No one will ever care more about domain names than domain investors

Sometimes when reading comments, tweets and forum posts, I think there are a fair number of people who don’t realize or pay attention to the fact that no one cares as much about domain names as domain investors.

Let’s looks at Google trends for “Domain Names”

2004 to present

Now let’s look at Instagram

So when debates break out on stuff like the new gtlds, and if they are an innovation (they are not) where is the tipping point, when will registries start advertising in mainstream media (very unlikely)?

We have to remember no one but us really cares. There is a long thread on Namepros over the last day about registries working together and start to do real advertising. But the general public doesn’t care.

Most young people who should be the cool, adventurous, risk takers of the future, care about their Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter to a lesser degree.

I have spoken to women I know who are models/performers and pointed out how they could get their exact name in an extension that fits their brand. I remember a couple years ago, one woman said, “I have my Tumblr, I’m ok.” Now Tumblr has certainly fallen off the cool chart over the last couple years and highlights what we try to tell people outside the industry. Control your brand own your domain name, build a site and use social media as spokes in your hub.

via GIPHY

But whether it should be a new gtld or .com brings about a lot of debate. Most are coming from a biased position, those advocating for the new gtlds are heavily vested, everyone should understand that.

You turned 21 in 2015, all the great .coms are taken, the very good are taken, and these new investors were not looking to spend four or five figures on a .com domain name.

There are so many points that can be made on both sides. Some are macro and others micro, some personal and some more community.

First the new gtlds are no longer new, no parent calls their 5 year old a newborn baby. They are getting ready for kindergarten. To a point @lolwarrior made about grouping them all together, I agree people should be talking about the extensions they believe in. People speak about .Com, .Net, .Org individually for the most part, so one should try to focus on what they believe in.

This takes us to the big picture on promotion, as one person from a registry said to me when I asked about a commercial or other promotion in main street. “Yeah that ain’t ever happening” I get that it would be a waste of resources, it would make domain investors who have an interest in .Club for example, happy to see a .club commercial but it would mean little for .club.

There are too many new gtlds, and the pricing is all wrong, sorry people can spin whatever they want but if you want to take on .com you need to price your extension like .com. I understand you paid $20 million for that string, that was your foolishness, domain investors, startups, Mom and Pop businesses, individuals, do not care about that. Not their fault.

Confusing strings, let’s say I love these new choices and I am going to build my photography business on one. I see there is .photo, .photos. .pics, .photography. Which one do I choose? Why does it cost more than .com?

If you are in this business you know why they cost more, the average person doesn’t know or care.

I like certain new gtlds, the one thing I believed was don’t go big, test the market in the extensions you like and go slow.

Some people wondered in that thread where are registry representatives? Do you know the kind of vitriol some level against the new gtlds? We have had comments not approved on the domains because they were F this, FU. Look how some have gone past a professional critique of Frank Schilling, some of the stuff said is way off base, people cursing and screaming. So I get if the registry reps are not out here everyday. They need to ask themselves if the juice is worth the squeeze?

All registries are not created equal either, and some are not looking for the advice of domain investors. They like what they have not matter how much some think they suck, they are well financed and can be patient. Investors again, this is an individual sport, you need to know your budget and time frame, can you wait it out?

This time it’s different is a lie

When people mention previous extension launches from yesteryear like .info and .biz those who have a cult like following in the church of new gtlds tend to say this time is different. They never liked .biz or .info. Ok like what you like but the Internet if anything is about info, if an extension that embodies the core of all things Internet is not a threat to .com, how will .best or .top?

You like whatever you want but it’s not different this time.

Big Investors get frustrated too

Now I had a talk with Mike Berkens and he owns a great new gtld portfolio, and an expensive one.

Now we all know Mike doesn’t sell cheap, so Mike might not make a lot of sales because he will counter for big money. What has concerned him is that he is not getting the lowball offers, the people who offer $100, $500. Of course he would not accept but he is not even getting a lot of curious emails from those who have no intention of buying. He got thousands of those over the years with his .com portfolio.

I think the key for each investor is do you, go out and do what you believe in, and sell, market, promote. Sitting around and waiting for registries to do it on a broad scale to lift all boats is most likely never going to happen.