Earlier today, Shane made a point I consider valid: yes, we can criticize Frank for the Uniregistry decisions which are definitely not domainer-friendly (I’ve done it myself yesterday) but far too frequently in this industry, we forget to keep things civil! There’s a huge difference between criticizing and demonizing in my opinion.
Look, Frank has been around for a long, long time.
Times change, business models changed.
His advice is obviously no longer as valid/relevant today as it was before he started selling proverbial picks and shovels (new gTLDs, registrar, parking platform and sales platform) but this doesn’t mean he’s now a villain!
And it certainly doesn’t mean we should just erase all of the good he’s done in this industry. His SevenMile blog was a goldmine, his DomainNameSales platform a game-changer when it appeared and so on. These are facts.
As domainers, we need to become more balanced in my opinion.
I’m definitely against the idea of always saying “he’s a good guy” and thereby justifying everything Frank does. That would be cheerleading and just plain wrong.
But I’m also against the idea of demonizing the man. Seriously guys, wtf?
Frank’s an adult who knows what being in the spotlight means.
He understands the good as well as the bad.
By all means, criticize his decisions/actions/whatever when appropriate.
But please, always keep things civil.
March 9th, 2017 at 8:47 am
If you want civility, don’t be a**hole. Sorry but he deserves it.
March 9th, 2017 at 10:47 am
He called domainers the tail of a dog. You know what is right near the tail on the dog?
He wanted to invest tens of millions in gTLDS. That was his choice. If it was a homerun was Frank going to share any of that with domainers? But since it wasn’t a homerun now Frank wants to ‘pivot’ and stick it to domainers. Frank wants the gain all for himself, but he wants to share the pain with domainers. What do you call that?
March 9th, 2017 at 11:03 am
Domain Shane marketed .wa names to newbies, I equate that like selling crack to kids who don’t know any better.
Some people don’t have a moral compass, and think they are untouchable, they have the right to be called out.
These guys are just to focused on money, and are willing to screw anyone over for it.
Frank used a lot of good pr perks, and contradicted everything he said, and people get mad when trust is betrayed. It’s human nature.
March 9th, 2017 at 3:49 pm
When people feel cheated they will be angry and filled with hatred, that’s only natural. If you were a person who was sold a dream, invested heavily in these extensions and then having the rug pulled from under you, then there will be harsh words, why can’t you see that?
March 10th, 2017 at 4:02 pm
Well I believe Frank really believed that new gtld’s was the biggest thing since .Com, unfortunately for him the reality is it did not live up to the hype. Frank is a businessman and the increased price on renewals is a business decision. Domainers crying but it’s not like they weren’t warned. Frank has to do what’s best for his business. Domainers need to stop hating and blaming and learn to make independent informed decisions on their own. Nobody is going to hold your hand and lead you to success.