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Things I Am Looking Forward to at DomainFest

Elliot Silver
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2

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

Elliot Silver
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0

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

Elliot Silver
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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

Home Depot Monetizing Website with Adsense

Elliot Silver
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Adsense on HomeDepot.com

I was looking through the Home Depot website today, and I saw something that I think is a bit strange, and I wanted to see what you think about it:  Google Adsense advertising blocks on HomeDepot.com.

I was shopping for a bathroom vanity at Home Depot, and I saw a link to PlazaGallery.com, which is a competing website/company.  Why would Home Depot want to make a tiny fraction of the revenue for my click than they would if they would sell me a full vanity, sink and faucet?

I monetize some of my smaller website with Adsense, especially the sites that don’t have direct advertiser relationships and don’t offer products for sale. I like the flexibility of Adsense, and I appreciate the fact that I can make money on some of my sites without actually having to sell anything.

I’ve always been taught that it doesn’t make much sense to send potential customers to a competitor for a fraction of the revenue that you could make from a sale. For instance, if I was selling $100 sneakers with a 30% profit margin, it wouldn’t make sense to have Adsense where I could get paid $.50 for a click, while sending customers who want to buy from me right to my competitors who could make a lot more money and gain a new customer.

I understand that their site has millions of visits, and they probably have a significant revenue stream with Adsense monetization, but it strikes me as odd, when the Home Depot has such a huge selection of products.

What do you think?

Paypal Limitations in India Could Pose Problems for Domain Investors

Elliot Silver
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I read the TechCrunch article  yesterday about Paypal limiting payments to merchants in India to $500 beginning March 1st, and I think it will make an impact on the domain business. If merchants need to accept a higher payment amount, they need to look elsewhere.  The restrictions have been put in place by the Reserve Bank of India rather than Paypal, and it was announced on the official Paypal blog yesterday.

In my opinion, this news could be very bad news for  Indian domain investors and could also be a big annoyance to others who live outside of India but who do business with Indian companies.

For just about all transactions that are under a few thousand dollars, I use Paypal. From my perspective, this limitation would pose a problem for me if I am buying a relatively low value domain name for a domain investor in India. The cost of using a service like Escrow.com might be prohibitive on a low value deal (but above $500), yet the seller wouldn’t be able to accept a Paypal payment.

Similarly, for web development projects, it doesn’t appear to be possible to pay Indian merchants more than $500 via Paypal. I’ve worked with companies in India (found on Elance), and this would impact them, and consequently, it would impact my business.

Unless I was buying a domain name or working on a significant project that was critical to my business, it would be highly unlikely that I would opt to use another payment service like Western Union or something else.

Last night, I spoke  about the Paypal situation with Andrew Allemann, who works for Indian-based Directi, the company that operates Skenzo, Big Jumbo, DomainAdvertising.com, and others. According to Andrew, his companies “use  a payment processor for all of our payments, and this payment processor won’t be affected by any of the changes.” That’s a bit of good news.

If you are doing business with merchants or domain investors in India, you need to be aware of these Paypal restrictions that are coming soon and make sure you and they are covered.

NFL Players Association Preparing Public for Lockout with NFLLockout.com

Elliot Silver
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1

NFL Players AssociationThe National Football League’s Players Association (NFLPA) is gearing up for a potential lockout as their dispute with NFL owners continues, and it appears that they’re taking it to the public. The NFLPA owns and is using NFLLockout.com.

The domain name was originally created in September of 2009 by someone who appears to be unrelated to the NFLPA, but the Players Association appears to have taken possession of the domain name in or around  March of 2010. Although it’s privately registered right now, it was recently registered to Richard Persons, the player union’s director of information services.

As a football fan, it’s interesting to see the NFLPA take this battle to the public in this manner. As much as I am a fan (big PATS fan), it’s difficult to take sides in a contract dispute with the mostly wealthy players and the even more wealthy owners.

I can commiserate with the players though. They may make a lot of money, but most only have a few years to play professional football, are battered on the field, and most get huge amounts of money right out of college, and I can only imagine how quickly my money would be spent if I was in that spot.

It is interesting to see the NFLPA use the NFL trademark in a domain name like this.

** Update**

Andrew previously reported that the former owner sold the domain name to the NFLPA for $25,000.

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