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

Morning Folks!!

I will judge each gTLD on their own merits. And while there is a lot of stupid things being said, we have to know that there is more than one dance happening and for more than one audience. Domainers, Investors and the end-user. (Just kidding about the end-user) :-)

So in the case of .Club here are my thoughts:

1. They know this has nothing to do with .com or any other extension.

2. They are not saying silly and stupid things.

3. They understand the challenge they have in front of them even if their numbers may be a tad optimistic.

4. They see their place and role in the FABRIC of the Internet and domains without trying to weaken the other material. (When some others have to lower themselves and resort to "Dot com is dead" they are trying to weaken the very ship in which they sail on and look so silly and pathetic when they do so) Just tell me your benefits and that is what the .club guys do and they may not become big investment quality domains but I am certain they will establish themselves in the fabric and have a viable business.

5. I can think of many words and names to put left of the dot that actually make sense.

Compare that to .Horse. One is much more limited than the other. That is why 75% of ALL the gTLD's are not going to survive. There are simply not enough strings to make it viable after assuming the end-user is going to jump on that .Horse. Equal extensions?? I don't think so.  .Horse does not get out of the gate for me. Are we not supposed to compare and weigh each of  these against each other NOT .com?? That is their CRAP and it is CRAP. They have to compete against the other gTLD's and that is where they really crap out.

Now I am not blowing smoke. I told this directly to Jeff from .Club back in October and I did that several times.  Want to know why?? We both asked "Where are the other guys?" .Club guys know it won't be easy. It really is a challenge. They are PREPARED for that challenge and many others are not. They can make a coherent case for why some folks would use a .club. It may or may not happen. But they know what their job is and they take it seriously. They even hired Berkens and Cahn so they understand the trail ahead is going to be a battle and are going in with their eyes wide open and I give them props for that!!

On the other hand the trash talk hurts everyone except those with a big bag of smoke. I am really shocked that the tone has taken on this direction before the business even starts. I talk one on one to fellow domainers and they too are stunned and can't get over how dumb they are starting to look. Check out these thoughts and maybe you will see what I mean. Talks about domainers being "Resistant to change" and other condescending and arrogant  comments aimed at professional domainers. Just DUMB!

I am all for expansion. Not a threat. Won't hurt anyone reading this. I love it. But I think there is a lot of self-doubt these days. Why? Maybe you and I asked questions they never even thought of. And maybe they have no answers for valid questions so they need smoke and other schemes to pull off what may be impossible for most to pull off. It's that simple. Emotion is driving them and reality is squarely in their way and the closer they get to that reality the more they lash out. The timing and delays has only made things worse.

A domain is only a domain until there is a destination and a business there. Winners and losers will be defined by those that do that not the other way around. Pick any extension you like and want. Knock your socks off. All I know is any company that has had any degree of success off of a non .com eventually seeks the .com because they need it to continue to grow their companies.

And each company will do what they need to grow their own company. So if the domain and extension is good for his/her company, he will embrace. If not, he won't. Most customers might say "We already have our domain name" and that is the start and the end of the conversation that no gtld operator will be involved in or privy to. They won't be there making their case. Most will dismiss out of hand and be done with it never to give it another thought in their lifetime. That's reality.

And 1000 others will compete against all existing extensions and they will have whatever importance the public gives them. Period.

And by the way, the minute they bring up search or Google as a basis and a reason, that is even weaker than .mobi's reason. Google is like an answer to everything. Bull! Buy the damn traffic!! Everyone is so geared to fake out the system to get free traffic they forgot the real way is to buy it and pay for it and make money with it and then buy more.

Is it nice to get a Google listing? Yep! Well I am telling you it is RELEVANCE on a subject that will get you there. The domain is not for Google. The domain is for the consumer. The domain is for ease of advertising. The domain is for easy word of mouth. Some folks have it so entangled they can't see straight any more.

It's so transparent. Like sitting out in front of Google yelling pick me!! pick me!!! Stop faking out search and build a site that has something of value to offer or a product to sell and ADVERTISE! Use any vehicle you want. The domain either tells a story or is a brand or is identifiable or is unique or is special in some other regard that lets you stand out. If a gTLD helps them do that, they will embrace, if not......

So fellas, not all extensions are equal. Some are more equal than others. The .club guy made his case and it held water. Now that is good for them. They will register more than enough domains to be profitable and viable as a registry.  It still has the hurdle of being investment quality and that happens in time as demand grows or not. Perception. Value. The X factor. All types of variables. They don't tell me that their baby is going to be 7FT tall and break all basketball records and led the NBA in scoring for 6 straight years. I mean what these others are doing is even sillier than that.

To me there is no gTLD's. There are 1000 extensions that have no relation and we all know that .web is the only extension that is really being taken seriously by domainers  as a whole for those that even think there is something over here. Why? Because it is generic, it makes sense and it could be very widespread. If this was a horse race, .web would win before most others are out of the gate. The margins of imaginary pre-registrations tell the predictable story. Just verify's what we know. .Web is the one to watch. It will either prop up .net or sweep .net into 3rd place in that 10-20 year horizon some are speaking of.

If .web were out there would be much more interest. There is little oxygen right now for all these folks. Little interest. Little quality. I will buy .web when it arrives. Maybe. Depending. But I see mass viability and acceptance. It is a NATURAL FIT and not forced. Does not mean you make money right away. Could be a sub cousin to .net or .org or could be a monster. That is the #1 threat for the new gTLD's. .Web. .Period.

I look at all the extensions and I want to hear their case. I just am sick of swallowing their bullshit. Tell me the benefits ONLY. If you have to resort to attack and BS you lose. Game over. Tell me how many strings you have with an extension. Tell me all the stuff you forgot to ask and don't even know but can preach the oceans of .Com parting for some .whatever!

Yesterday we debated .link. The debate is still going. Point, counterpoint. Let's pick the subject apart and then each will decide. I said I thought it was the strongest gTLD I know about of his.  There were a wide range of views. I like hearing all the arguments and those scared to argue have to spew.

I want to thank Frank for having that lively debate yesterday over here. We are all looking for answers. We all want to make money. But the first rule of making money, is not losing money and that is for each to explain. Why their investments are safe and why they will grow. That burden is not on any domainer. It is on each registry to make a coherent case. We will accept or reject based on what we see and business basics.  Let's see what is listed on DNJournal in 2014 and 2015. We know from history that at the 1 and 2 year anniversay and renewal cycles there are massive amounts of domains that can be had for $20 and $30.  Wheel barrel filled with keywords with no value and no demand.

Did anyone pick up my .mobi drops? My .co drops? Does anyone care?

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

What Was, What Is, What Will Be and What If? Sounds pretty encompassing to me.

How long do you have to think and ponder on something before you find an answer? Well it can easily be a split second or a lifetime or a never. Pondering, thinking and digging very deep. See most folks only barely scratch the surface of life. I think most treasures are hidden below ground. Not all. Opportunity for example is above ground. You just have to know how to see the invisible. No digging required. In business asking the hard questions is Job #1.  It's actually a continuous job. One we do unconsciously or for some very consciously.

However one of two things generally happen. One will either not bother to dig or one will dig so deep that it becomes too deep. Too deep can present perils. Always a happy medium.

The domain game is changing and I see it mostly at the drop auctions. Plenty of end users are now in the mix and to be quite honest, hard to compete with an end-user as a domain investment. The numbers many times go too high and I don't see the upside in tying up that much money for an untold amount of time. So to spend $30,000 on a $50,000 name or even a $100,000 name no longer fits in my formula.

So you kinda have to go "Off Grid" to find investment quality domain names that will go up anywhere from 10x-100x in value. When you have domains like that you can rest assured you can liquidate if need be.

Quality is liquid. My top 1000 domains could be sold very quickly if I had to. When a domain has obvious value it has liquidity. If I list them I would get multiple offers quite quickly. I won't get a desirable price, but I could get liquid and that is what we all need to aim for.

Quality = Liquidity if you don't overpay.

In domaining quality is defined much like real estate. In fact, it is the almost the perfect parallel. Anyone dismissing that is throwing away the foundation of not only domaining but real estate principles a thousand years old and proven worldwide. Location is the driver of value and worth and all the rest.

So when you use that parallel it is pretty hard to get lost. What was, still is and will be. We can use the "What if" variable all day long but you only need to do that when you ignore the parallels we all share.

And in this business we have multiple parallels that run on separate tracks and don't intersect. They may cross paths, but they don't intersect. Not only do we have parallels in real things, but we have parallels in time and expansion and so many other things.

The future and all the new things coming are what makes domaining so dynamic. Why a SHARP person could come into this business TODAY and makes his millions. Real Estate is MUCH harder! Takes MUCH more time and effort and running around and wasting time. That is what makes domains so attractive and why I was always so mystified why Realtors were not the ones to figure this puzzle out first? They should have been over this like white on rice!

The world is full of so many parallels and since folks just dismiss the thought they have to pave their own highways that have already been laid for them. That wastes time, costs money and you lose because everyone else is in the fast lane and they know when to dig and when not to dig. Balance is key.

How many new products came out today? New sectors? New inventions? New needs for new things. accessories for what already is. Filling a void as mountains appear and valley's can thrive.

I truly believe there is more opportunity right now, today, then any other moment in history. It is the main reason 3rd world countries are now leading the world. Same world, same opportunities. It's a mindset. It is how you look and view things. It's about unleashing what is inside each of us. I always say we each have a gift and our job is figuring it out and don't let anyone minimize or do anything but help nurture it.

What Was,  What Is, What Will Be and What If, is just about thinking and not being lazy about it. You have to follow each path in your mind to the end. To the answer. Left or right, up or down. And if there are pitfalls along the way each has to be defined. Some pitfalls are deal breakers and you are done. Tho some will continue on a dead-end.

Buying the $15 Million mansion next to the town dump may not be the best bet. In fact, that would be an obvious deal breaker. It really does not matter how wonderful the Pool is or how large the Family Room is. The point is moot. So when you get to MOOT, a dead-end, your trip down that path is done and over. Dismiss it! Many may go beyond that point and that is at their own peril. Once I see "Moot", game over.

It's difficult to draw a picture of an intangible. But in my mind it is completely tangible because I am able to create a clear image in my mind and follow the path. I either get to moot and look for the next thing to focus on or I find an interesting answer and see how I can plug it in to the universe.

I realize many things that you can't really say out loud. The society in the USA now strives for mediocrity. And while many can't see it, I can because I remember when it was not like that. When we strived for excellence. Makes me want to puke. Know why? I was mediocre for two thirds of my life. I still only run at about 33% of my capacity. But at least I know the difference. Can see the difference. Understand the difference. Most importantly, the result is different. Excellence leads you to prosperity. Leads you to dreams. Excellence is the path to any great success.  I guess I was about 40 when I began figuring it out. But it is crystal clear now.

When the iPad first came out I wrote about all the companies that would not only utilize it but how many new companies would spring up to make things for it. Cases, plugs, keyboards and you name it. An entire CITY of products came to market just because of the iPad.

It was all forseeable. Once the seed is planted for a tree you can begin to figure things out. How tall will it grow? How much shade will it provide? How much area will it take over? You MUST ask these things and see these things BEFORE it grows into a tree or you may have branches going thru your windows and roots in your foundation. So their problem did not happen when the tree grew, it happened when they planted the seed and never asked the right questions at the right time and then got surprised by the result. DUH!

What Was,  What Is, What Will Be and What If? And that is just for starters. Digging for answers takes time and does not involve emotion. The key is following the answer even when you don't like. Even when it leads to an opposite place of where you thought you would be. Just hop on the nearest parallel and you will be on path.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I swear to you that the entry bar to the domain industry is only in your mind. A good mind can come into this industry TODAY and set up shop and within a few years, make his/her fortune. How? Well actually there are many ways.

It takes some hard work to start, but most of that hard work comes in the way of thinking. Many folks just "Do". I say "Think". Then do. Then think again and either do or undo but don't just keep going and going and going. Each step needs to be traced and retraced. That is the path to ensure you get it right. Get it right without getting lost or off on the wrong path.

I hope to share a small journey with you in the coming days. One that I hope will show you a tried and true path to fortunes still to be made here in domaining. I think I can prove that there are still veins to be minded and plenty of gold left for those that can see the future from here and how things may unfold in time when we look those 5-10 years or more down the road.

Find what works and just repeat, repeat, repeat.

Buy what you can afford to lose no matter what business you are in.

No money to start? Get in the middle of a deal. That takes no money. Just takes thinking. Takes recognizing an opportunity and then acting on it.

Want the "Easy Button"? Get the foundational things right and you will own an "Easy Button". But until then, if you are not willing to put in 14-16 hour days, you get what you get.

2014 will be a very exciting year for the domain industry and well beyond. The topic will be domains and websites and web strategies and everything web and internet related.  Everyone knows their very survival orbits around the Internet from here on out. The focus and money will come in like a tidal wave. Probably 2nd and 3rd quarters of this year. But all year there will be big moves made by many.  Facebook is on a buying spree and they should be. Why sit on billions of dollars that lose buying power each and every day when you can grow that money instead by buying and integrating profitable businesses?

Retailers will have to analyze those holiday numbers and they are going to one day come to the realization that for folks like JC Penny and Sears to survive, they need to start closing every store that is not growing in sales. BOOM! Just like that. Done! Overnight. Stop the hemorrhaging and focus on what works. Take some of those employees and train them how to use Facebook and Twitter and all the rest and unleash their power of change. The game is over guys. Time to rethink the next 100 years or you won't be around to rethink it. Time is running shorter and Amazon is growing bigger.

I don't think opportunity in domaining is solely dependent on the size of your wallet. Yes, sometimes it does, but most of the time it does not. Has more to do with your timeline and strategy. I really do see 6 figure domains that I would not consider buying and I see $1000 domains with 6 figure values.  Our eyes all see different things based on our life experience. Some things work over and over again and some things fail over and over again.

The future we share is very bright and many fortunes can still be made. Discovering a path that works is perhaps one of the hardest and most sought after intangibles in the world. But intangibles are what makes opportunity. Thinking how to use intangibles in different forms is the roadmap that fortunes are made.

If you are not finding the success you deserve, I always say stop, take a day off. Relax. Enjoy. And then spend another day just thinking and crystallizing those thoughts. Go deep my friends. Your futures depend on it and deserve it.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

And another one bites the dust! Rarely do we see  a one member panel have a finding of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking. But we do today for the domain name rpglife.com.  RPG Life Sciences Ltd. Represented by Anand & Anand, India has been found GUILTY of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking. (RDNH)

Congrats guys. More about you to come. This post is just starting. You guys are already GUILTY OF REVERSE DOMAIN NAME HIJACKING HERE!! You are a SERIAL Reverse Domain Name Hijacker. I think this is number Two or THREE??? Still researching. Lots of this CRAP coming from Mumbai. Seems Mumbai, India and Brazil are the leading countries these days for those being convicted of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking. Quite an honor.

http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=D2013-2094

D. Reverse Domain Name Hijacking

In the present case, the Panel considers that the Complainant’s professional representative should have appreciated, even on a rudimentary examination of the Policy and its application in this area, that the Complaint could not succeed where the Respondent’s Disputed Domain Name is a widely recognized acronym and is being used to promote goods and services available for purchase in that field, as it had no reasonable hope of meeting the conjunctive requirement of paragraph 4(a) of the Policy.

Accordingly, the Panel accepts the Respondent’s allegation that the Complaint was filed in willful disregard of the requirements of the Policy. It is clear to the Panel that the Complainant knew or ought to have known that the Respondent’s registration and use of the Disputed Domain Name could not, under any fair interpretation of the reasonably available facts, have constituted registration and use in bad faith. The Panel therefore finds that the Complaint was brought in bad faith and constitutes an abuse of the administrative proceeding. (See Futureworld Consultancy (Pty) Limited v. Online Advice, WIPO Case No. D2003-0297; Kur- und Verkehrsverein St. Moritz v. Domain Finance Ltd., WIPO Case No. D2004-0158).

The Complaint speculates that “such strategies of creating domain names incorporating well known trademarks is a strategy typically used by cybersquatters so that they can force the Complainant to buy the impugned domain name at an exorbitant price and the Respondent may, in the future, offer to sell the domain name at an unreasonable price to the Complainant”. Initiating domain name dispute resolution proceedings necessarily involves putting the parties to a considerable expenditure of time and in many cases cost and the Policy must not be used unless the complainant has a reasonable and credible belief it is entitled to succeed. In particular, proceedings must not be commenced in an unjustifiable attempt to pressure a domain name owner into releasing a legitimately held domain name predating any trademark rights held by the complainant, see Sustainable Forestry Management Limited v. SFM.com and James M. van Johns “Infa dot Net” Web Services, WIPO Case No. D2002-0535.

Further, the Complaint has misconceived the nature of UDRP proceedings in citing other domain names registered by the Complainant that contain the words “rpg life” including the following domains , , , and as evidence that “clearly shows that our client has exclusive rights in domain names contained in the mark RPG LIFE”. UDRP proceedings are concerned with abusive registration of domain names and are not a test of who has the better rights to a disputed domain name nor who holds the most similar domain names.

Finally, it should also be said that it was the Complainant who, on no evidence at all, accused the Respondent of acting in bad faith and that there was “no plausible explanation” as to the Respondent’s use (and presumably choice) of the Disputed Domain Name. That, itself, is an act of bad faith and is part of the reason why the Panel has made the finding of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking. Such allegations should not be made lightly or without cogent evidence to support them and certainly not where, after obtaining instructions, it must have been apparent to the Complainant that no such allegation could properly be made against the Respondent. Indeed, in a curious inversion of the roles of the Complainant and the Respondent, it was the Complainant who tendered evidence that the Respondent’s website was ostensibly concerned with Role Playing Games and activities associated with it and hence entirely legitimate and in good faith.

The Panel therefore makes a finding of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking.

7. Decision

Nicholas Weston
Sole Panelist
Date: December 30, 2013

Morning Folks!!

The test of time. Circa 1999-2001 on Oprano Chatboard and before. So what were the best pearls of wisdom winners posted back then? The same as every year since. See which ones below may apply right now. Pay particular attention to those highlighted in red.

Below is a picture of the T-Shirt I still have from back then. These beliefs I have were not born recently for or from convenience. This line has stood the test of time and it let's folks know that their bullshit will not find a friendly helping hand with me. It lets them know that they will get a swift kick in the ass if they try to pull one over because with numbers you can catch liars, and cheaters and all types of prey. You can destroy folks with numbers. You can destroy ideas. You can destroy theories. You can destroy anything not worthy.

I dissect, do a living autopsy and drill down with multiple variables. That takes time. Time most are unwilling or unable to do. Once armed with the real numbers, they can throw the kitchen sink at me and I won't flinch because my numbers are stronger and more powerful than bullshit.

On the other hand, if you know and understand and don't abuse the numbers, they are the roadmap and building blocks to nearly every answer to every question and therefore each and every success. Most abuse the numbers and if they do, I HANG THEM by their own numbers until I squeeze every ounce of bullshit out of them and then we can have a real discussion and find real answers or I ignore them and watch where they are in 6 months or a year.

Can't help it. Pisses me off when folks make up and/or lie about numbers. And when they do, I stuff it down their throats while everyone else swallows the delicious bait. So there is a reason I act and react this way and in TIME it will be evident to most.

"Numbers I trust. People I don't" Webfather (your's truly)

Here are the runner ups as it may be a bit difficult to read from my picture above:

"Find Demand. Find how to fill it with other people's efforts and you have it made." Serge

"Assumption is the mother of all F*ckups." Mike Fold

"Success is a journey not a destination." Mike AI

"Political Correctness is a disease. It is the removal of all common sense." Wig

"The only thing the newb needs to remember is that the "Ding" means the fries are done."  Dokk

"It's the adult web business baby where "Send me some traffic" means "F*CK YOU."" KB

"Always thought being nice to everyone just left you broke with a very sore rectum" Cleo

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Here are my most viewed posts of 2013.

How to protect yourself from Reverse Domain Name Hijacking

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/04/ricks-magnificent-vaccine-how-to-reverse-reverse-domain-name-hijacking/

Rick's Official Reader Poll

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/12/ricks-official-2013-reader-poll/

I take you right inside the ebet.com deal step by step

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/10/inside-1-35mm-ebet-com-sale/

Schwartz/Schilling Part 1

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/10/team-schwartz-vs-team-schilling-traffic-video-part-1/

I respond to every point to the  Forbes.com article and their flawed, sloppy and biased reporting

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/11/nonsense-responses-forbes-com-world/

The $20 Million domain sale

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/10/top-single-domain-sales-hits-20-million-sex-com-longer-highest-domain-name-sale/

The heavy lift I see. I'd Like to teach the World to Sing

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/09/frank-schilling-id-like-teach-world-sing-perfect-harmony/

Domaining in the very early days. Pure gold!

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/09/my-first-few-days-in-domains-1995-1996-alone-then-the-gold-rush-of-1998/

Possible domino collapse of many gTLD's

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/09/can-the-new-gtlds-have-a-domino-collapse/

Domain Investing vs Domain Gambling

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/12/domain-investing-vs-domain-gambling/

Empirical evidence vs assumptions and talking points

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/11/empirical-evidence-odds-fallacious-gtld-assumptions-talking-points/

Rick Schwartz

Afternoon Folks!!

"Drinking the Kool-Aid" is a metaphor commonly used in the United States that refers to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief, argument, or philosophy without critical examination. It could also refer to knowingly going along with a doomed or dangerous idea because of peer pressure. The phrase typically carries a negative connotation when applied to an individual or group."

Sounds exactly like what we are witnessing!! I'll let others carry their water. This is the no Bullshit zone and if you are not seeing what is happening, you are blind. This Kool-Aid may not poison you, but but most flavors can surely leave you broke. How many of the 900 can make the top 10? Trick question. You caught me. lol

Well as you see one after another domainers or bloggers succumb to peer pressure as described above.  I won't be fitting into their orchestra anytime soon because I don't do peer pressure. I won't sing their praises to sell ads or another ticket even tho it would be to my benefit. I won't even give them the benefit of the doubt. Why should I? Why should you? I have history and empirical evidence on my side. And the only side I have is looking for the right answers. I just say what I believe and let the future bear out my words or not. I will always give you the unvarnished facts mixed with my personal beliefs and then you can do as you see fit. On the record, for the record.

So I am prepared to sit here on the sidelines for the next few years and watch it unfold. I think I will have articulated so many pitfalls that the actual cause of death may never be known. Complications in common sense?

Refreshments anyone?

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

So to find success I often study failure. And when we come to failures on the web, there are more than enough to choose from. And learn from.

“We built the website first and asked our customers about it later” Robin Chase, Co-Founder of Zipcar. Just one of 13 failures written about here and why they failed. You can find stories like that all day long.

I see a win-lose situation and to me that is the recipe for failure before we even get to all those other things.

ICANN, Need, Want Desire......CHECK!

Registries, Need, Want Desire......CHECK!

Registrars, Need, Want Desire......CHECK!

Lawyers, Need, Want Desire......CHECK!

Google, Need, Want Desire......CHECK!

Domainers, Need, Want Desire......CHECK for as many as 25%. Debatable for others. Kiss of death for the unfortunate. None for what seems the majority.

Now the bandwagon stops there. The rest is a crap shoot for a very big reason. There is another side of the equation. Actually hundreds of different variables on the other side of the equation. But here are the big two.

End user, Need, Want Desire......Nobody asked them

Consumer, Need, Want Desire......Nobody asked them

If that is not the cardinal mistake in business, I am not sure what is.

Did they ask any of you before the fact? Can you honestly say these are the very best extensions that they could bring to market? How many extensions would an investor focus on if they wanted to find a degree of success? Are the best extensions available now? What happens if you tie your dollars up with the dogs and a winner comes to market and there are no funds left? Just the most basic of questions. Drill down and see what you find. You drill down by asking the right questions.  Then weighing the quality of the answer.

I have said for many years that failure happens at the beginning of the journey, not the end. The end is just when you realize it and of course it is too late then. “We built the website first and asked our customers about it later”. He figured it out after the failure. Success is finding the answer before you sail. But you must ask the right questions of the right people and you have to accept their answer even when it goes against your beliefs and theory.

Everyone has staked out their positions now. Since the only ones that can buy from the list above are Domainers, you are the focus. ICANN does not buy so they are not the focus. Registries don't buy so they are not the focus. Registrars don't buy so they are not the focus. Lawyers don't buy so they are not the focus. Consumers and End Users can't buy at this time and know nothing of this. So who is left????

Trademark holders and domainers. Your wallets are important. PERIOD! Not whether they get bigger or smaller in a few years. Just your wallets. They have to sell you something to survive. Who else can they sell to in mass?? Here is the aftermath for those readers with short memories. You can all make excuses but there it is.

In a horse race you MUST bet before the race. In this race, you can place your bets for years to come. Reasons like this are the reasons that tell me that waiting to see how this race shakes out is the proper course for me. If not, you and me both risk having a portfolio of worthless .aeros, .mobi's and .crap to add to this list. See that is the one sure bet. There will be less meaningful extensions than .aero and .mobi. Hundreds of them! Hundreds that will never be as important as .Aero. Feeling lucky?

And remember....value and circumstance have yet to weigh in. This is what I would call a "Heavy lift". Plus, how many digits are acceptable on an extension? I think once you are over 5, you are over the cliff. For me, that would probably disqualify those with  more than 3 or 4. But I will always watch one thing first. I will watch the consumer. I will watch the end-user. I will watch and I will follow their lead. I will ignore what domainers do. I will ignore all the other groups and what they want. I will only focus on the consumer and the end-user. They are the the "they" that hold all the cards and all the answers. The rest is all noise.

I always try and follow the money. Except when I see it going down the drain.

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

We all use Google. We use their tools and we use their technology. But people live on Facebook and live on Twitter.  And they can  make a living on both. And of course not all social sharing is alike. The way I would describe a company like Facebook is a baby in diapers that is 9ft tall and weighs 450LBS and the world knows has the capability to do things and set records that nobody has set before.

On the other hand Twitter seems like a company all grown up but with many more questions and a direction more in doubt.

Personally, I think both are becoming more important than Google.

Let me talk about "Organic Search". Geez!!! People say "Google" as if it were the answer for everything. Like aspirin. "Organic" is another word for "Free". Stop trying to get free traffic from Google and pay for real traffic, targeted enough to sell a real product or service and when you make that work, buy more and more and more. It's nice to get a bonus from Google. And that is just what it is, a bonus. Be relevant, be topical, be what folks are looking for and they will find you. They will find you if you laid the ground work for them to find you. Spamming search engines won't do that and eventually you will pay the price. Don't damage your domain trying to fake out search engines.

So it is a lot of fun to watch all this evolve. Change. And at the same time see how hard it is to move the needle. How easy it is to find success when focused on the right things. This is the greatest medium ever invented. More business done on this "Super Highway" than all other business added together. If not a fact now, will be soon.

The 20 year mark is the start, not the end. We are now on "Final Approach". You can see the lights. I am sure most are not as excited as I am.  But I have a reason to be excited. As big and important as I anticipated the net would be in 1995 is not nearly as big as it already is. The thought of what this youngster called the Internet can be in the next few years is just about the sweetest thought I can have.

We know there is need, want and desire when it comes to the Internet and the things it can provide. There is a universal need. Simple. That need does not come all at once. It evolves. But the need is there the moment it is understood. The want at that time becomes obvious because that is the fuel for the need. Both equal desire. Now the "Desire" part is the single biggest variable in this equation. Need and want can easily hit 100%. But desire is much different. It is based on energy, and level of commitment and other emotions that will range from near zero to nearly breaking the needle and everything in between. Desire has to be ramped up and motivated by need and want.

Now folks can laugh or ignore or dismiss this silly thing I keep bringing up. But to me it is the foundation and the test of any item, thought, product or service. Can need and want be created? Yes. Sure it can. Want and Desire as well. And there is a path to get there. A path so many seem blind to. It's about identifying a void not manufacturing a void.

We all have the need and the want to make money because without it we can't feed or clothe ourselves. But the desire is the thing that determines what level we get to. No desire, then you become a couch potato. Lots of desire, then you become an over achiever. So that illustrates the variable of desire.

Does desire come without need and want? Do you buy things you don't need and want? I mean these are to me the simple building blocks of basic math that equals basic sales. And what happens to that need, want and desire when the outcome is not as expected? You think that goes up or goes down?

When I looked forward in 1995 there was an obvious need for every business to have a website. Once their competitor had one they too would want one. The true question would become how much time, money and energy would they invest? That was the level of desire. And as you have seen the desire part has gone up. The need and want go up as well, but they get there first and likely at 100% while desire will always lag behind. Desire is the true variable in this and so many other things in life.

And even after you get past need, want and desire, you still have to deal with the single biggest elephant in the room. That elephant is called "Circumstance". Another variable. Except this variable is private, It is usually hidden and held close to the vest. Or it is plainly exposed. But circumstance is the bus that encloses and trips all the others. Some have to change their circumstance just to get in the position to deal with need, want and desire.

And for those that are sick of hearing this and dismiss it, you will pay the price of ignorance. You have ignored the holy grail of marketing and sales. Not because I read it somewhere, but because that is my personal recipe. Decades in the making and not even talked about until I did it right here on my blog a few years ago.

When I look at a new product or service I look at it through that filter, that lens, that strainer, and then the only other variable is identifying the size and buying power of that very targeted audience. That gives me an answer and then I do one more thing. I test it out in the field and make COLD CALLS to see and gauge reaction. Before I present it and after I present it. I will do that 10 times and from there I know what I need to know. That is my test. It is designed to eliminate dead-ends before wasting time, money and energy going down that dead-end. My test is a dead-end test. All I am out to determine is one of two things. Nothing more, nothing less.

Viable or not viable and assigning a percentage based on the research I have personally done. Designed simply to identify and navigate around each and every pitfall. Just like a hiker may make preparations before a long and difficult hike, their success or failure comes more down to preparation than any other single factor. If the prep was 100%, the outcome has a much stronger chance of success than those that did not take it as seriously.

I talk about opportunity a lot because that is what this is all about. What I see in 2014 is the first time in many years that dollars are flying. Lots of huge acquisitions going on. Investment. Building is starting and real estate is rising faster than I can write this. All this and the new sensors that are coming to market that will change about everything we do, see or touch. The inventions that were coming are staggering. Life changing.  The next 20 years will be more about how we live with the things we already own and being able to program anything from anywhere. The control coming to your wrist, the palm of your hand and your face are going to change virtually everything in life.

I have a car that parks itself and now even drives itself. It knows when to speed up and when to brake. It gives you an alert if somebody is in your blind spot and beeps if you try to change lanes. I am scared I will just fall asleep!

You will talk to your refrigerator, your stove, your washing machine. And the minute these items come to market there will be an instant need, want and desire. INSTANT!!

The iPhone and iPad were easy ones to identify even for the novice. You know why? They were lined up around the block in cities all over the world. That my friends is what Need, Want and Desire really look like. It all gets tamped down from there.

What is your need, want and desire today? The #1 answer is usually money. We need money. We all need money. It's pretty universal. Then the next question is how? Then you still have to determine value and that is something done not just by you. Others decide value. The market decides and the market is not kind and gives nobody a pass.

Here is mine for today.

You may or may not have noticed the new "Social Sharing Tower on the right of the screen on the home page. The plugins that I had been using kinda crashed and burned. So Danny Pryor helped me to fix this problem over the weekend and if you like what you read here, share. If you don't like what you read here, share. :-) Help me catch up!!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I want to wish everyone going to Vegas Good Luck and Good Fortune!!

I was looking into the possibility of attending and hoping to get there however I took a fall  right around Christmas and re-injured my foot and big toe that was just in the process of healing from a good stubbing back in October. When it got worse over the next few days I thought I might have fractured it. I went to the doctor last week and after an x-ray and exam told me I have what is called "Turf Toe". Walking is not easy right now. My foot is taped up.. Getting around the house is a challenge. Alina calls me "Gimpy". So when I started looking to book a flight the other day, reality set in. I thought of airports and hotel lobbies and all the walking in Las Vegas and it just makes it impossible.

So just for the record.......I was hoping to get to the show without having to shave my head and just show up under the radar. Did not work out. Richard and Frank did a great job promoting and hyping and assembling so many people so fast.

Hope all my friends have a good time and want to do it again in May. I was hoping to see a few faces I had not seen in many moons and a few faces that I could put together with their name or nickname for the first time. It would have been fun to be a passenger on the show train and not the conductor. Not have to worry about keeping the train on track and all the other stuff you need to worry about when snafu's unexpectedly hit. It would have been a first for me and quite relaxing knowing it was not my fire. lol

Good luck to all the gTLD guys there. While your cash registers are not really open yet, they will be soon and each of you will make your best case. In sales, credibility means a lot. When you lose it, game over. So I would suggest that you stick to facts and your visions and not go off the rails with some of the nonsense we have heard until this point. It's a real turnoff. You are dealing with professional domain investors. Many of which have made and lost a lot of money over the years.  If you talk to them like un-knowledgeable consumers, you will lose.

Will it be enough? Not your decision. Time will tell. Business will tell. The consumer will tell and he will dictate. He, the consumer, is the final arbiter whether you like it or not.

I will always listen to what you have to say and the valid points you might make but with a grain or two of salt and a healthy dose of skepticism considering the claims we have been hearing and now have to overcome. Same thing you will hear in the field so get used to it. So if you were not prepared for my objections, you can thank me later for sparring with you, toughening you up and to get your games up to speed.

I would like to sponsor the Kool-Aid stand if still available. :-) Just a joke! Lighten up! But there is a bit of truth behind that and that is what makes it so funny.  Hey it's Vegas. If Kool-Aid is your drink of preference, go for it. My advice, "Stay Thirsty my friends" (love that commercial)

If you play roulette, my only advice is always play 0/00 as insurance and hit them hard and hit them fast.

I wish you all the very best!

Rick Schwartz