discredit.org

With a total of 105 bidders, goodwill.com rakes in a five figure sum on NameJet.  Some say that this domain was a complete steal and others are mentioning that this domain is a hot bed for legal issues.  Goodwill.org,which is  owned and operated by Goodwill Industries International, Inc. could potentially cause a problem for the new domain owner.

It should be interesting to see what happens in this case and I will make sure to keep a close eye on any news surrounding the domain name.

As a disclaimer I would like to say that I am not promoting online gambling in any shape or form.  I do have to admit that I have tried online gambling before and did not like it much.  I do enjoy gambling in a traditional casino atmosphere and have played everything from blackjack to roulette.

One thing I can say is ever since I tried online gambling for the first time, blank envelopes have showed up at my door.  These anonymous envelopes contain a well written letter bundled with a CD.  The last envelope I received from an online casino was from GrandEagleCasino.com, a website I have never heard of before.  The team of people responsible for these mailings are quite persistent and are the focus of today’s domain spotlight.

“It’s time to roll with $100 FREE!  No purchase required!”  This is the first sentence which headlines the letter included in the mailer.  The letter is well written and very enticing.  One sentence which made me chuckle a bit was the portion which stated that Americans are welcome.  It then proceeded to say the following:

“Gamers in the land of the free are able to safely play in a convenient, secure environment.  We’ve got a wide range of payment methods to suite any pocket or need.”

This sentence is iconic in nature!  It makes you feel like you are a high roller!  There is nothing to worry about and you can securely gamble utilizing our amazing environment!  It doesn’t mention however that online gambling could potentially be illegal in your jurisdiction.  This is unfortunate, as they are bending the truth to make a quick buck.  This is another reason why the gambling industry as a whole has been under so much scrutiny.

To my amazement the letter does not mention the domain name one time.  Was this done on purpose or could this been overlooked by the team responsible for writing the letter.  Either way, I feel that this is definitely something that should be corrected.  If you want to remind people of where to go, then you have to mention the domain name a few times for name recognition.  I often tend to forget about online casino names and this is probably the reason why.

Next I looked at the CD packaging.  On the packaging itself the domain name is listed a total of 5 times.  The domain name is also printed on the CD as well.  What about those people who tend to misplace CDs?  I always do this.  Without the CD I would not know where to go.  If I were simply rating this based upon the CD packaging I would give them 2 thumbs up, but if I were to judge this based on the letter included in the suspicious looking envelope 2 big thumbs down.

Branding is very important and not including your domain name in a promotional letter will simply weaken the brand you are trying to promote.

Excuse me for my ignorance and for the fact that I didn’t ask a pertinent question before the lead question to this blog entry.  That question would be, does a domainer need a business card?  Since I feel that a domainer indeed does need a business card, I figured fast forwarding past this question would be best.

Now what kind of information should be included on a domainer’s business card?  I guess that really depends on the target market that the domainer is trying to reach.  Target markets can get quite diverse, so I figured I would stick to two potential target markets which are:

I.  Domaining Associates

II.  End-Users

Lets talk about domaining associates.  These are the indviduals who partake directly in the domaining industry in one form or another.  They tend to be well versed in industry “lingo” and will understand terms that the typical person might not understand.  For this target market I would suggest the following be included on a business card:

1. First and Last Name

This is a given for most people, unless you consider yourself a private person.

2. Title or Position

I can not stress how important this is!  In the domaining industry a number of us tend to wear many different hats, some of us work for larger companies who specialize in products or services geared towards domainers and some of us run our own businesses where domaining happens to fit under one of the many services our business offers.

Then there are those who domain part time or as a hobby.  Regardless you need to include a title!  It allows for your audience to immediately know where you fit into there business / social network and superseding this point it allows for them to know immediately how you can benefit them or vice versa.

3. Company Name

If you have a company this is a given.  Make sure to include your full legal business name, try not to abbreviate it.  Name recognition is important, so why not!

4. Telephone & Fax Number

Yes, the telephony age is still here.  People want to know that they can reach you.  Make sure to include a telephone number where they can.  Nine times out of ten if you are passing your business card out, you are most likely generating new leads for your business or trying to network with people.  Either way make sure that you can be reached!

There have been times where I have received business cards from associates, where the number leads directly to a PBX system with a pre-recorded message.  After not being able to reach that person, I simply went elsewhere to connect with someone who would actually answer there phone!

5. Website & Email

Make sure the website is operable or at least has an under construction landing page.  There’s nothing more embarrassing then going to a website which resolves to a hosting directory with folder listings.  Actually the only thing more embarrassing is visiting a URL which does not resolve at all!  Make sure it’s working before you list it on your card.

Same goes for your email!  Bounce backs are a dead end for business.

6. Summarize What You Do

Please summarize a bit of what you do for your target audience.  If you are a domain broker, then make sure to list it!  If you are a domain investor then put it on your business card!  You get the picture!  One sentence or phrase can go a long way when presenting yourself.  These lines alone have the capacity to open and close a deal.

Now for end-users!

This might sound funny, but you need to remember that the average Joe walking down the street has no clue about the domaining industry.  If you were to tell them you were a domainer they would either ask what that is or shrug and act like they know what you are talking about.  If you fail to convey this message to them on your business card, guess where your card will end up?  Perhaps the garbage can or if they are nice, the recycle bin.

The end-user business card should have every point which I have listed above.  In addition to this you should designate an area to describe some of your experiences in the domaining industry or include a couple of lines on what the domaining industry is.  The perfect location for this would be on the back of your business card.

An example of this would be “As a domain broker, I help facilitate the domain acquisition process.”  This statement alone will be sure to spark some interest or if you prefer to explain a little more information about the domaining industry you could include maybe a simple definition of domaining.  For this I will reference wikipedia “Domaining is the practice of identifying and registering or acquiring Internet domain names with the intent of selling them later for a profit.”

Regardless of what you decide to put on the card.  Taking the extra step to identify your target market will increase your chances of succeeding in this industry.

On a special note, if you have any suggestions feel free to post them as well!  All input is welcome!  Till next time my friends.

As a designer, I have a deep affection for typography.  I’ve decided to create visual elements every week to represent the quotes which are posted on Sunday.  The way the quotes are displayed may change as the blog matures.

“Domaining is an art, one that starts out as a blank canvas and ends up as a masterpiece.” - Pimp Jason

As a domainer I have a natural interest in what other domainers are doing.  Here are the top five domaining blogs I tend to visit:

1.  BruceMarler.com

Bruce’s blog entries tend to be well thought out.  He tends to inform his audience on everything from business ventures to the best wordpress plugins to use for your blog.  This is by far my favorite domaining blog and my comments on his site are a testament to this.

2.  Domainvestors.tv

Morgan has an amazing way of making the complicated sound simple!  Armed with great videos and a professional attitude, in my book he has become one of the best teachers in our industry.  In fact, I don’t think there are many others out there that can break our industry down to a science like he can.

3.  NameTalent.com

Mike is a refreshing voice in the domaining industry.  His blog is fairly new to the landscape, but he covers a diverse range of topics which tend to reflect the overall outlook of domaining.  When I want interesting news and want it fast, I head over to his site to view all of the latest trials and tribulations.

4.  TeenDomainer.com

Brian is a young domainer with the passion of a veteran.  His posts prove that the domaining world has no age limit.  He can compete with the best of them and has always been more than willing to provide advice when needed.  Brian represents a demographic which is needed in our industry and is sure to inspire many other young domainers with his future accomplishments.

5.  Domaingang.com

This site speaks for itself.  I always felt that the domaining world was a bit too serious!  In walks the domain gang to flip it upside down and shake it up a little bit.  This blog is the gossip magazine for the domaining industry.  Sometimes the gossip headlines are written so well, you can’t help but to believe the content that follows!  I always get a kick out of reading the site!

Every Sunday I will be featuring a new quote pertaining to the domaining world. At this time I plan on creating the quotes myself. In the future I might expand it to featuring quotes that I feel are important. For now lets focus on what the Domain Pimp thinks!

“As domainers we convince each other why we are important.” - Pimp Jason

Lately I’ve been swamped with offers for domain names. The only problem with this is I did not request any of these offers to be made. I am randomly receiving emails and facebook messages in regards to domains that are for sale. I just don’t understand it. Just because I am a domainer doesn’t mean that I am going to be interested in every domain out there.

Now I am not knocking entrepreneurs for doing this. What I am knocking is the fact that the proper due diligence has not been done before contacting a prospective buyer. If someone were to study my portfolio which is readily available online, they would see what I am interested in! Perhaps if they simply read my blog, they would also be able to decipher whether or not I am even interested in purchasing domains at this time.

Haven’t we learned yet? I mean come on! As a fellow domainer, how in the world are we to progress as an industry if we continue to shovel our products down people’s throats? So no, I don’t want your domain name and if I did you would most likely hear from me first! So for all of you domain pushers, push your domains the opposite direction. I’ve got enough domains to last me a lifetime and until this goldmine is developed, I’ll pass! That’s right I PASS!

I am passing out furloughs to all of the domain pushers out there. Now is your time to grasp this leave of absence and do something productive with it. When I say productive I mean productive. Why not try your hand at do something exactly opposite of what you are used to. For all you know if you work harder then you are now you just might have Ron Jackson interviewing you on DNJournal! Yes, do something better with your domaining life and stop SPAMMING us! We want to work with you not against you!

I had to divulge this information today. Although its not really a secret, it is quite annoying and for the betterment of our beloved domaining industry, decrease the SPAM and increase the productivity. This is my manifesto to all of you misdirected domaining souls who feel the need to mass mail associates out of the blue. Now is the time to stand up and make a change, if you didn’t listen to Obama do it now and say, “Yes We Can!” Because if we don’t do it now, this industry will enter a downward spiral that could hinder it from progressive growth.

Recently I had to order a set of Pigma Micron 0.25 mm pens for my artist. He explained why these pens are important during the comic creation process and went onto describe exactly why he needed these specific pens. After listening to him I decided that I should get him what he wanted. Now, since I know nothing about art supplies and have no idea of where to go to even remotely find such a thing, I decided to give bing.com a chance! You know that search engine which has had billions of dollars poured into making it a success…

Well in my eyes it has been a complete success. I searched for the product on the shopping portion of bing.com and was impressed with the results! Not only was I impressed with the quality of the results but I like the fact that I could receive cashback. The unfortunate thing is the site that I am featuring today for our spotlight tuesdays was not a part of this program! What I did notice is they had lower prices then all of the other competitors that I checked. Not only that, they also provided free shipping and handling for orders over $25.

What I like about scrapbookpal.com is the site was very easy to use and it provided me with a great deal. Keep in mind I only planned on buying three to four beens but I ended up purchasing thirteen to take advantage of the free shipping offer. Way to market yourself guys! Although shipping took a while, its not there fault we can blame that on the United States Postal Service! When I received the package I was reminded again with there business card about the $25 free shipping offer. This is a small business that I can see doing quite well in the future. I am very happy to support such a business and will be typing that rememberable domain name again into my browser when I need art supplies.

Today I was presented with an email from Sedo.com, explaining that I received an offer on a domain name which I currently have parked with their service. After receiving a number of these offers in the past, I can firmly say that I did not get excited. I have to admit that I was intrigued a bit to find out what the offer was, but I quickly confirmed it was no where near my expected price point.

What do you do when you are low balled on a domain offer? Before I get ahead of myself I will share a little more information on the domain name. The domain name at stake here is datacenterdirectory.com. I registered this domain name during the height of my hosting industry days. Some consider me as a hosting industry vet and I have the war wounds to prove it! OK, OK I may not have the scars of battle but I do have the roller coaster experiences which come from partaking in such a competitive business.

On to my next point. I realized long ago that there was an opportunity that no one has truly taken advantage of. The fact that I am about to discuss this opportunity here on my blog is a risk in itself. I could care less, I have always been a risk taker and will always continue to be one. If someone wants to try to beat me to the punch, then good luck. There are other directories out there similar to the one I plan on developing, but none of them own the flagship name that I currently have sitting in my portfolio.

Some of you may already know what I am about to type. If you haven’t guessed yet, I plan on developing a directory which indexes all of the data centers on a global scale. I want the site to be the main resource for researching data centers on the Internet. Not only do I want this to happen, it will happen and the offer which was presented to me today has instilled a new dedication to this plan. Thanks to the random offer I am now on track to developing a much needed resource.

The offer that was received was $100, I quickly countered with $17,500. A few hours later I received the “Dear John” letter from sedo stating that the party interested in my domain name has cancelled their offer. The mere fact that the web hosting industry is multi-billion dollar strong, proves that my counter offer was not only realistic but was a complete STEAL! As always I will keep all of you up to date on my next step. Domaining is like a game of chess and sometimes you make maneuvers that are questionable, but in this case I made one of the smartest moves of my domaining career.

Today I stumbled upon an interview with the “domain king” Rick Schwartz on IDNBlog.com. I was impressed to say the least and feel that it is an interview that all domainers can learn from. Rick is truly transparent with his answers and he is a shoot from the hip type of guy.

The questions are clear and to the point! This is a must read! To view the interview feel free to visit IDNBlog.com. Regardless of how much money the guy has made, there is wisdom under all of that cash. So make sure to read the interview as you might gain a few pointers as I did.