality of the times.

Are the golden days of domaining behind us? Maybe! But there is still much gold in domains. There is still opportunity. But it is SLOW opportunity! SLOW! The fast track is in crisis. Time is not their ally. The bills are coming in faster than the sales can pay those bills. That's a problem and that's a problem many in domaining are facing.

It's also a problem that I decided to focus on from my very first purchases so I would never be in a weak negotiating position. I pay my domains 10 YEARS in advance when I can. Not all. But the ones I want to make sure I protect. When I have a windfall, I pay forward even more of them. Been doing that since 1996. Totaled up, I am thousands of years ahead on renewals, not a single day behind.

Rick Schwartz

UPDATE!: In the past 24 hours I have seen 2 high profile incidents where on TV they did not send their viewers to Twitter or Facebook but instead are promoting their own WEBSITE! We may be at a watershed moment. People got the message about controlling their own destiny!

Morning Folks!!

If people would add up all the TIME they WASTE with know-nothings and fakers and wannabe's that pose as credible business people they would find that it is measured in Weeks, Months YEARS!

Imagine if you are a fool and you were to answer every spam you get as if it was a serious contact. How much time would that take? Well, many of the emails we get have little more value than that but an untrained or naive businessperson will answer anyways. Sorry, there is no law compelling you to waste your time and answer an email of no interest. I would not even worry about etiquette. How much is the time in your life worth?

So, being efficient and sometimes even stingy with YOUR TIME is something you might want to consider. Bottom line, I don't want to waste my time with folks that waste people's time for a living. And unfortunately, that includes a huge swath of people.

But that was the methodology I used with TRAFFIC: "How do you keep the time wasters out and the qualified people in?" Well, if you give it away for free, then every Tom, Dick, Harry and Mary is there. Most have no value to you but they sure will waste your time. By the time you get thru the crowds to the people that count that can further your career and ambitions, time is up!

The best qualifier in my eyes is monetary. You want serious people? Charge a serious price. You want people that feel compelled to make things happen and do business? Charge a serious price. You want to use your time to the utmost and truly find out new and timely information? Charge/Pay a serious price.

Today we have GTLD sellers posing as domain experts and they populate each and every show. They are not there for YOUR benefit. They are there for THEIR benefit. You are being spammed and you don't even know it! That becomes a waste of time. YOUR time! And that translates to wasting money! YOUR money! More money wasted than going to a serious show, paying a serious price, being among serious people, looking for serious opportunity and new business. Get serious!

And speaking about getting serious......Do you know what percentage of people get into these shows for FREE vs Paying? Do you pay?? Then maybe you need to know. Magazines publish exactly how many subscribers there are. They break them down into 2 categories. FREE and PAID subscriptions. I learned to only advertise in PAID magazines. The results would be 10x that of the FREE JUNK! Why? Readers were simply more qualified and had some skin in the game. But to pay to get spammed when many to most are getting in free?? Those folks must be brain-dead.

Yup, if you prey on Newbies, then by all means just ignore what I have said. But if you are looking to do serious business, with serious people, maybe consider the difference serious makes vs NOISE and spammers. But to pay to get spammed?? Those folks must be brain-dead. And of course I got persecuted for making almost everyone pay to get into TRAFFIC because that was the right way regardless of the names I was called. The fair way. And it was effective and successful. However I did financially help many along the way to get in.

I also got pissed when domainers would try and sneak in without paying. Or when Google and Yahoo would FLY a dozen folks or more from California into Miami to do business with domainers but refused to come in the front door like everyone else and pay like everyone else. Sorry, they are SCUM in my book and still are!

I don't care either way. I'm no longer in show-business. But now that we are several years down the road, I just thought I would point that out. The Domain Investment Industry is splintered, meandering and meaningless. It's all but gone. We came to domaining alone and one by one. We will leave domaining alone and one by one. Last person out please shut the door!

Bring on the hate!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

At every stage of innovation throughout history the masses or certain segments or those with skin in the game have warned about economic collapse and loss of jobs during every innovative period. But that really does not happen. Here is the reality.

Innovation gives us more time to be productive and efficient. It never goes the other way! NEVER! When computers came out everyone was going to be replaced by computers. There was a shift, but it never does what they warn it will do. It ALWAYS does exactly the opposite. More productive, more opportunity, more money, higher standard of living.

When cars came out the poor blacksmith was going to go out of business. Maybe they just got shifted to working on cars and making more money. Things change. But they don't change for the worse. They change for the better. ALWAYS!

With robotics and AI and Virtual, these are all things that will help humanity increase their standard of living. People will work less and make more or they will work the same or harder and make MUCH more.

Poverty today comes with all the modern conveniences. When I was growing up, poverty meant no electric, no running water, lack of food, no TV and possibly lack of shelter all together. But as society becomes more efficient, even those living at the poverty level have many things and a standard of living much better than their ancestors. That's all a result of the inventions that the fools feared and warned of.

Before computers and the Internet, kids would make a few dollars mowing lawns or selling lemonade or babysitting. Today those same kids have the opportunity to open REAL businesses and make FORTUNES! And it does not matter if they are sitting in New York City, Oklahoma City, Panama City or Ho Chi Minh City! Access is close to equal for everyone on earth. That's POWER! Power folks never had before. WOW!

Progress is nothing to ever fear. It's something to embrace and exploit and gain freedom from. So, Vive La Robots! Vive La AI, Vive La Virtual, Vive La every single advancement we can make!

If you have not made your fortune yet, pay attention and you can. It's there for the making. But it's up to you to drill down, explore, think and figure out what it all means. Good Luck!

Rick Schwartz