discredit.org

I would like to begin this entry by saying that you never know if something is going to work until you try it.  This is exactly what Morgan and I decided to do.  A few months ago we exchanged a number of emails and phone calls discussing why it would be beneficial to start a domaining group here in the Los Angeles area.

What we didn’t know at the time is that there would be individuals from different regions driving over 100 miles to join us.  What started off as the Los Angeles Domaining Group has quickly developed into the Southern California Domaining Group.  Boasting a total of 35 members, 12 members attended our first meetup.  This was by far an incredible turn out, much more than we had previously anticipated.

Our first meetup took place at a landmark pub called Casey’s in Downtown, Los Angeles.  The setting for our first meetup couldn’t of been better.  The manager of the pub extended a favor by reserving a small room for us to conduct the meetup within.  As the night started Morgan and I witnessed members starting to trickle in.  The first two members to arrive to the meetup were Ron and Oscar.  There story alone should be a headline feature.  Ron went from selling domain names on eBay to generating a six figure income by using the Snapnames platform.  Oscar was Ron’s banker!  Ron is now teaching Oscar the ends and outs of the domaining world.  They drove all the way from San Diego to attend our meetup.

As the night progressed Morgan Linton provided an insightful presentation about his company.  Everyone had the option to pick Morgan’s mind with an extensive Q & A session.  This lasted for quite some time.  It doesn’t hurt to have such a session when two representatives from Domain Sponsor and the CEO of Freshdrop.net are in the room.  The irony here is no one presented themselves as big business, everyone truly treated each other with mutual respect.  An employee from Ernst and Young was even in the room.  He has a passion for domaining and that goes to show you can have a successful career and still partake in the domaining industry.

As everyone shared there ideas, appetizers, business cards and all out passion for domaining I couldn’t help to be inspired!  As some of you may know I am a strongly driven person!  Being surrounded with other people who share my passion kicks me into overdrive.  DomainSponsor was kind enough to sponsor our group by fronting half of the bill.  This is something that was not planned!  The two representatives did this out of pure generosity and we thank them for it!  There are plenty of more details about our first domaining meetup to share but I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves.  If you are interested in joining the Southern California Domaining Group, feel free to join us on www.meetup.com/domaining and if you are a California domainer and would like to network with other domainers within this wonderful state visit cadomaining.ning.com!

Morgan Linton prepares to give an intuitive presentation to the Southern California Domaining Group.

Members get to know each other over appetizers and drinks!

Our first Southern California Domaining Group picture! You might notice a few familiar faces in here.

Some domains listed on eBay really stretch the limits of one’s imagination.  While browsing the (.com) category on eBay this ugly monster decided to reveal its head.  With that said I bring to you ANT.IVIR.US or for those who have already started laughing at such a ludicrous listing IVIR.US.  Wait a minute it gets funnier!  I must type quick as the listing expires in 1 hour and 46 minutes.

What makes me laugh out loud about this domain is the seller’s choice of title.  “ANT.IVIR.US — Million Dollar Domain! LLLL .com” Can this be anymore misleading?  Is the seller really trying to imply that this domain name is worth a million dollars?  To make it even worst the domain has been listed with the following picture:

The picture alone provides enough comic relief to last you through the day.  I guess this seller appeals to those ignorant chumps who purchase how to get rich kits off of late night infomercials.  Here’s the wake up call you chumps have been waiting for, this domain name is not worth anywhere close to a million dollars!  In fact the domain name is losing value right now.   If it continues at this rate the winning bidder might actually be paid ten dollars to take the domain!  Ever heard of a lemon when it comes to used cars?  This is a domain lemon and stay far away from it!

“It is perfect for any web company or domainer who would like to hold onto a domain until they find an end buyer.” Another statement which is completely out of control.  Perhaps they meant end-user?  For those who wind up bidding on such a domain name, good luck finding an “end buyer“!

The big day is dawning upon us.  Morgan Linton and I have formed the foundation for a domaining group here in Los Angeles.  Our first meetup is scheduled to take place this Thursday at Casey’s in Downtown Los Angeles.  While preparing for this meetup I couldn’t help to think about a few things:

1.  Have we marketed the group enough to our target audience?

We want both domainers and end-users to come to the meetup.  It will help balance the group out, allowing for more intuitive question and answer session.

2.  Should a section be reserved at the venue just for our group members?

Since we picked a bar and the meetup is relatively early in the evening, I have not reserved a section.  I am still debating on if this will even be needed for our first meetup.

3.  What will be the turnout ratio for the meetup based upon those who have RSVP’d yes versus those who actually show?

This is an important point!  I have organized a few meetups in the past which focused on other subjects and there were always a couple of no shows.  This is something that I will pay close attention to during the beginning stages of building this group.  Currently we have  at total of 9 people who have RSVP’d yes and 3 that have RSVP’d maybe.   We even have two members driving all the way from San Diego to attend the meetup!

All of these questions were settled by an article that I read in the December 2009 / January 2010 Inc. magazine.  The article is entitled “Networking Sick of canned keynote speeches?  Try an unconference.”  This article describes how an event such as a conference is actually arranged by attendees as opposed to the normal top down approach.  There are no agendas, pre-printed materials or canned speeches!

During the initial stages of formulating the Los Angeles Domaining Group I would not mind for our meetups to follow a similar path.  If a member has an idea, I want the member to feel free to announce it to everyone and if the topic flows in that person’s direction, then by all means the spotlight is theirs.  This format will allow us to engage the group in a manner where everyone feels comfortable and confident to communicate!

There’s nothing more stale than having a group, where no one talks!  We want everyone to have the opportunity to speak, provide insight or even simply ask a question.  Therefore the meetup will be a bit of a learning experience for both Morgan and I.  We are using this period of time to determine what will work and what needs to be thrown out of the window.

In conclusion, I am very excited about the fact that we were able to spread the word about this group in such a short amount of time.  If you are in the Los Angeles area and would like to attend the meetup, feel free to RSVP here.

Piracy has plagued several different industries, extending itself from one spectrum to the other.  Did you know that piracy is effecting our industry as well?

A few months ago I thought about writing a blog entry in regards to this subject.  The curiosity was sparked while researching the various domaining tools currently available on the market.  While searching for the specific tools on google, links to torrents sites  were returned.  These links would lead you to titles such as the following:

AntsSoft.Domain.Inspect.v1.7.Beta.incl.keygen

Domain Punch Professional v1 0 102204 WinALL Incl Keymaker-CORE

Your Expired Domain Program v4.2.WinALL Cracked

I find this very interesting and this is the reason why.  I and many other domainers have written that our industry does not have enough main stream exposure.  One thing that I have learned over my years of being an Internet Entrepreneur is you can judge the popularity of an industry, product or service by taking a look at the black market.  If the black market has found the need to bootleg or pirate tools which pertain to your industry then there is indeed an audience willing to receive these items.

The fact that the domaining industry has such an audience shows me that this industry is much larger than I previously anticipated.  None of these tools which are readily available on the black market are priced more than $130.00 for a single license.  That brings me to the main point of writing this entry.  Regardless if people are pirating domaining software or not, I can say that if our industry does indeed have limited exposure this is a sign that things are definitely changing.

If the black market has started to offer the tools that we as domainers use, then we are definitely headed in the right direction.

For those that might misquote or misunderstand what I am saying, please think about this matter before you judge this topic.  I am in no way condoning piracy on any level and I feel that the legal aspect of software licensing should be taken serisouly.

I’ve had this idea for a while to blog about some of the funny domain auctions I have seen listed on eBay.  These auctions tend to speak for themselves.  Some of these auctions are so funny, I’ve decided to designate Thursday as “Laugh Out Loud eBay Thursdays.”  This Thursday, the auction I had the luxury of visiting is for TigersTramps.com!

LOL!  Excuse me for laughing while I type this entry, but this is hilarious.  With all the controversey surrounding Tiger Woods, there are a number of people out there, including domainers trying to flip this into a quick profit.  In the auction seller’s own words “Tiger Woods Premium Domain Name - Cash In Now! It’s Hot” and “Tiger Woods Domain Name - Huge Money.”  The seller even entices bidders with a free push to the winning bidder’s GoDaddy account.  Last time I checked pushes were free to begin with,  so what is this seller referring to?

To laugh a little louder the seller included a golf clip art graphic, making this auction even funnier!  Now my comment for the seller of this auction, please tell me this is a complete joke!  If this is a joke then sir I have to commend you on the humour.  I thought it was funny from the minute that I saw your auction headline in my search results.

Now if this is not a joke and you are truly trying to con some poor bidder into purchasing such a domain, then please tell me this was one of those late night registrations where you tipped a few too many back. ;)  This has drunken domainer written all over it. To be fair you have thoughtfully priced the domain name by setting the starting bid to $12.95.  This is quite an interesting number, perhaps you are trying to recoup your reg fee?

Whatever it is, you my friend have earned an LOL from me!  Be proud of yourself as this might just be the only publicity you get for your eBay auction!  Until next time!

I’ve been reading a few blogs and have noticed a couple of entries discussing what to get domainers for Christmas.  After pondering about my own Christmas list I kept thinking about items that I wouldn’t want to receive for Christmas.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am all about giving.  After all I was born on December 25th and have had the pleasure of enjoying this wonderful holiday year after year.

Enough mushy talk, let’s get on with three presents not to get a domainer for Christmas!

1.  A Domain Name

A word of advice, before buying a gift for a domainer!  Do not make the mistake of purchasing a domain name that you think the domainer would like.  I don’t care if you had good intentions in doing so!  This act alone might actually spark a conversation you might not want to have during the holiday season.  Save yourself the time and despair by staying far away from such an idea.

2.  A Pre-Paid Legal Membership

Where to begin with this.  So your significant other or friend occasionally speaks about the legal aspects of domaining.  You figure, since there are so many legal concerns I will purchase my favorite domainer a pre-paid legal membership and they will get all of the legal counseling there heart desires. WRONG! Pre-Paid Legal services are a joke when it comes to the domaining world.  The advice that such a service provides you with could actually cause your favorite domainer more problems then anything else.

3.  A GoDaddy T-Shirt

Just because a few of us tend to use the GoDaddy website, doesn’t mean we want to sport the brand!  I might upset a few people with this, but isn’t the GoDaddy brand a bit corny?  I mean the marketing obviously works for the company but has anyone actually been impressed with the quality of commercials that have been released? I could go on and on with this!

I tend to utilize GoDaddy to register domains for cheap prices.  I haven’t found a service which has cheaper domain registration coupons then GoDaddy.  Other then that, you won’t find me at your local restaurant or bar wearing a GoDaddy t-shirt!

If you want to buy a domainer a t-shirt make sure there is a Moniker logo located on the front of it.

So there you have it!  Three presents to stay far away from this Christmas!  Don’t even think about getting a domainer these three things!  You’ll thank me later for it.

Today’s domain spotlight is very special to me. To put in bluntly, this is the first day that I am placing the spotlight on a domain in my portfolio.  Direct your attention towards www.EducationalSolarKit.com a site which has undergone several different transformations but has finally found its hoopla!

It all started in May of this year. I was browsing through one of the many magazines I tend to receive and ran into a short blurb about “Educational Solar Kits.” Looking a little further into these solar kits, I discovered that these items were being utilized to teach kids about solar energy. The products worked so well that kids had no idea they were actually learning important concepts about solar energy!

Since I was acquiring product based domain names at that time, I decided to check the google keywords tool and see if anyone had been searching for that term. After seeing that there were some steady searches being conducted for the term, I decided to register it. Good thing I did! Once the domain was registered a few weeks passed by and I moved forward with installing wordpress, a wp ecommerce plugin, and the vanilla cart theme.  Google then indexed the term and the organic traffic started to flow.

I then proceeded to sign up for the eBay partner network to generate affiliate sales using the website. After eBay accepted me I added a few products to the website (easier said then done!) and struggled a little bit with configuring external links in conjunction with buy it now buttons. This turned out to be a huge bug with the entire wp ecommerce system, one which still hasn’t been completely fixed as of yet! Once I realized that adding products manually to my site was not efficient, (fast forward several months) I decided to look for a new solution.

So what did I find?

I found a script called TWP Auctions and guess what!  The script is free and very easy to setup.  I plan on writing a future blog entry about the exact steps I took to develop EducationalSolarKit.com, but for now I want to say that the script provided me with the right platform to launch a site which runs itself.

In the end I was able to develop an internal process for creating efficient minisites.  This process is one that I will continue to use for future product based domain developments.  There are still a few issues I am working out with the current platform, but most of the issues pertain to visual elements caused by the theme that I have selected.

The Los Angeles Domaining Group will hold its first meetup next week on December 17th, 2009 at Casey’s Irish Bar & Grille in Downtown, Los Angeles.  The meetup will promptly begin at 7pm.  The founders of the group are Jason Thompson (me) and Morgan Linton of Linton Investments.

We have decided to organize a Los Angeles based domaining group to network with local domainers, share ideas and ultimately expand awareness about the domaining industry.  Both Morgan and I are eager to open the doors of the group to domaining professionals and end-users.  As a domainer, I have personally recognized that end-users are a key asset to the domaining community and educating them will only move our beloved industry forward.

Members will be able to meet one another, exchange ideas and have a great time at a landmark pub in Downtown, Los Angeles.  Make sure to bring your business cards and network with fellow domain enthusiasts, while enjoying  great food and spirits!  For more information on the Los Angeles Domaining group feel free to visit our meetup page:  www.meetup.com/domaining

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a Los Angeles Clippers game, courtesy of a few close family friends.  One which is a season ticket holder and the other manages DJ Dense (the official DJ for the Los Angeles Clippers).  While sitting in section 111, row 13 in seat 20 I noticed something from a distance.  Something seemed a bit strange, but quite familiar.

No it wasn’t the fact that the Clippers were up the majority of the game or the fact that they even won 88 to 72.  What I saw was the infamous GoDaddy logo!  As a fellow domainer you could say I got a little excited when the GoDaddy advertisement was displayed court side.  I had to think fast!  Since my camera didn’t have a phone on it, I asked my friend / business associate to take a picture with his iphone.  He promptly accepted the challenge and was able to grab a few pictures before the GoDaddy advertisement disappeared.

I am elated that GoDaddy has taken such a proactive step with their advertising campaigns.  When it comes to brand recognition, they are raising the bar as a domain registrar & hosting provider.  This brings me to the conversation which was sparked after seeing the advertisement.  My friend actually stated that GoDaddy should spend some of that money on simplifying their checkout system.  He said it was confusing.  They should simplify it so customers don’t get frustrated and go elsewhere.

This is coming from a software developer!  If he thinks it’s confusing then imagine what the average person must feel like!  Personally, I completely agree with my friend’s statements.  When it comes to using GoDaddy, I have learned to ignore any and all upsells.  In fact, I don’t think I have ever been upsold on a GoDaddy service with the exception of the free privacy trial.

In the end it turned out to be a great game.  Just when I thought I could get away from thinking about business, the GoDaddy advertisement pops up.  Kudos to the marketing team at GoDaddy, someone has obviously done there research.  I wonder what other sports goers had to say that night when the advertisement was displayed.
*Yes, I am a Los Angeles Clipper Fan!

You’ve built an amazing site and within a week of building it you have been able to monetize it exactly how you planned.  Your google adsense and affiliate partner accounts are starting to reflect all the hours you spent developing the site.  The website you intricately took the time to build is working.  Now you can move onto the next project as you are confident that this developed domain will continue to trend upwards.

Another week goes by and your developer confidence has sky rocketed.  You decide to log into your affiliate partner accounts and notice that there is a large gray area which effected your earnings potential dramatically.  This can’t be real, there must be a glitch or a problem with the affiliate tracking software.  No, this is very real and it can happen to you!

Have you ever heard of the term, “police the police.”  Well in this case the police unit is your hosting provider and monitoring them is your legal duty!  I used this example because there are a number of domainers out there who simply TRUST that there hosting provider will have there best interest.  Well guess what?  You are a very small blip on your hosting provider’s radar and when your site goes down I can almost guarantee that unless you notice it your hosting provider will turn the other cheek.

Now I am not writing this blog entry to scare you.  My objective is to arm you with the write tools and information to make sure you are monitoring your online properties properly.  With that in mind, I also want to remind you that I have worked in the web hosting industry for years and have seen the unfathomable.  We’ll discuss that in a future blog entry!

What tool should you have in your domaining arsenal?  In walks pingdom.com!  This site is a life saver!  A few months ago while I was away from the computer, I received a text message saying that my blog was down.  At that time I had DNPimping.com hosted on a server which was running a proxy site.  To put it simply the server was running out of swap due to the popularity of the proxy site.  Since it was running out of virtual memory, apache would crash and along with it goes access to DNPimping.com!

Without that text message I would not of known that the server was down.  In addition to this I would not of been able to calculate the total downtime to notify my dedicated server provider with.  Most quality webhosting companies have an internal system to monitor uptime.  Again, I want to stress “police the police!”  Because I had my own monitoring service I was able to be proactive on resolving my problem.  Ultimately I decided to kill the proxy site, move my blog and cancel the dedicated server.  This process has saved me both time and money!

Pingdom.com is an uptime and performance monitoring service.  Best of all you can take advantage of this service for free.  The free account only allows you to monitor one website, hostname or ip.  For me this is all that I needed, the only website I am actively monitoring at the moment is my blog.

If you decide that you would like to upgrade your account to monitor multiple properties, the interface allows you to do so at the click of a button.  Email and SMS alerts make this service a no brainer for the average domainer.  (Hey that rhymed!)  Basic accounts start off at $9.95 a month and business accounts start off at $39.95 a month.  If you decide to sign up for the service, feel free to write a comment about it.

There are other uptime monitoring services and tools out there.  I have tried many of them and in my opinion this is one of the easiest to use and it flat out WORKS!

*I enjoy the service so much that I am in the process of joining their affiliate program.