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Best Development Tip for Domainers

Elliot Silver
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I have to say that the best thing I ever did for myself in terms of development was to learn basic HTML. I didn’t sign up for an expensive course or buy a bunch of books. I did it all with the help of Ebay.

When I was selling domain names on Ebay a few years ago, they began to offer sellers the option to customize their listings with HTML. You could either use the visual effects, where you would highlight the text and push buttons (bold, italics, colors, indent…etc) to make changes, or if you were daring, you could open up the actual HTML sheet. I haven’t been a seller in a long time, so I don’t know what it’s like now, but I would imagine it’s similar. This is also similar to the admin panel on WordPress.

Instead of simply using the “cheating” visual method, I also checked out the HTML and got a grasp for using HTML, which is a universal development language. I know what varies tags mean (like <b>bold</b> for example). Knowing basic HTML from my Ebay days a few years ago, I am now been able to manipulate and edit design code provided by my developers and designers. Each time I do this, I am able to learn new things and grow my knowledgebase.

I have never been entirely comfortable using HTML, and I would never call myself an expert, but I am confident enough to make changes and edits, and as a result, I am less reliant on developers for small changes. I can make edits on my sites much more quickly and for a lot less money. Whether I use full websites or mini-sites, my HTML knowledge is immensely helpful.

So, when you have a chance, learn basic HTML and you will be much better for it. Incidentally, I have absolutely no computer science or technology background at all, so this is all foreign to me – so that’s no excuse!

Domain Madness Final Hours

Elliot Silver
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There are just a few hours remaining to bid in 2009 Domain Madness. As the clock ticks down, bids have been coming in, although there are many domain names that are just below their reserve prices. I expect many of these names to sell, so take a few minutes and get your bids in to avoid being shut out at the last minute.

Some of my good friends are at The Palms in Las Vegas, and they will be coming at you live shortly as the auction winds down. There will be a live video feed available as well.   I hear Adam Strong will be doing a shot after every sale… (don’t worry – he’s shooting girlie drinks).

Just to add my own personal plug here, I am selling TrickOrTreating.com at auction. I originally listed it here for $7,000+ and the current bid is just $2,400.   It’s slightly under the reserve price at the moment, but based on a few questions I’ve received, I think there will be enough interest and bids, and the name will sell.

DomainFest Highlights Available Online

Elliot Silver
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The DOMAINfest website has been updated with content from their January 2009 conference.

Visitors can now view a collage of photos taken at the event.   Also posted are full- length videos of each session so that attendees and non-attendees can benefit from the vision and advice of our expert panelists.   In addition, there are a number of written and video testimonials available. They give a flavor for the business-building and networking opportunities that DOMAINfest Global offered.

The links are:
http://www.domainfest.com/videos
http://www.domainfest.com/photos
http://www.domainfest.com/videotestimonials
http://www.domainfest.com/writtentestimonials

The updated website also mentions the feedback from the DFG post-event attendee survey.     Sample findings include:

–       97% of survey respondents rated DOMAINfest Global as valuable or extremely valuable.
–       87% rated the sessions and content as valuable or extremely valuable.
–       84% of respondents said that they were able to meet with industry leading vendors and service providers.
–       81% met new, influential business contacts.

The video of the fireside chat with Steve Wozniak, the keynoter and co-founder of Apple Computer, is also on the site. As many of you know, Steve has been in the news lately with his appearance on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Cool Feature on the New York Times

Elliot Silver
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0

Perhaps it isn’t a new feature and I just haven’t noticed it before today, but when you highlight a word or phrase in a New York Times article (in Safari or Firefox), a small question mark graphic pop-ups. If you click on the graphic, it opens a new window with an Answers.com powered reference search.

The search results page includes dictionary definitions and other tidbits of information.   Instead of a visitor having to leave the site to find out what a particular word means, the NYT provides the answer – and monetizes it. At the top of the search box is PPC advertising powered by Google.

This is a neat feature that should generate additional revenue revenue, increase page views, and keep people on their site for a longer period of time. Smart thinking from the New York Times!

Losing a Domain is a Big Problem

Elliot Silver
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8

Jumpkicks, Inc. is a development-stage company whose stock is traded on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board Market. The company is an online martial arts retailer that sells products, such as uniforms, shirts, equipment, mats, and other products related to martial arts. They also provide information of interest to martial artists and instructors. The company operates exclusively online.

Until May of 2008, the company operated online on Jumpkicks.com, however, something happened in May that caused the company to lose their primary domain name. A Whois search from April 15 revealed that the domain name wasn’t set to expire until March of 2009, so a forgotten renewal seems to be out of the question.

To remediate the situation, the company purchased other domain names and uploaded their website on to these new domain names: Jumpkicks.net, Jumpkicks.org, Jumpkicks.us, and Jumpkicks.info. The company is also pursuing other options to get their primary .com domain name back.

Unfortunately for Jumpkicks, they are now realizing just how important the .com domain name is to their company’s operations. Because of the situation, the publicly traded company was forced to note this in their a 10K/A filed today.

“Unfortunately, the domain name www.jumpkicks.com lent significant value to our company. The long history of the Site drew regular repeat traffic. We are now attempting to draw traffic to the new domain names, but we have thus far been unable to do so successfully. If we are not able to generate significant traffic, we will not be able to generate significant revenue to support our operations.”

This goes to show how important an established domain name is to a company and why many small companies with high value domain names are reluctant to sell their domain name and move it to a lesser known domain name.

FBS.com in Auction

Elliot Silver
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I saw a nice domain name up for auction at Snapnames today: FBS.com. At the moment, there are 5 hours remaining to bid. I can’t really suggest a use for the name, which is why I am not bidding, but there’s something about the name I like.

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