The one thing I lack is the finer details with the amount of journals and sites I peruse daily. In other words, I forget where I saw it, what magazine, what website, who said it etc.

That leads me to apologizing to whomever the writer was the recently posed and responded to the question, “why stats?”

I have to agree with this to the nth degree.

A while back I had cautioned many not to rely on stats alone.

It would have been foolish to think if Candy.com and Toys.com sales were determined by their “stats”.

Yet it seems many domainers are so anal about the stats that they literally want to set the course of their live sand budgets based solely on stats.

This is very risky if all you plan on doing is buying the domain and parking. Sure, you want to know the stats so you can see what revenue you can expect.

The issue here is most stats can be faked and manipulated to entice someone to base their sole discretion on the stats alone.

The only stats I  know of that can not be manipulated and faked is age and website history. I am sure I am forgetting some other key points that I focus in on. However, I want to keep your attention on everything else used to portray stats.

Think about it a minute. If you had one domain that you wanted to sell real bad and wanted to pump it up, this could easily be done simply by redirecting (forwarding) domains.

Within days we’ll see incredible traffic, link numbers, possibly a high CTR, mediocre PPC, Page ranking, Alexa back links and back links in general – all of these are manipulated values and prone to fakery.

Obviously there are many types of domainers and I am not sure where I fit in.

I wrote a post the other day entitled The Art of Domaining: Don’t Say a Word that I apply to my domain choices. Basically, my philosophy is does the name stand on its own? Sometimes stats can be a crutch. It is as if the name needs a supporting cast to be thrust in the limelight and given consideration. Stats are in fact the supporting case in domaining.

Naturally the names like Candy or Toys need no supporting casts. That is how I look at a domain. Explaining what it means or providing a definition is not terribly wrong because many times the name may be new technology or terminology (CarbonFootstep dot com) or the meaning of the word or term does not translate well into all languages (Gaadi dot mobi). These I would consider adding clarification. If someone else is familiar with these terms or words then there is immediate recognition. The names would not need any clarification or a supporting cast.

My view certainly is going to differ from the many other techniques folks use. But, come on…when you see a domain less than one year old with traffic of 20K a day, PR5, 30.9K Google and Yahoo backlinks, and Alexa back links at 16.5, isn’t that a little suspicious? Would you not then aske questions?

Okay, so those stats suddenly become important to prove to yourself or someone else that the stats may be fake. Get back to the basics. Think a minute. What drew you attention to the name to begin with? What was the first thing you thought of when you saw that one particular domain amongst all the others listed?

It was the word(s) itself. When you saw the domain name you were immediately interested and had to look into it. It was the word(s) that captured your attention. Now you want to know stats. Why? Because stats  suddenly become more import than the word(s) itself. It is almost as if you have to justify making a purchasing decision based on stats that are so easily manipulated.

How many times have you purchased a name to have those glorious stats drop of all the charts? How many times have you read about someone’s dissatisfaction (after the purchase) wanting to know happened to the traffic, PR rank, and backlinks?

If someone is so keen into stats then this tells me they want to do the same thing the current owner is doing – parking.

I want to know and rationalize to myself what can this word do in regards to building a site, is it marketable, is it brandable, and would someone want to visit the site. To me, I am the end user and every name I buy is a potential site. I do my best to focus in on words or phrases that make sense, are keyword rich, and have inherint interest to others.

I want to think that if I buy this name will I want to live with it. Essentially, living with it means, Hey buddy. You bought it. Now you are stuck with it. Do I want to be stuck with it or have it stick to me?

If I can answer yes and have a concept what a site would actually do and what a site would look like then there is a good chance I would buy it.

I am the end user. Hopefully someone else will see themselves as the end user based purely on the word(s) itself.

Not once have I ever sold a domain to an end user and has “stats” ever been brought up. Personally, I would much rather have an unsolicited email in my inbox from an inquire to buy a domain than receive an offer from Sedo. Chances are if the domain offer is from Sedo or any other listing/auction/parking service then it is another domainer making the offer.

Those unsolicited emails are sweet music to my ears.

And hopefully generate a sale or two in the long run.

Creating iPhone apps is good. But when it is iPhone ONLY apps I have to ask – why did you ignore the other 83% market share?

Domain For Sale: USHotJobs.com Recently purchased, 9 years old. http://dnhop.com/?p=207 Thanks for looking!

USHotJobs.com

9 Years Old. Very Timely.

Accepting offers from $5,000.00

Send Confidential Offer to info@ceuq.com

REMINDER: Pres. Barack Obama will be Jay Leno’s guest tomorrow night on the Tonight Show. Again, History in the Making,1st President on show

CarbonFootstep.com

$2,500.00

Due to recent transfer in, domain is not eligible to transfer out for 60 days.

Presently at www.EaglesDomain.com, Wild West Reseller.

Free to open account.

Will push to your account. Then you can transfer out later.

SocialNetworkInfo.com

Please send confidential offers to info@ceuq.com.

I guess it has been a couple of weeks now since starting the blog.

The reasons of me deciding to do this are two-fold.

One is to simply be able to convey my thoughts and feelings on the domain industry and domainers.

The second reason is the best reason to me – learning WordPress.

Having only an intermediate level knowledge of Joomla,  I had been hearing so much about WordPress and its features. Usability was something that nearly all who tried it commented on, a user freindly  interface.

Having the knowledge and know-how to create my very own sites is thrilling. It can be a real pain in the butt at times but that is just the frustration of learning. In the end you just hope you have a pleasing product – both content and visual wise.

There is little doubt that parking domains is in a decline (seemingly steep at times). If my 2008 totals were down by perhaps 45% from 2007 and 2009 is already in the 50% range of 2008, what does that say overall about the parking models in place? Seriously, go back and compare  your own totals. If I compare the first three months of 2009 with the first three months of 2007, 2009 is perhaps down 60% or more over that 2 year period. That is shocking. That is pitiful.

Parking is what it is. And shame on me for relying on someone or something else to carry me this far.

It is indeed time to take my game up a notch or two. Creating sites for me will be a matter of finding the time. I do not view it as a chore or a hassle. Even though I have several thousand domains I am still not stressing over this. If I make all of them into sites in my lifetime, that will be a miracle. Actually, that would just be so cool. Instead of a 401K or 403B providing me an income in my old age I’ll have Adsense (or some form of it) bringing in some decent cash.

From here on out,  I say to you and to myself do not think of or dwell on what has happened.

Concentrate on the From Now On.

View the domain industry as a business sector in flux and without any clear leadership. I am convinced that many changes are going to sweep into place from 2009 through 2010. Those changes will be in the form of a shakeup in ICANN or some serious oversight by an Congressional appointed body. And we will see strict enforcement of Trade Mark violations. With all the laws regarding TM, SM, Copyright, and their owners, one would think that there is enough protection right now.

Protection – yes.

Enforcement – no.

Can I hear someone else say that domainers have no else to blame but themselves?

The domain industry has shot itself in the foot.

Putting a band-aid over a blood gushing wound is not going to take care of the problem.

Because of the decline in the parking revenue and just for the sake of knowing skills, I am teaching myself WordPress.

I really hate to sound clicheish and say, “If I can do it so can you.”

Rather I’ll just close asking, “Why aren’t you doing it?’

When you are not driving your car, does that mean someone can come along and take it simply because you were not using it?

I get a big kick out of names dropped or dropping and the buzz it creates. Recently it was reported that Pfizer Pharmaceutical was dropping the domain name Viagra.org. Pfizer is reportedly dropping 52 product names and a total of 13 Viagra related domain names.

The belief by many is the patent on Viagra will soon be up and then generic sales will begin.

Patents on products are valid for 17 years. Patents for Viagra are in place until 2011 – 2013. The issue here is a change in the law now makes patents valid for 20 years depending on when the patent was issued.

However, a patent expiration does not mean that the company that sells and markets a product under the name Viagra will stop using that word.

Sildenafil is the active ingredients of Viagra. Viagra is a brand, one that Pfizer has  no doubt put billions of dollars into R&D, clinical trials, advertising (who can forget the Bob Dole commercials), and promotion. Sildenafil will most likely become the generic name.

Think of it this way…many times we say and use the name word coke in placing an order etc. It has become a commonly used word for soda. Just because we use it in that manner does not mean that Coca-Cola is no longer a brand.

So why is Pfizer dropping the name? Who knows. And who cares.

Again, it is Pfizer’s right to drop a domain. Defenseive regs (the practice of a brand regging all extensions) may be a thing of the past. I predict that by the end of this year or the end of 2010 at the latest it will be totally un-necessary for a brand to feel compelled to reg every name.

Why do I see this happening? I do see and want the dropcatchers and registrars to step up (before it is made law) and clean up their acts by not allowing the sale, the registering, or facilitate the transfer or a trademarked domain.

If the domain industry fails to do so then the U.S. Departments of Justice and of Commerce may step in and make this into law. In other words, it will be illegal to own, possess, or sell a blatant trademark name. This is where all of this is going. To an entity outside of ICANN to regulate because ICANN has done nothing to stop or slow this process.

Despite all the press given to this issue of typosquatting and cybersquatting, everyone seems to be going about their business as usual. I am beginning to wonder if these drop catchers and registrars see the storm clouds approaching but ignore the warning signals. In other words, they know its coming but they better get to selling/registering while the going is good.

A few well timed lawsuits and well publicized cases involving a registrar or dropcatcher will stem this practice. In addition to criminal prosecution I would imagine punitive and civil damages would be awarded.

I am amazed how defiant and boastful many have become in defending this practice of buying, selling, catching, and transferring domain names claim it is not their problem.

Honestly, there are not too many more chances left for ICANN and the domain industry to clean up its act. As a taxpayer, I would rather have my money being used by Congress and the DoC to investigate and resolve more pressing issues than to be concerned with domains. But the simple fact to the matter is typos and TM’s are costing these companies billions in trade and commerce.

What really pisses me off is we, domainers, know it and don’t care. As long as we are making money and as long as we are happy that is all that matters. The world evolves around us.

Consider this; 2010 is election year for many seated in Congress at the moment. Call it grandstanding, but what a great time to revive the Snowe Bill and a few other bills to present to Congress. Canned and packaged as consumer protection and anti-piracy will go a long way at getting headlines.

And I can guarantee that not a single elected official will take to the podium in defense of domainers.

Go ahead and call 911 to report someone has taken your car out of the driveway.

How outraged would you be if the police responded, “Well, you weren’t using it. Besides, it’s not our problem.”

Since launching DNhop I have fielded many requests to swap links and sell names.

I think it is only appropriate to do this in a manner befitting to me and my principles and ethics of business.

It is important to me that I say NO sometimes. This may upset a few but I want maintain credibility to me.

When brokering names, there is no set fee and sometimes I am all too happy to oblige. The most important factor for both, you and me, to consider is can we trust the owner to transfer the domain name and do so in a timely manner. The answer is yes – I trust the owner.

When adding links to my site are these links to sites that I actually read? The answer is yes – I read the articles. I may not read this other blogs religiously or on a daily or even a regular basis. It is a link to a site that I think adds value to domains and domaining.

Does adding a link mean I agree with everything being mentioned and printed? No – absolutely not. I do not have to agree with everything put down in a thread, blog, or post. Disagreeing with what the author has to say does not mean the piece has no value. It means although we may disagree I still value what is being said and how it is being said and the author.

Trust is paramount to this business of domaining and is paramount to the success of domainers. And for me it is crucial to the success of this blog. More than anything I do not want to lose the trust of other people in the domain business or readers. If I lose trust then I have just commited domainer suicide. I may win and lose some readers but you can rest assured that they did not leave because they did not trust me or what was being said.

That is why I consider and weigh many factors when adding links, ads, endorsements, or names to broker.

Most importantly, you have my word that every product, site, link that is endorsed has my seal of approval – for what ever that is worth.

The same goes for a book. I love to read. Any book review will have been actually read by me.

Again, it is all about The Trust Factor.