Two members of the team from the .ME Registry visited the Denver offices of Name.com, and of course they made a video. What else would you expect from Name.com? I really hope they’re able to keep their company culture.
Watch the gTLD Draw Live
I will be watching some of the gTLD draw this afternoon from the comfort of my computer screen, and I wanted to make it easier for you to watch. I have embedded the live feed below, which is scheduled to begin in under an hour (4pm eastern 1pm pacific).
I think the implications of the drawing is pretty huge considering what’s at stake, and I would assume the earlier a TLD is drawn, the more likely it will be to get additional attention.
Streaming live video by Ustream
Value of gTLD-Related Domain Names Contingent on What They Will Be Called
What Will gTLDs Be Called?
I own just a couple of gTLD-related domain names – gTLDBroker.com and gTLDDomainNames.com. Neither of these domain names is worth very much (if anything), but they were speculative hand registrations, and I’ve lost more on a hand of blackjack than I’ll lose if I keep these names for several years without selling them.
I’ve seen many people buying and selling gTLD-related domain names, and I don’t think it’s such a wise idea.
While these TLDs are being called gTLD on the technical side (ICANN, consultants, investors…etc), the consumer side is what will probably drive the most value for these domain names. How domain registrars market these new TLDs will be important in determining whether gTLD domain names are worth anything because the “gTLD” moniker may disappear once they are on the market.
If consumers (buyers) and users call them gTLDs, these types of names may have more value, obviously depending on the keywords. If domain registrars call them “new TLDs” (like eNom is currently doing) they will probably not be referred to as gTLDs, rendering gTLD-related domain names worthless or worth much less.
My opinion is that registrars will not market them as gTLDs because most consumers don’t even know what TLD means let alone gTLD. My bet is registrars simply call them new domain names or maybe new TLDs. That’s a big reason why I haven’t done much speculating in this area…. that and domain investors are cheap when it comes to being end users 🙂
As always, I welcome your thoughts on the topic.
CircleID Discusses gTLD Auctions, May Benefit Right of The Dot
There’s an interesting article that was posted on CircleID today by Christa Taylor entitled, “gTLD Contention Set Auctions: Private Auction Alternatives.” The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of running private auctions vs. the ICANN auctions for gTLDs, and it compares and contrasts the companies that are operating the auctions.
The most interesting aspect of the article for me was conclusion, which may benefit domain industry veterans Mike Berkens and Monte Cahn. Earlier this month, Right of the Dot announced they will be teaming up with Escrow.com on a new auction offering.
According to the conclusion from the CircleID article:
“For applicants with a few TLD’s, the Right of the Dot private auction services is the best fit. They provide a friendly, cost-effective yet customized approach that is likely going to be well-received and agreed to by all participants in the contention set. Additionally, auction costs are minimal and all funds are held in escrow. Finally, Right of the Dot are accomplished domain professionals who specialize within the domain industry.”
Congratulations to Mike and Monte on this.
Vote: Mike or Frank
Yesterday afternoon, I posted the opposing gTLD viewpoints of Frank Schilling and Mike Mann. Each of these successful domain investors has a strong opinion on how gTLDs will impact domain investors and the market in general.
From my perspective, the opinions of Mike and Frank are reflective of the opinions shared by others in the space. It doesn’t seem like there are many people who haven’t already formulated their own opinions about gTLDs.
I think it will be interesting to get a general consensus about whether you share Frank’s opinion or Mike’s. Please vote in the poll below to participate, and feel free to comment here or on one of yesterday’s posts.
I want to thank Mike and Frank again for sharing their time and insight with all of us.
I will try to share my personal projections on gTLDs tomorrow, but I have a lot to do. It’s actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we’re going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.
Mike Mann on gTLDs
Mike Mann is unquestionably one of the most successful people in the domain industry, having sold BuyDomains for reportedly many millions of dollars, and he acquired domain names such as Phone.com, SEO.com, and many more. Mike also founded DomainMarket.com, which sells millions of dollars worth of domain names annually, and he is likely headed for a similar type of exit sometime down the road.
Mike has been “vocal” with his bearish feelings about new gTLD domain names on various blogs and in personal meetings with him. I reached out to him with a bunch of questions and want to share some of his thoughts on gTLDs and if he believes there’s money to be made by domain investors.
If you have other questions about gTLDs that you’d like Mike to answer, I would bet he’ll be happy to answer them. My questions are bolded below.
Will companies adopt descriptive keyword gTLDs and re-brand websites?
Only for the best ideas and dictionary words where they cant get .Com
How long will it take consumers to understand what gTLDs are?
They wont on average, might land there by accident
What is the path to success for a gTLD operator?
Only a small pct will be profitable unless they are mixed with other services or free like from Amazon or Google. If they get some good sites that get well indexed in Google they may get some traction, or maybe with press, etc. But on average short the hype.
How do registrars and registries sell their names?
The hard way, same way we sell .Com, landers, brokers, hustlers.
Will brand gTLDs help make consumers aware of the right of the dot?
No
Will you be investing in registries and/or acquire various domain names in different TLD?
No way, flight to .Com quality investing
How can domain investors make money when it comes to gTLDs?
Buy the short fund
Do you think marketing dollars spent on gTLDs will be good for the domain industry as a whole?
Short term but no
Will land rush opportunities bring more people and capital into the domain investment space?
Short term
What will happen to the money domain investors spend on gTLDs?
They will lose most of it