TRAFFIC 2013 ballot – My vote

Time to share my vote for the TRAFFIC 2013 Awards, as voting has closed as of 9:00pm Eastern.

Best new monetizing solution: Domain Name Sales / Internet Traffic
When Frank Schilling opened the floodgates of this well-planned monetization solution to the general public, it became clear that a new paradigm was set overnight. Offering tremendous detail in its back-end manager, DNS is the year’s best new-comer and the new golden rule that others are judged by.

Best overall domain solution: Domain Name Sales / Internet Traffic
Not sure why there are two categories, when the winner is clear: Domain Name Sales. They have set new high standards to domain name monetization, despite the short timespan of public availability, and will continue to up the ante in the field.

The “We get it” Award: Fashion Metric
Morgan Linton and his wife Daina have broken through the barriers of the domaining industry. Those of us that have years of professional experience outside of domaining, would agree that entrepreneurship is a great responsibility, particularly with brick and mortar companies. Fashion Metric deserves the recognition from domainers as well.

Developer of the Year: Bill Karamouzis
As a developer myself, I’ve seen a lot of unwillingness in the industry to break the mold of what effective development should be like. The domain industry needs new blood and direction, and Bill Karamouzis brings exactly that type of “paradigm shift”. Expect more great things from Bill in the future.

Domain Broker of the Year: Dave Evanson
Although I do not utilize Sedo anymore as my primary domain selling venue, I do appreciate its people. Dave Evanson is a successful professional and a domain broker that others aspire to. This is his opportunity to shine, as I predict next year Domain Name Sales will be taking over.

Best Domain Blog: DomainIncite.com
Kevin Murphy brings professionalism, intuition and British tongue-in-cheek humor to the unappreciated “sport” of blogging. He is a good researcher and consistent with his articles, covering a variety of subjects, without ever becoming tiring.

Sponsor of the Year: Escrow.com
Escrow.com is the domain industry’s #1 service, handling millions of dollars in annual sales. As a client for more than a decade, I highly recommend their services and appreciate their professionalism.

Domainer of the Year: Frank Schilling
Last year’s awards delivered the 3rd such award for Frank Schilling, and he clearly deserves a 4th one. No-one has done more for domainers in a single year, than Frank. He is the ambassador of domaining to the world, a person with vision who delivers results regardless of what obstacles come in the way.

Bandit Berkens Goodwill Ambassador: Gregg McNair
Gregg’s continuing assistance with the Water School project in Africa along with Jodi Chamberlain, proves that professionals with a big heart are able to share their success and wealth with the underprivileged.

Domain Hall of Fame: Igal Lichtman
Igal was a friend and a mentor, and I miss him dearly. He shared knowledge and spread good karma to everyone around him. I wrote extensively about Igal in my farewell message and he deserves a spot in the Domain Hall of Fame.

As I attend TRAFFIC every other year, I will renew my rendezvous for 2014.