Do you play the Domain Game???

[Linda Buquet]

Welcome to our brand new Domain Name Forum!
I am the mod and host for this forum and the Affiliate Marketing forum.

Do you play the Domain Game???

If you own a web site, you probably have played the game at least once when you launched your site and searched feverishly for the perfect name.

If you are an affiliate, you've probably had to play the game a few times times and continue to play the game every time you build a new site.

If you're an online marketer or web designer you probably play the game all the time, but sometimes with other people's money.

A good, memorable domain name is the foundation of every great web presence. Some people buy domain names for their own web site, some buy them for fun, some for profit, some even invest in them, and play them like the stock market - but needless to say, lots of people play the domain game in one way or another.

A while back I got into the domain game, and now I’m totally, helplessly hooked. Researching, finding, buying and selling domain names, has become an addiction for me - just like going to Vegas is for some people. I dream up new domain names in my sleep and every TV commercial gives me a new domain name idea. My friends are starting to call me the “Domainiac.” The other day I got an email from a business associate addressed to “Whois Linda!”

So I figured I'd share my passion, addiction, resources, and tools in this new WebProWorld forum, so we can all play the game together. After all, domains are the foundation of everything web and this IS WebProWorld, right?

Here are a couple good general domain name resources to get us started:

http://www.dnjournal.com
http://www.domainnotes.com
http://www.igoldrush.com

Remember this is YOUR forum so let us know what topics you would like to discuss such as domain keyword tools, good value Registrars, domain valuations, how do you grab good expired domains, what are the best places and ways to sell a domain for top dollar.

So do you play “The Game”?

What are some of your favorite tricks of the trade? Need help brainstorming a new URL? Where is the best place to register domains or sell them? What do you think of the newer domain extensions like .biz and .tv? Have you ever made a great score? Tell us about it!!!

[LauraB]

Hi Linda,

The commas are causing problems here:

Here are a couple good general domain name resources to get us started:
http://www.dnjournal.com, http://www.domainnotes.com,

http://www.dnjournal.com
http://www.domainnotes.com

[Linda Buquet]

Ooooops, thanks for catching that Laura. I just fixed someone else's URLs in a post but neglected to double check my own. Good catch! :-)

[kikkertm]

Great idea for a forum.. I'm quite involved in everthing to do with domain names (I'm a registrar) and I also buy and sell premium domain names for profit.. I might be spending even more time on this forum now !

Anyway Catalyst - Good intro.. You might want to make it a 'sticky' to keep people within scope ?

[Linda Buquet]

kikkertm,

Glad you will be with us more often, it will be nice to have your expertise. Great idea about the sticky! Done!

[sonnie]

Interesting concept concerning domains. My Significant Other wanted to start a website. She had decided exactly what she wanted to do. All products offered would be made and handcrafted in the USA. I searched for domain names NOT already registered that might fit the need. To my surprise I found one, not registered, and jumped on it. We haven't done much with the site yet, but will get into it later this year. The interesting part of all of this...we have received numerous emails offering to buy the domain name.

[geoffreygag]

Tips and Concerns

1- Domains are addictive.
2- Domain game can be costly.
3- Domain names have a valuation formula. (most likely, today's inventory of available names won't fit into the top valuation models)
4- Two strategies a) development b) quick flips. If you develop them, might as well buy out the 10 year registration.
5- Marketing / Advertising - it's better to invest in a good name upfront in order to lower your marketing cost across time. Spend $1,000 - $2,000 today and save $5,000 across time.
6- "Real Solution Secret". This saves time and money. Go to AT&T website and search their toll free database. There are still valuable toll free numbers available that will allow you to easily create your own "Packaged Brand" with top level category name and magnetic toll free number. Trust me, I have over 290 of these. visit www.1888ahorras.com
7- Becareful when somebody sells you a domain name that has a Google PR8 or PR9.
8- www.godaddy.com has aggressive pricing plans.
9-
10- Don't ever buy a domain name until you utilize Overture's search term suggestion tool. It clearly helps you assess what names / terms to buy.


That's all until later.

[gobuy]

I love the domain name game and been at it since Jan of 1999. Got in the business because the wife wanted to build a porcelain retail store online and we started to look for the right domain name. The porcelain that she wanted to sell was Limoges from France, so we found LimogesSociety.com and built it and has been up since 1999. Then I started to grab Limoges domain names like LimogesClub.com , ClubLimoges.com, BuyLimoges.com, LimogesShop.com, LimogesStore.com and many more of the misspellings.

Then I got into buying domain names, my first grab was MiracleMile.com, I built that one as a city directory and started hunting more got domain names.

I hunt them with Pool.com, NameWinner.com, ExpireFish.com, CaptureNames.com, GoDaddy.com, and SnapNames.com. I have grabed some great ones like WorldBanker.com, NationalBanker.com, AsSeenOnTV.org, SearchTheWorld.com, WhatsOnline.com, GoLookUp.com, SoccerMania.com, MrMuscle.com, and many more.

My two best extensions are .com and .us. The .us domain name has increased by over 70% in registrations, even more that the .com this year. The value is great and you can still find gold in the .us domain names.

I own some of the top level .us domain names as I was there at the opening. I own WallStreet.us, Mp3.us, Computers.us, Reservations.us, Paintings.us, OilPaintings.us, Porcelain.us.

You need to put in alot of time to grab great domains and a little luck, but it pay to have a great, easy to remember domain name.

This is the best game out there were a little guy can grab a big domain name for a small amount of money(from $500.00 to $5,000) and look big to the rest of the world when he or she builds a web site.

[suesheboy]

Domains names are inventory like any other commodity you may buy and sell. Treat them as such and keep good track of them. If you have hundreds such as I do this requires some work but worth the effort.

I like using more than one registrar and good reporting on spread sheets is a must for me.

Be careful to make sure your names are locked. Godaddy by default is NOT LOCKED!

Keep track of expiration dates as sometimes you may not be notified.

I personally like using both: myname.com and my–name.com.

How about you?

[aronin]

I use officialwebnames.com as a registry. Low prices; excellent service. Their "Premium Domains List" - not advertised but available by email request - lists selected domain names the company holds in its own domain "bank."

Domain names truly is a game, and sometimes a vicious one at that. I have about 100 domains at various registrars and then I manage a number of domains too. I use specialized software to both manage domains and to purchase them. But it's not always fun.

Some of my favorite registrars include Joker.com (Germany), Pair.com (they also do a great job at web hosting too), 1AND1 (cheapest place I've seen with one of the easiest control panels that allows managine all domains you have there on a single web page) and I still favor old Network Solutions for when I want to invest into the 5+ year registrations. I despise Enom as they were former large-scale spammers and before they made it almost impossible to transfer a domain away from them.

Where the game gets really into play is when you have to deal with scrupulous affiliate registrars and idiot webmasters who only care to rip you off of your domain name and try to re-sell it back to you. I've also had affiliate registrars who took the name I wanted and re-sold it to another registrar and then "offered" to sell my domain back to me.

I think it's important and wise that today you find a really good registrar and one that can "lock" in your domain name having lots of security before the domain can be transferred or sold. This usually means lots of contact emails so make sure your email address lasts as long as your domain name or at least keep on top of modifying your domain name email addresses. You need to protect your domains these days.

One day the dot .COMs will be worth good real-estate prices again. I see the dot .NETs catching-up and surprisingly many, many organizations are now opting for the dot .ORGs. Last year I purchased over 30 .ORG domains largely because religious groups, some very big, are diving into a strong Internet presence.

I do not see the .us or country specific domains ever being anything more then what they are now-just regional country names that few will ever remember. I do think the dot .TV is working nicely for a number of infomercials but only because the medium of the TV is pushing the use of the domain.

Lastly, I still cherish domain names that are close to the top of the beginning of the alphabet as possible. Numeric domains can actually be beneficial here too. Domain names having keywords relevant to the content of the site will always make a strong showing, so pick your domain wisely.

Perhaps 10 years later our domains will have some value that we can pass them along to our children who will benefit from our domain game fun now.

Mark

[cooper]

My company has about 20+ domains but only 4 actual web sites (2 are listed in my signature). We use the rest to capture users that may have forgotten the "real" domains and redirect them to the correct ones. It's helpful and a smart business move. I would recommend it to anyone trying to capture their audience.

We have been trying to acquire a .com domain that the registered "owner" has never used. It's annoying as no one returns any correspondence and the contact information listed in the WHOIS database is worthless.
I haven't looked into it at all from a legal perspective yet so I will ask the users here:
Is there any way for us to acquire the domain by forcing, or otherwise allowing, the current registered organization to release it? I don't want to get nasty about it, but it would be a different story if the domain was actually being used or if they would return our inquiries.

Thanks!

[graphyx]

I don't visit the forum as much as I should but no, I don't really "play" the domain game. I only own one .com . . . that is graphyx.com. If I should decide that I want to sell my domain, for profits sake, what do I need to do, where can I post it or promote the sale of it. And where can I find information on pricing it.

[OneMoreBite]

Oh, gee thanks. Another forum to visit! I'm quite a domain name junky and all these links! Oh, my. I need a 48 hr. day.

Thanks for this forum idea - I've had questions about domain names and wasn't sure where to post them. Now I know! I'll be back ...

Anyone spend hours simply trying to dream up domain names, only to realize you just wasted half the day in dreamland? Me too. ;-)

Kathryn

[vfaulkner]

Can't say that I'm really a player, but,
Back in 2000, Vanity Fair Corp.( www.vfc.com ), parent company to the magazine,lingerie, and such companies as Gitano , Lee, and JanSport, offered me $50 to sell them my then current URL, vfsolutions.cmo, for use in a new product line.
I was able to negotiate a $5000 tag, due to some personal circumstances. (I truly wasn't trying to be greedy.)

Trying to find a replacement was hard though, as my name and others are similar and already taken and/or copyrighted.

To purchase names, I have used www.domainpeople.com several times as registrar and easily moved from/to different hosts for clients...

[edwinj]

Great new forum!
I have been playing the game for a while too. It's a lot of fun and can be extremely rewarding.

The best names IMO are those that target a specific market that has commercial potential. Too many beginners dive in and register names that sound clever or cute. This is usually not the best way to go and can result in you holding worthless names. You see hundreds of junk domains on eBay, for instance.

We've all been there. You'd fall down laughing if you saw some of the names I first registered. :)

There are dozens of great tools and resources that can help one to be a serious player of the game.
Here are a couple:
Overture has a super tool you can use to 'create' valuable domain names out of keywords or actual search terms that people use. Another of my favorites is http://www.whois.sc

All the best!
Edwin

Hi

I've registered a few just on the off-chance, realistically they sit there waiting to be used.

The first one was virginitycured.com and .co.uk when used on a TShirt its 'Virginity Cured - While you wait'

Also my house name "thedukeofwellington.org' its an old pub, my name, my wife's name. My brother has the family surname and various other names.

Then I bought work4.me.uk and plumb.me.uk and water.me.uk

Most recently, just in case the British expedition to Mars was successful 'thebeaglehaslanded' had Pillinger's craft landed and found life. I guess that domain name would have been quite attractive!

Apart from those, I buy loads of boring business domain names all the time for work, mostly oriented to SEO.

The problem is, once bought, its a very big decision to drop them!

[simonm]

Not sure why it took me as a guest?

[paulfromwales]

I was involved in setting up Public Access Terminals for a Government Body and thought it would be a great idea to register a name that could work in all public places - stations, hotels, waiting rooms etc

So, as all the good ones have gone, thought I'd use a hyphen or two! Web-O-Matics.co.uk was born.

Two years on I no longer have an interest in this venture and put it up for sale on ebay. £9 - no bids £1 no bids!

So what is the true worth of a hyphenated name? My experience would say, pretty close to nothing!

That's a problem really, for if hyphens are classed as worthless by the market place, then in the real world of successful web sites, they are always going to be second class citizens.

My tip for success? Choose another language.

eg. How much are Cars.com, Autos.com & Motors.com worth? Thousands more than most of us can afford. Yet I bought Motors.com last year for the price of the registration fee! Yes, true - only it's the Welsh version - Moduron.com (I even found WelshMotor.com to partner it) In the Welsh speaking area I live in, it would be a natural name for selling used cars to a regional market place.

Paul

ukcamera.com