In a recent post, Mike Berkens of The Domains, explains in candid detail the process that took him from being in opposition of the gTLD program, to supporting it.
Mike’s not just another prolific domain blogger, he’s an expert domain investor with 75,000 domain names and possesses a law degree to boot.
On top of that, he has probably attended more international conferences, including those by ICANN, than any mainstream domain investor.
Mike’s remarkable change of heart regarding the gTLDs can be summarized in this powerful statement:
“So simply put, my involvement in the new gTLD’s is a result of the program, not my desire for the program. My message throughout the 5+ years New gTLD’s has been they have the potential to be a disruptive force to domain name space as we have known it for over 25 years.”
This statement, coming from an active domain investor’s mouth of Mike’s stature, is particularly empowering.
Personally, I have found Mike to be one of the nicest persons in the domain industry, particularly for his ability to explore and expand his options based on personal, painstakingly assessed research.
While my immersion in the gTLD program is a fragment of Mike’s, I too agree with the statement above; the tides of change in the domain name space are irreversible and profound. Smart domain investors will ride the wave to success, versus fighting it in anger.
Happy New Year and best of success to all.
Very much agreed.
Thank you for the kind words and thought, greatly appreciated.
Do mind sharing how you are getting involved in new generic TLDs? I agree in that they are certainly going to be an important part of the domain name space going forward but interested how you are investing in the space other than randomly buying domain names (that is my only plan at this point).
Mike – You hit the proverbial nail on the head, and I think your quote was hidden in a sea of links; easy to be missed!
Shane – Not everything can be shared with the general public at this point, but it might take a few beers 😀 The general plan is to avoid the weaknesses of the new TLDs and utilize their strengths. There is a plethora of options, some of which are obvious (getting key domain names) and others that require a bit of research and testing. Nothing is achieved overnight; the fallacy most often supported by those opposing the gTLDs is that they must produce results overnight. Another fallacy is that the strongest TLDs to-date (.com/.net/.org) will remain unaffected by this expansion. The truth is, that nobody can predict 100% of something, all the time, but some will be able to predict 100% of it, half the time. 😀
My problem is not the competition; “two stalls are a market place” My buy in requires a brand to buy into, develop, grow, sell the afterlife, the list of individual “Yell” “Agnie’s” “Craigs” classifieds do not work for me.
Thanks. I’ll pick your brain in a few weeks. 🙂