Comments on: Surviving the ‘Dot-Crunch’ http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/surviving-the-%e2%80%98dot-crunch%e2%80%99/1573 News and Views from the Domain Name Industry Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:21:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Adam Strong http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/surviving-the-%e2%80%98dot-crunch%e2%80%99/1573#comment-40765 Adam Strong Wed, 21 May 2008 03:33:44 +0000 http://www.domainnamenews.com/?p=1573#comment-40765 stephen neither of us wrote this. . . but thanks for the added novel :) stephen neither of us wrote this. . . but thanks for the added novel :)

]]> By: Stephen Douglas http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/surviving-the-%e2%80%98dot-crunch%e2%80%99/1573#comment-40558 Stephen Douglas Mon, 19 May 2008 09:58:27 +0000 http://www.domainnamenews.com/?p=1573#comment-40558 Well Frank or Adam, (not sure who wrote this fine article), you get kudos for repeating what I stated on my blog and in my comments for over a year: Selling domains to other domainers is incestuous and will make domain values depreciate. End users should be the focus for ALL DOMAINERS. The domain investors who can make this happen are the big conglomerates (NameMedia, DemandMedia, etc etc). When the domain auctions come up, I always cringe when I read their information because I know nothing will be said about who the buyers will consist of. We all just take it for granted that the buyers will be other domainers. Good/bad, who really knows, but my gut instinct has been that this "circular buying" will hurt domain values. Advertising agencies do NOT want a powerful premium domain name to steal their hourly invoicing on creating a "new marketing campaign" for their clients. Ad agencies buy lame, long and ridiculous domain names, mainly to match their ad campaign slogans. Whether this benefits their clients remains to be seen. I don't see it. So selling the Madison Avenue types on "domain values" is not going to happen. If the ad agencies can't fit that domain purchase into their own profits, they aren't going to recommend to their client to buy the domain that will consistently bring them thousands of customers to their website 24/7/365. I believe right now it is a buyer's market for domains. There are a lot of reasons for this (recession, high gas prices, companies cutting back...) I see killer naturals going for less and less each week as they try to sell through the various well-known channels. My stance has been for the last three years --- form a coalition of powerful domain owners, their names (Like Ross Perot, Howard Schultz, and others) should be included in press releases promoting DOMAIN VALUES to end users. All parking sites should include a small banner for free for an organization of domainers trying to achieve this connection, education and implementation of domain sales to the business sector. Whether it's through ICA or another organization, we're very late on doing what we should have done years ago... PROMOTE DOMAIN VALUES TO THE BUSINESS SECTOR End users are the true benchmark for determining domain values. Let's bring them home. Well Frank or Adam, (not sure who wrote this fine article), you get kudos for repeating what I stated on my blog and in my comments for over a year: Selling domains to other domainers is incestuous and will make domain values depreciate. End users should be the focus for ALL DOMAINERS.

The domain investors who can make this happen are the big conglomerates (NameMedia, DemandMedia, etc etc). When the domain auctions come up, I always cringe when I read their information because I know nothing will be said about who the buyers will consist of. We all just take it for granted that the buyers will be other domainers. Good/bad, who really knows, but my gut instinct has been that this “circular buying” will hurt domain values.

Advertising agencies do NOT want a powerful premium domain name to steal their hourly invoicing on creating a “new marketing campaign” for their clients. Ad agencies buy lame, long and ridiculous domain names, mainly to match their ad campaign slogans. Whether this benefits their clients remains to be seen. I don’t see it.

So selling the Madison Avenue types on “domain values” is not going to happen. If the ad agencies can’t fit that domain purchase into their own profits, they aren’t going to recommend to their client to buy the domain that will consistently bring them thousands of customers to their website 24/7/365.

I believe right now it is a buyer’s market for domains. There are a lot of reasons for this (recession, high gas prices, companies cutting back…) I see killer naturals going for less and less each week as they try to sell through the various well-known channels.

My stance has been for the last three years — form a coalition of powerful domain owners, their names (Like Ross Perot, Howard Schultz, and others) should be included in press releases promoting DOMAIN VALUES to end users.

All parking sites should include a small banner for free for an organization of domainers trying to achieve this connection, education and implementation of domain sales to the business sector. Whether it’s through ICA or another organization, we’re very late on doing what we should have done years ago…

PROMOTE DOMAIN VALUES TO THE BUSINESS SECTOR

End users are the true benchmark for determining domain values. Let’s bring them home.

]]> By: Susan http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/surviving-the-%e2%80%98dot-crunch%e2%80%99/1573#comment-40175 Susan Thu, 15 May 2008 17:42:48 +0000 http://www.domainnamenews.com/?p=1573#comment-40175 Very well put. Stregthen the industry by working together as a community not in a silo. Very well put. Stregthen the industry by working together as a community not in a silo.

]]> By: Antoinette http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/surviving-the-%e2%80%98dot-crunch%e2%80%99/1573#comment-40174 Antoinette Thu, 15 May 2008 17:42:12 +0000 http://www.domainnamenews.com/?p=1573#comment-40174 Thanks for your frankness. I'm new to the domain name business (6 months) and I had such high expectations based on my (limited) research into the field. In my experience, it is lucrative to those who have dynamite names which cost $$$ to purchase in the first place. Most low level domainers are just getting by or, frequently, losing money. Those are the risks, I understand. What I don't get are the continuing "rosy" predictions I read about in domain polls and surveys. I don't know if it is denial as much as the fear that they'll be a downturn in domain purchasing among domain owners if there's a feeling that the market is in trouble (fear creating the conditions that we fear). Personally, I don't feel very optimistic, especially in this economic climate. I see domain names for sale that are clearly being discounted, just so the owner can get some liquidity. I agree that right now there seem to be more sellers than buyers and it doesn't serve anyone to view the industry through rose-colored glasses. I imagine things will eventually improve but, for the love of God, please stop with the domain hype. It just brings more newcomers into the field with inflated expectations of making big bucks. I do believe in cycles but end the talk of a gold rush on domain names. JMHO. Thanks for your frankness. I’m new to the domain name business (6 months) and I had such high expectations based on my (limited) research into the field. In my experience, it is lucrative to those who have dynamite names which cost $$$ to purchase in the first place. Most low level domainers are just getting by or, frequently, losing money.

Those are the risks, I understand. What I don’t get are the continuing “rosy” predictions I read about in domain polls and surveys. I don’t know if it is denial as much as the fear that they’ll be a downturn in domain purchasing among domain owners if there’s a feeling that the market is in trouble (fear creating the conditions that we fear). Personally, I don’t feel very optimistic, especially in this economic climate. I see domain names for sale that are clearly being discounted, just so the owner can get some liquidity.

I agree that right now there seem to be more sellers than buyers and it doesn’t serve anyone to view the industry through rose-colored glasses. I imagine things will eventually improve but, for the love of God, please stop with the domain hype. It just brings more newcomers into the field with inflated expectations of making big bucks. I do believe in cycles but end the talk of a gold rush on domain names. JMHO.

]]> By: Damir http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/surviving-the-%e2%80%98dot-crunch%e2%80%99/1573#comment-40142 Damir Thu, 15 May 2008 03:35:24 +0000 http://www.domainnamenews.com/?p=1573#comment-40142 Great post But you better hurry - sky is falling…again! Great post

But you better hurry - sky is falling…again!

]]> By: Sergio http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/surviving-the-%e2%80%98dot-crunch%e2%80%99/1573#comment-40104 Sergio Wed, 14 May 2008 16:41:33 +0000 http://www.domainnamenews.com/?p=1573#comment-40104 Great article. I agree with you that we need to form a "community of unity and fraternity". To this end, much is being achieved. New networking community sites are popping up, such as GeoDomainer.com and SynergyDomainClub.com. These entities, along with DNForum and NamePros, are vital to our strength as an industry. I, for one, am optimistic about our ability to emerge better and stronger despite all of these new circumstances that affecting our industry. Cheers Great article. I agree with you that we need to form a “community of unity and fraternity”. To this end, much is being achieved. New networking community sites are popping up, such as GeoDomainer.com and SynergyDomainClub.com. These entities, along with DNForum and NamePros, are vital to our strength as an industry. I, for one, am optimistic about our ability to emerge better and stronger despite all of these new circumstances that affecting our industry.

Cheers

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