Part 4 of 4: 'Trend Domaining' Presents Insights, Opportunities For Domainers, Fractional Domainers

Today we conclude Fractional Domaining Blog's 4-part interview with Scott Griffes of TrendDomaining.com with discussions about the reception his blog has gotten from the domaining community so far; his plans to offer additional tools and resources to benefit his web site visitors; and how Trend Domaining's readers can help him to help them.

Don't forget to join me at FractionalDomainingBlog.com tomorrow for my personal review of TrendDomaining.com!

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Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q18: Does your audience seem to appreciate your blogging efforts? What feedback have you received so far?

Scott Griffes:

A18: Absolutely. I have received just about all positive feedback on content, design and layout. In fact, I would like to get some good criticism as to help me identify my blogs weak spots. The most common compliment is something along the lines of “very informative and interesting.” I’ll take that any day.

The best feeling is seeing people cite an article of mine as a source to prove their domains value when it’s for sale.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q19: What additional tools or resources do you plan to create and offer to your audience?

Scott Griffes:

A19: I’ve been toying with the idea of offering a loaded Excel document that helps you manage your domains and mine for new ones. I already do this for myself, I just have to clean it up (I’m sloppy).

I also plan to go in-depth on all the tools on my tools page and perhaps add a few more. I personally used and vouch for every tool there; I’m not listing any for affiliate sales alone.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q20: How can your blog readers help you to help them?

Scott Griffes:

A20: I’d like to know what they would like to see more of, or less of. More focus on mini-sites and niches? Is it too hard to access archives, or do you not even access those? Though I do have some commenters, what’s stopping all those hits from actually commenting on the articles?

I’m really open to any ideas. Please don’t hesitate to drop me an email: scott at trenddomaining dot com.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q21: Any additional thoughts you might wish to share?

Scott Griffes:

A21: I’d like to thank you for your time and the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas on a more personal level.

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(Neal: Scott, you're welcome... The Domaining and Fractional Domaining communities look forward to learning more from you about current and future trends!)

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I hope you enjoyed our interview... Many thanks to Scott Griffes for sharing his insights with us!

See you tomorrow with my personal review of TrendDomaining.com!

-- Neal

Part 3 of 4: 'Trend Domaining' Presents Insights, Opportunities For Domainers, Fractional Domainers

In Part 3 of Fractional Domaining Blog's 4-part interview with Scott Griffes of TrendDomaining.com, we continue with a discussion about Fractional Domaining, including: whether "Fractional Domaining" is a trend; what Scott's prediction about Fractional Domaining is and why; what trends Fractional Domainers should be paying attention to; and what tools/resources he recommends that potential Fractional Domainers use...

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Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q13: Is Fractional Domaining a trend? Why?

Scott Griffes:

A13: I think it’s an underused strategy. Fractional domaining can be a great way for newer (or non-wealthy) domainers to get in on a good domain. Let’s face it: all the GREAT domains are gone. Today’s hand registered names can’t hold a candle to domains like Cowboys.com.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q14: What are your predictions about Fractional Domaining, and why?

Scott Griffes:

A14: I think it has a good chance; people just need to know it’s an option. More and more people are believing in quality over quantity. And most of us can’t afford the category killers unless we invest in a fraction of one. This can help domainers succeed much quicker, too. And the more domainers that succeed, the better our industry. This is something I have not personally done, but would love to expand my efforts into doing so.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q15: Currently, there are not many resources dedicated to the topic of Fractional Domaining... How can domainers currently best research trends involving Fractional Domaining?

Scott Griffes:

A15: FractionalDomainingBlog.com of course! But you’re right, other than that you have occasional blog posts by some of the big names and that’s about it. Perhaps people are thinking too much on a giant scale, such as Cowboys.com. Why not fractional domaining on names valued at $10k? or $5k? I think this would be ideal to help get the not-as-wealthy domainers involved.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q16: What types of domaining trends should Fractional Domainers and Fractional Domainer wannabes be paying attention to? Are there certain trends that would or could affect Fractional Domainers more so than other domainers?

Scott Griffes:

A16: Ultimately it’s the same trends. The difference is that with fractional domaining you can better get in on the category killers and not settle for synonyms and related keywords. And the payoffs could come quicker as it takes money to make money. I’m not so sure if any trends would affect one more than the other.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q17: You offer links to a number of tools at your web site (http://www.TrendDomaining.com/tools) that could help almost any domainer in a number of ways. What tools or resources would you specifically recommend that potential fractional domainers use? Why?

Scott Griffes:

A17: NameBio.com would prove to be quite valuable to fractional domainers. The only tried and true way of placing a value on a domain, other than actually selling it, is to compare similar sales.

City-Data.com would be an indispensable tool for fractional geodomainers. If ever a situation arrives where you have two city.com’s that are for sale, this can help you compare the two and make a well-informed decision.

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Don't miss Part 4 of our interview on Thursday when Fractional Domaining Blog and Scott Griffes of TrendDomaining.com discuss the reception his blog has gotten from the domaining community so far; his plans to offer additional tools and resources to benefit his web site visitors; and how Trend Domaining's readers can help him to help them.

Join me all week as Fractional Domaining Blog continues with Part 4 of our interview, followed by my personal review of TrendDomaining.com!

Thanks!
-- Neal

Part 2 of 4: 'Trend Domaining' Presents Insights, Opportunities For Domainers, Fractional Domainers

In Part 2 of Fractional Domaining Blog's 4-part interview with Scott Griffes of TrendDomaining.com, Griffes discusses a wide range of topics, including: what kinds of domainers and businesses can benefit from learning about trends; how Trend Domaining can help both newbie and experienced domainers; how trend research has helped Scott with his own domain portfolio; examples of trends he has observed and valuable/potentially valuable names he has acquired as a result; how trend research can help to identify valuable -- and available -- domain names; what Scott looks for within identified trends and how he translates trend research into actual domain name registrations; what trends he has noticed with geo media and what opportunities he sees as a result; what trends he has noticed with .TV domains; and how readers have responded to his suggested domains...

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Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q6: What kinds of domainers and businesses can benefit from learning about trends? How can Trend Domaining help newbie domainers? experienced domainers?

Scott Griffes:

A6: All domainers can benefit from trends. The most obvious mainstream trend is the green movement. I’m not saying The Inconvenient Truth is solely responsible for it, but remember that this movie was not completely welcomed with open arms right away. Not everyone was sold. If it convinced you, you could immediately apply that knowledge to domaining. And if you did, you likely have some valuable green domains in your inventory right now. This is something all domainers already do. I just try to poke and prod into places most haven’t yet.

When I started my blog, I thought my readers would be all amateur domainers. The poll on my page shows roughly half of my readers have been in the industry for 2 years or more. That solidifies that trendwatching interests both amateurs and veterans alike. I think with my blog, amateur domainers may learn how to find trends, whereas experienced domainers are more interested in the actual niches. Either way, they both can benefit from adding names to their inventory that will hold great value in a month or year from now.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q7: How has your trend research helped you personally with your own domain portfolio? How many domains do you own? What topics or extensions do you focus on? Have you developed any of them? Please share some examples of trends you observed and valuable/potentially valuable names you have acquired as a result.

Scott Griffes:

A7: I do purchase some domains directly related to the articles I write before I post them. I own about 120 domains right now, many of which are geodomains and 95% are .coms. None are developed as I am not quite skilled in that (or have the time). But I do have plans in changing that.

Two examples of names I bought directly relating to my articles are:

ArizonaSolarFarm(s).com. I found a tool that showed the best places for wind and solar farms. Arizona was the best place for a solar farm.

Microtheaters.com. With everything going personal, I posted that one-screen theaters will gain in popularity. I own several other related domains.

A trend I haven’t posted about is option ARMs. I believe these are the next bust after subprimes. One major difference is that option ARMs are usually used by people with higher incomes. I own about 6 related domains including OptionARMMeltdown.com and OptionARM.info.

AussieTattoo.com. I believe it was a dropped name. I checked Google Trends and saw that Australia was the #1 country that searched for the word “tattoo.” This was one of my first that I registered by way of trend.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q8: Nowadays, many domainers believe it is difficult to acquire a valuable domain via hand registration because many of the most valuable domain names have already been registered and are only available via the secondary market – if they are available at all... How can trend research help identify available domain names that may be valuable?

Scott Griffes:

A8: One of the best ways is with new words since most easily-pronounceable words are registered. A short while ago an artist drew a realistic Mario, Homer and Jessica Rabbit. These were so popular that they hit Digg, Reddit and Fark and inspired others to do draw some. It was dubbed “Untooning.” Like any other domainer would, I checked to see if this new word was registered and it was not. It’s mine now. This won’t be worth a ton, but it’s just an example.

New words also come from science and medicine, both great places to keep an eye out for trends.

I think the other best way is with geodomains. Just about any trend can be applied geographically.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q9: How do you translate your trend research into actual domain name registrations? What are you looking for within the identified trends?

Scott Griffes:

A9: First I look for the category killer. With Microtheaters.com, I was able to get one of the two best domains for that niche (the other being the singular version). This rarely happens though, as by the time it has reached a news site, someone else has already registered it. Then I look for synonyms and other related strong keywords. For instance, OptionARM.com was obviously taken, so I had to look for very strong keywords related to the reason why it was a trend. People often refer to the current crisis as the “subprime meltdown,” so I applied that and got OptionARMMeltdown.com. And what will those affected need? OptionARMSolution(s).com.

Other opportunities are in geodomains. Many trends are geo-related in some way. Top 10 Tech Cities? Well that’s easy: AustinTech.com.

You can even combine trends: Dating Site + Gas Crisis = Hyperlocalized Dating. I think you can monetize LeagueCitySingles.com, UticaSingles.com and WestBoroughDating.com. Long distance relationships are hell. Throw in high gas/flight prices and wouldn’t it just be easier to date someone 2 miles away?

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q10: What trends have you noticed with geo media, and what opportunities do you see as a result?

Scott Griffes:

A10: Geodomains are the easiest to register and, in my opinion, the closest to a guarantee of success for a well-developed site. There are always lists of the "Top 10 This" and "Top 10 That". I don’t care if you hate these lists, they are gold for geodomains.

EVERYTHING is going local, and you can take advantage of it in numerous ways. There are so many cities out there, combined with so many niches. I think you can turn almost anything into a geo site. And you should. That’s how big this trend is. I’ll pull a few from my giant list of available names: NebraskaGuys.com, AkronOrganic.com, LubbockRecreation.com (I did this list a few months ago). Of course these aren’t Houston.com, Miami.com or Detroit.com, but ANYONE can register these geodomains. ANYONE can get a piece of this pie right now. You can. So can Joe Domainer who started 2 days ago.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q11: What trends have you noticed with .TV domains, and what implications do those trends present to the domain industry?

Scott Griffes:

A11: This extension seems to be tied to the geodomain trend. That said, I would only buy city.tv’s as the .com version of any keyword+geo.tv or geo+keyword.tv would be better (and more likely to be available than city.com), in my opinion.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q12: You frequently list available non-registered domains that you feel are examples of domains that are appropriate for acquisition based upon your trend research. That’s being very generous to your readers, and I sometimes wonder why you don’t grab more of the domains you identify for yourself!... How have your readers responded to your suggested domains, and have you ever regretted not registering any of them yourself?

Scott Griffes:

A12: I posted a list a few times in my first week of blogging. I noticed that no one was registering them, so I stopped doing it. However, the hypermiling trend hit it big weeks after my post and those got registered. I actually receive a good deal of organic traffic from “hypermiling tips” and “hypermiling manual.” Hypermilingtips is now registered in .com, .net and .info! I should have registered it!

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[ Gulp! Guess WHO registered HypermilingTips.com after Scott told his blog readers of its availability? Hint: It was someone who agreed with Scott that he had identified a hot trend and who thought highly enough of Scott's blog to blog about it himself! ]

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Don't miss Part 3 of our interview on Wednesday when Fractional Domaining Blog and Scott Griffes of TrendDomaining.com discuss Fractional Domaining, including: whether "Fractional Domaining" is a trend; what Scott's prediction about Fractional Domaining is and why; what trends Fractional Domainers should be paying attention to; and what tools/resources he recommends that potential Fractional Domainers use.

Join me all week as Fractional Domaining Blog continues with Parts 3 and 4 of our interview, followed by my personal review of TrendDomaining.com!

Thanks!

-- Neal

Part 1 of 4: 'Trend Domaining' Presents Insights, Opportunities For Domainers, Fractional Domainers

Trends in society naturally affect the Internet and can provide great opportunities for domainers and fractional domainers. Luckily for us, Scott Griffes examines trends with a domainer's eye at his TrendDomaining.com Blog, and he generously shares his insights with his readers.

In Part 1 of a 4-part interview with Fractional Domaining Blog, Scott introduces himself and his blog; tells why you should read it; explains "trends" and "trend domaining"; describes how he identifies trends and generates his content; and shares his goals and reasons for developing TrendDomaining.com into a primary destination to help domainers succeed...

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Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q1: Who is Scott Griffes, and why should domainers read your “Trend Domaining” blog?

Scott Griffes:

A1: I am Joe Domainer. I am just like every other guy that frequents NamePros or DNForum. I’m not rich. I don’t own an island; I don’t even own a house. I leave for my blue collar job before 7 a.m. and don’t get back home until 7 p.m. And I squeeze in domaining and a blog when I can.

TrendDomaining.com is a great way to get new ideas for domain names, mini-sites, niche sites, affiliate sites or full blown sites. You will find unique content that you can’t find on any other site. You won’t find general domaining news that you can find on every other site.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q2: Scott, you watch and report on various trends that you observe. What is a “trend”, and what is “trend domaining”? By the way, how did you come upon that phrase?

Scott Griffes:

A2: I was torn between "NicheDomaining" and "TrendDomaining", as the goal of the blog was to focus on real world trends and how to find niches. I went with “Trend” because it sounded better and it’s easier to spell/pronounce. When I say “real world trends,” it’s as opposed to trends within the domaining industry, such as the LLLL.com surge that happened earlier. TrendDomaining is the practice of spotting trends either before they happen or early on, and being prepared to take advantage of them when they do happen. It’s the idea of taking the road less traveled by, before it becomes a 10-lane highway.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q3: Your postings are always eye-opening and interesting to read because you regularly identify, describe, and explain trends and their potential significance to domainers. Your fresh and unique content truly sets you apart from many other domain industry bloggers and makes “Trend Domaining” a must-read... How do you conduct your research and generate content?

Scott Griffes:

A3: Thanks! I read an awful lot. During my (long) reading sessions, I will leave tabs open in Firefox to remind me that I should investigate something. At any given moment, I have about 200+ webpages open in 5 to 8 Firefox browsers (I have gotten better!). The lifespan of a post for me is like this: I get an idea and save it in WordPress with the link that gave me the idea. I then add other links over the course of a day, two days, week, month, whatever. Once I have enough references, I’ll write the post. Sometimes I only need 1 or 2 references to make a post worth reading, other times I need 10-20. When I claim that LEGO is absolutely huge again, I want to show proof as to why I think that. But the goal is to write an informational post that you won’t find anywhere else.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q4: Do you have specific training and experience in trend research, or did your blog evolve from a hobby?

Scott Griffes:

A4: No training or experience. I was already doing all this reading as a hobby (I must be sick), though I do more now, now that I run this blog.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q5: You literally spend hours on news and trend research and then freely share your findings with the domaining community. What is your motivation for doing this? What are your goals for your “Trend Domaining” blog and for your business?

Scott Griffes:

A5: When I became a domainer, I would spot these trends and do some domain mining. I remember the first couple weeks I got addicted; using the Domain Name Analyzer, I checked probably 300k-500k names. I pulled maybe 100-200 from there that I felt were worth registering. Problem was that I didn’t have the money to do that. So, I saved them to a file. Well, that file got bigger and bigger. Ultimately I bought maybe 30 total.

At this point, I wanted to turn my hobby into something more. I thought domaining was the perfect industry for me: no physical inventory and an active traders market! I wanted to get serious and turn this into a livelihood. A huge worthless file wasn’t going to get me closer to that goal. So, I re-evaluated my efforts and decided to put all my hard work to good use.

My goal for TrendDomaining.com is to keep it updated regularly with current (or future) trends while it becomes a primary destination for domainers looking to gather information that will help them succeed.

To do this as a livelihood, I have to make money. That’s one of the reasons why we are all in this business. If I can find a way for my blog to help me reach that goal without being obtrusive, then I’ll take advantage of it.

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Don't miss the information-packed Part 2 of our interview on Tuesday when Fractional Domaining Blog and Scott Griffes of TrendDomaining.com discuss a wide range of topics, including: what kinds of domainers and businesses can benefit from learning about trends; how Trend Domaining can help both newbie and experienced domainers; how trend research has helped Scott with his own domain portfolio; examples of trends he has observed and valuable/potentially valuable names he has acquired as a result; how trend research can help to identify valuable -- and available -- domain names; what Scott looks for within identified trends and how he translates trend research into actual domain name registrations; what trends he has noticed with geo media and what opportunities he sees as a result; what trends he has noticed with .TV domains; and how readers have responded to his suggested domains.

... Whew! I know it's a lot, but it's good stuff! Be sure to read it!

Join me all week as Fractional Domaining Blog continues with Parts 2, 3, and 4 of our interview, followed by my personal review of TrendDomaining.com!

Thanks!
-- Neal