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This entry was posted by Frank Schilling on Wednesday, February 21st, 2007 at 8:08 AM and is filed under
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Hi Frank,
Do you know a tool(s) or website(s) that can give “accurate” domain drop date with the time, it will be available for registration ?
Thank you
hey Frank..
was glancing over your blogroll (aka Sites Frank Visits).. noticed you had your 3 addicitions..looks like you may need to add a 4th when Namejet rolls out : )
and while you were at it, you never know, you might accidentally add Domainer’s Gazette to the mix.. : )
-peter
Hi Frank,
Do you know any domain holders/investors that are interested in healthcare related domains?
Thx,
BJ
***FS*** I think everybody, and nobody.. depending on the name and the price.
Hi Frank, great blog!
I would love to get your take on what you feel is happening to .fm names.
Over last few years they are going from totally obscure to having sites like Last.fm sell to CBS for over $200mil, now we get Anywhere.fm, Social.fm, and many others are jumping in.
Of course I am biased, I operate a few myself like Sky.fm
Thanks in advance!
Frank I am totally lost should we not ask you questions anymore? Because it seems a lot of ASK FRANK does not get answered since you came back from vacation. I asked you a question about something that you discussed with me before on Khakis.net. It got printed with no answer I asked why no reply when you posted it so you removed it entirely? WOW
***FS*** Sorry Ray.. I am just soo busy these days.. no disrespect intended.. really! if I posted I did so in order for others to post comment / reply to it. I saw a post or two ago that you would prefer I not post if no comment so deleted. Again, I meant no disrespect, just overwhelmed lately.
OK Frank that’s fine if you busy your busy. And I mean no disrespect by this but I think people here are seeking your opinion not the others. Its like going to a Basketball camp run by Michael Jordan and being told Scott Skiles will be instructing you
***FS*** That’s very flattering.. msg to Raymond H.. Please post again and I’ll try to be more attentive.. Again, appologies.
Frank,
) and domain sales sites. It seems the sales are broken into three main segments. First the weird trash, second the pretty weird brandable, and third the solid very broad generics that cover large industries, categories, etc..
I would really appreciate your opinion/foresight on targeted generic domains.
I have been watching, reading, and studying the blogs (yours at the top
I have really not seen too much of the very targeted generic domains in the sales stats or auctions. Yes there have been some, but not the mainstay of the auctions. Now, there are only so many broad generics such as sportinggoods.com, which certainly warrant attention and premium prices. The rage for the highly targeted razor sharp domains that focus on products underneath the broad category like sportinggoods.com I think (and hope) has to be around the corner. I see fabulous domains for example, they see it, their names are very focused for the most part. I also concentrate on these highly targeted domains but at times it can be a little frustrating since their time has not come yet. Sorry for being so long in the tooth Frank, I wanted to get your opinion on these very targeted domains and what you see happening after the broad generics have crossed the board a few times. Appreciate your time.
David V
***FS*** I think I understand what you were thinking when you wrote this.. There are seemingly few broad category domains that turn .. but those aren’t necessarily the most valuable.
Even though sportinggoods.com includes golfclubcovers.com, golfbags.com tenisracquets.com and countless others,the name sportinggoods.com is not as valuable as all those combined… Think of each category against the backdrop of a worldwide audience and you’ll get that gazing off-a-cliff feeling, where the world suddenly looks like a very big place. Lots of opportunity there .. and the category killer names like sportinggoods.com aren’t necessarily that valuable.
Thanks for the response! I see what you mean when you say the “combination” of the seemingly smaller domains are much more valuable. Maybe where I was going is that it seems the crowd or focus is still in the broad areas. Sales have been very slow (for me) and although it’s partially my own fault for only having a tenth of my domains listed in sites database, it seems I’m either behind the wave or ahead of it. I feel pretty confident I’m ahead of it, maybe I (and others) like to hear the opinion of someone who has proved himself in this industry. (you) Do you think the “crowd” whether it be domainers or end users willing be coming around with understanding as to the power of a highly focused domain name?
Thanks Frank, you the best!
As a side note, I was really disappointed I couldn’t attend TRAFFIC and speak with you since I am only 3 miles away from where it was held!
Thanks David V
hey Frank
thought you might get a kick out of this trademark and domain dispute about two different Hammer Museums:
http://sodacity.net/blog/morgan/2007/10/09/hammer-museum-trademark-dispute
***FS*** I saw that when it came out.. The bigger hammer will win and neither will get the .museum
Frank -
what’s the best way to find a domainer who would work with us on a revenue share basis? We have great content but our site is bad from a usability and conversion perspective. We don’t have anyone doing landing page optimization, adwords optimization, or run an affiliate program for us. We’d like to find someone who is experienced – where should we post this business opportunity?
Thanks for any advice!
***FS** Maybe somebody will read here and comment. My plate is full sir.
Frank,
I need to market “enersun.com”… I bought this domain to exploit the exploding solar market. Where’s the best place to sell this one?
Take care,
Johnny B
***FS*** Fine brandable name.. one of many.. Check for third party TM’s before launching headlong. Sales best on Sedo.. but maybe someboddy will see here Johnny.
>>
Hi Frank,
Do you know tool(s) or website(s) that will give “accurate” domain drop dates with the drop time(s), for registration ?
I am referring to names not taken by drop catchers.
Thank you
***FS*** Everything Charley, everything gets taken on the drop now.. it gets tasted , the good names with traffic are kept and the rest spat back.. If you’re looking for a name without traffic, then pull the daily list of names expiring through pool.com or snapnames.com and then wait five days after the drop.. acquire when they get re-released.
I have an idea for you relating to “Ask Frank a question”. Why don’t you post only those questions which you are able to provide an answer for, leave a message at the top “due to time constraints only a select few questions can be answered but feel free to ask anyway”. I believe this way it doesn’t come across as being cold, posting the question and then ignoring it. ;p
As far as Dan and the others who like to post news stories that may interest you and your readers, add another “post interesting news” related section and all of those posts can be listed, and select the one’s you like to post on the main page as you are doing now.
***FS*** Thanks Alpi.. I’ll try to set something like that up
Hi Frank, passing on commenting regarding .fm question the other day, or missed by accident with so much to do? Thanks for your thoughts in advance!
**FS***I’m not super crazy about the .fm namespace.. I have a friend or two who have them but most major radio is still gravitating to the .com .. don’t have more insight into .fm
Thank you very much Frank, you are truly generous with your time.
Hi Frank:
I’m just new to this game and I was wondering if you could give me an idea of what you think these domains could be worth. I know you’re not a fan of .mobi, but there are a few:
prodporn.mobi
prodporn.info
lincedin.com
dicshunarey.com
crudejokes.mobi
Thanks for your time!
Justin
Internet Users to Surf Solar System by 2010?
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/10/internet-users-.html
Dan
regarding recent “ing” sales
memoring.com $40,000 [memoring.it]
reviewing.com $10,000
I know you’re focus is buy-and-hold, but I was wondering if you could comment on these. I’m just getting into the field … My take is that despite protecting a brand (the case of memoring), I would have expected these prices to be flipped. What do you think of these valuations? What do you think about “ing”s?
thanks Frank!
Hi,
If there ever was a time in human history for a few ‘domainers’ and a few ‘seo’ers/sem’ers’ that understand domains and Internet search…to come together.
Now would be the time to for a “Field of Dreams” moment… ‘build it and they will come’.
___
Dogpile Beats Google, Again Top Search Engine in Customer Satisfaction
http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/2007/10/18/dogpile-beats-google-again-top-search-engine-in-customer-satisfaction/
Peace!
Dan
Hi Frank,
It was nice to see you at TRAFFIC, Miami.
Here is the DuckEggs.com ‘Generic domain name campaign’ that I said will start. http://www.duckeggs.com/domains/?p=4
The here idea is to educate the business people as there is a great disconnect between them, and the domainers. The recent cowboys.com deal is best example..
Need your valuable comments on this idea which is expected to benefit every domainer and the business people on the street.
thanks,
Sai Pola.
President
DuckEggs.com
Frank, I got 2 ideas I want to run through you…
So, domainers make their money from type in traffic. As long as there is traffic, making money won’t be the hard part, its the traffic that pays the bills.
So, isn’t it important for us to focus more on the traffic. Here are two ideas
1) What if the top 5 domainers in the world all put in say $500,000 and each a did a super bowl commercial, whereby they showed users typing in a .com domain name and having a good experience. So, that way, users understand that typing in a generic term followed by a .com can be a good experience. Basically, show a few users, in the commercial, thinking of something, and then typing it into the browser for a rewarding experience. Heck, the domainers that pay for the commercial can end up promoting a few of their domains on the commercial, in the process.
By reinforcing this in users heads, we can do even just a little bit to ensure users continue to type in what they are looking for, followed by a .com.
2) There should be more studies and forums that show that when a page has relevant links, and not pop-ups or un relevant links, that there is more repeat traffic over time.
If there was a study that looked into this, and ultimately confirmed that a quality page increases repeat visits, maybe more people would focus on quality with their domains thus guaranteeing that users have a good experience when they type what they are looking for, followed by a .com. And if users have a good experience, they will be more likely to continue to do this…
I’d like to hear your thoughts
***FS*** That superbowl idea was openly discussed several years ago.. More effective would be a webpage based graphic reinforcing the type-in as Sahar suggested before.. At this point I’m not sure you need the superbowl commercial.. There is already so much inertia in the domain space. You second question runs along the same answer (more or less) .. There hasn’t been a study yet that says type-in domain name traffic is bad.. Statmark/Websidestory have issued reports.. analysts at the bank know about this. It’s much more known that you’d think.
Hi Frank
Not a question, but following the Dallas Cowboys fiasco, further proof that ‘they’ just don’t get it.
Check out the Gaming Alerts Ltd clip – http://www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden/ – where one of the tycoons parts with GBP200k for a stake in what’s basically an affiliate link website with virtually no traffic. Not just that, but they don’t own the .com of their name, or the singular (snapped up by a viewer last night along with many other permutations).
I wonder how hard it would have been to sell this obviously shrewd guy (in other areas) a great, revenue making generic for his $400kplus – next to impossible is my guess!
Best – James
***FS*** Thanks James
Frank, I think you missed my second point.
I know that domain traffic converts and is good traffic. My point is that some people put pop-ups and un-relevant links onto domain names. By doing this, one would guess that users won’t come back again to the page they visited. Users may even stop typing in generic name followed by a .com if they don’t have a good experience the first time.
So, if there was a study that said repeat traffic, to a particular domain name, increases based on how quality the page experience is, then maybe more people would remove pop-unders and un-releated links from thier domain name and thus, encourage users to continue to type in generic term followed be a .com.
***FS*** Thanks sincerely, I didn’t originally catch that. We have tested this and there is no.. “stay away” rate that results from adding pop-ups. Taking pops away makes no difference in user loyalty.. it does provide a cleaner experience whicle browsing (we all agree) but type-in traffic is not impacted that we can measure.. and I’ve tried.
Hi Frank,
It was nice to see you at TRAFFIC, Miami.
Here is the DuckEggs.com ‘Generic domain name campaign’ that I said will start.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071023/latu150.html?.v=19
The here idea is to educate the business people as there is a great disconnect between them, and the domainers. The recent cowboys.com deal is best example..
Need your valuable comments on this idea which is expected to benefit every domainer and the business people on the street.
thanks,
Sai Pola.
President
DuckEggs.com
***FS*** I think this is really well said Sai!~ The world is changinging quickly.. People aren’t as clueless as they used to be and there are fewer and fewer cases like cowboys.com .. Those that do come out get spoken to very quickly via blogs and press releases like yours. Keep up the great work!~
thanks for the response. u the man FS, its great that you get back to people on this blog…
thanks again…
I don’t notice RSS capability on your blog. Is there any reason why you don’t have it? I would appreciate it if you instituted it. Thanks.
***FS*** A redesign/rework of my blog is coming.
Could you comment on my blog post about the domain name bubble?!
http://www.yvoschaap.com/index.php/weblog/how_is_the_domain_market_different_from_any_other_bubble/
thanks
***FS*** I am probably one of the most cautious investors you’ve ever met and have spoken extensively about bubbles in the price of domains.. Beer.com at 7mm is not a bubble.. Hotbeertoday.com for $2000 “is” a bubble.. Use the search on my blog to review what I’ve written about domains and bubbles.
Ok, that’s why there is a question mark and open ending in the text… it only introduces some facts (near the end) about the domain market and it’s resemblence with other bubbles… but you say: no bubble, only many bad buys.
Hello Frank,
Just wanted to update you that a domainer has setup a website at http://www.fireinca.com to keep the masses informed about the status along with other important information on people can help. Also, worth noting is that it is unfortunate that many people and some known domainers have registered fire related domains and are either profiting off the traffic or have posted them for sale.
Hopefully this will spread the word and encourage those other domainers to do something positve and useful with their domains.
Thanks
(AP)Insider Domain Name Snatching Probed
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iww9KWMZ3nylp8x87k97j9jhw-oQ
___
INTERNET LAW – TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION IN BELGIUM
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=articles&id=EDECC552-88CA-4011-8859-B778173D18DF
Dan
Jon…
Good post.
This is what myself and another guy at dnfourm did with regards to the VT shooting tragedy.
http://www.dnforum.com/f31/tragedy-domains-news-again-thread-227245.html
___
Heres a part of one of my post: ( I am ‘companyone’ at both dnforum & namepro)
___
“”Always two sides to a story.
A few of us “domainers” registered some VT domains to help “prevent” people from trying to “profit” from the tragedy. I for one registered about 15 domains related to this. Example: http://vtfund.org/
I contacted the VT webmaster and offered to give the domains to them…they said they did not want the domains…so I decided just to “redirect” the domains to their official fund located at: http://www.vt.edu/tragedy/memorial_fund.php
Other “domainers” did the same thing. Another “domainer” registered over 50 domains…costing him over $500 and has also “redirected” the domains to the official VT fund website.
Heres a link to a domain forum thread…where we convenicd a guy who had registered a VT related domain to make a profit and was getting thousands of visitors a day and could have made thousands a month from this domain…but he relented and the domain has been pointed to the official VT fund website.
http://www.namepros.com/the-break-room/317895-regd-ismailax-com-va-tech-related.html
People do…do the “right thing”…but it seems like everyone just wants to report about the things people do wrong.”"
___
TM/Typo Cybersquatting for… ‘good not evil’
____
Best,
Dan
Hi Frank,
Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge with the world.
What is the truth about length of time required between when a person can buy a .com domain on the aftermarket (or new registration) and then resell it? I seem to be finding different answers – is it 60 days, is it one day, or does it depend on the registrar??
Cheers!
Jim
***FS*** The registry imposes a 60 day no transfer window after name creation.. You can still sell the name and change whois during first 60 days.. you just can’t move the name to a 3rd party registrar.
Frank, I wonder if I can ask your readers a question.
I want to sell my first domain name as a learning experience. It’s not worth much, maybe $100 – $200, but I’d expect it to grow in value over the next few years. More importantly, it’s a dry run. I’m pretty good at analysing the quality of organisations after a little research but I’m struggling.
I don’t know where to sell.
The forums are really, seriously full of crap. Real crap, no-hoper crap, and it’s a spiv market, where anything of value is going to get drowned out in shouting and Capital letters, or undervalued.
I’ve found various auction places, and without giving their names, here are my notes:
10 percent, very slow, takes months to transfer
No evidence ever sell anything, overpriced
20 percent, overpriced wideboys, no evidence ever sell anything
Have to transfer, great for buyer, not so good for seller
Snotty, not very good for sellers, good for buyers
Transfer to them first, 10 percent plus fixed fee
Cunning pricing
Expensive domain names
Moniker is good – excellent – at most things, but their marketplace is (almost) a million names to troll through, beginning with stuff like I-love-to-drink.org (made that up)
So, if any readers have any experience of this, what I’m looking for is an auction or marketplace that’s not just for the $10,000 domains, an auction or marketplace where all the serious crap is weeded out, where there’s plenty of eyeballs from those who have the eyes to see, not just amateurs shouting at amateurs. And I don’t want to have to transfer my domain name to some punk auction house, because then I’m tied to them.
I know Fabuous have set up a System, which I believe registrars like Moniker are in, but all I can find is regular but occasional high value auction listings, or Moniker’s marketplace (which is a sea of crap if the first pages are anything to go by).
I really am struggling with this one.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Richard
ICANN investigates snatching of domain names
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071024.wgtsnatch1024/BNStory/Technology/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20071024.wgtsnatch1024
The Internet’s key oversight agency is investigating suspicions that insider information is being used to snatch desired domain names before an individual or business can register them.
The Security and Stability Advisory Committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers termed the practice “domain name front running” and likened it to a stock broker buying or selling shares ahead of a client’s trade, in anticipation of a movement in price.
In the case of Internet addresses, many people who see a domain name available the first time they check it out, find it already taken by the time they return to buy it.
That has led to suspicions that someone with access to search requests has been using the information to gauge interest in a domain name.
By buying the domain first, that person can then try to sell it to the interested party for a profit. This is different from traditional domain name speculation because the buyer knows for sure that the address is of interest.
Although the practice has never been proved, the ICANN committee said the perception that it is happening “portrays an unfavorable image of the parties associated with the domain name registration process in specific, and of the domain name community in general.”
The committee said it wants to prevent “perception from evolving to accepted wisdom.”
The committee cited several ways front running may be happening, including the installation of viruses and other software programmed to collect such information and the use of unscrupulous third-party sites to check domain name availability. Coincidence also was cited as a possibility.
ICANN is trying to gather evidence on whether it is occurring and, if so, whether policies or other measures are required to restrict the practice.
Hi Frank,
I am here to pick your brain, once again. And it is a big one at that
What do you think of http://www.BatteryLife.mobi? Don’t we all want more accessories and battery life for our electronic devices ?
Its obvious I am still grasping at straws over here
By the way, 2 degrees and frosty here in White Rock. When was the last time you scraped a windshield 
-Coey
***FS*** It’s been a long time.. I think you should stick with .coms on secondary names like that. Batterylife.com is nice middle of the road inventory. Not so much in .mobi
Frank,
I had a question regarding being a respondant on WIPO claims but didn’t want to post the full question in comments — is it okay to e-mail you?
Cygnus
Mastering Your Own Domain (Hijacking?/domain bandits?)
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/small-business/2007/10/are_you_the_master_of_your_own.html
—
‘Gamble’ on Valkyrie pays for Converse
(really pays to have someone,anyone around who knows a little something about domains)
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20071025/NEWS/710250349/1051/NEWS01
___
Hi Frank,
More revealed on Mozilla tie to Google with Firefox search revenue…
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/25/mozilla_releases_2006_financial_statement/
Now, tell me it’s not worth it for domainers to build a browser
Frank,
This might be of interest to you:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/25/patent-monkey-joins-deadpool-only-to-rise-again-as-patentscom/
Combine Generic Domain name with back-end infrastructure already in place – sounds like a great Joint Venture by the Internet Real Estate Group.
“”Now, tell me it’s not worth it for domainers to build a browser
”"
Drewbert…I am with you.
Web Browser
Search Engine
About 10 – 20 ‘new’ Media Conglomerates
Best,
Dan
Frank,
From what I’ve read in your blog, you seem to like domains like NashvilleRoofer.com and NashvilleRoofers.com, but you don’t care for domains like LocalRoofer.com or LocalRoofers.com. Could you please explain why? Thanks in advance.
***FS*** The former is the type that people will type in for no other reason than, that it has meaning and resonance.. They are descriptive phrases and part of every-day vernacular .. like yellow page headings which anyone can lay claim to on a first come first serve basis. I have never heard anybody say “I need to find a local roofer” .. I have heard people say “I need a low cost roof” or people in Nashville say “I need a roof” so I like Nashvilleroofers.com and lowcostroofers.com .. Localroofers.com is like registering waproofing.com to describe a roofing site on a wap phone.. conceptual name with no end user buyer and no type-in traffic.
Hope this helps.
sigh… I used to type “frank” into my web browser and Firefox would suggest your blog…
now I type “seven” … oh, well, change is inevitable – the old way was just so friendly
Trademark Infringement Meets Consumer Privacy (confusing domain names/company’s)
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3707776
Dan
Domain Name no-no’s… Interview with a Domain Name Lawyer (John Berryhill)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGyJx_9iSO4
Frank,
Regarding the L-L-L.com goldrush… What info do you have for domain investors that are getting into the IDN rush now. Should we go for ア-ニ-メ.com (foreign character – hyphen – foreign character.com) etc
アニメ = anime
ア-ニ-メ = still cool lookin anime
Frank,
Good day to you! First, thank you for taking time to engage yourself with your fan-base and following of passionate domainers!
I own a number of single-word, premium domains and have many questions for you! For now, here’s one I’ve been thinking a lot about lately… In ’96/’97 I picked up a couple names with the intent to develop (yes, still collecting virtual dust today!)… It remains my interest to develop as they match perfectly with one of my passions in life. However, I’ve been recently drawn into the opportunity of potential selling these names (it has been a crazy year for domain sales)! My question is this: I own both the singular and plural of the same, single-word generic. Naturally the two together are invaluable to me or anyone that can pick them both up. However, there are other options: develop one and sell the other, sell separately, or go ahead and sell together. It’s not as clear and simple of a decision as some may think…
You commented on gardens.com in a recent post of yours. I see that garden.com is owned and operated by a different company. In this example, the end-user can enjoy both and pick and choose – or perhaps it’s simply too confusing for the end-user. Clearly, either or would love to have the other domain. Does this create a more valuable property down the road if the other is already developed and has a substantial user base?
Please share your thoughts on this.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration! P.S. I’m happy to share the domains with you if you’d like – please email me.
Enjoy your day!
Frank -
I have been buying/selling names since 1999 and recently purchased my first geo-specific name, baskingridge.com (Basking Ridge is an affluent, NJ suburb – Verizon and Avaya are hdq’d here).
Is there a good source for determining ad rates? I have several solid categories (real estate, jobs, dining, golf and hotels) but I’m not quite sure how to proceed – obviously don’t want to overprice the mkt but also don’t want to leave $ on the table by not maximizing ad revenue. In the case of baskingridge.com, I would rather approach companies directly vs relying on Google AdWords, for example.
Thanks,
Michael Carter
Is Facebook about to make new friends in China?
http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/live/articles/is-facebook-about-to-make-new-friends-in-china.asp/4200/
Dan
Hi Frank,
It would be cool if you added an email button for each blogpost so your readers could email your blogposts to friends & colleagues, etc.
Just a suggestion to help spread the good word!
All the best,
Steve
Frank,
Quick question that should lead to a very quick answer. I realize only Canadians can buy .ca’s. Do you think in the future this will make .ca’s expensive compared to .us’s etc. And a lot more likely to be expensive if they ever open it up to the public. Do you agree if you are canadian it’s a good idea to invest in domains here?
Thanks for your feedback!!