May 9, 2012
Posted by Abdu on May 9, 2012 in Thoughts | 0 comments
While participating in pre-release and expired domain auctions, I find myself frequently checking the WHOIS information of the current owner. Such data is important when you need to reach out to the previous owner with an offer just after you’ve acquired the domain. This information can also be used to strike a deal directly with the owner if the auction price goes higher than what you anticipated. With a quick email/phone call, you can get the owner to redeem the domain and sell it to you, thus, avoiding bidding wars with other interested parties.
Marketplaces such as Dynadot place expired domains under WHOIS Privacy just before they go to auction at their marketplace. This helps the company eliminate any communication with the current owner, and encourages bidding on their expired inventory. This strategy will obviously give you no option but to bid on the name, often generating several bids where the closing price is way above the revenue generated from the current owner renewing it.
Since the WHOIS information on these domains is masked, you could use subscription-based tools to uncover WHOIS history of a domain.
Alternatively, a free service such as WHO.IS allows you to get that information at no cost.
The WHO.IS Archive feature allows you to query unlimited domain names and displays the previous owner’s WHOIS information. The service will display only one previous record of the domain, which is really what you need in most cases. I have been using this feature quite often as an alternative to industry paid services.
Mar 5, 2012
Posted by Abdu on Mar 5, 2012 in Thoughts | 2 comments
Due to the scarcity of available domain names, many businesses settle with registering any available name to go with their online initiatives. Many CEOs and brand managers fail to understand the true value of an exact match domain for their products and offerings. I’ve witnessed all sorts of domain-branding issues with major names, as I provide consultation to many corporations that fall within this bracket. Among the challenges is to convince the company in question to buy the domain from the marketplace, or assist them in locating a meaningful alternative to the already registered form. Some companies might not want to pay 4 figures to get a proper domain, while others will be reluctant to file a UDRP to recover a domain they forgot to renew on time.
One of the arguments I often use in attempt to get an entity to start thinking about domains the way they should is the fact that the price of a domain is the opportunity cost of not owning it. Simply stated, the dollar value of a great domain is equal to the lost opportunities resulting from the decision to get the next alternative domain. I’ve seen many instances of companies settling for a ccTLD while caring less about the .com, registering a hyphenated form of the name, while the non-hyphenated is on the marketplace, and worse.
I’ve sold domains to entities where they have reportedly experienced undelivered emails from the use of a ccTLD version of my .com. People are just used to typing .com right after the dot.
The opportunity cost can imply that an entity will be experiencing traffic leaks and brand confusion with the wrong domain. If you’re going to base your multinational brand on .com.tr, and someone out there has listed the .com for sale, it would be smart to go and get it. The opportunity cost could involve the risk of having your competitor getting hold of the name.
No matter how costly a domain purchase may seem, one major earned opportunity from using the right name will by far over-weigh the cost.
Jan 3, 2012
Posted by Abdu on Jan 3, 2012 in Thoughts | 1 comment
With a little over a week for the new gTLD window to open up at ICANN, many people still think new extensions are going to go live by that time. Unfortunately, a great deal of mainstream has got ICANN’s program all wrong. Part of this misconception can be blamed on the various media outlets that misquoted official Domain Industry announcements and news articles for the past year or so.
I met a person a while ago who informed me that people will be able to register any name they desire under whatever extension their mind can come up with. Sort of like having wildcard registrations to the left and right of the dot. He was so amazed by the unlimited possibilities site owners will have while they register for their web addresses. To provide an example, he added that the general public will soon be able to register addresses under .apple effective January 12, 2012.
His source of reference? A newspaper article.
Anything Dot Whatever domains? Not going to happen. Not a slight chance.
I explained to him that there will not be an ‘infinite possibilities’ opportunity for web addresses. The new gTLD program is a submission for request to introduce a new top-level domain, and that each TLD will cost the sponsoring organization fees in the 6-figure range. I also clarified that only those who are granted the ‘distribution’ of the extension can determine registration eligibility – only if the extension is approved by ICANN.
I’m glad to have cleared up his perception on new gTLDs, corrected his understanding. But what about the others who still got it wrong? Looks like there’s going to be a lot of disappointments once new gTLDs finally go live.
Dec 27, 2011
Posted by Abdu on Dec 27, 2011 in News | 2 comments
Many have been trying to access Domainsville.com with not much luck due to a pathetic DDoS attack on the domain. Some person just doesn’t like what I do at Domainsville, Inc., and couldn’t think of anything worse than sending/hiring someone to send a mountain load of requests to the site.
While we are eagerly working on alleviating things, to whoever did this or set this mess up, I’ve got a few words for you: Shame On You. Shame on you for going that low.
Many folks have been hit with this type of attack including Michael Gilmour, Name.com, and the most recent attack on TheDomains.com. But why do people go out to do this? Simply because they’re sick.
When your site is hit by DDoS attack, it just shows how much the haters dislike you for doing a good job serving the Industry.
To whoever did this: I hope you already earned what you wanted to get out of it. Thank you for wasting my time.
God doesn’t like these people, and nothing goes unjust with God – not a slight thing. So, it’s only a matter of time that we’ll meet during Judgement Day. The faster this ends, the less burden you’ll have to worry about in the hereafter.
Life is short, so see you soon…
Dec 13, 2011
Posted by Abdu on Dec 13, 2011 in Thoughts | 0 comments
It’s this time of the year that I plan for next year’s conferences and events. For those of you that will be attending DOMAINfest Global 2012, I look forward to meeting you soon! There are so many participants in the industry that I always wanted to meet in person, but never had the chance due to overlapping schedules and plans.
If you have any business opportunities that you’d like to discuss, feel free to contact me via email to schedule some time for a 1-to-1 chat. My email is: abdu at tarabichi.com. I would be glad to share my thoughts on various topics related to domain investing & development.
Several domain investors I know have already confirmed their attendance.
Looking forward to hearing from many others!
