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Why You Should Attend a Domain Conference

Elliot Silver
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0

Although networking with other domain investors is high up on the list of reasons to attend a domain conference, in my opinion, there is one primary reason. Attending a domain conference gives you the opportunity to meet your sales representatives and managers for the companies with whom you do your domain business.

Whether your business primarily relies on domain investing, parking, or other monetization, you can meet the people who can help you when you are in need.

For my domain registrations, I primarily register my names with Moniker. No matter who is running the conference or where it is, I almost always see my account manager Bari Meyerson at the shows. Monte Cahn is frequently there as are other Moniker representatives, but it’s always good to connect with Bari. I also register some names with Godaddy, and my representative, Brad Larson is frequently in attendance.

The same thing goes for domain parking, although you already know by now that I don’t rely on parking for much revenue (under $1,000 per year). However, just about all of the companies are there and have company representatives available to answer questions and address complaints.

I know that if I ever have a problem, I am comfortable calling or emailing Bari and Brad day or night, and I know my issue will be addressed almost immediately. When you establish a personal relationship with the services companies with whom you do business, you are more easily able to reach your sales managers in times of need.

In addition, if your business relies on advertising from companies who exhibit and attend domain tradeshows, this is an opportunity to tell them about your website. If you own DomainInvesting.com and plan to develop a website on it, your best bet is to connect with the right people at the domain show to let them know about your plans and advertising opportunities.

Likewise, attending an industry tradeshow can also be smart when you are developing other domain names in different verticals. Most tradeshows offer free exhibit hall passes, allowing you to meet with vendors who may want to advertise on your website. This is a topic for another post.

Upcoming domain conferences where most domain companies will be in attendance include:

Belated Thank You to Oversee and Moniker

Elliot Silver
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3

TropicalBirds.com LogoI want to give a belated “thank you” to the PR team at Oversee.net and Monte Cahn at Moniker, who put together a very cool case study for one of my domain names. When Corinne Forti emailed me a few months ago to discuss writing a case study on TropicalBirds.com, I was happy to oblige. I’ve discussed the site many times on my blog and at tradeshows because it went from getting a few visits a month undeveloped to several thousand visits a month developed, with most of the traffic coming from search engines.

Several weeks ago, someone casually mentioned seeing the case study at a presentation, and I completely forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago at Traffic New York. Fellow domain investor Dave Evanson whispered from a few rows away, “Elliot, what the f*ck is this?” while holding up a thick folded pamphlet, complete with photos in full color. I went over to check it out, and I remembered the interview.

Although the site makes very little revenue right now (monetized with Adsense and some affiliate links), I do think it tells a good story. Despite the fact that there is little competition for tropical bird-related keywords, the TropicalBirds.com case study shows that when you take the keyword domain name, add custom content, and have good basic SEO techniques (including link building I did), you can turn a lightly trafficked domain name into one that receives good traffic.

The way I figure it, some day, a breeder or pet store chain will want to take what I started and actually sell birds/products directly to consumers online. With the site getting 5k visits a month (well, 5,435 visits in the last 30) and 87.2% of that from search engines, it’s a traffic producing engine, assuming continued good rankings. If you figure a company would pay $.05/visitor at a minimum to $.25/visitor at a maximum for the traffic, that’s between $3,261 – $16,305 /year in Adwords alone to get that traffic (assuming all traffic is bought and traffic is the same for 12 months).

Of course, not all of this traffic is looking to buy a bird or spend money on a product, so this is just an example, but the point is that it’s a neat little domain story, and I appreciate the fact that Oversee.net and Moniker thought enough to create a cool case study and share the story of TropicalBirds.com in various presentations.

BTW, if anyone is interested in creating their own bird empire, I would sell the name and website.   As the case study says, “Elliot Silver is neither an avid bird watcher nor bird lover.” I would, however, LOVE to sell this website and domain name to someone who is!

Moniker Auction to be Held This Afternoon

Elliot Silver
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1

Today is somewhat of a bittersweet day in domain auction history, as it marks the final Moniker Live Auction to be held at a TRAFFIC show for the foreseeable future. Moniker was the pioneer in live domain auctions, and they’ve scored tens of millions of dollars in TRAFFIC auction domain sales over the years.

This afternoon at 4pm EST, Moniker will hold its live auction, with simultaneous bidding online at Snapnames. As you can see, there are some great domain names in the auction. Some of my favorites are bolded below (I have no domain names in the live auction).

10 CollegePrepClasses.com $501-$1000
20 PartTimeHelp.com $1001-$2500
30 CustomBoots.com No Reserve
40 TennisCamp.com $2501 – $5000
50 FramedPrints.com No Reserve
60 IceCreamMaker.com $5,001 – $10,000
70 TattooParlor.com $5,001 – $10,000
80 SchoolDresses.com $1001-$2500
90 ImportedLeather.com $2501 – $5000
100 ImportedMarble.com $2501 – $5000
110 Organic.info $5,001 – $10,000
120 SiliconeGel.com $5,001 – $10,000
130 SwineFlu.net $5,001 – $10,000
140 LNN.com $5,001 – $10,000
150 Business.cm $5,001 – $10,000
160 EnergyDrinks.org No Reserve
170 SportFishingBoat.com $1001-$2500
180 HorrorStories.com $5,001 – $10,000
190 ClothesDryer.com $2501 – $5000
200 SmartLink.com $10,001 – $25,000
210 EScripts.com $10,001 – $25,000
220 Pornos.net $10,001 – $25,000
230 Alimony.org $10,001 – $25,000
240 Aging.com $50,001 – $100,000
250 Minority.com $50,001 – $100,000
260 AutoClassifieds.com $50,001 – $100,000
270 Clarinet.com $50,001 – $100,000
280 NewYorkers.com No Reserve
290 CollegeEducation.com $250,001 – $500,000
300 Dropout.com $10,001 – $25,000
310 HonorRole.com No Reserve
320 Tested.com $2501 – $5000
330 Education.cm $5,001 – $10,000
340 GoodTeachers.com $1001-$2500
350 NYC.info $10,001 – $25,000
360 GraduateClasses.com $501-$1000
370 NewYorkSingles.com $25,001 – $50,000
380 NY.biz No Reserve
390 VD.com $250,001 – $500,000
400 NoseJobs.com $25,001 – $50,000
410 Lung.com $25,001 – $50,000
420 PregnancyCenter.com $25,001 – $50,000
430 Flatulence.com $10,001 – $25,000
440 ChestPains.com $10,001 – $25,000
450 ColdRemedies.com $10,001 – $25,000
460 MedicalPractice.com $5,001 – $10,000
470 ConciergeDoctor.com $1001-$2500
480 H1n1FluVaccines.com $1-$500
490 UsTrademarks.com $5,001 – $10,000
500 TrademarkLawyers.com $5,001 – $10,000
510 DivorcePlanning.com $10,001 – $25,000
520 Mediation.com $100,001 – $250,000
530 Arbitration.com $100,001 – $250,000
540 Zimbabwe.com $100,001 – $250,000
550 SanBernardino.com $50,001 – $100,000
560 CityTour.com $25,001 – $50,000
570 Holiday.org $10,001 – $25,000
580 IsleOfCapri.com $10,001 – $25,000
590 Arizona.info $5,001 – $10,000
600 DiscountAirfares.net $5,001 – $10,000
610 EuropeanVacation.com $2501 – $5000
620 FamilyVacation.com $50,001 – $100,000
630 SeattleRestaurant.com $1001-$2500
640 UsedTools.com $50,001 – $100,000
650 PowerSaws.com $2501 – $5000
660 Saws.com $50,001 – $100,000
670 ComputerRecyclers.com $5,001 – $10,000
680 ComputerChip.com $5,001 – $10,000
690 Hockey.org $10,001 – $25,000
700 DataCenters.com $100,001 – $250,000
710 QB.com $100,001 – $250,000
720 GameTickets.com $50,001 – $100,000
730 VolleyBalls.com $10,001 – $25,000
740 ElectricGolfCarts.com $10,001 – $25,000
750 FishingLine.com $10,001 – $25,000
760 SkiLodge.com $5,001 – $10,000
770 ExerciseClass.com $5,001 – $10,000
780 FantasyStats.com $2501 – $5000
790 GolfCaps.com $1001-$2500
800 OK.biz No Reserve
810 LocalGasPrices.com $5,001 – $10,000
815 Pesos.com $25,001 – $50,000
820 40.com $100,001 – $250,000
830 FreeSex.com $1MM – $5MM
840 ContractorsCoverage.com No Reserve
850 FarmInsurance.com $100,001 – $250,000
860 TermLifeRates.com $2501 – $5000
870 CamperInsurance.com $5,001 – $10,000
880 Insurance.cm $5,001 – $10,000
890 LendMoney.com $1001-$2500
900 FinancialProducts.com $5,001 – $10,000
910 I.biz No Reserve
920 SecondMortgage.com $100,001 – $250,000
930 Townhouses.com $100,001 – $250,000
940 Borrowers.com $25,001 – $50,000
950 MortgageModification.com $10,001 – $25,000
960 FreeEstimate.com $10,001 – $25,000
970 FreeFinancing.com $10,001 – $25,000
980 NewCarQuotes.com $5,001 – $10,000
990 Tube.com $1MM – $5MM
1000 HD.biz No Reserve
1010 TemporaryStorage.com $25,001 – $50,000
1020 CreditTips.com $25,001 – $50,000
1030 BostonTerriers.com $25,001 – $50,000
1040 Debentures.com $25,001 – $50,000
1050 Raspberry.com $25,001 – $50,000
1060 RecipeBooks.com $5,001 – $10,000
1070 EZ.biz No Reserve
1080 CostumeRentals.com $5,001 – $10,000
1090 Vultures.com $25,001 – $50,000
1100 IStream.com $10,001 – $25,000
1110 CollectibleCoins.com No Reserve
1120 Photo.com $1MM – $5MM
1130 PearlEarrings.com $50,001 – $100,000
1140 PetProducts.net $10,001 – $25,000
1150 VoiceNavigation.com $501-$1000
1160 SingleMen.com $100,001 – $250,000
1170 Stuff.com $1MM – $5MM
1180 Introduction.com $100,001 – $250,000
1190 StampCollectors.com $5,001 – $10,000
1200 OfficeSupply.com $500,001 – $750,000
1210 WoolSuits.com $1001-$2500
1220 Maintaining.com $1001-$2500
1230 EBuy.com $250,001 – $500,000
1240 PetBoarding.com $25,001 – $50,000
1250 MultiVitamins.com $25,001 – $50,000
1260 OrganicBabyFood.com $10,001 – $25,000
1270 BrassBeds.com $10,001 – $25,000
1280 OnlineWork.com $5,001 – $10,000
1290 WallOvens.com $2501 – $5000
1300 Originals.com $25,001 – $50,000
1310 StockMarket.info $2501 – $5000
1320 LincolnMemorial.com $2501 – $5000
1330 Loans.dk $1001-$2500
1340 Fail.org $1001-$2500
1350 Stage.com $250,001 – $500,000
1360 WineCellar.com $100,001 – $250,000
1370 SecurityNetwork.com $1001-$2500
1380 EarlyEdition.com $1001-$2500
1390 AfricanAmericans.com $250,001 – $500,000
1400 IBill.com $250,001 – $500,000
1410 MedicalExam.com $25,001 – $50,000
1420 HalloweenParty.com $10,001 – $25,000
1430 NannyCams.com $10,001 – $25,000
1440 WiseMen.com $2501 – $5000
1450 VinylCleaners.com $2501 – $5000
1460 EarnMoney.com $250,001 – $500,000
1470 Bands.com $100,001 – $250,000
1480 HouseRentals.com $100,001 – $250,000
1490 Brakes.net $2501 – $5000

i.Biz, TX.biz & NY.biz Among 1 & 2 Letter .Biz Names to be Auctioned

Elliot Silver
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1

A little over a month ago, it was reported that Overstock.com would launch a new website on O.biz, one of the first (maybe the first) websites to operate on a one or two letter .biz domain name. This morning, I received word that Moniker will auction off a number of one and two letter .biz domain names at the upcoming TRAFFIC auction in New York on October 28, 2009.

The .biz domain names that will be in Moniker’s live auction are:

–      i.biz
–      ny.biz
–      ez.biz
–      ok.biz
–      hd.biz

Moniker will also have several names in the extended online auction including:

–      tx.biz
–      hi.biz
–      ha.biz
–      ur.biz
–      lo.biz
–      kc.biz

Other one and two character .biz domain names were recently auctioned, with e.biz achieving the highest sales price, selling for $66,001. Most of the other single character .biz domain names sold primarily in the $5-10,000 range with some higher outliers.

I won’t predict how these auctions will play out, but I hope the registry and Moniker are contacting potential end user buyers. As with any extension, the success is related to customer awareness. A company like Overstock branding and marketing O.biz would be very good for domain investors who own prime names.

MSSB.com is Now Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

Elliot Silver
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0

Morgan Stanley Smith BarneyBack in June, I discussed how important it would be for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to buy the MSSB.com domain name, which had been privately owned since at least its current creation date of 2003. The private owner didn’t really have a better buyer than the newly formed financial giant, and the new company really needed the domain name to advance its online presence, since it’s inevitable that people would shorten the firm’s long name to MSSB.

It appears that Morgan Stanley Smith Barney understood this need, and instead of going through the legal route to get MSSB.com, it looks like they bought it (the name was in Moniker’s Escrow Account at the end of September). Despite the fact that the company was formed well after the owner purchased the domain name, many companies still feel that they deserve a name like this and use the court system or UDRP process as a means of bullying. They may have even had a shot because the parking page showed financial PPC links, but we’ll never know.

In any case, as of today, the domain name is in the possession of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and the domain name forwards to their long url, morganstanleysmithbarney.com. Kudos to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney for “getting it” by getting the important domain name the company needed.

Hotmail Security Alert: Email Address Passwords Posted Online

Elliot Silver
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1

HotmailAlthough it’s not considered a “best practice” to use a free email service as the administrative or registrant contact for your domain names, I know quite a few people who do use services such as Hotmail and Gmail.

This morning, BBC News and Neowin are reporting that account and password details from about 10,000 Hotmail accounts have been posted online, and it is suspected that there could be many more accounts exposed. If a hacker or cyber thief has access to the email account connected to domain names, he could easily request a password change on the account and gain access to the associated domain names.

If you use a free email service – and even if you don’t – maybe now is a good time to change your password. You might also consider security services from domain registrars such as Name.com’s NameSafe VIP Service or Moniker’s MaxLock service, where someone needs more than simply an account password to make domain changes.

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