Acro.net - Technology Rants & Raves by Acroplex®

Yes, I know - it’s a Friday Funny on a Tuesday; but I haven’t done one lately and some people are having severe withdrawal symptoms.

This one is about Facebook’s introduction of usernames this past Saturday; in case you were under the proverbial rock and missed the entire event, which is surrounded by plenty of controversy. Not to mention, that it seems to have spilled over to some other territory.

Personally, I use Facebook for what it was made for; linking to schoolmates and a few select friends, without socializing outside this “circle of trust”.

Original pic link

Anything that I do, someone else might do better, faster, cheaper.

Or, at least, I am bound to be matched within 95% by someone who is seeking the same opportunities, has similar ambitions and is driven by similar or a competing cultural background.

It’s a law of the nature.

People think alike, often mimic, attempt to do better at things they perceive as interesting. Since the time of the caves, artists who drew on the walls - often using animal dung for paint - set an example for others to either simply follow or attempt to surpass.

In today’s global economy, progress arises from competition, for a simple reason: when all goals are created equal, choice and interest in a product or service become flat. When all that one could wear in the former USSR was brown and khaki jackets made of rough threaded material, everything came from a single source of production: that of a monopolistic, government facility.

Monopolies are bad for the basic human instinct of being different.

Although we can get used to uniformity, we do not accept it. Humans want choices, different ways of doing the same thing, different views of the same image. It’s the way the human brain functions and becomes stimulated and consequently evolves. It’s how we have left the caves and built homes and skyscrapers, turned cooking into an art and how trading via a handshake became e-shopping.

In a world that has somehow united under the hood of a global network, monopolies isolate our humanity, destroy the intricate need for satisfying our various senses and turn us into robot citizens from the movie “Metropolis”.

And that alone, can be a truly devastating experience.

Copyright 2009 Acro.net - An Acroplex LLC publication - All Rights Reserved

In my original post titled, “Selling ice to the Eskimos” I talked about the high expectations and low returns of domainer-to-domainer auctions. When you sell a product to those that don’t have a real need for it, you’re not making the money you should be making.

The strategy of selling domains to end-users as a method for achieving a high ROI was strongly emphasized recently, with the confirmation of the sale of Candy.com - by Rick Schwartz - to an obscure company that regardless, makes candy and other sweets. The $3 million sale did not occur at some fancy domainer convention, not even at Rick’s own TRAFFIC conference; it was the product of intense and direct negotiation which took several months to materialize.

Currently, there seems to be a trend by domainers that are either dissatisfied by their PPC returns or their domain sales, to predict or promote several “doomsday scenarios” about the future of domaining as an industry. It’s definitely disheartening seeing one’s revenue from parking domains plummet; not due to a lack of traffic or even conversion rates, but rather because PPC companies have become stingier (or greedier) and pay fewer cents for each dollar generated. It’s the outcome of trickle-down policies imposed by the oligarchy of search engines; with Google and Yahoo as dominant giants, the market has fewer options in challenging their eagerness to tighten their wallets. Let’s see what Microsoft’s Bing.com will eventually bring to the table.

However, domainers that listen to doomsday scenarios of “domaining end of days” are bound to face doomsday themselves. A strategic evaluation of one’s portfolio is needed, if there is not enough revenue generated. Us domainers are selfish beings and we are defensive of our portfolios to our bitter peril. Such an attitude can lead to a loss of strategic focus and definitely a loss of revenue over a prolonged period of economic staleness.

What we need, is to allow other domainer professionals - or non-domainers even - a direct view into our “precious” portfolio and to seriously take into consideration their professional advice, insight, experience and gut feeling. It’s about time that we stopped listening to the overall gloom and doom, block out the naysayers and respond positively to worthy suggestions and professional advice about what we should do and how we should proceed; in the same manner that a company’s CEO worthy of their salt hires people smarter than him or her.

Personally, I gained a lot by giving access to my domain portfolio to fellow web developer, Tia Wood. Her feedback and overall advice was substantial, enlightening and supportive of my frustration; Tia’s professional consultation allowed me to evaluate my approach to domaining and identify my weaknesses in ways that “owner’s blindness” prohibited me to see.

In a world full of “wannabe developers” it’s important to listen to the professionals and expect a just price for their hard work. Because if you don’t, you will only have yourself to blame in the future.

Copyright 2009 Acro.net - An Acroplex LLC publication - All Rights Reserved

Right at a turning point for the economy with good signs of improvement, Sedo begins a week-long themed auction of “Career” domains. With more Americans looking for employment than ever, it’s a good opportunity for businesses and individuals to invest in domains that represent a large portion of the job-related keywords searched daily.

Two of my domains appear at the auction:

CorporateCareers.com - Registered since 1996, this Google PR2 domain is best suited for Human Resource (HR) professionals that want to possess a dynamic pair of keywords in their domain portfolio, or domain investors that plan to build a database of international, national or regional jobs. A lot of the job searches specifically look for mid to upper management positions that also pay premium salaries.

Job-Hunting.com - Registered since 1995, this Google PR4 domain is ideal for professionals that seek employment, or “headhunters” who want an aggressive domain that supplements their corporate brand. The keywords turn up a solid 5.75 million results in Google, in quotes! The domain is taken in all major TLDs; that’s another indication that well it’s sought-after. Do not let the dash deter you, these are top notch keywords for SEO!

Each domain goes on auction with a reasonably low reserve price of $1,500 which will pay itself many times over when used to promote and facilitate career placement functions.

Careers Auction - Starts June 3, at 12:00 PM EST and ends June 10, at 12:00 PM EST

In the early days, Network Solutions was the only place to register domain names, each time having to shell out an outrageous $100 for two years of registration. Once the monopoly was lifted, the introduction of alternate registrars brought ample competition to the field of domain registration and prices dropped dramatically.

Today, there are hundreds of ICANN accredited registrars that cater to different TLDs, geographical regions and offering a variety of both standard features and additional perks. Although there are several large and well-known registrars that manage the majority of the domains worldwide, not all of them are necessarily suitable for domainers that differ from end-users in the sheer bulk number of registrations, renewals and transfers.

Primarily, cost appears to be a deciding factor when choosing a registrar for the basic three TLDs, com/net/org. These registrars that offer pricing very close to the fee that the Registries keep, make a small profit but attract hundreds of thousands of domain registrations, some even millions. Beware of registrars that make promotional offers below the cost of the Registry fee; by operating at a loss, they attempt to attract a large customer base, at the cost of features and quality of support.

When choosing a registrar, another important factor is their control panel or user interface and its ease of use. It should offer the ability to modify domains easily, lock/unlock them and obtain transfer (”auth”) codes without many hoops and ideally, make all these features available to bulk modifications. A good registrar should also have a streamlined method of transferring domains away from it, without hiding the process or preventing it via a maze of options.

Interface design does not seem to be the best element for the majority of registrars, that seem to cram options together and often fail to provide a comprehensive navigation throughout their menus. The best registrars, however, offer a lightweight, well-thought user interface that is easy on the eyes, contains the necessary graphics to visually separate options in sections, loads fast and maintains the same experience each time an option is accessed.

Some registrars offer specialized perks - features that set them aside from the rest of the competition. For example, some provide the user with the option to firmly lock a domain down via the use of a secret code or process, thus preventing domain theft via the standard transfer method. Others offer free WHOIS protection, email and URL forwarding or even basic web hosting. One has to weigh their needs carefully before going for these registrars that appear to offer a lot of features but lack in one specific sector: support.

And that’s the final and equally important element. When something goes wrong and you cannot access your account or a domain transfer does not seem to go through, a registrar must have in place a number of communication means, from a phone number to a support ticket system and to ensure there is a fast response to emergencies.  For registrars that are located in non-English speaking countries, such support can be crucial when dealing with a frustrated customer that needs a prompt resolution to their problems.

To summarize: Using a registrar must be a pleasant, seamless experience that offers speed, a variety of useful features for managing the entire domain portfolio easily, competitive pricing and solid support.

Currently, I recommend Fabulous.com based on my personal domain management needs.

Traveling domainers carry with them the “domain virus” and often attempt to apply it to real life events.

Rick Schwartz’s recent trip to Greece and neighboring Turkey inspired the following Friday Funny

I admit it, I am a Star Trek fan. I discovered the series in the late 70’s, long after Space 1999 and right after the success of Star Wars. I’d rush home from school and I’d turn on the TV to watch - in glorious black and white - the adventures of Starship Enterprise and its brave crew.

What set Star Trek apart from the other sci-fi shows, was the depth of its characters. Each and every member of the Enterprise’s multi-cultural crew, which included men and women, humans and aliens, black, white and Asian - maintained their own important role in every episode.

There would be no complete show without captain Kirk’s boldness and tongue-in-cheek humor, Spock’s ultra-logical genius, the seriousness of Dr. Leonard “Bones” or the agonizing dedication of Uhura, Sulu and Scotty. And at a time that the Cold War was at its peak between the US and USSR, Chekov served as a hint to the TV viewers that the Russians might not be evil after all.

Without further ado, “Friday Funnies” brings you Star Trek - the Domainers’ version. Click on the image to view at full size.

Live long, and register.