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

Morning Folks!!

We throw around numbers all the time and folks still don’t
understand the magnitude and what a number means. I heard another way to look
at big numbers to quantify them and have them more understandable.

Million, Billion, Trillion, we use these numbers like sugar
packets at McDonalds. But have you ever stopped to really understand what they
mean and what they represent?

If you were to think of these large numbers as time and in
seconds it will give you a new way to visualize what the hell we are talking about.
There are 86,400 seconds in a 24 hour day. So 1 million seconds would be about
11 days. 1 billion seconds would be about 32 YEARS. 1 trillion seconds would be
32,000 YEARS

31,536,000 seconds per year. 3,105,360,000 in a 100 year
lifetime.

Part 2 coming soon.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Few know that I used to own a pizza place on the boardwalk in Cape Cod back in the early 1980's. We served a lot of pizza. Hundreds a day and more than you could even count on July 4th. We also had the best pizza. But it was the best because of the taste, quality and the GLUE. Some pizza just can't get the sauce and cheese to meld with the dough and so when you pick it up the top separates from the bottom and you have a glob of hot cheese and sauce and then a slab of bough shaped like a slice of pizza. That is where Apple comes in. They have glue! Their items go together. If you get one, you will get all.

For the last couple years I wished there had been a device like the iphone but bigger. I could run my entire business off of such a device. I could almost do it with an iphone, actually I could do it in a pinch, but it would not be that much fun and with that small a device it has limitations.

So the iPad came along and has overcome that problem. I am already an iPad fan after the first week. I got 2 on the first day and now awaiting the 3g version that will quite bluntly change how I live life. Laptop? I can now go away without it. That's a big deal. That's a new way for me to be more productive and free up more time. Many are used to carrying around a small legal pad. That is all the ipad is, a small pad. But inside that small little pad is a giant of a beast. A new king may have been born. It gives mobile computing an entire new definition. Yes, I know there have been 'Tablets' out there for some time....but they have no GLUE!!! And while they attempt to fill in a void, they don't. The iPad does and that is a game changer.

Now if it were just a personal notepad and organize it would just be cool but would not change how I live life. How you live life. But once you start plugging in their apps, this baby takes on a character that nobody will rival for years to come. That plane becomes a rocket and into orbit you go. Thumb you nose at this device and you will be thumbing your nose to what you could have been.

I know many won't agree. It's ok, you don't see what I see. You don't see what this means. So it is just hype and Steve Jobs? I don' think so. Do I really need an iPad? I do, hope most don't. I will have everything at my fingertips while they say, 'I'll get back to you.' I can have my most powerful tool with me at all times and that has great value. I will keep one in my car at all times. I will have one with me. I will have one on my coffee table. I will build them in the walls and make a smart home much smarter.

50 million iPhones sold so far and when Verizon and Sprint get in the game it will swell to over 100 million. 1 billion apps downloaded months ago. The iPad is no iPhone. It is a much more important tool if you can imagine the possibilities. Together the iPhone, the iPad and the MacBook are GLUE that nobody else has or will have. A cash rich company sitting on tens of billions of dollars may be on the way to being a Trillion dollar company. There is not a question in my mind that every year for the foreseeable future they will gain market share over PC and turn into the most powerful company on the planet. Sorry IBM, Sony, HP, your numbers may go up, but your market share is as high as it is going to get. Apple has set themselves up for one of the greatest historical victories in the history of business before they even eye the Google Empire who they are about to go against in an epic battle of cash rich companies. In the 1970's we had 'Gas Wars' and prices plummeted to as low as 22 cents a gallon. This decade will see a war of titans the likes of which will be historical. And Microsoft will do everything to be there as well and that may drag a few others in and we are about to see one Battle Royale. I doubt the landscape in 2020 will look anything like it does in 2010. The next 10 years will provide 100 years of change and progress.

Have a GREAT day!
Rick Schwartz

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