Conferences & Tradeshows Archives - Page 36 of 43

NY Domainer Get Together – Thank You

Conferences & Tradeshows

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September 25, 2009

WhyPark Domain Capital
The New York Domain Investor get together was held at the Boat Basin on the Upper West Side last night, and we had a pretty good turnout. It’s always fun seeing old friends, and it was also great to meet other domain investors for the first time, some of whom came from pretty far away, like Ohio, Florida, and New Jersey (kidding about NJ).

I want to give a special thank you to a couple of leading companies who helped sponsor the event:

There was an extensive spread of appetizers sponsored by WhyPark. This helped to keep the party going since many people came straight from work. Gregg and Vince from Domain Capital were able to attend the get together, and I want to thank them for taking care of the bar tab.

There’s nothing like comped food and drinks to help keep a party going, and we all really appreciate the support of WhyPark and Domain Capital. It’s great to do business with companies who support our industry’s events.

Reminder: NY Domain Get Together

Conferences & Tradeshows

Elliot Silver

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September 22, 2009

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I want to remind you that we are getting together on Thursday, September 24th at 6:30pm at the 79th Street Boat Basin. This is a casual restaurant and more of a happy hour than dinner, although there will be appetizers sponsored by WhyPark (thanks!).

Since the Boat Basin is sort of outdoors (fully covered restaurant, but open on two sides), it might be a good idea to wear something a bit warm, although I think the temperatures will be in the high 60s.

Directions to the Boat Basin:

Walk as far west as you can on 79th St. and cross Riverside Dr. Walk under the highway overpass bridge, and on both sides of the street, there are staircases that will lead you down to the restaurant. You can also take the 1 train to the 79th St stop and walk west.

Thoughts at the End of the Week

Elliot Silver

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September 18, 2009

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As the week is coming to a close, I wanted to write a little bit about a few things that I thought about this past week. I bet some of you are thinking the same thing, and I welcome your thoughts in the comment section as always.

I booked my flight to New Orleans for Domainer Mardi Gras in February. For those of you from New York, Jet Blue is offering round trip tickets for around $229 after taxes – not a bad deal at all.

I wish DN Journal accepted comments. There are so many great articles and news stories posted by Ron, and it would be great if we had the ability to discuss some of them on site. I bet this would surely be a big traffic driver and would be interesting to many.

It really annoys me when bloggers and other news outlets have a comment section and don’t approve them – or they only approve the favorable comments. I wonder if these people are naive enough to think that nobody notices this – or if they simply don’t want to feel put down by people that disagree with what they are saying.

I don’t think people should develop domain names simply because others are doing it. The reason I develop mini sites is that I am a full time domain investor, and this is a way to build/add value to my domain assets in a down market. The reason I fully develop geodomains – and will be developing Torah.com (very soon) is to build businesses on them so. Anyone can sell a good domain name, but not everyone can build and manage a business. I want to challenge myself while building a revenue stream for the future, and this is an ongoing process.

If you are going to make it as a domain investor, you need to look outside of the typical domain “hang outs.” Check out webmaster forums, browse SEO websites, read up on new technology, and think about things differently than others.

I believe there are many good potential domain deals in the high end of the industry, but most of the low hanging fruit under six figures has been picked, and there aren’t nearly as many deals to be had in that area. You need to have steel stones to invest in 6 figure + domain names these days without a development/business plan, and you need a back up plan if your primary plan is to flip them.

2010 Domain Conferences I Plan to Attend

Elliot Silver

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August 27, 2009

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I enjoy going to domain conferences for a number of reasons, and Andrew’s analysis of domain industry conferences got me thinking about which ones I will attend in 2010, even though the current year hasn’t concluded yet. In 2009, I attended DomainFest, GeoDomain Expo, and TRAFFIC Amsterdam, all of which were great shows. The next domain conference I plan to attend is TRAFFIC New York in October.

I haven’t committed to attend any domain conferences in 2010 yet, but I am beginning to plan my conference schedule. Because of the expense of travel (conference, hotel, transportation) and the amount of time I am dedicating to building out my operational websites, I think I am going to cut back next year.

Here are the shows I plan to attend. Which shows will you be attending?

Domainer Mardi Gras
When: February 11-13
Where: New Orleans
Cost: $795 Early bird through October 15
Why: I heard the conference last year was fantastic, and it will be a great opportunity to see friends and colleagues in a more relaxed atmosphere. I love New Orleans, flights from New York aren’t too expensive, and hotel rooms are reasonably priced. I also know the people who organize the conference are down to earth, fun people, who know how to have a good time.

GeoDomain Expo
When: April 28-30
Where: New Orleans (During Jazz Fest and Heritage Festival)
Cost: Under $1,000 (not yet released)
Why: The Geo Domain Expo is the premier conference for geodomain developers and owners who want to build out their domain names. The conference is a great place to get to know the leading developers in more of an intimate setting than other conferences.

TRAFFIC
When: TBD
Where: TBD
Cost: Under $1,500 (not yet released)
Why: I am going to attend either one of the European or Asian TRAFFIC shows in 2010. It’s a great opportunity to meet other domain investors who I wouldn’t ordinarily see in the US.

AOL Just Protecting Its Brand

Elliot Silver

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August 20, 2009

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Ad.com

Last month at an engagement party, I met a friend of a friend who works for Advertising.com. After brief introductions and small talk, he mentioned that he works for Ad.com. Knowing that Ad.com had just sold at Moniker’s auction for 7 figures, I inquired further, and he mentioned that his company is actually Advertising.com, but everyone calls it Ad.com. Therein lies the problem.

In most cases, when a company or famous person has become known by a nickname, and that nickname or moniker becomes just as famous as the person (and clearly associated with the company or person), that company or person may be able to legally claim common law rights to that nickname or term.

Michael Jordan was known as “Air Jordan” because of his leaping and dunking ability. During his playing days, Nike introduced the Air Jordan brand, and I believe it is still one of their most famous brands. Had Michael Jordan not been known as “Air Jordan,” the term “air jordan” would probably be worthless unless someone else used that term famously. Like Jordan, Advertising.com became known as Ad.com internally and externally, and many people associate the term Ad.com with Advertising.com. However, unlike the term “air jordan,” the term and domain name “Ad.com” has significant value besides its usage by Advertising.com.

As an entrepreneur and marketer, I can commiserate with all parties involved in the situation. The current Ad.com domain owner just wants the sale completed as expected, Moniker/Oversee.net wants the commission they are rightfully owed, Skenzo is worried that they are going to have to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in addition to the purchase price to protect their new investment, and AOL wants to protect the brand they believe is rightfully theirs.

As a domain investor on the other hand, I am very concerned by this move by AOL, and it will make me more vigilant about researching the domain names I buy and develop.

My 2009 TRAFFIC Awards Nominations

Elliot Silver

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August 17, 2009

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I saw that Mike made a few nominations for the 2009 TRAFFIC Awards, which will be given out at the New York TRAFFIC conference, and I want to share a few of my nominees. This year has proven to be the most difficult one I have faced in the domain industry, and there are several individuals who stand out in my opinion and deserve recognition and praise.

BEST DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR:

Shaun Pilfold – Kelowna.com: Shaun has spent much of this year building a business on the geodomain, Kelowna.com. Instead of a standard geodomain name (like mine) with tourism information, event updates and a bit of news, Shaun has taken Kelowna.com to the next level. Shaun’s company has sunk significant resources into the business, hiring journalists, editors, and sales staff, while marketing the heck out of the business. During the Kelowna forest fires, Kelowna.com provided the best local coverage and won a lot of praise from the local people. Shaun’s company owns a plethora of great domain names, including Jobs.ca and more.

Richard Douglas – Oakville.com: Richard is one of the smartest people I know, and he has privately provided a tremendous amount of advice to me about development, SEO, marketing, hosting and more. Richard’s Oakville.com, which launched in the past year, was built on a great platform that will allow the company to scale. From geocoded directory listings to a great news distribution service, Oakville.com is quickly becoming recognized in the community. Oakville.com was also a partner of the RBC Canadian Open, a PGA event held in Oakville, and the site received recognition from the Oakville city government and local business leaders. Richard also runs the domain blog, TooManySecrets.com, which has great development insights.

DOMAIN HALL OF FAME

Mike Berkens: There is no doubt in my mind that Mike Berkens deserves to be in the Domainer Hall of Fame. Without question, Most Wanted Domains, the company Mike founded, has one of the top generic domain portfolios in the world. In addition to this, Mike’s blog, TheDomains.com, is one of the best sources of information about the domain industry, and Mike breaks down how outside factors will impact our domain investments and developed websites. Mike attends most of the domain conferences, and he is very approachable, always willing to give advice and offer honest feedback.

THE “WE GET IT” AWARD

Candy.com: This one was pretty easy. A small candy company bought Candy.com for $3,000,000 and have greatly increased their brand recognition and traffic. They went from being somewhat unknown to owning one of the best generic domain names that money could buy – and arguably the best in their industry. At every tradeshow, the Candy.com team will be instantly recognizable whether other vendors and buyers actually know them. This was a very smart strategic move.

Conferences & Tradeshows

NY Domainer Get Together – Thank You

Reminder: NY Domain Get Together

Thoughts at the End of the Week

2010 Domain Conferences I Plan to Attend

AOL Just Protecting Its Brand

My 2009 TRAFFIC Awards Nominations

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