Famous Domainers
Sergei Putanov: In communist Russia, Domain develops you!
August 21, 2010 · 8 Comments
Sergei Putanov is a clever businessman, developing Dubai, Florida into a $2.75 billion enterprise. You’ve probably heard of Sergei Putanov before – if you haven’t, we highly recommend reading our previous coverage of this billionaire investor’s achievements. In an exclusive interview to DomainGang, Sergei Putanov talks about development, domains and PPC earnings. He also talks about women, vodka and fast cars. Hello Sergei, a pleasure to have you here today. Pleasure mine. I talk domains, development and forget not that I develop real land and property. Russian Bear Inevstments, my corporation I built from scratch, very big, very worthy. Indeed, you’ve turned your life around, from being a fisherman’s son to a billionaire investor and developer. What is your modus operandi with regards to domain names? Well, I buy only domain I like, even if domain is $500,000 or $2 million dollar. I don’t mind money if domain is good. But people offer bad domain to me and I tell them pffffff, go away idiot. Sometime I have to telephone KGB to threaten idiot domainer. Sergei, I’m sure in Russia things have changed a lot since the fall of Communism. It is now a capitalist country, correct? Ha! We have a saying that in Russia, beer drinks you. I say that all the time, time have change and now Russians have jeans and Dior and Dolce & Gabbana, no problem. Money is a lot, people enjoy life and buy expensive car. Other people drink a lot of vodka or expensive champagne. What about domain names? What is the approach to development versus parking? Don’t be fool. Some say come let me build you quick store, add affiliate id and boom! Instant money. What lie! I could break the legs of such bad liar domainers. There is no money in fake mini site shit. In mother Russia, domain develops you! Sergei, what exactly do you mean by that? Domain develops you? I mean, if domain is long tail piece of shit then forget it. Need keyword, single word, then good. Otherwise you pay from wallet money, like paying a prostitute with no vagina, understand? I believe so, Sergei. So what would you recommend to our readers? I tell your reader develop 2-3 domains complete web site business. No parking shit and no mini site. Build business and have a secretary, my secretary she have huge melons. I like. And get a designer good for job. Thank you for all the tips, Sergei. We will be hearing more from you in the future, I am sure. Read More →
Short News
Blast from the past: Bill & Bob’s domainer conference
August 26, 2010 · 3 Comments
It appears that a lot of domainers are showing interest in affordable, one-day conferences. While we fondly remember the days when every TRAFFIC conference was 4 days long, it’s good to know that a lot of business can be achieved in a single day; for example, DomainFest New York was an absolute success. Here’s a blast from the past – Bill & Bob’s Domainer Conference – enjoy Read More →
Editorial
Still don’t get it? Look for the ’100%’ image!
August 23, 2010 · Comments Off
I thought that by now most DomainGang readers would be aware of the existence of our ’100%’ graphic image. It’s an indicator that the story is entirely true, no if’s or but’s. Apparently, a lot of new readers missed the announcement, so here’s a quick link. In a nutshell: If you see that image, the story is not a parody or a spoof. It might contain humor, or it might be dead serious – but it’s 100% accurate in its content. Read More →
Stories & Manuals
10 Signs of a Non-Buying domain bidder
July 28, 2010 · 3 Comments
Offers for domains often start with a melodic introduction but end up amounting to little more than a waste of time. You’ve probably received these offers before; big, fat promises that begin with a coy inquiry about one of your most precious domain jewels. As you type up that response email, you get excited over the potential of a sizable sale. It all fits together, the offer comes from a non-generic email and the inquiry is even signed with a name and a location. You Google that location and it turns out to be a coffee shop in North Dakota. Bummer! Here are some signs that would give you an early warning about whether an inquiry builds up to being legitimate or not, so that you don’t waste your time with some dufus who has no plans to buy your domain at the price you’re envisioning. Email addresses with first name, a number and a free email like hotmail, yahoo or gmail are early warning signs of a timewaster with no money to offer. Serious buyers provide full names and a phone number. Phone numbers in the Philippines, Nigeria or China. Even if you have Skype it could cost you to call out around the globe to confirm a business, let along converse with them. Offers that use phrases such as “might be interested“, “probably could use“, “potentially wanting” or “could use this as a secondary domain” – these are all keywords that should make you delete the inquiry. Emails from individuals that sign off with a female name but the email says “nyjets82″ or “jack7strap” or “wowwarrior4life”. Toss these as soon as they come in. People that claim to run an evaluation business or want to have your domain evaluated prior to buying them. Money talks, bullshit walks. Have a certificate made once and send it to them. It says “Certified Scammer” on it. Phonecalls made on behalf of “bosses”, “companies” or other important and formal-sounding individuals with untraceable phone numbers. They rely on impulsive communications and have one thing in mind: to get your domain as cheap as they can. Ask them to email you from the corporate site. Brokers that claim to work for Sedo, Afternic, Buydomains and other entities – willing to take down your private information. DON’T fall for that scam, always call back the respective companies through their publicized phone numbers to initiate any such disclosure of information. Messages at forums that claim they are “buddying up” with other investors to buy your domain. Chances are that you will be facing a shitstorm if something goes wrong during or after negotiations. If you’re dealing with a single point of purchase you are better off than dealing with a committee of corporate timewasters. Offers that begin at $60 at Sedo are time-wasters 100% of the time. Click that cancel button. In your face, bitch, in your face! Finally, if you are promised “future purchases” as long as you commit to a really low sale at the beginning, be prepared never to hear from the buyer again, once the first “kill” goes through. A fool and his money part very quickly, especially in domaining. Read More →
Domain News
Hurricane Francois threatens the US East Coast
Hurricane Francois has already formed in the North Atlantic, off the coast of France. East Coast domainers are anxiously watching the projected path of hurricane Earl – but a new hurricane has already formed in the Atlantic ocean, off the coast of France. For years, NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US – has named storms and hurricanes using consecutive letters of the alphabet. After the letter “E” used for Earl, the letter “F” is utilized. “We took a glimpse into the domaining market, and it’s definitely a tumulus market with lots of violent fluctuations in its climate”, said Patrick Clis, head of NOAA for the East Coast. “We decided to honor one of the most active and unpredictable domainers, Francois Carrillo of Domaining.com – so we named the next storm after Earl “Francois”. Every year thousands of domainers in the US experience the effects of severe weather – often gathering at DNForum to discuss whether they should attend ongoing domain conferences or just hunker down until the weather improves. Hurricane Earl’s pass alongside the US East Coast was timed perfectly by the Supreme Being that some refer to as God, others as Nature; the SedoPRO conference ended successfully before the beast that is Earl approached New England. Meanwhile, hurricane Francois is expected to create chaos in the European and American domain markets; a warning system has already announced the side-effects of Francois Carrillo’s removal of the ClosingAuctions.com newsletter will be severe to the domain industry and to the weather conditions around the world.
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Sedo abducts Lucius – Hides him in Boston HQ
BREAKING NEWS: DomainGang writer extraordinaire, Lucius “Guns” Fabrice has been missing since yesterday. This is staff writer Bob kindly asking anyone with concrete information about his disappearance to get in touch. According to the latest information, Lucius has been abducted by the very kind and ultra-professional Sedo personnel and he’s been forced to have a great time at the Sedo headquarters in Boston – apparently against his will. Sedo HQ during the abduction of Lucius While we are processing further photographic evidence, it’s obvious that after indulging in a grand tour of the remarkably neo-industrial Sedo headquarters, Lucius was given several glasses of champagne, before he was taken on a three hour boat cruise where more drinks were consumed. There are further rumors about Lucius consuming mass quantities of seafood aboard the ship, where the crew and other Sedo tour participants and associates had an unnaturally great time – something that poor Lucius is not used to indulging into – not to mention, going to an after-hours party for more drinks and scrumptious food. A view of Cambridge from Lucius' room - but where is he? The worst part of all this is the loss of voice that Lucius has sustained – mainly from conversing non-stop with everyone during this Sedo plan to abduct our illustrious editor and keep him forever in the harbors of Boston. With day two of the Sedo conference starting up, it is unclear when or if Lucius will emerge – or whether more unsuspected attendants will mysteriously disappear after all the speeches, discussions and alcohol-enhanced socializing comes to an end.
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Frank Schilling strikes back: A tale of Twin Cities dot net
Frank Schilling is the new proud owner of the Twin Cities network. Energized after a long weekend snorkeling in the Caymans, uber-domainer Frank Schilling returned to the auction arena. This time around, Frank – famous for owning the .com of every dish known to man – scored against the notorious “Namejet Reserve“, which he tore to pieces. “I could not let NameJet Reserve win again, no sir”, said a triumphant Frank Schilling, chilling at his 450 sq.ft. veranda in the Caymans. “I showed NameJet Reserve who’s the boss and got my trophy domain without much sweating. Just don’t challenge me, I turn into a fighting beast”. Frank won TwinCities.net at Namejet, scoring this amazing geoDomain for only $1,800 – a complete and utter steal. NameJet Reserve bid up to $1,649. As many mid-westerners know, Twin Cities is the pet name of beautiful Minneapolis – St. Paul in Minnesota. The .com is developed, so apparently Frank Schilling invested in it with reselling in mind. Congratulations to Frank for this amazing catch!
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Chatroulette.com: the miracle is lost
It's business as usual for the monkey-spankers on Chatroulette. This is what happens when one has no specific business plan in mind: direction is lost. Ultra popular Internet destination, Chatroulette.com was down for more than a week, with the cryptic message displayed on its page: The experiment #1 is over now. Thanks for participating. Renewed and updated version of the website will be launched today. In Ruski code-speak this meant that hacking the code to suit a business model had failed miserably. The downtime of more than a week cost Chatroulette a lot of its traffic; the newly launched interface lacks the responsiveness of the old one. Unfortunately for its 17 year old Russian creator, Chatroulette has never been anything other than an endless masturbatorium for Internet flashers and exhibitionists. Once seen as an opportunity to randomly connect complete strangers around the world, Chatroulette gained notoriety from the endless display of genitalia by its patrons. The Chatroulette web site, as it appeared Monday, is apparently far from being the final product of the scheduled upgrade. No note or other message about the changes appears on the site. ChatRoulette much? Yes. You've probably seen my dick! No. I'd rather do something constructive with my time View Results Loading ...
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Moon Orbit: Chef Patrick breaks new ground for Domainers
Not content with the upcoming DNCruise – the first and only domainer conference on a ship – Chef Patrick is breaking new ground with his new project. To the Moon and beyond with Chef Patrick! Dubbed “Moon Orbit for the Domainer Millennium” the conference will utilize a powerful new service sponsored by Virgin Galactic – the pioneer in space trips for individuals. “A lot of veteran domainers did not believe me when I said I’d have a cruise for domainers, but I am known for achieving things through calculated risk-taking”, said a radiant Chef Patrick from Palo Alto, California. “With the new Moon Orbit domainer conference I aim higher than anybody else in the domain business.” Chef Patrick’s project will accommodate a select dozen and a half of top-tier domainers aboard “Genesis One“, the Virgin Galactic spaceship that launches from the Mojave desert. The conference will occur at zero gravity, offering a remarkable view of the earth on the edge of space. Amenities will include astronaut-quality food, power-networking in slow motion and a live auction with the first domains to be sold in space. “I’d like to add that for those that don’t want to participate yet to the Moon Orbit for the Domainer Millennium conference, to give my DNCruise a chance – I have a special offer for those people at the moment, check out my web site!”, said Chef Patrick before having a meeting with George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic. Indeed, Chef Patrick’s special offer will lead more unbelievers to his next big project – we can’t wait!
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The New Manhattan Skyline – Revealed renderings
A new rendering of the future Manhattan skyline has been revealed, which includes the upcoming completion of the structures that will replace the befallen Twin Towers. The new Manhattan skyline will be multi-cultural, embracing all religions. Further down, the newly planned Mosque of International Muslim faith will give Manhattan a majestic, multi-cultural new look. “We’re looking forward to giving Manhattan a more sophisticated look, worthy of the many religions shared among our citizens”, said John J. Johnson Jr., creative director of the Manhattan Restoration Committee for the Alliance of Religions. “Let’s imagine for a second that Manhattan and New York became eventually a New Constantinople, full of rich history, hammams and minarets. That would definitely bring millions of pilgrims each year to our city”, he added. The plan to expand Mahattan’s role in the biggest American city, New York, has been discussed since the September 11, 2001 attacks – when thousands of Americans lost their lives. Almost 10 years later, New York City faces a challenge of times, and is now given the unique opportunity to embrace the cultures and people of difference races and religions in true New York City style. “I don’t mind seeing a couple of minarets downtown”, said Mariam Ostrowski, manager of Trendy NYC Bar Mitzvah, Inc. “I hear there will be festivals and such, I love middle eastern food and music so why not have these people enjoy Manhattan as well?”, she added. President Obama recently stated that the all-American right to practice one’s religion is unquestionable and cannot be challenged. Meanwhile, St. Nicholas Orthodox church that once stood in the shadow of the WTC Twin Towers still awaits permission to be rebuilt at its promised location.
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Did the Retweet.com buyer blow $250,000 ?
RT @DomainGang - $250,000 got burned up buying Retweet.com The news of Retweet.com selling for a quarter of a million dollars on Flippa, six months ago, came as an indication that start-ups are willing to invest serious money in domaining and social media. As we mentioned back then, the existing trademark applications at the USPTO complicated things about which company – other than Twitter itself – would have an interest in Retweet.com It seems that the buyer of Retweet.com thought they’d have an advantage with the domain, when in fact it appears as if they blew $250,000 out the door. Australian based Dollar Rose Holdings LTD applied for a trademark with the USPTO in May. On August 28 (yesterday), the USPTO responded that the application for registering the mark “retweet” has been initially denied: A non-final action has been mailed. This is a letter from the examining attorney requesting additional information and/or making an initial refusal. However, no final determination as to the registrability of the mark has been made. The reason: the pre-existence of the pending mark applications for “retweet” and “tweet” by Twitter Inc. In particular: The filing dates of pending Application Serial Nos. 77804841 AND 77715815 precede applicant’s filing date. See attached referenced applications. If one or more of the marks in the referenced applications register, applicant’s mark may be refused registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d) because of a likelihood of confusion with the registered mark(s). See 15 U.S.C. §1052(d); 37 C.F.R. §2.83; TMEP §§1208 et seq. Therefore, upon receipt of applicant’s response to this Office action, action on this application may be suspended pending final disposition of the earlier-filed referenced applications. The real kicker is that both applications by Twitter Inc. are themselves suspended, due to other mark applications that are pending – as we explained in our post earlier. What a Catch-22 for a company that spent $250,000 on a domain name and is now sitting on the edge of their seat, hoping the trademark application won’t be denied due to the obvious: they didn’t secure a clear field in the trademark arena.
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Frager Factor Frags Domaining.com !
There’s no doubt good ole Owen Frager had no bad intentions when he made this post about taking offers on Frank Schilling’s domains. We all know that for quite some time now, Frank is eager to sell. Not sure how much he’d sell Antarctica.com for but since it’s a barely populated continent, Frank should be happy with low six figures. The only problem with Owen’s post is that due to a lack of “hard returns“, the list was posted on Domaining.com as a long, single line string that pushed the page elements aside (see screenshot below). Frager Factor's post stretched poor old Domaining.com beyond any recognition! Meanwhile, there were no display issues on Namebee.com – the domain news aggregator that offers an auxiliary look at domain blogs as far as popularity is concerned. Francois needs to fix that glitch soon; meanwhile, we had to block The Frager Factor temporarily before he breaks more stuff.
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Miss Universe Jimena Navarrete acquires Mexi.co domain
Jimena Navarrete is Miss Universe 2010. They say beauty and brains don’t go together – in the case of Jimena Navarrete, newly crowned Miss Universe for 2010 this has proven to be wrong. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1988, Jimena Navarrete captured the audience and the pageant committee with her natural assets and her personality. Although she started modeling at the age of 16, Jimena is also an avid domainer, with more than 250 quality .MX domains in her portfolio. But her latest acquisition blows the mind of many seasoned domainers, as Jimena capitalized on the recent opening of the .CO market and is now the proud owner of a domain that was auctioned off right as she was crowned Miss Universe in Las Vegas. For only $3,000 American dollars, Jimena Navarrete acquired the national hack of Mexi.co – the pride and joy of every Mexican domainer. “I saw opportunity, my agent he said buy domain, so I did and Dios mio, so happy!”, said a jubilant Jimena. “When I go party at club I will wear Mexi.co domain proud on my chest. Already made t-shirt to give!”, she added. These days, domain hacks – known for their unique purpose of acting as the shortest URL to a destination defined by both the domain and the TLD – are becoming very popular. Mexi.co is the ultimate domain for destinations in this American nation and Jimena Navarrete has proven that she is very intelligent – not just drop dead gorgeous.
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Pigeonshit Auctions promises a lot of opportunities for domainers
Francois Carrillo of Domaining.com has launched a new domain service that promises to keep you on your toes as far as new, quality domain auctions are concerned. And that is all good. But what about the pigeonshit domains that you might be wanting to sell – or even buy? If you haven’t heard of PigeonDomains.com this is a chance to get acquainted. Also this is our take on the image currently used by Francois on Domaining.com for the domain auctions. Pigeoshit Auctions – never miss the pigeonshit domains ever again! Pigeonshit Auctions is a brand new marketplace for pigeonshit domains. Images with no controversy are not catchy enough! Note: Pigeonshit, Pigeon-shit and pigeon droppings are all marks used by Rick Schwartz in accordance with the definition of worthless domains. Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved.
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NameJet Reserve wins all the auctions
NameJet Reserve - Satan's tool A lot of domainers are currently very upset - there is a new player in town with regards to NameJet auctions. Going by the cryptic username “NameJet Reserve” this apparently well-off domain bidder won every major auction recently, leaving only breadcrumbs to the rest of the seasoned domainers. “I can’t believe this $@!^!er is winning the best names”, said a dejected Frank Schilling. “You know me, I’m Mr. Cool and all but this sh^&head is pissing me off with the way they took both tan.org and stri.com from my eager hands!”, added Frank. Nowadays, competition on the NameJet platform has increased due to some alleged secret society that conspires on the auction process. While we could not confirm this, certain satanic rituals take place for the eulogy of domains in the middle of the night – asking for satan’s assistance in order to sell. “That’s just bullsh^t”, said an irate Lyndon McLigerston, an investor from Leeds, UK. “I have been staying up late past my beer time, skipping going to the pub to meet the lads even, and those f^*ckers are winning all the good stuff. P^ss off!” Some claim that in fact, “NameJet Reserve” is simply a reserve set by NameJet itself in order to dispose of valuable domains with a minimum selling price (reserve), versus putting them on the chopping block for whatever price they’d fetch. Have you lost any bids against the NameJet Reserve? Yes, I want to smash this guy's skull! No, I always bid thousands of dollars more and win! View Results Loading ...
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Aboriginal Domainer owner of Australia’s top domain portfolio
Birdari Umakulong (right) - owner of a large domain portfolio - pictured with his account manager from Fabulous.com Having spent the best part of the past decade hidden in the bushland of the Australian Outback, Aboriginal domainer Birdari Umakulong owns a surprising portfolio of domain names. Birdari Umakulong – or Birdman, as his friends call him – owns a domain portfolio consisting of roughly 10,000 quality .co.au domains, something that not even the best Aussies in the business can claim. Birdari invested in domains after selling his land that contained precious metals and rare gemstones, making several million dollars in the process. “Oi storted very yong knowing how to sorvoive in the worst envoironments, mate. And with domains, Oi due my very best to be top of the boisness”, says Birdari while smoking from a long wooden pipe. “Oi have the pleasure of achieving soccess roight here on the Sydney coast, mate!”, he adds with a broad smile. This Aboriginal man’s genius has made many Australian newspapers cite him for his numerous achievements in domaining down under. Unlike most Australians, Birdari does not drink beer and does not own or operate adult sites – something that has become a menace in Australian society recently. Some Aussie domainers, such as Bill Japman and Rick Elduro operate cam girl sites promoting filthy pornography and other lewd acts. Birdari’s portfolio is entirely monetized at Fabulous.com – the Australian company that has become the #1 registrar of choice among intelligent domainers.
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Prince.com an apparent Wedding Gift to Prince Nikolaos of Greece
Prince Nikolaos of Greece and his new Princess wife. Earlier today, DNJournal announced the sale of Prince.com – a brokered deal by Media Options, the same folks that brokered the sale of Pizza.net for a price between $1 dollar and $1 billion dollars. Prince.com was owned by a Prince Andrew before the WHOIS for the domain went “dark” and was just sold for $235,000 – hardly a king’s ransom. The princely domain name was apparently a wedding gift to Prince Nikolaos, second son of former King Constantine of Greece. Prince Nikolaos was married earlier today to Tatiana Blatnik. The wedding was held in a monastery near the old port of Spetses, one of the many Greek islands of the Argosaronic. Blatnik, 29, arrived in a horse-drawn carriage and waved to a crowd of well wishers gathered outside. The 40-year-old Nikolaos arrived by boat, while we were not invited, unfortunately. Congratulations to the new Prince of Greece, although Greece actually ceased being a kingdom in 1973; the Royal family of Greece is of Danish origin and ruled the land of Aristotle between 1863 and 1967, when then King Constantine was overthrown by a military coup d’état. Since 1974 Greece is a Republic.
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For the love of God, Mike – Make your Facebook private!
As an entrepreneur, Mike Mann has been active since before the icebergs formed – but in this brave new world of social media something is not going too well for him. Mike Mann in an uber-cool pose Often praised as a pioneer investor in ccTLDs, Mike has invested in premium .co domains – some of his top registrations include Oil.co, Gas.co and Gold.co. But surely, nothing can be as damaging for one’s business reputation than to let their personal matters permeate into the business side of social life. A post on Mike Mann’s facebook page by Rafal Furdzik, [now removed] – is alleging lack of payment for an apparent project; according to his LinkedIn profile, Rafal is a Technology Startup Founder, Technology Team Leader, .NET/C# Architect, Development of Web and Database Systems. The problem with Facebook is that if you keep your profile wide open, anyone can post at any time. At the time of writing this article and before Mike removed it, Rafal Furdzik had posted the following verbatim: When will you pay me for my work?? It is not good not to pay people while saying you help poor and charity… Such a scam. Alex, Chip, Lynn, Me, Miguel, that guy from Sex.com and tons of other people. But now all karma comes back to you. What goes around comes around. You have money but you will not be happy by destroying other people lives and will live in misery for the rest of your life. What you do to people is just wrong. You can sue me for this post, but thanks to you I have no money to pay you, so good luck! All I say is truth and people know it. Rafal Furdzik is alleging Mike Mann has not fulfilled his financial obligations towards him in this Facebook post. Rafal then selectively links to some of our previous DomainGang posts about Mike Mann, in particular: Grassroots.org or not, has Michael Mann lost his mind? Haiti to the rescue – Mike Mann comes to his senses – removes drama from LynnMann.com In both of those posts we had urged Mike to keep his personal matters private; Mike had also responded in the comment section of each post. Mike Mann definitely possesses the personality of a Gladiator, fighting until the bitter end. While this is often encouraged in a cut-throat business environment, it is saddening to witness all this wasted energy of constant power swings. Having read Mike’s book “Make Millions and Make Change!” it is obvious that the Achilles’ heel of this brilliant domain entrepreneur is his current family situation; definitely a distraction from the impressive record of professional achievements over the past 20 years. For the love of God, Mike – Make your Facebook private and keep the vultures away!
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Famous Domainers
Sergei Putanov: In communist Russia, Domain develops you!
Sergei Putanov is a clever businessman, developing Dubai, Florida into a $2.75 billion enterprise. You’ve probably heard of Sergei Putanov before – if you haven’t, we highly recommend reading our previous coverage of this billionaire investor’s achievements. In an exclusive interview to DomainGang, Sergei Putanov talks about development, domains and PPC earnings. He also talks about women, vodka and fast cars. Hello Sergei, a pleasure to have you here today. Pleasure mine. I talk domains, development and forget not that I develop real land and property. Russian Bear Inevstments, my corporation I built from scratch, very big, very worthy. Indeed, you’ve turned your life around, from being a fisherman’s son to a billionaire investor and developer. What is your modus operandi with regards to domain names? Well, I buy only domain I like, even if domain is $500,000 or $2 million dollar. I don’t mind money if domain is good. But people offer bad domain to me and I tell them pffffff, go away idiot. Sometime I have to telephone KGB to threaten idiot domainer. Sergei, I’m sure in Russia things have changed a lot since the fall of Communism. It is now a capitalist country, correct? Ha! We have a saying that in Russia, beer drinks you. I say that all the time, time have change and now Russians have jeans and Dior and Dolce & Gabbana, no problem. Money is a lot, people enjoy life and buy expensive car. Other people drink a lot of vodka or expensive champagne. What about domain names? What is the approach to development versus parking? Don’t be fool. Some say come let me build you quick store, add affiliate id and boom! Instant money. What lie! I could break the legs of such bad liar domainers. There is no money in fake mini site shit. In mother Russia, domain develops you! Sergei, what exactly do you mean by that? Domain develops you? I mean, if domain is long tail piece of shit then forget it. Need keyword, single word, then good. Otherwise you pay from wallet money, like paying a prostitute with no vagina, understand? I believe so, Sergei. So what would you recommend to our readers? I tell your reader develop 2-3 domains complete web site business. No parking shit and no mini site. Build business and have a secretary, my secretary she have huge melons. I like. And get a designer good for job. Thank you for all the tips, Sergei. We will be hearing more from you in the future, I am sure.
Tony Kanakaris: My Big Fat Greek Domainer Network is expanding
I called Tony Kanakaris up on a Friday afternoon, right as happy hour madness was hitting the US east coast. Tony is a fellow domainer and developer – manager of the Social Domainers network. SocialDomainers.com - Where Domainers Get Together! Tony, yassou malaka! – I could not resist the Greek verbal jab at my friend. Who is this? Lucius! Ti kaneis, you sick motherlover you – came back the answer from the other end of the line. In case you didn’t know, us Greeks are like the Italians – maybe because all of Southern Italy and Sicily were Greek colonies once. We talk loud, and we talk a lot and show our excitement with gestures and voice intonations. Tony, I hear you make some killer spinach pie, is that right? – I said, trying to make small talk for what I was going to ask next. Yeah, yeah! Better than my grandma’s. What’s cooking, Lucius? I can’t get into my Social Domainers account, Tony. WTF is going on? Tony paused for a while, then he broke the bad news to me. Lucius, look. You’re my good friend and everything but I was asked to lock your account down. You made some really nasty comments the other day, I had to take some action. Tony’s reply hit me like pigeon droppings from pigeons on a wire, 50 ft above. Come on, man! Social Domainers is where I spend my online time! You can’t do this! That’s where I meet other domainers and make friends and buddies. Heck, that’s where I pick my Italian women! Come on, brother! Tony Kanakaris paused for a few seconds, then reminded me of what I had done. Lucius, I can’t. Remember what you did? Disrespecting the Argentina soccer team, saying Maradona is a big crackhead and all that stuff? I got in so much trouble with my wife, she’s Argentinian, remember? I sighed. I remembered the incident alright; World Cup 2010 was full of vuvuzela noise and Greece was playing Argentina trying to advance to the next round. Kept the score at 0 – 0 until the 77th minute and then it managed to lose 2 – 0. I was furious. I had lashed out, cussing Argentina on the Social Domainers forum, left and right. Tony… I’m a nice guy. I’m sorry. I will apologize now to your wife, OK? Just let me back on Social Domainers, please bro! I will behave! I just need my account back. Have a heart, bro! Tony was skeptical for a second, but then he burst into laughter. Lucius, you’re such a big malakas! OK, try again in 15 minutes and you’ll be able to log back on. Just don’t try the same crap, malaka! OK? I was thrilled. SocialDomainers.com is my second home, my online destination away from DomainGang. I could not wait to see my buddies again and write on their wall. With Facebook being an insecure madhouse where men posed as women creating fake profiles, Social Domainers – where domainers get together – is the absolute domainer paradise. Thanks, Tony. You are the man, I owe you one. Going to DomainGang to tell everyone what a great place Social Domainers is. And I will let everyone know you make a killer spinach pie! We both laughed and called each other “malaka” a few more times. Tony had to go work on his next big project – and I had to go read my dozens of pending messages on SocialDomainers.com You too should visit SocialDomainers.com and sign up ! It’s free
10 Reasons why we like Frager Factor
The Frager Factor is about domains and controversial financials. Owen Frager is a well-known domainer personality in the domain blogging community; his ability to reprocess old news from 1998 and serve it with quotations from Frank Schilling or Rick Schwartz is legendary. Here are the DomainGang top 10 reasons why we like Owen Frager: Owen Frager is a writing machine. On a daily basis, he occupies between 10% to 20% of the Domaining.com RSS feed. FragerFactor.com is a blog that is blocked by several daily readers of the Domaining.com RSS feed – second only to DomainGang! Owen’s preferred writing hours are between 11pm and 2am. From one night owl to another, that’s a definite plus and an indication of a creative person. FragerFactor.com uses sensationalist headlines effectively. Unlike some others, Owen Frager can spell and articulate his thoughts rather well. Owen Frager knows his numbers. His analysis of facts, figures and finances is exceptional; he often provides charts as well. The Frager Factor reminds us of The O’Reilly Factor, a controversial show of Bill O’Reilly. Owen is younger and more liked than Bill. Owen Frager tells it like it is: he has spanked the infamous “domain mass developer” several times, often doing some deep investigation. FragerFactor.com is old school: using the Blogger platform, Owen is right where Google grabs its juice: its very own blogging platform. Simply ingenious. Owen Frager has a brand new mugshot on the RSS feed of Domaining.com – much more candid than that of Elliot Silver’s, who looks like a 15 year old. Owen is also taller than Elliot, but then again, who isn’t. FragerFactor.com is on the rebound from some deep traffic loss according to Alexa ratings; which means that Owen Frager will be writing about some truly controversial subjects for the weeks to come!
Are you a Vuvuzela Domainer? BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! I’ll be honest with you: vuvuzelas in soccer games don’t annoy me. Perhaps because I lived across from a soccer stadium for several years, and every Saturday or Sunday the air was filled with the sound of horns, air-cans and lots of yelling, singing and cussing by the fans. But still, vuvuzelas as they appeared in the current World Cup 2010 soccer games annoyed a lot of peace-seeking fans of the game and also those that are not really fans but see soccer as a novelty. A lot of Americans place golf into the realm of sports, leaving soccer – the sport with the most fans worldwide - outside of their tv channel favorites. Onto domaining. I’d like to introduce you to the “Vuvuzela domainers“. These are parachute drops of individuals who yap a lot and eagerly hand out free advice about domains. In effect, vuvuzela domainers are white noise generators; they often talk down on established individuals in domaining. To challenge the success of established figures in domaining – domainers such as Frank Schilling, Rick Schwartz, the Castello brothers, Mike Mann, Ron Jackson, Dr. Kevin Ham etc. you have to present your very own achievements eponymously – so that others can compare you to those monumental pillars of domaining. If you simply create noise as an anonymous challenger of authority hidden in the domaining crowd, then you are nothing but a Vuvuzela domainer. Simple as that.
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10 Signs of a Non-Buying domain bidder
Offers for domains often start with a melodic introduction but end up amounting to little more than a waste of time. You’ve probably received these offers before; big, fat promises that begin with a coy inquiry about one of your most precious domain jewels. As you type up that response email, you get excited over the potential of a sizable sale. It all fits together, the offer comes from a non-generic email and the inquiry is even signed with a name and a location. You Google that location and it turns out to be a coffee shop in North Dakota. Bummer! Here are some signs that would give you an early warning about whether an inquiry builds up to being legitimate or not, so that you don’t waste your time with some dufus who has no plans to buy your domain at the price you’re envisioning. Email addresses with first name, a number and a free email like hotmail, yahoo or gmail are early warning signs of a timewaster with no money to offer. Serious buyers provide full names and a phone number. Phone numbers in the Philippines, Nigeria or China. Even if you have Skype it could cost you to call out around the globe to confirm a business, let along converse with them. Offers that use phrases such as “might be interested“, “probably could use“, “potentially wanting” or “could use this as a secondary domain” – these are all keywords that should make you delete the inquiry. Emails from individuals that sign off with a female name but the email says “nyjets82″ or “jack7strap” or “wowwarrior4life”. Toss these as soon as they come in. People that claim to run an evaluation business or want to have your domain evaluated prior to buying them. Money talks, bullshit walks. Have a certificate made once and send it to them. It says “Certified Scammer” on it. Phonecalls made on behalf of “bosses”, “companies” or other important and formal-sounding individuals with untraceable phone numbers. They rely on impulsive communications and have one thing in mind: to get your domain as cheap as they can. Ask them to email you from the corporate site. Brokers that claim to work for Sedo, Afternic, Buydomains and other entities – willing to take down your private information. DON’T fall for that scam, always call back the respective companies through their publicized phone numbers to initiate any such disclosure of information. Messages at forums that claim they are “buddying up” with other investors to buy your domain. Chances are that you will be facing a shitstorm if something goes wrong during or after negotiations. If you’re dealing with a single point of purchase you are better off than dealing with a committee of corporate timewasters. Offers that begin at $60 at Sedo are time-wasters 100% of the time. Click that cancel button. In your face, bitch, in your face! Finally, if you are promised “future purchases” as long as you commit to a really low sale at the beginning, be prepared never to hear from the buyer again, once the first “kill” goes through. A fool and his money part very quickly, especially in domaining.
The 7 Dirty Words of Domaining
There are no dirty words - just dirty minds. There is no FCC to control what goes in and what comes out in the domain blogosphere. Unlike television, the Internet is a relatively free, open medium. The original seven words you weren’t allowed to broadcast on television, along with the background story on what caused their ban can be found in this humorous post. But what about domainers? There are certain things that would stir a lot of trouble when spoken with reference to domains, domainers or domaining. Here’s our choice of those “7 Dirty Words of Domaining.” Lowballer – A lowballer is someone who knowingly underbids, openly or privately, for a domain that is much more valuable by industry standards. Example: “You’re such a lowballer, offering to pay $2,000 for my LLL .com!“ Halvarez - From “Hank Alvarez“, the alias and bidding handle of former VP of Operations at Snapnames. Used to describe an insider, a shill bidder. Example: “Man, I think this Namejet auction has another halvarez bidding against me, look at these funny bids!“ Pigeonshit - A domain of small value, as opposed to a generic. A term coined by domain king Rick Schwartz for domains with no selling potential. Example: “Your IDNs and long-tails are nothing but pigeonshit!“ Flipper - A domainer that practices small profits for domains. When used in derogatory context, someone who is an amateur or part-time domainer. Example: “Bob is such a domain flipper, he registers pigeonshit and sells them for $20 a pop!“ Minisite - A euphemism for crappy collections of 2 to 5 pages, an amateur attempt at adding content and AdSense to a pigeonshit domain. Example: “Minisites and mass development are meant to attract penny-pinching domainers!“ .TEL – The ultimate bottom of the domain TLD food chain. Impossible to monetize, park or develop, .TEL is the only TLD that came out of ICANN while in pre-beta. Example: “.TEL fanbois are usually flippers, lowballers and register pigeonshit!“ Zuccarini - An American businessman who served time in federal prison for violating the Truth in Domain Names Act. Used to describe someone that knowingly diverted domain traffic to pornographic destinations. Example: “Man, you got a zuccarini on me by sending me to visit LemonParty.org!“
Top 10 Ways to respond to a Lowball Offer
Domains are not like fruit and vegetables. As domainers, we receive them all the time: the much-dreaded, despicable, nerve-wracking offers that don’t even take into account the cost of renewing the domain. The Lowball Offers. They arrive via emails, phonecalls or via online venues such as Sedo, GoDaddy, Network Solutions or Afternic. Lowball offers are several zeros short of a full price, they are like middle fingers in the face of every serious domain investor; although the so-called “domain flippers” are often quite willing to consider them. How should you respond to a lowball offer? Here are our Top 10 ways, so pick one at random: This domain is older than you, can I buy you for the same price? I would not even fill up my SUV with gas for that price Finish school, get a job then call me back (said when the offer comes from an alleged “student” with no budget.) If your sister wants this domain for her business, tell her to call me herself. This is a business, not a charity organization (said when a “charity” wants a domain for free.) For the $10 that you offer, visit GoDaddy.com and get the .net/.org/biz If the price is right, I will let you know (when emails don’t include a monetary offer.) I know you own the .FR, so vive la France. This is the .COM and this is America, b!at3h! How about “No”? Welcome to my Lowballers Roster – send me your pic to be included in the yearbook! Hopefully these statements will now be part of your valuable lowball offer response ammunition. Feel free to submit your own favorite one-line responses to lowball offers.
The Great Firewall of China: What offer letters about .cn domains mean
Beware of the Chinese bearing .cn domain gifts. The following email was sent to a domainer and was posted at DNForum. While slightly believable by some, it entails a method of psychological warfare well-practiced by car salesmen, in order to convince the email recipient that somehow their brand is in imminent danger. Dear Sir/Madam I’m sorry to disturb you so abrupt. We are a domain name registration service company in Asia. On 5th April. we received a formal application submitted by Mr. John Sun who wanted to use the keyword “[removed ]” to register the Internet Brand and with suffix such as .cn /.com.cn /.net.cn/.hk/.asia/ domain names. After our initial examination, we found that these domain names to be applied for registration are same as your domain name and trademark. We aren’t sure whether you have any relation with him. Because these domain names would produce possible dispute, now we have hold down his registration, but if we do not get your company’s an reply in the next 5 working days, we will approve his application As authorized anti-cybersquatting organization we hereby suspect Mr. John Sun is a domain investor. so we need you to attach importance to this issue. [address in China removed] What these Chinese ‘Einsteins’ really meant to say, would fall along the following lines: Dear Potential Sucker from America, We are spamming you, having harvested your email illegitimately. We are a team of two high school drop outs with a second hand Pentium II PC, living in the suburbs of Beijing. Some time after we woke up to take a piss last night, we thought to put to good use the great government controlled firewall of China and the lack of law as it applies internationally. In China, we produce counterfeit goods, cheap toys, steel that rusts and breaks and toxic drywall panels. After our initial brainstorming, we thought we can make up a fake name and a non-existent application for a Chinese domain, in order to extort some American dollar to support our Communist manifesto and the teachings of Mao. Please fall prey to our tech-speak propaganda that somehow your .com is being threatened by the .cn TLD which you can’t even register yourself, thanks to our ingenious government’s decision. Let a thousand flowers blossom, while we buy worthless .cn domains and pitch them at suckers like you for greenbacks. Ni hao!
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