Simon Byrne, administrator for DNForum, has been very busy lately; the improvements and additions to the oldest domain name forum are increasing daily.
Byrne’s latest announcement reinforces the commitment Adam Dicker pledged, to ensure DNForum remains a top destination for domain professionals.
DNForum.com.
Conducting sales on DNForum has become easier, as all Gold members have received a free upgrade to Platinum status and can use these forums.
Meanwhile, Gold membership is now the minimum one gets for free, when signing up; Gold forum members can now sell domains with that membership level.
Also, most previously banned accounts will be re-instated to give people a second chance – apart from a few serious cases that will remain permanently banned.
Some forum moderators have been replaced, and more will be added; applications for the task are available through DNForum.com.
Unbanning previously banned members and giving free upgrades and letting people list domains for free… I think that the free Namepros has been eating the high priced membership DNForum’s lunch.
Anticareer.com – Do you like apples? Some people like oranges. Have no doubt that DNForum provides a quality environment to conduct business, without the added testosterone that teenagers spill out.
One thing i have learned in my few short years on the planet is that free is very seldom better, you will always pay for quality 🙂 Having said that the membership upgrade has nothing to do with what was mentioned above.
I done it for four reason:
1. Its good for our members and future members.
2. It is good for the industry as a whole.
3. People always deserve a second chance
4. It makes me feel good and i am going to domain heaven for my efforts 😉
It is nice to see DNF give some attention to their forum, namepros which was always second fiddle to DNF’s top tier, has really come out strong, has good conversation, and active trading of domains. I agree that many senior DNF members maybe moved on, or do not trade as actively in forums as the secondary markets have matured for direct sales.
I paid for a lifetime membership to DNForum a few years back. Is there any improvement for us? Or did our membership just get watered down?
Which lifetime plan did you buy??
The same as Anon – got a lifetime membership a few years back. It’s Platinum I believe. So now Platinum and Gold are the same? Can’t say that it makes me happy.
No No platinum and gold or not the same. Gold members got an upgrade to the platinum membership. The gold membership is still in place but is now free and the minimum any new member gets signing up. Dont worry i haven’t forgotten about the platinum and diamond members there are some nice upgrades coming for you guys soon, very soon :).
I haven’t logged on for a long time, perhaps this move will rekindle my interest ?
This is a huge blow to DNForum: they’re basically trying to copy Namepros at this point. NamePros already has a Business Class section, and with Gold membership being free on DNForum, I don’t see any difference except DNForum has practically no activity in comparison.
Simon, you should be going the other direction: more exclusive forum. Not opening up the flood gates trying to be like other forums. We don’t need more of those, we need something new!
Please take a different membership approach. This one dissuades me entirely. 🙁
James Peterson – Get your facts straight. Exclusive membership on DNForum has been around for more than a decade, so how exactly is DNF ‘copying’ NamePros? I’ve used both forums since their respective inception, so I don’t see that allegation holding any water.
James i think you are missing the point. There are still paid memberships for people to move up a gear as they progress. Why would i create an environment where it would leave it harder for people to get into the domain industry, creating an exclusive forum would do just that. The more people doing business together the better for everyone and that is what its about.
Here’s what I was saying:
The benefit of DNForum, as DomainGang insinuated a comment above, is that it was exclusive and you had to pay for it. This kept out the “teenagers” as DomainGang likes joke about. By making it free, what is the differentiator?
NamePros has always been the free forum with the ability to upgrade as members progress. I may be mistaken, but this is exactly what DNForum is doing now? The thing that is being copied is the “free with ability to upgrade.” The free part is what kills the differentiation.
Hey, competition is good. I see nothing wrong with that at all, but for me, there’s no value in DNForum if it takes on the same exact model as a much larger competitor. The way to get me back to DNForum is to do something new that I can’t get elsewhere.
Just my advice and thoughts. I’m looking forward to the hosting services from DNForum since that’ll be new.
James Peterson – The age average at NamePros has always been considerably lower than that of DNForum. So while it’s used as a method to poke fun at NP’s, it’s also a fact.
I don’t see how DNForum is ‘taking on the exact model’ and the upgrades aren’t optional, they are done by Simon as a mass one-time upgrade. Is it wrong for the oldest domain forum to look after its members?
I didn’t say anything was wrong with upgrading members who have paid. That’s a nice addition.
My point is that Gold membership is now free, and it used to cost money. With it being free, there’s nothing different about the two forums other than DNForum calls “free” members “Gold members” and Namepros calls them… members? I don’t know if they have a special name for it, but that’s just semantics.
We can joke about Namepros having younger members and all, but let’s face it, that’s an old stigma. I have noticed that Johnn and Biggie (two big parts of DNForum over the years) have been very active on Namepros lately along with many other regulars. There is a nice balance of everyone there these days. This strengthens my point that a differentiator is going to be important. I’m trying to help.
Please explain what you mean the upgrades aren’t optional? I didn’t understand that comment.
James Peterson – NamePros was formed at a time before DNForum was a paid forum. That was before Greg Ricks acquired it, and many changes have occurred since. I don’t see why you’re focusing on some alleged ‘copying’ DNForum is doing. The two forums differ a lot in focus, member composition and activity.
Regarding the DNForum members you mentioned, they are free to do as they please, but how does this indicate anything, really? I am active on both forums when I have something to contribute on either one. This coverage is not about NamePros, it’s about DNForum taking on a direction to improve and expand its services.
The upgrades aren’t optional, in the sense that changes affect current tiers entirely. There is no upgrade path. Simon will be able to address this in detail, I am sure.
Didn’t mean to offend or appear off topic. It’s just my opinion that the value and prestige of DNForum is lost by opening it up to a “freemium” model that already exists.
It’s like Bing entering the search space without doing anything differently. Google wins. On the flip side, Google makes most of its money from products (advertising of products, affiliates of products, etc.) So, if you build an Amazon.com, you can exist alongside Google as hugely successful company. DNForum needs to become an Amazon in some way, not a Bing. If my advice isn’t helpful, then no harm done. If it helps, then great, more awesome domain companies!
Problem is with dnforum they scammed many members, i signed and paid for lifetime membership then because i never logged in for a while they terminated my account with no notice….glad to see they are struggling its called KARMA.
James Peterson,
You my friend, are a douche.
Interesting. I think competition forces DNForum to review standards.
Simon,
I like the changes, kudos !
just one question, the exclusive membership, is it gone ?
@STU i have never heard of this happen before, a lifetime membership is just that. If you want to mail me i will look into it for you, once i can verify you actually held an account. As for struggling LOL.
@Not a.nonymous no it has just been renamed to Diamond and some extra features have been added.
I’m with Stu on this. Dnforum is still scamming… the site everyone forgot about claims it “is the largest domain name community.” Huh??? The “other” forum has almost 3x as many members/posts and larger in every metric I found. It should say “oldest” like domaingang reports. I believe that’s truth because I trust domaingang.
Thomas – Then why are you posting these ludicrous allegations using an anonymous proxy? I guess anyone can talk shit anonymously.
Catch 22.
Free to get more traffic and participation, VS exclusivity and paid only to appeal to the “insiders only” membership mindset. If YOU owned or control a forum and want to increase visibility and activity recognizing you’re gaining less new members to other free options – what would you do to increase memberships? As a member – what options would members that paid for lifetime memberships like to see as a benefit for their commitment ? I guess if you want true exclusivity you could always create your own and be the only member, post and respond to yourself, and maybe negotiate a great price for a domain you know you want because you already own it – OK – sarcasm aside I’m curios to hear some constructive ideas.