Acro.net – Technology Rants & Raves by Acroplex®

When Rick Schwartz writes a blog post it’s usually some time in the early morning. His unique, direct style is what makes the readers of his blog going back for more.

At Rick’s blog there’s a lot of motivational information, dished with what I’d like to call ‘domainer tough love‘. Not everyone likes that approach; still, it worked wonders for many of us. The drill sergeant in the army did it for me, so did my teachers at school.

I’m not sure what would take for Rick Schwartz to become irritated but perhaps a hefty serving of bullshit would do it. After reading several comments that were attacking Rick’s intentions and overall sentiment in the domain industry, I was left with the impression that Rick is once again about to start telling it like it is.

And that is good.

TRAFFIC has faded as an institution in the eyes of many newcomers and outsiders to the domain industry. Not because of any lack of organization; both times that I attended the event was nothing short of superb.

The main problem appears to be the open door policy of the conference. For several years since it started, TRAFFIC was by invitation only. It was the type of VIP event that required a virtual tuxedo and a certain attitude; it was an initiation, if you must, to the domain brotherhood.

The comments at Rick’s latest post indicate that the amount of disrespect towards the organizers of TRAFFIC and Rick in person is increasing. It’s unfortunate that this is happening and I’m sure that Rick will be cracking the whip pretty soon.

It’s time for TRAFFIC to be by invitation only, once again.

I’ll end this post with a little story for entertainment purposes.

The potato was introduced to Greece in the late 1820′s by its newly elected governor, John Kapodistrias. Having ordered a shipment of potatoes, at first he ordered that they be offered to anyone interested. However the potatoes were met with indifference by the population and the whole scheme seemed to be failing. Therefore Kapodistrias, aware of the contemporary Greek attitude, ordered that the whole shipment of potatoes be unloaded in public display on the docks and placed severe-looking guards guarding it. Soon, rumors circulated that for the potatoes to be so well guarded they had to be of great importance. People would gather to look at the so-important potatoes and soon some tried to steal them. The guards had been ordered in advance to turn a blind eye to such behavior and soon the potatoes had all been “stolen” and Kapodistrias’ plan to introduce them to Greece had succeeded.

What is the moral of this story?

The day started with my usual cup of coffee and a surprisingly smooth commute on Interstate 4. This time around I found my way inside the Disney resorts without getting lost. I managed to arrive about 15 minutes before the sessions would begin. I ran into Donny from Parked.com who gave me a brief intro about what his 11am speech was going to be about.

Rick Schwartz kicked off Day 2 of the TRAFFIC conference with his keynote speech. He mentioned that while it’s time to slow down and assess the opportunities offered, we also need to be aware of the dangers that are rising in today’s economy. In the financial crash of 2000-2001, everyone seemed to run away from the online ventures, abandoning their assets. In 2008, everyone seems to be running towards the venues available on the Internet. Even though we are living in thriving industry times, it’s time to also be proactive during the equally challenging financial times.

Rick closed mentioning the Snowe bill and how it is a time for the domain industry that the fittest will survive, as the industry shifts and changes its focus.

Howard Neu then took the stand, unfolding the opportunities that all the TRAFFIC attendants have with the range of exhibitors, stressing how this is not a trade show but rather, a get-together of the best and foremost-thinking members of the domain industry. While forums and chatrooms bring domain owners together, in a real life event such as TRAFFIC people have the opportunity to facilitate deals and establish relationships at a personal level.

Michael Collins, executive director of ICA then talked about the challenges that the industry is facing with the introduction of the Snowe bill that stirred the domaining calm waters and created a lot of tension. As a result of ICA’s efforts with raising awareness, ICA membership doubled since February 2008. He stressed the importance of domainers being represented in an organized form, lobbying at Washington DC, ICANN and the media.

Phil Corwin, legal councel for ICA, then described in detail the legal aspect of the Snowe bill, that is being promoted aggressively against domain owners from a group of major trademark holders. Wrapped up as an anti-phishing bill, it attempts to hold domain owners liable for millions of dollars in damages, without limitations. He mentioned that the politicians must be educated about the dangers of this bill, while defending the domain industry by building stronger alliances. Finally, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft maintaining their separate existence serve a positive purpose to online advertising, as the industry needs transparency and competition, instead of monopolies.

Michael Gilmour spoke about the future of domain parking, stating that currently only 20% of the world’s population is using the Internet. The percentage is increasing in Asia, in such countries as China and India. In fact, the growth in Asia is quite explosive. In India, the market is highly educated; there are also more millionaires in India than in the US. He concluded that domain owners need to develop up to three domains as businesses and utilize the rest of their portfolio as a revenue generator from parking.

Donny from Parked.com gave us all a history lesson, citing data of PPC for a domains over the course of 4 years, showing in effect that advertisers currently don’t care about top placement in search engines like Google and seem content with second or third places which are more affordable. He also mentioned that parking pages in the future need to be more visually appealing and look more like “real” web pages.

This concluded part one of Day 2. We had a great lunch that helped everyone unwind and yet network even more. I met with members of Domainsponsor and TrafficZ that seemed to like eachother a lot, despite both being Los Angeles based companies.

The dessert was delicious, the coffee invigorating and …I will continue Part 2 of Day 2 once my laptop batteries get recharged.