|
Incidentally,
I'm sure many of you would like to know how
panelists are chosen. Each year we try to provide a mix
of well-known faces who always seem to be at the
forefront of industry developments along with equally
accomplished people that we haven't called on before
to keep things fresh. Knowing how busy the
experts we call on are, we know many we invite will
not be able to participate in a given year, so we have
learned how many invitations to send out to assure we
end up with the 12-15 we aim for to have a well
rounded panel (that number was exceeded this year, but
in the case, we believe there is no such thing as too
much of a good thing).
Now, let me introduce you
to our experts:
|
|
Attorney |
|
Once
we assembled our cast and set up the groups, we
flipped a coin to determine which line up would
have the floor first - and the nod went to
the investors & developers. They are
presented in alphabetical order by last
name on this page. If your interest is more in
the corporate arena, you can check out that
group first by going directly to page
2 - or, recognize the wisdom in the
old adage "good things come to those who
wait", and read the comments from top
investors and developers on this page, than
click the link at the bottom of the page to proceed to
thoughts from our corporate experts.
Having
set the stage, let's get this party started!
Each of our panelists was asked what they
considered to be the most significant events
and/or trends in their sector of the
industry and in the industry overall in 2013,
as well as what challenges and/or
opportunities, or trends, they saw ahead in the
new year for themselves, their company and
sector and for the industry as a whole. Here's
what they had to say: |
Howard
Neu |
Domain
Investors & Developers
Michael
Berkens, MostWantedDomains.com,
TheDomains.com
& RightOfTheDot.com
|
Michael
Berkens |
Michael
Berkens has amassed a portfolio of
tens of thousands of domain names and in recent
years has expanded into blogging at TheDomains.com
as well as co-founding a new gTLD consulting
company, RightfTheDot.com with Monte
Cahn.
Michael
Berkens: The most significant event in
2013 for both the industry and myself was ICANN's
new
gTLD program.
Now that strings are being delegated and sunrise
periods are being rolled out, it should now be
clear to everyone that the domain industry will
change.
I
started writing about the new gTLD program back in
2008 and during the years we wrote hundreds
of stories and had thousands of comments on the
program. So the new gTLD program is no longer
about if or even when. It’s here for better or
worse.
I
wrote a post back in July 2012, entitled Domaining
6.0 its All About Branding. Following
my own advice with the new gTLDs looming my
company dropped about 10,000 domains. These
were primarily long tail domains
|
|
that I believe are at
the greatest risk to be devalued by new gTLDs
in similar verticals. I did pick up somewhere close to 2,500
domains on the drops and various other aftermarket
exchanges, which fell into the brandable category.
Not
to repeat myself but 2014 will also be
about the new gTLDs. The ability of
registries to make a strong start out of the
gate will be important. Every mistake
made will be amplified by those looking for the
program as a whole to fail.
Many
of these new gTLD registries will be
entrepreneurs, and run in a manner closer to the .CO
registry than Corporate owned Registries like Verisign.
There are hundreds of business entities which will
be operating new gTLD strings, failure for one or
more of these strings will not be failure for all. Those
who execute their business plan with a solid
foundation and understanding of their market and
have the resources to market their new gTLDs
will find their way to profitability.
For domain investors, opportunities lie as
they always have in finding the right names at
the right prices, but investors also need to consider
the company that will be operating the
registry. They are not only investing in the
domain name but in the underlying registry's
ability to market the extension to the general
public and keep the excitement level and therefore
demand by end users for the best domain in the
extensions high.
In
my opinion domain investors should only invest in
registries that run their extension in a manner
where a domain investors can participate by having
a fixed low cost renewal. I'm certainly not
in favor of investing in any new string that has
recurring premium renewals in the thousands of
dollars per year.
Focus
on the best names, names that make sense and are
intuitive with the extension. I will have my eyes
open for situations that present themselves in the
same manner as I found when I participated in the .me
auctions and acquired names like Meet.me. (Editor's
note: Michael and his partners later
sold Meet.me for $450,000).
Adam Dicker,
DNForum.com,
TheArtOfTheName.com
|
Adam
Dicker |
In
addition to owning thousands of domain
names, Canada's Adam Dicker owns the
web's biggest domain forum - DNForum.com
- and
also provides domain tips on his blog, TheArtOfTheName.com.
Adam
Dicker:
I think overall the most significant event
in 2013 for the industry was the new
gTLDs.
There has been so much talk and news with
regards to these new strings, that a lot of
other themes were overshadowed. I continued
to focus on .com and .ca domains in 2013. I
was able to acquire many great domain
names in the aftermarket, many times without
being bid up in auction. These were mostly
two word .com domains with meaning to an end
user.
It
will be interesting to see how everything
plays out as the new gTLDs start coming on
the market. I do have my eye on a few
strings and will participate if the value
proposition lines up. I will not be
participating in any launches where the only
opportunity is for the registry.
|
|
Registries that
over price their names or ask outrageous
premiums, will be left in the dust by
experienced domain investors. |
|
I
do think there will be those that are
blinded by new gTLD marketing and will be
enticed to jump in with both feet. They will
either drop or liquidate some of their .com
names to use for participation in the new gTLDs.
I will be looking out for those drops or
liquidations.
More
people will smarten up and adjust their
buying habits in 2014. Smart domainers
will build a business and plan for their
future. Those that don’t build businesses
in 2014 should be doing domaining part time
and get a job.
DNForum.com
will continue to be a leader in the
domaining community. We will provide an
opportunity for each registry to tell their
story with their own section on DNF. We also
look forward to our more seasoned members
pointing out the benefits and pitfalls for
new investors looking at the new gTLDs.
Alan
Dunn, DomainHoldings.com
|
Alan
Dunn |
Alan
Dunn has been a very successful
domain investor for many years,
spending most of that time quietly
going about his business off many
ompetitor's radar. More recently he
added a corporate position, joining
DomainHoldings.com as Senior Vice
President for Acquisitions and
Divestment.
Alan
Dunn:
2013
was an incredible year in the
domain industry - one filled with
innovation and inspiration. Many prior
years have had only a single topic
which overshadowed almost everything
else - such as a new extension like .CO
or .ME, a single huge
acquisition (Yun Ye) or a new
parking provider (InternetTraffic
for example).
For
me 2013 was the year which many of us
have been waiting to happen. A year
where domains took the forefront of
discussion across major publications,
one where many of the smartest minds
in this industry were able to showcase
innovation, BIG outside money
investments coming in and one where we
all are collectively discussing
domains more and more. No one really
knows for sure what the new
gTLDs
will bring and if there was ever a
year
|
|
which brought the domaining
industry together (even with different
opinions) then 2013 was that year.
Outside
of the new gTLDs I think the
acquisition of Afternic and Media
Temple by Go Daddy was
extremely significant (and under
reported) along with the introduction
of NamesCon
(technically a 2014 event). I have
also never seen a year where such
incredible inventory is now becoming available
at reasonable prices. If there is
ever a year to buy a good domain 2013
and 2014 may just be another window of
time we look back upon and say "I
wish I had ..."
2014
- If you like to gamble this is not
the year to start. No one really
knows what will happen or what
influence the new gTLDs will have on
the world. In my opinion, 2014 will be
about brand domains and the
people who win this round will be
those who understand brands.
Traditional valuations
and metrics will be thrown out the
window for the new gTLDs and we get to
start again. Combine that with Google
owning (or competing for) many of
these extensions we are about to see a
huge shift in search some day
soon. Maybe not in 2014 but certainly
soon. At the very least we are in for
a nice roller coaster ride. There will
be many winners and losers so grab the
popcorn and stay tuned.
Donna
Mahony, DomainBoardroom.com
& DonnasBlog.com
|
Donna
Mahony |
Donna
Mahony
has been a domain investor for
more than dozen years (when we
entered the business in 2002 she
was already here and graciously
helping us learn the ropes)!
Donna is still doing that at the
popular private domain forum she
founded at DomainBoardroom.com
and she just launched a
new blog at DonnasBlog.com.
After a six-year hiatus, Donna
will also be bringing back the Domainers
Choice Awards in
2014.
Donna
Mahony:
Except
for the new gTLDs, I found 2013
to be the year of the industry
fading to just another job.
Same old stuff as years before -
just tired and worn out. There
hasn't been much to get excited
about, really. Lots of the old
domainers have dropped out of
the game, PPC companies are
fading fast, conferences are
simply going through the motions
- offering less, charging more.
To me, this once exciting
industry has turned very
"ho hum" in 2013.
2014 promises to be very
different! We started the year with a bang with a new
conference! NamesCon
is going to force the others to
step up their game or get out
the way. I hear quiet rumblings
of big changes at |
|
PPC companies
and I've had a little peek...it
is looking
promising. Then we have...the
big mystery...gTLDs. I
don't have any interest in them
myself except to sit back and
watch. New conferences, big PPC
changes, bigger and better
sales, gTLDs. I'm going to relax
and watch The Real Domainers
of Internet County play
itself out as I see the industry
going into the most exciting
year ever! |
Michael
Mann, DomainMarket.com
|
|
Michael
Mann |
Michael
Mann
is one of the most
successful domain investors of all
time. Mann, who founded BuyDomains.com
(and later sold the company to NameMedia)
has
been profiled in two DN Journal
Cover Stories (September
2003 and September
2007). He recently became
host of the weekly Domain Masters
radio program on WebmasterRadio.fm
(heard live Wednesdays at 5pm U.S.
Eastern time).
Michael
Mann:
In 2013 confusion was
king. Nobody could tell what was
coming next, or what would go up or
down: gTLDs, traffic values, methods
of conversion, valuations of premium .Coms,
the economy, sales volumes of premium
names, new ideas, apps, data sources,
network technologies, and payment
methodologies.
People risked a lot of money on
abstract domain investment concepts
based on questionable third party
economic narratives. A journey down
the boulevard of broken dreams. Day
jobs. Pissed wives.
I
am doing Domain Masters Radio
in 2014 with the smartest and best
guests related to domain names,
internet technologies, and traffic
monetization. We already have several |
|
great
recordings and many
excellent guests scheduled ahead. I
look forward to uncovering what is
being done wrong and where the best
economic and charitable ideas lie.
gTLDs
will launch professionally for the
wealthy lucky corporations (Amazon,
Microsoft, Google, IBM,
AOL, Apple, etc) who can
leverage them in new ways and use them
as loss leaders to upsell other brand
products, possibly providing the
domains free to their customers. But
these pending new domain extensions
with their absurd fees and processes
will also become an even bigger scandal
with loads of lost dollars, and I
imagine lawsuits galore for ICANN
and related hucksters. This ain't a
charitable project, although they
seemed to fool most people in the
beginning.
Bitcoin
and other methods of transferring
assets will benefit the premium domain
sales and auction industry in 2014. 2014
is for aggressive survivalists.
Weak will cease to exist in 2015. See
you in the boxing ring and in court,
on Facebook and on my radio show.
I
am growing our corporations WebDevelop.com,
SEO.com, Phone.com, SocialInteractive.com
and others leveraging the best premium
domains throughout 2014. And of course our charitable
ventures like Grassroots.org,
Relief.org, Interns.org,
ChangeTheWorld.org, Philanthropists.org
and more. Please see me
online www.mikemann.com
and download my book free www.makemillions.com.
Aron
Meystedt, HA.com
|
Aron
Meystedt |
Aron
Meystedt is a
veteran domain investor whose
portfolio includes the first
.com domain ever
registered - Symbolics.com.
Like several other experienced
investors Aron has added a
corporate position. In 2013
Meystedt became
the Founder and Director
of a new Domain Name and Intellectual
Property division at giant
auction house - Heritage
Auctions - the first of the
"big three" auction
house (a trio that includes Christie's and Sotheby's) to
offer domain names alongside
other high value assets.
Aron
Meystedt: In 2013
Heritage Auctions began work on
bringing domain names and
digital assets to affluent
investors. We’re off to a good
start, but it will be a
challenging road ahead. We
appreciate the help and
participation of the domain
community as we venture forward
with our efforts. If we can help
investors recognize domain names
as an alternate investment, we
all will greatly benefit.
Now, for what I personally see
is the most significant trend -
Buying on speculation has slowed
greatly. Many domain
investors would really like to
see traffic and revenue figures
if they are buying category
names. Yes, there
|
|
still
are many people who buy
speculative type names, but the
prices that domain investors are
willing to pay seems to have
leveled off or dropped. This
isn’t a “doom and gloom”
rant, but a majority of the
people I am talking with are more
selective with their money.
I
think the uncertainty of
what the gTLDs may bring has
caused investor hesitation.
I, for one, am very curious to
see how the gTLDs pan out. I
definitely think premium .com
domains and gTLDs can coexist
– likely with little adverse
results to .com values.
I think two categories of .com
domain names will continue to
rise in demand and value.
Short acronyms like two
and three letter .com domains
seem to always have interested
buyers. End users are
buying short acronyms quite
often, and it seems the “sales
pitch” to convince an end-user
to make the leap isn’t met
with nearly the resistance as
the effort to sell a
category-leading name. I
would continue to look at the
shorter acronyms, as companies
seek to make their online
presence easier to find for
customers.
Expect demand to increase for
branding type names as well.
Branding names that are short,
memorable and evoke action
images or size are always
coveted by companies. Elephant.com,
Gazelle.com, March.com, Leap.com
etc. There is a finite
number of names like this, and
they are branding names that a
company can build around.
|
I’d
expect exact-match
domains to not increase in
demand. As Google
continually changes their
algorithm, buyers believe that
an exact-match domain will help
their business less than in the
past.
Buyers like quantifiable
statistics like traffic,
advertising budget savings,
customer |
|
acquisition costs etc.
In 2014, expect it to be harder
to convince companies to spend
significant sums of cash on
domains based on intangibles
like perceived authority status
/ market leadership and ease of
recall. This is based on
my personal observations and
efforts of trying to sell
category names to large
corporations. |
 |
Expect a difficult road if you
are trying to sell premiums to
medium and large-sized
companies. As the new gTLDs
continue to make news, more and
more companies are looking at
this shiny new object (gTLDs)
while they are failing to take
advantage of opportunities right
in front of their own faces
(premium domains). Companies are
getting counsel and advice from
many places, and most of that
advice is “pay attention to
gTLDs … premium .com domains
will become less relevant in the
future.”
A bit of advice for 2014 is
this. Go out there and make it
happen. People don’t wake up
with you or your domains on
their mind… so you have to be
proactive and get people off
dead center.
Frank
Schilling, Uniregistry.com,
InternetTraffic.com,
DomainNameSales.com
|
Frank
Schilling |
If
there is anyone in the
domain world who doesn't
need an introduction it is
Frank Schilling
(who was profiled in two
DN Journal Cover Stories
-
December
2007 and November
2012). After
having unparalleled
success as a domain
investor, Frank, in recent
years made a big move into
providing domain
services. He operates
popular sales and
monetization companies and
has also become a major
player in owning and
operating new gTLDs
through his newest company, Uniregistry.
Frank
Schilling: 2013
was the year that domain
name sales completely
unhinged from PPC. In
the past, sales were
predicated on the health
of PPC. We received more
inquiries to purchase
names this year from
non-pros and end-users and
those sales had very
little to do with
paid-search. Sales
inquiries were up in
spite of a decline in
traffic and PPC took a
back seat to name
sales this year in
importance and dollar
revenues.
With
respect to 2014, I hear
new TLDs are coming. ;
) There is so
much demand for good names
right now - couple the
record demand of 2013
with general growth of the
internet and growth in
demand for unique content labels
and 2014 is going to be
like throwing a |
|
drum
of jet fuel on a roaring
bonfire. It’s
going to be a crazy year
and there is a ton of
growth and opportunity
coming for anyone in this
space. 2014 is
definitely NOT the
year you want to be
sitting on the sidelines,
folding your arms and
observing, on a sabbatical, or
tuning out on some side
project.
Fortunes
turn and are made in a
second and this year
fortune will favor those
who lean forward, who pay
attention and who
participate. In the domain
name business there are
those who make it happen,
those who watch it happen
and those who wonder what
happened. This coming year
(more than any in
the history of the domain
name business) you want to
be leaning forward
and making it happen for
yourself.
Rick
Schwartz, T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
& RicksBlog.com
|
Rick
Schwartz |
Rick
Schwartz is
known as the Domain
King for a
reason. The colorful
and controversial
co-founder of the
pioneering T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
conference has been
making waves in the
domain investing
world with big sales
and bold predictions
since the mid 1990s.
If you don't want to
know what Schwartz really
thinks, then don't
ask him a question,
because he will give
you an unvarnished
answer and let the
chips falls where
they may.
Rick
Schwartz:
The key trend in
2013 was the
enormous and
somewhat predictable
turnaround
the industry enjoyed
during the 2nd half
of the year. But
perhaps more
importantly is that
domains are now
taking center stage
globally and will
likely dominate the
conversation in 2014-2015
for the first
time in history.
Domains are now mainstream.
It may take a few
months to get going,
but by this time
next year, I don't
think any of us can
even imagine the
difference.
It
seems I have been
focused on and
writing about 2014
for most of 2013
because what is
coming, is a wave.
It (the new gTLD
program) arrives
much later than
anticipated with all
the delays. But that
train is finally
coming down
|
|
the
track.
Lots of fanfare and
balloons. What
we don't know is
whether it will be a
wave folks can ride
on or a wave that
comes crashing in
with unknown and
unintended
consequences and
ends in destruction.
Speaking
out may not be
"politically
correct" and
may not even be in
the best interest of
T.R.A.F.F.I.C., but
this is the
domain investment
business and I can't
help nor ignore the
pitfalls I see. It
hits a nerve because
some of the things I
have pointed out are
obviously things
some never
considered. That
can't be good can
it?
I
have always embraced
expansion.
That is my history.
No matter what
industry I have been
in, expansion never
did me wrong. It is
what I live for. But
I have never seen
anything quite like
this nor the
motivation behind it
and the most unruly
rollout with dozens
each month coming
out.
Some
stupid things are
being said out there
that won't help their cause
and has created some
un-needed tension
that only added to
the skepticism many
feel. As Lonnie Borck stated
at T.R.A.F.F.I.C.,
"They all
have to sell you
something".
And the way I see
it, a good
investment sells itself.
If your entire sales
pitch is the other
guy sucks, then you
have no sales pitch
at all. It's weak.
It's revealing. It's
a loser.
|
What
do I expect in 2014?
Spam overload. Every
new domainer and
some veterans too,
looking for their
fortunes are about
to start emailing
about 30 seconds
after they register
.this and .that.
Especially if you
own the .com version
of .this and .that.
They will list on
each and every
marketplace. Do you
see or expect
anything different?
It's pretty clear
this is what will be
coming.
On
the other hand, I
have a decent amount
of cash sitting on
the sidelines and
earmarked for
investment in 2014.
EVERY morning I come
to the gTLD question
with a fresh set of
eyes and look at it
all from a different
viewpoint and every
night I come to the same
conclusion. Not
willing to gamble on
it. I can't even
come to the point of
just saying I will
earmark $1,000 or
|
|
|
$10,000. I
always reserve my
right to change my
mind but have not
seen a reason to.
The best I can do is
to sit on the
sidelines for the
first 1-3 YEARS
and then see how
well things are
doing. It won't be
like there won't be
many for sale come
renewal time. The
market is going to flooded.
No two ways about
it.
|
Some
are going to make
money. ICANN is
already profitable.
Many registries will
make money. But the
question for me
remains, will the
end user that they
seem so worried
about go to sea with
a boat full of
holes that leaks
like a sieve and
eventually go down?
If that is the
question and I keep
coming to the same
answer, how do you
invest in that boat
company? 900
of them? Most
won't float.
They are going down
to the bottom of the
sea. Some may be sea
worthy. Can't be too
many. And when all
those boats launch
and sink, how will
it affect other
launches? Those that
say none are just
drinking the Kool-Aid.
How may stumbles
before you get a
fall?
And with all
the competing
interests, the
potential for it to
get ugly is not off
the table. This may
define ugly. In one
year from now we can
see if that word
popped up.
Some
get me pointing out
the myriad of
pitfalls as being against gTLDs.
Not so. If
there is a success,
I will find it. But
am I supposed to
just shut-up and
ignore that
truckload of
pitfalls? I have
been discussing them
for a year and I
feel like I need
another truck!
That's a canyon of
difference from
Clicking Ruby Red
Shoes 3 times and
wishing those
pitfalls were not
there and they won't
have to deal with
them. I just think
reality is
about to smack so
many of them upside
the head. Not my
wish. But wishes and
reality seldom mix.
As
far as I am
concerned,
"Common
Sense" was burned
at the stake on
this one. The need,
want and desire
questions have not
been asked or
answered. Other
questions simply
ignored. That is
what makes this a
"Mine
field" and that
is why examining all
of this and the
progress will be one
tall order for 2014.
So tall I had to
tackle it during
most of 2013. Gonna be
very crowded from
this point on.
Rick
Schwartz (right)
and Frank
Schilling
debating new
gTLDs at the October
2013 T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
East conference
at Fort
Lauderdale Beach,
Florida.
I
wish all the gTLD's great
success. They will
have the stage for
2014. They are all
drilling for oil
each promising a
gusher is under
that sand. If one or
more are right, then
bravo!! But I think
most will just pump
sand. I wish I
could be more
optimistic but I
would be kidding
myself.
Just
because you get to Broadway
does not mean
you have a Broadway
hit. This is off
Broadway. Way off
Broadway. The
audience and the
ticket sales decide
even though all
the actors do the
best they can and
are brilliant. The
consumer will decide
and pick the winners
and the losers. 20
new shows each
and every week.
The likes of which
no business I know
has ever seen.
Either way, I am
just going to enjoy
and savor this year
and next year as domains
are a topic of
discussion.
From
Obscurity to the centerpiece
of the Internet. As
it should be. Our
debate is not what
counts. Just inside
baseball between us
insiders. The
consumer and the end
user will do the
voting. They
will either embrace
or reject. I think
my job as an
investor is to pay
attention to them
and tune out the
other stuff. They
lead the way and I
will follow until
they set the
direction and then
it might be time to
jack rabbit over
them to be at their
next destination
before they are.
NEXT
UP! Opinions
from Eight Domain
Industry
Corporate Leaders on
Page
2. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
