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Lunch with Bruce Clay

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In addition to domain conferences, I’ve also been to a number of Internet business conferences like SES and Ad:Tech. One speaker I’ve heard at these various conferences is Bruce Clay, a preeminent search engine optimization consultant.

Mr. Clay is a highly regarded speaker on SEO, and his panels and keynotes are usually some of the most well-attended. I’ve learned a good amount of actionable SEO tactics from hearing him speak, and I’ve always come away with something new.

This afternoon at DomainFest, I saw that Mr. Clay was eating lunch and there was only one person sitting at his 8-top table. I sat down with fellow domain investor Bob Olea, and we had a great conversation with Mr. Clay. I was able to ask questions, and I received answers that will surely help with my websites.

One of the best things about DomainFest is that you can meet experts in various fields, including search engine optimization.  I think the advice he gave me was worth the cost of admission.

Make Sure Your Email Address is Accurate

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Almost every morning, I receive a Registrant Alert email from DomainTools informing me of newly archived domain names (in their database) that are registered to my domain name and those names that were transferred out or expired. I don’t remember when I signed up for the alerts, but they’re helpful to my business.

A couple of months ago, I started seeing random domain names that were registered to my email address but definitely were not owned by me. At first, I thought it was an accident and an anomaly, but over the past couple of months, I’ve received a whole bunch of notices for domain names I don’t own but are registered to my email address.

After seeing a few of these come through, I did some research and noticed there is very generic registrant information (ie no business or personal name). Additionally, I confirmed that the domain names are registered to my email address, so technically I could request the password and likely the EPP authorization code for the domain names to transfer or change the DNS (not legal).

To make things worse, these aren’t just domain names… Almost every one is a developed website, and they all appear to be physical businesses. Ordinarily, I would reach out to the website owner via the contact form on the site, but the sites are all in Russian. My guess is that they were all developed by the same company (or hosted by the same company) and the host or developer changed his registrant information to mine in error.

This is just a reminder to 1) always keep your Whois information accurate and 2) always manage your own domain names.

Obviously I am not going to do anything nefarious with these domain names, but the owners likely won’t receive their expiration notices.

2011 Prediction Comes True: Monte Cahn and Mike Berkens Start New Venture

At the end of 2010, I posted three predictions for 2011, and it looks like one of those predictions has already come true just a month into the new year. In that blog post, I wrote:

Monte Cahn will be back in the domain space in some way, although it probably won’t be for a large or well known company.”

According to a press release I received today, Mike Berkens and Monte Cahn have started a new venture called Right of the Dot. The company will “help registries determine launch strategies and auction plans for their new TLDs, but the uniquely experienced consulting firm can also perform high-end corporate domain needs assessment and establish a business domain strategy to compete in the future.”

It’s good to see two of the smartest guys in the domain space start this new venture, and I wish them all the best.

Things I Am Looking Forward to at DomainFest

I am writing this post from somewhere above the middle of the US (maybe Omaha), and the huge storm is causing some turbulence. I guess I should consider myself lucky I was able to get out of New York City this morning, since most flights were cancelled today due to the snow storm. Despite the rough ride, I am very excited for DomainFest, which begins for me in just a few hours.

As with every domain conference, I am most excited about seeing friends and colleagues, meeting people I haven’t met, and chatting with vendors and sponsors. I’ve heard reports that more than 650 attendees are expected, so this should be a good opportunity to see the people who are most actively involved in the domain space.

Jeff Kupietsky is meeting with domain bloggers and journalists first thing tomorrow morning, and I am looking forward to hearing about what he and his executives are seeing in the domain space. The unique thing about Oversee.net is that the company is active in many channels within the domain business, and they have a good perspective on the overall market.

Listening to Go Daddy CEO, Bob Parsons is something I am excited about. Mr. Parsons never minces words and always says what is on his mind. Tony Hsieh of Zappos was interesting last year, but I think Mr. Parsons’ keynote will be more relevant to my business.

The live auction is going to be interesting to watch. I think there are very few “weak” names in the auction so it could be exciting, although I think many of the great names are overpriced for a domain investor audience. If some of these big names sell, it will bre very impressive.

Of course, the parties are always fun, and the Playboy Mansion fundraiser is always memorable. I anticipate this tradeshow will help get 2011 off to a great start.

New Big Jumbo Promo: Get an iPad, iTouch, Flip Camera, or Other Electronics

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I learned about a brand new promotion being offered by Big Jumbo, and I hope Andrew doesn’t get too upset for posting it here before it’s officially announced 😀

When you open a new “InstAccount” at Big Jumbo beginning February 1, 2011, you can select one gift from each of 4 different revenue levels, and for the highest level you reach during the first 30 days, you’ll receive the gift you selected (you get only the one gift at the highest level you achieve). Gifts start at just $300 in revenue a month and go up to $3,000.

Here are the 4 revenue levels and corresponding gifts to select:

$300 in Revenue

  • PS3 Games
  • Fujifilm Camera
  • PS3 Controller

$750 in Revenue

  • Apple TV
  • PlaySport
  • iPod Nano

$1,500 in Revenue

  • iTouch
  • Flip Ultra HD
  • Nikon Coolpix

$3,000 in Revenue

  • iPad
  • Galaxy Tab

Domain investors who sign up at DomainFest have a bit of an advantage for this promotion. If you sign up for an account at the event you get until March 10 to hit the numbers. If someone signs up on BigJumbo.com they have 30 days to hit the numbers.

Snapnames/Moniker Releases DomainFest Live Auction List with My Picks

Snapnames/Moniker has released the final inventory list for the DomainFest live auction, which will be held in Santa Monica on Thursday, February 4, 2011 at 4:30pm local time (7:30 ET). Bidding will also be held online on Snapnames. You can view the full inventory on the Moniker website.

My favorites are bolded below (I did not submit any names):

Vnq.com $2,501 – $5,000
TrafficJam.com $10,001 – $25,000
DrunkDrivers.com $10,001 – $25,000
SecurityEquipment.com $10,001 – $25,000
P5.com $100,001 – $250,000
Kkt.com $10,001 – $25,000
LocalCalls.com $2,501 – $5,000
Flaw.com $10,001 – $25,000
Relative.com $25,001 – $50,000
Kiss.me $5,001 – $10,000
PartyFood.com $10,001 – $25,000
HomeRestoration.com $25,001 – $50,000
Location.net $50,001 – $100,000
TourGuides.com $50,001 – $100,000
OnlineDrugs.com $50,001 – $100,000
RentalHouse.com $50,001 – $100,000
AdvertisingAgency.com $100,001 – $250,000
Love.me $5,001 – $10,000
Seasons.com $100,001 – $250,000
Hy.com $250,001 – $500,000
ExoticCars.com $250,001 – $500,000
Footwear.com $750,001 – $1MM
SlotMachine.com $1MM – $5MM
Savants.org $2,501 – $5,000
HomeAppraiser.com $5,001 – $10,000
Ufn.com $5,001 – $10,000
SnowboardingEquipment.com $5,001 – $10,000
Bloodline.com $10,001 – $25,000
Linen.com $10,001 – $25,000
IShows.com $25,001 – $50,000
RoadBikes.com $25,001 – $50,000
TennisCourts.com $10,001 – $25,000
Hikers.com $25,001 – $50,000
Apn.com $50,001 – $100,000
FileSharing.com $100,001 – $250,000
InsuranceProducts.com $100,001 – $250,000
HomePrices.com $100,001 – $250,000
Won.com $100,001 – $250,000
Dust.com $100,001 – $250,000
Countries.com $100,001 – $250,000
ComicBook.com $250,001 – $500,000
Smoking.com $250,001 – $500,000
HouseInsurance.com $500,001 – $750,000
HomeRefinancing.com $500,001 – $750,000
Cotton.com $750,001 – $1MM
MedicalBilling.com $750,001 – $1MM
Girl.com $1MM – $5MM
InsuranceQuote.com $1MM – $5MM
Vehicles.com $1MM – $5MM
RxRx.com $5,001 – $10,000
EasyDivorce.com $25,001 – $50,000
Tabloids.com $25,001 – $50,000
ChatWorld.com $50,001 – $100,000
Newlyweds.com $50,001 – $100,000
Loo.com $50,001 – $100,000
Dorms.com $100,001 – $250,000
Toasts.com $100,001 – $250,000
Bootleg.com $100,001 – $250,000
Eel.com $100,001 – $250,000
DatabaseRecovery.com $50,001 – $100,000
Rash.com $50,001 – $100,000
Row.com $50,001 – $100,000
Chili.com $100,001 – $250,000
BankAuctions.com $250,001 – $500,000
WirelessPhone.com $250,001 – $500,000
MountainBiking.com $250,001 – $500,000
OfficePark.com $5,001 – $10,000
RecyclingCenters.com $5,001 – $10,000
ComputerCrash.com $10,001 – $25,000
Engraved.com $25,001 – $50,000
Porn.org $500,001 – $750,000
Designers.com $500,001 – $750,000
ICarts.com No Reserve
Uzy.com $5,001 – $10,000
BankWires.com $10,001 – $25,000
BridgeLoan.com $10,001 – $25,000
Decades.com $10,001 – $25,000
FaceValue.com $10,001 – $25,000
SportsCamps.com $50,001 – $100,000
Deductible.com $25,001 – $50,000
Damages.com $25,001 – $50,000
SearchFlights.com $25,001 – $50,000
Bucket.com $50,001 – $100,000
Abg.com $250,001 – $500,000
Closings.com $25,001 – $50,000
BeachDestination.com $25,001 – $50,000
Allergists.com $50,001 – $100,000
LoanQuotes.com $50,001 – $100,000
PregnancyTest.com $500,001 – $750,000
List.com $1MM – $5MM
UsTravel.com $25,001 – $50,000
TemporaryJobs.com $50,001 – $100,000
WireCash.com $50,001 – $100,000
Bvi.com $100,001 – $250,000

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