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Frank Schilling’s InternetTraffic.com Quickly Gaining Steam

Elliot Silver
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55

There has been quite a bit of buzz about Frank Schilling’s new InternetTraffic.com endeavor over the last few days. I’ve heard from people in public and private, and apparently the platform is providing a revenue boost for qualified domain names that have been switched to Schilling’s feeds. It’s apparently a  significant  boost for many domain owners.

According to DomainTools’ Daily Changes website, it appears that over 21,000 domain names have been added to the InternetTraffic.com domain servers (over 6,000 yesterday). Domain names have been removed from big parking companies like Domain Sponsor, Sedo, Fabulous, Parked, and other PPC and lead generation providers. The bad news for them is that these are likely some of their highest performing direct navigation domain names.

As you can see by visiting any of the domain names listed, the look and feel of the landing pages is similar to that of Schilling’s landers, although the DomainNameSales.com sales message is notably missing. The greater the traffic volume, the more powerful the network, and likely the more revenue for domain owners.

Here’s what Frank had to say about this new endeavor:

“What I am trying to do is help an industry that has been under a great deal of pressure due to extremely negative changes in the paid search landscape.

For the longest time you’ve had quality domain traffic intermixed into the same channel with error search and keyword arbitrage players. Higher quality traffic has effectively been subsidizing lower quality. Traditional parking companies use the profits from good actors to offset the administrative headaches from bad actors.

I’m trying to build a channel with higher quality type-in traffic and then pay out nearly all the revenue to those partners so they can prosper. I am less interested in building a profit machine from my fellow domainers traffic than I am in rewarding our upstream partners like Google for taking care of us.”

Clearly, not everyone is invited/welcomed to participate, and I don’t blame Schilling. I am sure the last thing he wants to do is become a service company, where he will have to deal with annoying clients. My assumption is only the people who have significant direct navigation domain names and don’t need any hand holding will be welcome to participate. If you don’t know if you would qualify, you probably don’t.

In addition, some private companies/providers have been given a pass through feed, and they are administering the feed to some clients, allowing additional people to participate.

Update/Correction:

There was a small error in my post, and Frank sent me this correction: “we don’t have a passthrough for 4th parties to use. The term passthrough refers to revshares.“

TRAFFIC Cancels San Francisco Show, Announces Ritz Carlton as October Venue

Elliot Silver
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19

I had been strongly considering attending the TRAFFIC show in San Francisco in March. I love the Bay Area, and it would be a great reason to visit again. Unfortunately, this trip is not going to happen.

Rick Schwartz just announced that the previously scheduled San Francisco TRAFFIC show, which was to take place right around the time of the ICANN conference also being held in San Francisco, would not be taking place.

According to Rick in an email that was sent this morning, “after an exhaustive search and then sending out a poll a few weeks ago to see what most folks thought, it became clear that the interest was not really there to have a meaningful and impactful show and on the heals of the other shows, just did not make sense.”

In other better news, Rick also announced the venue of the October show in Ft. Lauderdale – the newly opened Ritz Carlton. The conference will be held from October 16 – 19, 2011, and it will be the 22nd TRAFFIC conference.

I can’t say for certain that I will be there, but it is highly likely. Registration opens soon, and I will let you know when it does, since the prices are generally much better the earlier you book.

Dallas Cowboys Suck, But Cowboys.com Now Available for Sale via Sedo

Elliot Silver
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27

It looks like rookie Sedo domain broker (but veteran domain investor)  Dave Evanson has scored a touchdown with this recent catch. According to the landing page on Cowboys.com, the domain name is now for sale with Evanson quarterbacking the transaction.

The Cowboys.com domain name has had an interesting recent history. Previously it was a country western website, and it then went to auction at the TRAFFIC conference. A representative for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys had the winning bid of $275,000 at the live auction, but it turns out that he apparently thought the price was $275 rather than $275,000. It was later sold at the silent auction to a group of domain investors.

The group originally had some big plans for the domain name, but any time you get a group of A-type personalities on a project, it can be difficult to make headway. As the saying goes, it looks like there were “too many chiefs, but not enough firefighters.” You can see two videos from the Cowboys.com party embedded below (via YouTube).

If you are interested in bidding on the domain name, you can visit the Sedo listing or contact Dave Evanson by sending an email to dave.evanson@sedo.com or by calling 1 (617) 499-7222.

Rick Schwartz, Darren Cleveland, and a fake horse.

Eric Rice and Darren Cleveland

At What Price Will Flowers.mobi Sell?

Elliot Silver
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35

A few weeks ago, it was announced that Rick Schwartz would be selling Flowers.mobi at the Traffic Miami live auction held by Rick Latona, and there would be no reserve price. Flowers.mobi was originally purchased for $200,000 when the extension was originally released. From what I understand, the lawyer from 1-800-Flowers was there, but Schwartz outbid him to win the domain name.

Since buying Flowers.mobi, a lot has changed with regards to the perception of .mobi domain names. I don’t believe I own (or my company owns) more than maybe a couple of hand registered .mobis. I don’t even track how .mobi domain names are selling, but I can’t remember the last one to crack DN Journal’s weekly sales report.

There are a number of questions that will soon be answered, but I am sure there are those who are already thinking about them. Will .mobi investors bid heavily on this domain name to help improve the value perception of the extension? Will someone buy it and build a profitable website?

One of the biggest questions is will 1-800-Flowers turn up and bid again?   1-800-Flowers is highly regarded when it comes to direct marketing and Internet marketing. Should they opt to not show up, having been willing to spend a lot of money just three years ago, it would really say something about what mainstream marketers really think about this extension.

So… at what price do you think Flowers.mobi will sell?

Sunday, Muddy Sunday

Elliot Silver
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4

I ran in my first “Mud Run” this morning. It was a 5k race in the Bronx sponsored by Merrell shoes company as part of their Down and Dirty National Mud Run Series. We ran through a series of obstacles, like wood hurdles, rope wall, ocean run, and of course two mud pits. Lots of fun!

Anyway, here are some updates:

September was a pretty solid month for my company. I made a few pretty decent sales, including NassauHotels.com, which had been listed for sale on my blog. I don’t know if the economy is turning a corner, but I do know if you are willing to sell solid domain names at good prices, there are buyers.

Rick Schwartz has been posting quite a bit on domain sales and acquisitions, and I think the articles are good reads. If you didn’t see the sponsored headlines on Domaining.com, you should check out Rick’s Blog when you have enough time to read a few articles. I agree with much of what he says, although I’ve made my living primarily by buying and selling quickly, which is something he doesn’t recommend. It’s something you should keep in mind because there are many different business models in this biz.

I am going to be at the Traffic conference in Miami for a day if you’d like to connect. I am extending a previously scheduled Florida vacation, and I’ll be traveling an hour or so south to Miami for the conference.   I already have a couple of meetings scheduled on Monday, but if you think there’s a reason we should meet, drop me a note and I will try to make some time.

Day Late & A Dollar Short: Win a Cabana for a Day at TRAFFIC Miami

Elliot Silver
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1

As the saying goes, I seem to be “a day late and a dollar short” when it comes to sharing my favorite TRAFFIC story about making a deal during TRAFFIC New York and making a good friend in the process. According to an email this morning sent by TRAFFIC founder Rick Schwartz,

“TRAFFIC will be giving away a free Poolside Cabana to the Domainer who can explain to folks why TRAFFIC is virtually free because of all the business they do. Perhaps just one event that changed your destiny. One deal that will pay you forward for a lifetime. What value did that really have as opposed to the expense of coming? Just send us a short story or essay by midnight tomorrow by return email. Winner will be announced later this week.”

Bummer. I guess mine doesn’t count. The cabana sounds pretty nice, too. It comes with champagne, water, flat screen tv, chairs, towels, and bottle/drink service from a “TRAFFIC cabana girl.” Domain investors who are interested can also lease a cabana for $375 (costs $750 for sponsors). If you’ve ever been to South Beach or Vegas on a Sunday before during the football season, you probably know this is actually a good price for a poolside cabana, although you’ll be surrounded by a bunch of domain investors rather than hundreds of hot women in bikinis. At least there will be some football on tv 😉

If you want to share a story about a TRAFFIC experience that made the conference virtually free, drop a note to the TRAFFIC founders by the end of the day.

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