Today: Is the plan to make .com renewal rise to new gTLD territory? / Isometrics.com sold for $3,525 / “Farm”, “Hemp” “CBD” or “Lab” .COM domains wanted – Budget: Up to $500.00 ea. / And more!

Here are the new discussions that caught my eye in the domain community today!

Logo for motivational clothing brand ($55) – Do you have some design skills and looking for some extra cash? Take a crack at this logo branding contest to see if you can win the prize.

Wanted DIGITAL or DIGI prefix names – .io only – Budget: Up to $100.00 – Do you have any digital or digi prefix domain names in your portfolio you want to liquidate for up to $100.00 in fast cash? If so, check out this buyers specified criteria.

FlexiTablet.com – This eleven-letter, two-word, brandable .com domain kind of rolls off the tongue nicely. Do you think it’s enough to give it value in today;s market though?

“Farm”, “Hemp” “CBD” or “Lab” .COM domains wanted – Budget: Up to $500.00 ea. – Be sure to check your portfolio for one of these “Farm”, “Hemp” “CBD” or “Lab” .COM domains. This buyer is ready for a quick wholesale transaction.

Is the plan to make .com renewal rise to new gTLD territory? – This is an interesting conspiracy theory, or is it? Have you ever seen anything to justify their opinion or is it just hype?

Isometrics.com sold for $3,525 – That’s not a bad domain name sales report for a ten-letter brandable .com domain for four-figures. Do you think it should have sold for more or less than what it sold for?

Metrics that increase a domain’s value – What metrics are you using to appraise a domain names value? Have you used any of the variables listed by other domain investors in this discussion yet? Check it out and share your own.

A lot of people believe they’d be the happiest humans ever if they could just start making good money via domaining… be careful what you wish for 🙂

As someone who has been earning a living online since pretty much forever, I can tell you the equation is more complicated than just worrying about the financial dimension.

When it comes to the money part, more specifically the “should I quit my job to become a full-time domainer” angle, I’ve written a post about it earlier this month.

Today, I’d like to bring something else to your attention: the emotional component of it all.

You need to be really careful which goals you chase after because even if you eventually reach them, you might just realize you’re… well, miserable.

For example, this entire idea of working from home as a domainer (or anything else, for that matter) sounds a lot more awesome than it actually is for most people.

If you’re an extrovert, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll hate everything about this lifestyle if you don’t add a *healthy* dose of human interaction to the mix.

Personally, I’m in that strange spot in the middle: not an extrovert, but not an introvert either. Therefore, I don’t need as much social interaction as an extrovert and can make this “do your own thing” lifestyle work. But since I’m not in 100% introvert territory (and, I believe, even if I would have been), I have to pay special attention to the human interaction dimension as well.

Those who have a regular job take their daily interactions with let’s say co-workers for granted. But once you don’t have that anymore, you’ll realize that “something” is missing and the dose of “something” that you need to add to your life to compensate depends on your personality.

Interactions with family members and friends, as such, become perhaps more important for those who work from home than for other people, primarily because you kind of depend on them for your social needs.

… I hope you see where I’m getting at.

There’s more to life than work or money.

If you make $x per year doing something you love and that goes along well with your personality, you can definitely be far happier than someone who makes $3x doing something he hates… as long as your basic needs are met. There’s more than enough research on this, so I consider such statements axiomatic.

Am I saying you shouldn’t work from home?

Of course not! I’m simply pointing out you need to put some serious thought into whether this really is the right choice for you 😉

Today: A tool that can tell you if a domain is eligible for transfer / Does it seem that there are more domain investors than end users? / Buying .com domains where at-least 5 other extensions are registered – Total Budget: $700.00 / And more!

Here are the new discussions that caught my eye in the domain community today!

Looking for pronouncable LLLL.com – Budget: Up to $500.00 – Double check your portfolio for a pronounceable four-letter .com if you are interested in their budget.

HempSupplies.org – I can see this working in a few extensions, but what do you think about it in .org? A hemp supply organization? What would a domain like this appraise for today?

Looking for a .com domain with the word ‘domain’ or ‘domains’ – Budget: Up to $250.00 – Do you have any domain names with the word “Domain” or “Domains” in them? If you’re looking for some fast cash, check out this buyers specified criteria.

Buying .com domains where at-least 5 other extensions are registered – Total Budget: $700.00 – Be sure to triple check your portfolio for one of these domains taken in over five other extensions. This buyer is looking for bulk in exchanged for fast cash.

Does it seem that there are more domain investors than end users? – I doubt it, but could it be true? How many domain investors are there in the world compared to the total domain name buyers market? Share some of your research and check out what other domain investors are saying.

A tool that can tell you if a domain is eligible for transfer – Is there such a tool out there that can tell you if a domain name can be transferred before you start to negotiate?

$46,500; Billing.io sold for $7,950 – That’s not a bad domain name sales report for a seven-letter, single-dictionary-word, .io ccTLD for a high-four-figures. Do you think it should have sold for more or less than it sold for?

… you might just die by social media, like many have 🙂

As someone who is also an entrepreneur, I share many of Rick’s concerns about social media despite the fact that for my career as an economist (books + videos), I without a doubt need social media platforms.

Understanding what role social media needs to play is the name of the game in my opinion.

Some say that since these platforms are just so darn convenient and easy to use, domains are obsolete. My only reply can be “Sweet summer child…” in such cases 🙂

I don’t agree that social media makes domains unnecessary, I don’t even agree that social media “complements” domains because the relationship I see between them is one of subordination. In other words, sure, social media platforms can be amazing traffic sources and they can without a doubt enable you to do awesome stuff with your brand.

But please don’t forget that social media is here to serve *your brand* and that domains should represent the core of your brand.

Whether you’re an economist who writes books and publishes videos like me or an artist, an entertainer or whatever, it would be the biggest mistake of your career to ignore social media.

Like Gary Vaynerchuk frequently says, and he’s a guy who *lives* in the social media world, he doesn’t really care about social media itself. He cares about attention and if people’s attention just so happens to be on social media apps these days, then that’s just the way it is and he’s going to leverage that.

Perfect mindset!

But that same Gary Vaynerchuk, who makes as much as six figures per public appearance by the way, is in no way dependent on one social media platform or another.

If facebook tells him to leave, no problem.

If twitter bans him, he will do just fine.

If all the social media platforms he’s on give him the boot, his brand is so strong that people will just search his name on Google and find out what he’s up to.

His brand, that’s the key term here.

Gary is not a slave of social media, social media is his slave. Therein lies the key to making this stuff work as far as I’m concerned.

Let’s be honest: perhaps the main problem with social media platforms is that you’re at their mercy. If you do something wrong, they can easily close down your account and there’s pretty much nothing you can do about it. You can appeal that decision but yeah… good luck with that. Even if you did nothing wrong and your account got flagged as a result of an error, it doesn’t matter, they dropped the hammer on you and don’t particularly care about your problems.

It is what it is.

Instead of saying it could never happen to you and building a business that *depends* on these platforms, I’d recommend assuming the worst case scenario will unfold and building a brand that, while leveraging everything social media has to offer, is robust enough not to depend exclusively on it.

Today: How to register new gTLD names in 2019 (and actually sell them) / LiveUpdate.com sold for $5,100 / Register New .DESIGN Domains for $6.59 / And more!

Here are the new discussions that caught my eye in the domain community today!

Buying Brandable Art, Picture LLL LLLL LLLLL .com (or up to 7L word) – If you have any Brandable Art, Picture LLL LLLL LLLLL .com (or up to 7L word) domain names in your portfolio that match this buyers specified criteria you could close a sale for up to $1,000.00.

Big Social Media Giant owns .com, I own .TV – Can a situation like this be an issue for the .tv ccTLD owner? If you have some IP/TM background, take a minute to see what you think of this.

Looking to buy LLL.io – IOs about to expire too! – If you have any three-letter .io ccTLD’s you want to liquidate for some fast cash, this buyer has a budget of up to $100.00 each. Take a look at their guideline.

How to register new gTLD names in 2019 (and actually sell them) – Have you invested into any of the new gTLD’s yet in 2019? The game may have changed slightly since the last time you looked. Check out the new gTLD advice in this domain investor discussion.

LiveUpdate.com sold for $5,100 – That’s not a bad domain name sales report for a ten-letter, two-word, .com domain name for a mid-four-figures. Do you think it should have sold for more or less than what it sold for?

Register New .DESIGN Domains for $6.59! – Are you thinking about or already investing into .design new gTLD domain names? If so, this new registration promotion might be just what you were looking for.

12 Inquiries in 4 days for one domain – What would you do? – If you had 12 potential buyers inquiring about 1 domain name in a span of 4 days, how would you approach it? There seems to be good demand. Look at what some domain investors are saying.

It’s not just possible but actually *probable* that at one point or another, you’ll have to defend yourself against a company that, instead of just buying the asset it wants from the existing owner, decides to bully him/her out of it.

Maybe because they decide your asking price is too high.

Perhaps because they’re not happy with how the negotiations have been going.

Or it might just be a case of “trigger-happy end user”… who knows!

And, frankly, bullying people can be extremely effective when it comes to potential legal battles, because the proverbial barrier to entry can end up being quite high, a bit of a paradox in light of the fact that domaining is (in)famous for being an industry with a very *low* barrier to entry.

Now fighting your average UDRP is not something that’s going to cripple you financially but even so, hiring a lawyer to craft a carefully-worded response is going to cost you a decent chunk of change… especially if you go with someone who has meaningful IP experience, preferable domain-related experience.

If you’re unlucky and your panel decides against you, things become a LOT more tricky.

You see, UDRP decisions are not set in stone. You can attack them in court but this, of course, means that you’re in for a potentially expensive legal battle and this is the part where a lot of domainers would just give up. If you win, you can be properly compensated but the legal system is far from perfect… so even if you give it your best shot, you might not 🙁

The main and only purpose of this post is making it clear that even in an industry like ours, where everyone with a few dollars and a dream can participate, there can be occasional hidden costs… and among them, legal costs can be quite debilitating.

If the domainer who has to deal with all of this is anything but legally sophisticated, it just makes matters even worse. Kind of like a strong punch which takes you completely by surprise. What happened? Why did this happen? What next?

I wish I had an applicable solution other than “make more money” but, unfortunately, I just don’t. The best I can do is bring this problem to your attention or, if you will, on your radar. Where you take things from here is entirely up to you!

Oh and if you haven’t come across the abbreviations I’ve used before:

RDNH = Reverse Domain Name Hijacking

UDRP = Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy

IP = Intellectual Property

Today: Why .tv and .io domains are expensive / Buying Brandable names – Total Budget: $1,000.00 / Register your new .LINK domain names for $6.25! / And more!

Here are the new discussions that caught my eye in the domain community today!

Brandable domain names wanted – Do you have some brandable domains collecting dust you want to liquidate in bulk? Take a look at this buyers guideline. They have a total budget of $1,500.00.

Looking for a Brandable name – Budget: Up to $300.00 – Double check your portfolio to see if you have a brandable domain like the one this buyer wants. If you do, you could make up to $300.00.

Buying Brandable names – Total Budget: $1,000.00 – Be sure to check your portfolio for brandable domain names that fit this buyers criteria. They are looking to buy for wholesale prices in bulk.

Register your new .LINK domain names for $6.25! – Are you investing in the new gTLD .link or thinking about it? This new registration promotion might come in handy.

Why .tv and .io domains are expensive – Have you ever wondered why the .tv and .io ccTLD’s were so expensive? Take a look at what some domain investors are saying about it.

LoveAgency.com sold for $2,863 – That’s not a bad domain name sales report for a ten-letter, two-word, .com domain at a low-four-figures. Do you think it should have sold for more or less than what it sold for?

Posting this seems appropriate, with it being the day after Valentine’s Day and all that 🙂

I’m more than serious when saying people need to embrace love. Love the person you choose to spend your life with, love your children, love your family members, love your friends.

Even when it comes to work-related stuff, there’s ample room for love. Love your career, love your new business idea, love the hustle.

Love, love, love…… and I’m sure you realize now’s the time to use the B-word.

BUT

Because yes, there’s a “but” even when it comes to something as ubiquitous as love. If people ask me to name just one aspect of life where there’s absolutely no place for love, I’ll answer that question without even blinking:

INVESTING!

Time and time again, investors make this one fatal mistake: they fall in love with the asset or asset class they’re investing in. From precious metals investors who think gold is the answer to everything to crypto investors who think crypto will revolutionize revolutions or real estate investors who firmly believe real estate can only go up.

What’s the problem with that, you might ask?

Well, falling in love with an asset messes up your timing game big time. After all, how often do those who love an asset sell? Pretty much always too late or in many cases, not at all. They become perma-bulls and that’s just plain wrong.

If you want to become a good investor, you sell when you have valid reasons to sell and buy when it makes sense to buy. You don’t have to be a fortune teller, you can definitely be an amazing investor even in the absence of impeccable timing as long as you’re professional about it.

Put together a plan, execute even when your emotions dictate otherwise.

After observing the effects of your actions, tweak your plan accordingly. Keep the elements that work and drop those that don’t.

Rinse and repeat.

The scientific method at its finest. /shameless plug

Don’t strive for perfection, that will never happen. Instead, becoming more professional should be your main goal. The scientific method might not be perfect but we don’t exactly have anything better at this point, so it’s your best choice in my opinion.

Yes, I understand that though this post, I’m basically telling humans to be… well, less human when investing. I realize how difficult it is, counter-evolutionary even in some respects. There’s a reason why only a small percentage of those who invest become genuinely good at it and it’s not because they have a working crystal ball!

Today: How to evaluate a developed domain name / The proper way to outbound / HempExtractor.com sold for $7,189 / And more!

Here are the new discussions that caught my eye in the domain community today!

Buying 4L without a,e,i,o,u or CVCV, or CVVC – budget up to $550 ea. – Be sure to check your portfolio for a 4L without a,e,i,o,u or CVCV, or CVVC .com that meets this buyers specified criteria. They are looking for a quick and smooth transaction.

Buying Bushcraft pr Survival type names – Budget: Up to £500 – Do you have any bushcraft or survival type domain name assets you would sell for up to £500? If so, be sure to check this buyers guideline.

How EU trademarks affect US domain owners – Have you ever had or heard of an issue a U.S. domain name owner ran onto owning a domain that was trademarked in the EU? Take a look at what some investors said.

HempExtractor.com sold for $7,189 – That’s not a bad domain name sales report for a thirteen-letter, two-word, .com for a high-four-figures. Do you think it should have sold for more or less than what it sold for?

The proper way to outbound – Is there a proper or perfect way to outbound a domain name for sale to prospects? Some domain investors seem to think so. Compare notes and share your experience too.

How to evaluate a developed domain name – Do you buy or sell developed domain name assets as a package deal? How do you appraise your domain and website to attain it’s value? Take a look at what other domain investors aree saying.

How to monetize a domain name – Do you have domain names that you are holding for the long term and trying to figure out ways to monetize them so they pay for themselves until they sell> Check out this discussion for tips.

The problem with choosing who you listen to and ultimately trust or at least take advice from is tricky not just in the domaining industry but in any other business.

Among other things, I’m also a marketer.

As a marketer, I’ve had enough exposure to human behavior to identify the following problem.

Let’s assume Joe wants domaining advice and has to choose between two people:

A) an ultra-charismatic person who is confident, articulate but full of BS… however, he’s able to say this BS in a pseudo-scientific manner that seems “smart” to the untrained ear

B) someone who’s really good at domaining but kind of weird, not a great speaker, not that confident in himself and so on… when you listen to him, he just comes across as “meh”

While I haven’t conducted a robust study myself, what worries me is that based on what I’ve noticed so far, people tend to just go with their first impression-driven instinct of choosing the first person, the charismatic one who looks the part, talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk.

This is a huge, huge problem on the Internet.

Why? Simply because due to the halo effect kicking in, a person that leaves a good impression is a lot more likely to garner a following and influence others. As such, it becomes a systemic issue.

You then have an army of highly charismatic BS artists who “pollute” the Internet when it comes to any imaginable dimension, with loyal trigger-happy and triggered followers who spread the word.

As the Nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman points out, our brains are remarkably good at painting believable pictures based on the WYSIATI (What You See Is All There Is) principle…

“Look at this guy, he’s so well-dressed!”

“Oh, he’s also well-spoken”

“… and SO confident in what he’s saying!”

“… THEREFORE, he must be so darn competent, the best of the best for sure!”

… of course, if the critical thinking dimension of who we are (System 2, as Kahneman and others call it) kicks in and we start digging beneath the surface, fact-checking his statements and so on, then sure, we’ll understand he was full of BS.

But System 2 is so darn lazy… evolutionary, it’s been “trained” not to kick in unless it really has to because otherwise, it would take us ages to make even the smallest decision… paralysis by analysis.

So while there’s a pretty convincing evolutionary explanation of this status quo (our tendency to surround the first person with an aura of competence), it has all sorts of negative consequences in today’s complex world.

While I don’t have a systemic solution, I guess the best we can do is be aware of our shortcomings and try to fight toxic instincts, biases and what not. Good luck with that 🙂