discredit.org

In seven hours and thirty minutes my domain name unselfish.info will be auctioned off to the highest bidder on bido. Keep in mind this is the first time I have actually had the pleasure of using bido to auction off a domain name from my portfolio. Since this is my first time, I have decided to use this opportunity for testing purposes.

The test case within this scenario is determining the effects of the auction without a marketing campaign. I have not invested in a press release, video or any sort of promotional material for the domain auction. You may ask why and the answer to simply put it is that I want to gauge the power of a bido banner.

Yes, that is right I feel that the bido presence is an estalbished one. As a testament to this I have discovered a number of domaining blogs featuring the infamous bido banner. Here is one of those sites for your viewing pleasure:

www.chefpatrick.com

Between the number of enthusiastic bloggers within the domaining industry and the overall reach bido currently has with the domaining community I feel this auction will do moderately well. Lets just say I’ll be keeping a close eye on the auction in the morning!

I’m a little late in posting this as I received the email yesterday. Since the email covers a number of topics pertaining to the latest updates involving the Bido.com auction platform, I felt it was better just to paste exactly what it said in a blog entry.

We’ve just released a few new changes at Bido and we’re really excited to let you know about what’s new. In addition to many minor enhancements throughout the site, these are the big changes that you’ll notice, and we hope you enjoy:

• Guarantee Program - The Bido Guarantee Program allows you to reduce the risk of selling. Submit your domains to the Bido Guarantee Program and either make a sale or get a Bido Guarantee - with no obligation. If the Bido Guarantee is not acceptable to you, you can simply walk away. Bido has assembled the top buyers in the domain industry, our Guarantee Partners, who submit their offers for domain names that they are willing to buy in a private auction not open to the public. After the private auction takes place, you have 3 choices: 1. Accept the Guarantee Offer as a sale. 2. Send the domain to a No Reserve auction open to all, using the Guarantee as a starting bid. 3. Pass on the Guarantee and walk away. Learn more - http://www.bido.com/BidoGuarantee

• Auction Acceleration - Recently, Bido started allowing our members to vote on the submitted domains go to No Reserve auction. All the members can vote, and domains receiving the highest amount of votes are those that are sent to No Reserve auction. Auction Acceleration builds on top of this format. If your submitted No Reserve domain is not chosen for auction, or you don’t want to wait for the votes to come in (30 days of voting), you can now accelerate it to auction by paying a small fee, as well as discounts for multiple. For more information please visit http://www.bido.com/AuctionAcceleration

• $28 Auctions - All No Reserve auctions will now start at $28 instead of $1. The balance between the number of submissions and the quality of submissions is something we have been working on for a while. We feel this change will allow sellers a bit more peace of mind when selling their domains on the Bido platform. We think the quality of what’s for sale will increase due to this change. Bidders on all upcoming auctions have been notified accordingly.

• One contract for sellers - Previously, sellers needed to fill a contract for every name they sold. We have done away with that format. This was a well needed format change and we hope it makes your life a lot easier when selling domains on Bido. There is no need to fill an individual contract for each auction anymore. Now, regardless of how many auctions you run, there’s only one contract to agree to, and agree to it only that one time. This makes life a lot easier for sellers. We realize your time is valuable and we know this will help you put more valuable time in your day to do more important things.

• Auction Ticker - Some of you remember the Channel Chat that we previewed for a few days a couple of weeks ago. We completely redesigned the Channel Chat and its now a ticker of all the auction activity. See in real time what’s going on at Bido. See when commentaries are left, when bids are placed, when auctions start, when they end, and much more. You can customize your ticker and show the elements that are of interest to you, change their color, and more. Be sure to click and check out your Ticker Settings to customize yours today.

• Chatroom enhancements - You can now switch chatrooms as easy as flipping a dropdown menu to the room you want to join. Also, see how many people are in the room before you enter it. Previously, it was hard to know what chatroom was the active room, and so we’ve addressed that issue and made it a lot easier to chat with you peers on Bido. Check it out and let us know what you think.

• Pre-Bids are now Absolute - All Pre-Bids that are placed on Bido are now placed as absolute bids when the auction starts. Once the auction starts, scales are then followed with bids placed after the auction start. Previously, all Pre-Bids would follow scales. All bidders have been notified of the change.

Those are the big changes but there’s so much more in this new release, literally hundreds of smaller enhancements too numerous to list here. Explore the site and let us know what you think. Some other noteworthy recent developments here at Bido include:

• Multiple auctions per day. Instead of 1 domain per day, Bido is now running multiple auctions. If you previously submitted domains that didn’t get selected for auction, please resubmit them at this time. Your chances of them making it to auction are much greater since we can support many more auctions now than previously.

• Member Voting. Bido used to select the names for No Reserve auction, by picking the best of what was submitted. We recently changed that and started allowing the Bido Experts to vote on the names. Now, however, all members are allowed to vote. Verify your account and get started today. Please do your part when you come to the Bido website and vote for as many domains as you would like. If the domains make it to auction, you’ll get a notice.

• 2% Cashback Bonus if your Pre-Bid wins the auction. Place your bid early and earn 2% cashback if your Pre-Bid was the bid that won the auction. Sellers still earn their full proceeds, as Bido sparks the cashback.

• Sellers may now pick their dates, times, and description of auction right on the Bido website. This was previously done over email, and is now much more of a self-serve process.

Although I don’t plan on purchasing any new domain names until 50% of my current portfolio has been developed, this is still exciting news. My favorite upgrades are the no reserve auctions starting at $28 as opposed to $1 and the new auction ticker. The $28 starting point will help buyers feel a little better about submitting there domains names with no reserve. The new ticker system provides a great way to catch all of the bidding action without having to flip through the different links on the site. Bido has listened to the members of the site and will continue to impact how domain names are auctioned in our industry. Great job guys!

On July 22nd of this year I wrote an entry about how the impact of a press release could directly effect the final outcome of a Bido auction. In part two of this series I conducted an interview with Andrew Douglas, who created the press release for shoot.us, for his Bido auction which occurred on Jul 30th. In this interview I asked Andrew a series of questions to get a better understanding of the press release’s impact and his overall feeling about the final outcome of the Bido auction. Enjoy!

1. How long have you been a domainer? What made you become a domainer?

My background is in web development. I’ve been investing in domains for a little under a year, but mostly focused on names and concepts that I could develop and monetize, not for resale. The nice thing about reselling though is the cash flow, so I’ve recently started to spend some of my time on how to increase my domain sales, but it’s not a major focus.

2. Why did you decide to sell “shoot.us” on Bido.com?

I’ve been a big fan of Bido (mostly as a buyer) since it’s relaunch. I thought their move to multiple auctions per day was something I wanted to catch the wave of, to see if it was something that could gain additional exposure to names I was looking to sell. While I liked the shoot.us name, it was a name I didn’t have specific development plans for and so it was on the sell block really from the beginning.

3. What ways did you market “shoot.us” prior to the auction date?

I had a previous offer, so I contacted them. I contacted domain holders of domains related to “shoot” in various extensions, though I’m sure I probably could have contacted more. I did google searches for related domains and contacted several domain owners that way. You saw the press release, but I also blogged about the press release and the auction at http://UtterDomain.com, I used some social media like twitter, a few forum posts, etc. All if it was “free” marketing. I had a number of auctions going up in and around the same time, but I focused heavily on shoot.us as I felt it had the most “draw” potential.

4. Do you feel your press release brought more attention to your auction for “shoot.us“? If so, can you describe if this directly effected the amount of bids you received on the domain.

Yes, it certainly got a lot of exposure that I wouldn’t have gotten without it, but I don’t think it really improved the results in the actual sales price. One good way of knowing if you’d gotten a “new” Bido user to bid on your domain is that they try to snipe it in the last 30 seconds of the auction. This doesn’t work at Bido, as they extend the auction for 5 minutes after a bid, but that was clearly happening for several of my names, including shoot.us. In that way it may have impacted the final sales price, but I think the final sales price was quite low so those new users didn’t put much value in the domain.

5. How many bids did your domain name receive during the course of the auction? What do you feel about the bids and the final outcome of the auction? What are your overall feelings on the auction itself? Would you do anything differently if you were given another chance to?

15 bids with a final sale price of $114. It’s less than what I paid and it was a bit disappointing, really. While I didn’t spend cash for advertising the domain auction, I did put quite a bit of effort in to spread the word as widely as possible. The problem is that did not translate well into a high value for the domain. I think my efforts will be better spent in the future by focusing more on increasing the value proposition of the domain. For example, I thought shoot.us was worth at least $500-$1000, and I obviously needed to do a better job of convincing people of that.

I also do not plan to auction up any more of my names at Bido for awhile, unless they are names I’m really willing to sell at fire sale type prices. Sure, there are exceptions and some of my auctions did okay, but that was not as a direct result of any of the marketing efforts I did for those names. I think the Bido audience and platform has to evolve in order for sellers to have the best chance to succeed. I still recommend them highly if you need to liquidate some domain assets, though.

In general it was a good learning experience and I’ll try to apply the lessons I’ve learned in the future.

6. If our readers would like to get in touch with you, what would be the best way to do so?

email: andrew@utterdomain.com
twitter: @utterdomain
blog: http://utterdomain.com

Andrew, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I appreciate your valuable insight and contribution to the domaining community.

A company named Theoretical Games, LLC seems to think so. While searching google news for the keyword domain, I was surprised to see an official press release for the shoot.us domain name. On July 30, 2009 at 1:23 PM EST the company will utilize the Bido auction platform to sell the shoot.us domain to the highest bidder. This is a no reserve auction, which means you can bid what you want and make it count! It’s quite fascinating to see this, a company taking the preemptive step to launch an auction and submit a formal press release for it. I am very interested to see the turn out rate for this auction and if the press release has actually done the auction justice. According to PR.com you have the ability to submit press releases for free, but if you want to submit one which has clickable hyperlinks it will cost $29.95 per hyperlink. There are also up-sells for industry distribution and regional distribution. You receive one industry distribution categorey free, five additional for the total cost of $50. For regional distribution, selecting the all regions option is free. If you would like to specify a select regional area for your press release to be distributed then the cost is $30 for each additional region.

I am not sure if Theoretical Games, LLC actually paid anything for this press release, but I can say that as far as getting me to view it and write an entry on my blog about it that the press release has worked! To do my part for the domaining community I have listed the press release below and I’ll even link to the auction free of charge.

Shoot.us Domain Name Auction on July 30th at Bido.com

Theoretical Games is excited to announce that the hit domain name Shoot.us is going to be auctioned at No Reserve using the Bido.com auction site. This special auction will start on July 30th at 1:23pm EST and run for exactly one hour. If you are interested in purchasing the domain, you can pre-Bid at Bido.com anytime between now and July 30th. Be sure to tune in to http://www.bido.com/Auction?name=shoot.us as the auction action is sure to blow you away.

Tampa, FL, July 22, 2009 –(PR.com)– Theoretical Games is excited to announce that the hit domain name Shoot.us is going to be auctioned at No Reserve at the Bido.com auction site. This special auction will start on July 30th at 1:23pm EST and run for exactly one hour. If you are interested in purchasing the domain, you can pre-Bid at Bido.com anytime between now and July 30th. If your pre-Bid wins, you will receive 2% cashback from Bido.com.

The dot US extension is the country code for the United States (like .co.uk is for the United Kingdom) and it is gaining significant popularity with many premium .US domains selling for over ten thousand dollars. But this name is also a clever “domain hack” with the play on words of “Shoot us”. Similar domain names, such as Teach.me, Trust.me and Publish.me sold last month at auction for as much as $20,000. This domain name could go for a steal with a $0 reserve.

Shoot.us is perfectly suited for a number of users. Wedding photographers, video producers, hunting clubs and gun stores in the United States, sports shooting publications, video game developers and more could use this clever brand-able domain name to hold their users hostage. With so many barely pronounceable “web 2.0″ brands vying for our attention, this short and memorable name could help you stand out from the crowd.

Be sure to tune in to http://www.bido.com/Auction?name=shoot.us for the live auction and chat as the auction action is sure to blow you away. Be there July 30th at 1:23pm on the East Coast or 10:23am out in the Old West.

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Contact Information
Theoretical Games, LLC
Andrew Douglas
813-991-5037
andrew@theoreticalgames.com
UtterDomain.com

As some of you know I am a big fan of the bido.com domain auction site. In May I actually participated in an auction for the domain infomercials.info and acquired the domain for $442. This did not include the processing fee added for credit card payments, but that is another story. After experiencing the upgraded bido platform, I am now bido’s NUMBER 1 FAN! This upgrade alone, will turn the site from a domainer’s stomping ground to a domainer’s paradise.

According to Sahar’s Conceptualist.com blog the following upgrades have been made to the bido platform:

• Bido now provides the ability to comment on expert commentaries. This is definitely a feature I have been waiting for. What is better than one guru analyzing another guru’s comments! Let the fun and games begin!

• Do you have a large group of domains you would like to submit to bido? Well now you have the ability to submit up to 100 domain names at a time! I can definitely see some people simply copying and pasting there entire portfolio with this feature.

• Adult domain names for the win! Yes domainers, adult domain names are a huge industry in itself and the fact that bido is recognizing this is definitely one step for porn kind! (I mean man kind!) Bido now accepts adult domain names, you can view more information about this feature here.

• I voted for the President so it is only just that I can vote for everything else in life! Making one step closer to my triumphant voting vision, bido has listened once again and is now allowing experts to vote on submitted domain names! You can find this tab once you are logged in, it is called “Submitted Domains.”

• A new global chat is now available on bido! You asked for it and they gave it to you, well technically I didn’t ask for it but I definitely wanted it and guess what? I got it! Now I can idle my days in the bido global chat section and type my fingers off!

• Bido now has the ability to run multiple auctions at one time! It is also providing you the domain seller with the power of creating a time warp, so you to can go BACK TO THE FUTURE! Sorry about that, I got a little carried away what I meant to say was bido now allows you to set the time you would like for your domain auction to start. For all of you late night party animals you just might be able to bid on a domain while you are drunk! I can see bido becoming the afterparty spot! Just remember party animals that bido does not hold auctions during the weekend.

• All doamains submitted to bido can be listed with a reserve. Although this is not a new feature it is definitely one to pay close attention to. Just an example of another great feature that they currently are offering members of the site.

Alright, well there we go. Now that you are all up to date on bido lets start bidding on my domains! Just kidding! I definitely want to acknowledge the staff at bido in this blog entry and let them know that they are doing one heck of a great job and have truly become an asset to the domaining community. Sahar, Jarred and although Art is no longer with bido I just want to say that the three of these guys have worked overtime to make sure we are provided with the best domaining features and online auction house can provide. Oh yah, let me add that BIDO MAKES ME MISS BREAKFAST. I should get a couple tshirts printed with this slogan.

Best Regards,

Jason Thompson AKA Pimp Jason