For the most part we analyze domain name negotiation from the domainer or broker’s point of view.
Ryan Kulp is an interesting guy, he is the founder of Fomo, the world’s first social proof marketing platform. He is also a musician, coder and writes some detailed personal things about his life on his blog RyanCKulp.com.
Ryan did write a post about premium domain name negotiations from the buyer’s point of view.
He offered some solid points for startup founders on how to negotiate. Domain investors are going to have a problem with how Ryan classified domain investors.
Ryan put domain holders into three distinctive categories, squatters, holdouts and has-beens. You can read the post to see how he defines the last two.
squatters
this is the worst persona from which to purchase a domain name. many of today’s premium, unused websites are still owned by people who bought them in the 90’s, thinking “one day i’ll be rich!”
these menaces have simultaneously zero talent and unlimited leverage, a dangerous position. insurance.com, for example, cost just $15 per year to maintain yet sold for $35.6 million.
the challenge with domain squatters is they’re obsessed about valuations, so no number is “enough,” and it’s nearly impossible to convince them *you* are the offer they’ve been waiting for.
It would be nice when we are talking about names like Insurance.com (a pure generic) that people would abstain from using the squatter moniker. Certainly people like Garry Chernoff, Rick Schwartz and Scott Day along with many others are not menaces with zero talent. Besides the point that those who acquired true premium .com names in the 90’s are not thinking “I’ll be rich.” They are rich.
All in all the article was an interesting take on domain name negotiation from the buyer’s perspective. The sale price of Fomo.com was not reported, so I will take it there was an nda.
I am interested in learning more about Fomo to understand how the service works.
I’ve bought a land in urban area for investing purposes to triple my capital
Right now I have no use for but if a buyer comes with a decent deal then I will sell it to him.
Am I land squatter?
Are you ready to pay taxes to government, according to that land ownership. If yes then in my point of view, you are not but if you are just planning to keep it to yourself and waiting for price to hike so that you could sell it to earn profile then you sure are “land squatter”.
great read, thanks as usual Raymond. You are the best!
This is too funny. Nobody is spared from his wrath and colossal ego. I feel for the “has-beens” as he valuates them.
Somebody please tell the man that sentences begin with a capital letter. Needless to say is own name is capitalised at the top of the blog.
People use the term “squatter” whenever they want to put someone down, I guess. What I found far more significant was the advice he offers later in the article. He’s advocating acquiring trademarks and so forth, really increasing your investment in a trade name before you actually have the .com. — He mentions having a legal team whose job it basically is to scare people off variations of the name. A lot of us have been subjected to that type of email, and nobody likes it. After a few big confrontations like that — “Sell us the name at this piddling price or else; there’s no other buyer for this name” — it’s enough to make you want to do something to set the name out of their reach forever.
Hi Raymond..
I was surprised to see this article with that content…
You didn’t share any details of the end-user viewpoint in above matter…but provided link to read the same.
But you are mentioning about how one blogger thinks about domainers…which is mostly covered major part of above article but nothing in the title.
Finally it is clear that blogger doesn’t know anything about squatters or why anyone will be called so..
For my understanding generic terms like the example mentioned in the article…owning them is not called squatting…it is not a brend name and there is no exploiting in it. buyer recognised the value of that “insurance” decided to pay for it.
I checked that bloggers site and it has less than 18k monthly visits.
All i am saying is this is like unnecessary publicity to one article which has less truth and more of their own beliefs.
I like your articles and regularly read on both of your blogs…but this one is completely avoidable, least the title and content can be made more relevant.
Thanks,
Ravi.
Yes I provided a link because I don’t copy and paste someone else’s content and provide them no benefit.
I think the article written by Ryan was worth reading for those who didn’t? They are entitled their opinion.
I pointed out here that I wished people would not use the word squatter when discussing legitimate domain investing.
30 something’s………
Got a love em.
I look forward to them being 45 something’s…..
Good thing he’s not on many platforms.
Not someone I would do business with today. Maybe later, if ……..
Talent without “sophisticated” filters.
Red flag.
Works 7 days a week.
Red flag.
Customer reviews not updated
Red flag.
Limited view of “ethics”
Red flag.
Currently promoting a “service” that,
“Gives one the opportunity to invest under the same “sophisticated” portfolio in a previously unattainable world of “private market” real estate, that “professional” investors have used to earn high returns”…….
Not coincidental, he chose a 4L.com
, similar to sumo.com
Aggregator vs innovator.
Cheers
,
Someone should UDRP his blog domain name. He is clearly squatting on it.