Domain investing is in the spotlight today with all the news surrounding Ebola.com, I am not going to really touch on the coverage as Online Domain and Domain Gang did a good job of reporting on all the stories out there.
It takes me to a place where I am conflicted as a domain investor and a citizen of the world. I remember back in like 2002 a disease related domain dropped, a friend said you should register that. I replied to him that I would never register the domain, not because I am a great person or because I thought it would be wrong for someone to register such a name. I just would never want to deal with the business, social or psychological aspects of the transaction. There is a conflict in knowing a name possesses value and trying to extract maximum value for the name, while at the same time knowing many people think you are a piece of trash.
The business of domain investing says find the right name for the right price and sell it to the right buyer for a higher price. No problem, Domaining 101, but there is the thought process from a psychological standpoint for me, and again I am only speaking for me, I am no one’s judge or their maker. I would just ask myself over and over, “Was this ok ? Am I a bad person for doing this ?”
Of course one could say well look if you sell it to a pharmaceutical company they have made billions off other people’s misfortune. Yes and no in my opinion, they have but I am certainly no scientist that devoted years to finding a cure. They also don’t have the highest ethics on the business side of the coin. Certain medications are too expensive and no human being should have to decide whether to eat or take their prescription.
The other aspect is how certain things affect you, there are plenty of businesses that are legal that get a lot of negative feedback, pornography is legal and there are many who have no problems with it, but would never be in the business because they do not want the criticism from family, friends and the general public. Others have no problems with what people say and can sleep at night just fine.
I can say today would affect me if I owned Ebola.com, it would affect me in a negative way because the money would not be worth this. Is selling it wrong ? I will let each person answer that for themselves, I just know for me the juice would not be worth the squeeze.
We live in a different world, today the court of public opinion matters much more than it ever has, ask Roger Goodell from the NFL. Whether that is right or wrong is secondary to it being reality. I don’t see us getting those horses back in the barn. Selling a domain that was acquired by legal means is perfectly legit, each person has to decide for themselves if it is worth it. I think this is a personal choice, I want to say someone buying and selling a domain that does not infringe on another entities intellectual property is certainly legit.
Lastly, we can all be inside the domain bubble and say F the media, people are clueless, but to the majority of the world this part of the domain business repulses them and that is never going away. I had a conversation with a domain investor today that told me he thought the move was despicable to sell the name,” but Raymond I will never come out and publicly say that. ” I asked why ? His reply, “Because then people will scrutinize every domain I own looking for the high moral ground.”
So what is your opinion on the topic, would you be totally fine, conflicted or never step into that part of the domaining pool ?
Excellent post Raymond
I hear and appreciate your ethics on the matter. I would feel the same. What I noticed, though, is that you are concerned way too much with what people might think.
That, in my opinion, should not be part of the equation. You take a moral stand and stick to it, now matter what others think of it.
And for those who do not mind capitalizing on domain names like Ebola.com, for as long as they are OK with it – who are we to judge. I applaud your stand on the matter and encourage you to keep sharing you thoughts with your readers
People are repulsed by banks, investment bankers, large property owners, pharmaceuticals, fast food chains, law firms etc.
The list goes on and on. But if they owned the fast food chain or the Manhattan property they call themselves business(wo)men.
Give me a break. They are all hypocrites. Why don’t these “media” turn off ads on all the ebola, accident, murder, aids, cancer, earthquake etc. related articles. They shouldn’t be making any money from people’s death.
GIVE ME A BREAK!
Do we need these scumbags writing articles about people’s mothers tell us what domains we can register or not? No. F them.
Yes, I own disease domains. I also own domains like ibrokemyleg.anything. Is this ok to own mr media?
I sold a domain that is a non-serious disease I have. Is this ok?
When someone tries to take away their domains they scream but if I own the same domain it is ok. F them.
Konstantinos I agree the media are complete hypocrites and they should not have any adsense on these sites showing any ads related to the topic.
I think I clarified this was certainly legit on Jon’s part, who I know a little from .TV.
This was more a personal introspection for me on the topic as it was one of the first things I wrestled with going back to 1997 when I started regging them.
I thought your article was very good which is why I linked to it.
Thank you for the comment.
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
I am of the opinion that it would be perfectly fine to sell the name, but I would not want the publicity.
I don’t believe the owner timed this properly.
I draw the line at types/names of mass accidents (flights, disasters etc.) and other such media-focused personalities and events.
Ebola is a) a river in Congo and b) a disease not unlike flu. Incidentally, the latter in .com is owned by a pharma company, so why can’t Ebola .com be acquired by a pharmaceutical company as well? The asking price is quite conservative.
Thanks for the comment Theo, good job on the coverage.
Both domainers and the media typically begin with the same premise — that the sole reason for investing in domain names is profit.
Is that true? For many or most domainers most of the time, yes, that’s the motivation. But human beings have mixed reasons for acting. Even if a domain reseller flips domains for profit or aims to, that person will often buy domains simply because they’re valuable or eye-catching — if not as a developer then as a collector.
Many domain investors have given away domains for free or at cost (i.e. at a net loss of time) to worthy causes. In fact, as a group, we’re often taken advantage of by well paid employees of nominally “nonprofit” organizations.
Such nonprofits will lease office space, and the property owner won’t be castigated for charging them a profitable monthly rate. Obviously, the domain industry is no stranger to double standards.
I often use “for sale” listings as conversation starters — a way to connect the moving human parts of an initiative. Many of my own pet projects have no hope of turning a profit, nor were they designed to. I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on domains knowing that I wouldn’t even TRY to earn a penny on the dollar. And some of these domains are listed “for sale” even though they’re not actually for sale.
I don’t know the details on Ebola.com. We’ll all agree that the media ought to avoid rushing to judgment. But when has the media EVER done so? Skunks ought to avoid spraying noxious odors.
Plenty of unscrupulous domainers. But if someone wants to turn a profit by taking Ebola.com and finding a buyer that can benefit from using it, then how is that unethical? Nobody in the world needs Ebola.com to cure or treat Ebola. It’s a luxury.
“Nobody in the world needs Ebola.com to cure or treat Ebola. It’s a luxury.”
That’s exactly the point. And none of these people on high moral grounds are willing to do anything to find the cure, are they?
I think that is a good point that no one needs that name, and personally I took no high moral ground, I think I said it is rightfully owned and it was more a personal introspective on these types of names, I could have written this article over a decade ago when the thought first started brewing.
Thank you for the comment, I like Domain Hammer, nice brand name.
I had not seen you in awhile Joseph, thanks for the comment.
I am similarly conflicted.
A complex issue. What if that name becomes website that helps to find the cure?
Other types of name I don’t like are those that are reg’d just after a famous person dies.
Who sets the ethics of this industry?
Every culture has acceptable standards for this. An innocent seeming name in one part of the world would be vulgar in another.
Also – time will change the significance of such a name as society changes.
It can be hard to make a profit in a way that is OK with all people all of the time.
Thanks for the comment Wild.
No need to be conflicted. Go with your personal morality which should be unaffected by the choices of others.
Carl
Thanks Carl for the comment.
I think like the author of the post. I believe in Karma, and I think also that the “energy” of the domain name is not good, I think after a while things could get ugly, for those who register the name (or keep it in your wallet), just that . Good Article!
Thanks for the comment Mar
I commend you on your article. I honestly think that it’s all about the morality of it. If you’re okay with it, then go ahead. If you feel in your heart it’s wrong, then steer clear. I have to agree with you, and I, as well as many others could make a killing in the porn industry, but I personally can not bring myself to even think about divulging into that for profit, when all of my moral ethics are against it.
With that said, I think you know I’m with you on this subject, and couldn’t agree more with you. It’s all about how people feel about it, and if they can live with themselves. Some people don’t have morals so they can easily buy domains like that, to turn and make a profit, while others, like myself, just can’t, and would never. Unless I had a cure for it, and wanted to build it out to share with others.
I also have to agree that buying a domain of someone’s death is just outright disrespectful, and anyone trying to profit from a death. It’s just, IMHO, disrespecting the dead. I believe in karma as well, and when you bring bad energy into your life, don’t expect good to come out of it. While yes, you may profit from it, but would you be able to live with yourself, or even sleep at night? I wouldn’t.
Again, great article!
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It stand’s true in domain industry too.
@Raymond Hackney,
I have one suggestion for you:
Avoid the “thank you” entry after each comment, if possible. It’s annoying.
Thank you. <—-