Fractional Domaining Blog by Neal R. Voron

Best Time For Fractional Domaining?

2010-07-21T08:18:00.008-04:00

This blog has been on hiatus for awhile as I have had to come to grips with the fact that I simply cannot accomplish everything I'd like to do all by myself. My ambitions are too great and my time and resources are too short to continue to go it alone.

That realization and recent happenings have brought my attention back to the idea and potential benefits of Fractional Domaining... I'm thinking that now might be the best time for getting involved in fractional domaining that there's ever been. (I know I made a similar statement in my last post a long time ago, but I feel even stronger about it today and am personally beginning communications with other parties about creating mutally-beneficial opportunities.)

The economy is making it tough for some domain owners to sustain and develop their portfolios by themselves, and that financial pressure might just be enough to make fractional ownership deals inexpensive and attractive enough to get done -- providing the seller with an infusion of cash and a chance for more profitable development.

Finding a good partner may just make a great deal of sense -- and it could be the difference between success and profits or your survival.

Yesterday's .CO extension public launch caught my attention, interest, and participation much more than other extensions have. I believe Internet users will perceive and regard it similarly to the .COM extension once they become aware of it, making now a great opportunity to acquire generic .CO keyword domains for development and for branding -- especially for keywords where the .COM version has not yet been developed.

And, as I personally learned after checking WHOIS following my successful .CO acquisitions via pre-release ordering, now seems to be a good time to find out contact information for new .CO domain registrants (before some decide to make their information private). These new registrants may be interested in your same-keyword .COM, or you may feel they have a stronger keyword .CO that would better promote your brand. Regardless, some of these new entrants surely are looking to carve a niche and may be a good partner as either a fractional buyer or seller.

Also, right now you may be able to acquire one or more premium keyword .CO domains and feel that it is best to work with a partner who has the knowledge and financial resources to quickly and properly develop and monetize them.

Whatever you decide, it might be worth a few minutes thinking about since it could open your mind to new possibilities for you to pursue either jointly or solo.

Note: Coming soon... my Domain Name Power Blog.

Is Fractional GeoDomaining or Fractional Domaining On Your Agenda?

2009-04-23T10:54:00.006-04:00

With various geodomaining- and domaining-related conferences up and coming, is Fractional GeoDomaining or Fractional Domaining on the meeting agenda or on your own agenda? Why/why not?

With the current economy the way it is, is the idea of Fractional Domaining now more or less appealing to you?

Would the possibility of teaming up your domains with the expertise and resources of proven successful domain developers for mutual benefit interest you?

I think the current environment is ripe for dealmaking. I know I am interested in exploring possibilities for my own domains with serious players. Other domainers may also be more approachable now about Fractional Domaining deals than they have ever been.

Unsure? Start a conversation about Fractional Domaining possibilities and hear what comes back! Whether you work out a Fractional Domaining deal or not, you may get ideas for other mutually-beneficial collaborations or for worthwhile things you can do on your own! Or, maybe you'll get referred to another potential player who is a better fit for your domain(s) or who has domains you may be interested in obtaining a fractional interest in yourself.

Who knows?... Fractional Domaining might be a worthwhile strategy for you! Consider adding it to your agenda!

Sunday: Revisiting and Going Beyond "The Domain Game" With David Kesmodel...

2008-12-12T11:55:00.005-05:00

I am looking forward to guest hosting the DomainSuccess Gratitude series chat on Sunday evening, December 14th, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, when I will be revisiting and going beyond "The Domain Game" with Wall Street Journal reporter and author David Kesmodel.

Readers of the Fractional Domaining Blog may remember the interesting and insightful 4-part interview I had with David in June. On Sunday evening, we will revisit his pioneering book about domaining's early key players and events, and we will explore current challenges and opportunities for domainers. The chat is sure to be enlightening, as Kesmodel, by nature of his research, occupational purview, and contacts, has unique perspectives on where the industry has been, where things stand now, and where it's heading. Plan to attend! For more details, visit:
http://fragerfactor.blogspot.com/2008/12/gratitude-presents-david-kesmodel-live.html.

Call For The Best Domain-Related Blog Posts...

2008-11-22T08:13:00.000-05:00

I invite members of the domaining community to point me to domaining-related blog posts that you feel are the most insightful, informative, helpful, and inspirational about domaining and about living a successful life.

Once collected and reviewed, I plan to create an anthology (with each blog post writer's permission, of course) that includes inspiring and helpful information for domainers.

Bloggers are welcome to point me to their own posts as well, especially if the posts have generated positive feedback from readers.

Kindly send URL's to me at nvoron (at) voron.com . Please include the words "Best Domaining Blog Posts" in the Subject line. Thank you.

BTW, thanks to those individuals who have replied to my request for domaining-related interview subjects. If you have not replied yet, feel free to do so.

Would Selling A Fraction Of A Domain To A Great Marketer Interest You?

2008-11-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

It could be a great WIN-WIN... Your undeveloped or underdeveloped domain(s) matched with the development, monetization, and marketing skills of a great marketer... If you sold fractional interests -- even majority interests -- in one or more of your domains to a great developer/marketer(s) in exchange for some upfront cash, some continued equity, and ongoing income based upon the success of the sites, would it be better for you than having the domains remain as they are or than selling the domain outright?

Or, if you are a proven site developer/marketer who has a successful track record of monetizing sites, would it be worth it to you to acquire fractional interests in some great domain names (and having to share the fruits of your efforts with the seller) versus perhaps having no chance to acquire -- and benefit from -- the names at all?

As domainers talk about reducing the size of their domain portfolios, opportunities to arrange WIN-WIN fractional deals could emerge -- especially if either the seller or the potential buyer suggests such a scenario. For sellers, accepting less cash upfront could ultimately lead to more cash down the road than would have been possible otherwise. For buyers, spending less upfront for acquisition of single domains or domain groups could enable them to leverage their budget and skills over more Internet properties, leading to economies of scale and greater opportunities to bring in new revenues.

No matter whether you are a seller or a buyer of domain names, Fractional Domaining is something you may find is worth considering.

Domaining-Related Interview Subjects Sought...

2008-11-20T11:57:00.005-05:00

For upcoming blog posts and/or other writing projects (possibly books), I am seeking to identify potential interview subjects on a variety of domaining-related topics. If you have background, experience, ideas, opinions, helpful hints, and/or suggestions related to any of the following topics and are willing to be interviewed (via email and/or phone), please contact me at nvoron (at) voron.com and include the words "Domain Interview" in the Subject line. Also, let me know what topic(s) you are most interested in discussing and why.

Initial domaining-related topics I am interested in include:

Building An Internet Brand
Call-To-Action Domaining
Cluster Domaining
Domain Acquisition
Domain Auctions
Domain Development
Domain Investing
Domain Leasing
Domain Monetization
Domain Sales To End Users
Domaining Resources
Fractional Domaining
Geo Domaining
Social Networking and Domaining
Subdomaining
Trend Domaining

Feel free to suggest other topics that you are familiar with that you feel are important to the domaining and business communities.

Thank you!

Fractional Domaining... Call For News

2008-11-20T11:47:00.002-05:00

If you have news to share regarding Fractional Domaining-related activities, feel free to send it my way! Email: nvoron (at) voron.com . Please include the words "Fractional Domaining" in the Subject line.

Thank you.

What Will It Be?... A Fraction Of A Winning Bid, or 100% Of A Losing Bid?

2008-09-24T05:49:00.004-04:00

What will it be? For some bidders at this week's domain auctions, forming a fractional domain ownership group may be the only way to mount a successful bid for a coveted premium domain. But will bidders even consider Fractional Domaining as an option? Will they simply concede defeat and perhaps miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a top-notch domain?

Domain prices may not seem so high if you only have to pay a fraction of the bid price (as a member of a fractional ownership group). And although fractional domain owners share an interest in a domain, "x" percent ownership may be preferable to zero percent!

Will Fractional Domaining significantly impact the bidding at this week's auctions? We'll see!

Is Fractional Domaining even a topic of conversation at this year's major domain industry gatherings? It should be!

What do you think?

Domain-Inspiring Blog Offers Insights To Acquiring Quality, Low-Cost Hand Registration Domains...

2008-08-11T15:50:00.001-04:00

Following-up on Fractional Domaining Blog's recent 4-part interview with Scott Griffes, here is my personal review of his informative, domain-inspiring, "must read" TrendDomaining.com Blog for domainers...

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In the coming months and years, Scott Griffes is going to help some domainers -- both newbies and experienced -- to acquire valuable domain names. In fact, he's already doing so -- I acquired the domain HypermilingTips.com after he wrote a posting, "New Green Term Perfect for Domains, Mini-Sites", about "hypermiling" in his TrendDomaining.com Blog. That domain name was among more than 3 dozen hypermiling-related domain names Scott had researched and let his readers know were still available for hand registration at the time of his posting!

Sharing his research about trends with his readers is what Scott regularly and generously does -- and that's what makes him special and his TrendDomaining.com Blog a must read!

Readers of Trend Domaining will realize that not only does Griffes offer domainers and fractional domainers the secret to acquiring quality, low-cost hand registration domains, but Scott also provides helpful insight to identify and target unused, undeveloped, and/or undervalued after-market domains that could possibly be acquired at a decent price.

Will YOU be one of those he helps? My friend, the good news is that YOU decide that! Your success is up to you. You can tune in or tune out to his blog -- it's your choice -- and you decide how you will proceed after you digest his insightful postings about current and future trends and the opportunities they present for domainers.

I have found that Scott's blog postings are always eye-opening and interesting to read because he regularly identifies, describes, and explains trends and their potential significance to domainers. His fresh and unique content truly sets him apart from many other domain industry bloggers!

In my view, TrendDomaining.com is the leading resource for domainers who recognize the potential value and opportunities the identification of trends offers for domaining success.

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Scott Griffes is too modest, says he was "shocked" when he received my email asking for an interview... Of course, why should anyone be interested in learning about a blue collar "Joe Domainer" who has only been blogging for a few months about some strange topic he calls "Trend Domaining"?

The answer is because they would be smart, because he has a lot to offer to domainers... for F-R-E-E, even! Scott is very generous. He reads and reads. He researches. He takes notes. He notices current trends and identifies what he sees as future trends. And then he shares that research with his blog's readers -- sometimes even with a selection of specific trend-relevant domain names that he has identified as immediately available for hand registration! It's great stuff, and that's why I wanted you, my blog's readers, to know about his Trend Domaining Blog!

Maybe Scott is even too generous... When I asked in our interview whether he ever regretted not registering any of the domain names he listed as available on his blog himself, HypermilingTips.com -- yes, the one I registered -- was the one domain he mentioned! Gulp! (Scott, I'll be talking with you about some creative possibilities for it!)

But Scott's generosity is building him a loyal following, myself included, and could benefit YOU, too. After all, domainers know that the saying "you snooze, you lose" is very true and very real. He (or she) who hesitates in acquiring a domain may lose that opportunity forever or may have to pay much, much more to acquire it than they otherwise would have if they had grabbed it when it was first available to them. If you learn about upcoming trends -- or get inspired by that knowledge to predict your own -- you may be able to acquire good quality, or even premium, domain names relevant to those trends before others do!

Is it too late to be successful as a domainer starting with a low budget? Think there are no more quality domain names available for low-cost domain name registration? I don't believe it's too late when you keep a watch on emerging trends both on your own and via TrendDomaining.com and brainstorm appropriate applicable domain names!

The formula is simple: Identify trends and then register the best available generic terms associated with those trends that meet your acquisition objectives.

Just understand that there is an element of risk involved with any domain investment, and any given trend may not fully emerge as you anticipate and/or you may need to wait months, years, a lifetime -- or eternity -- for a trend to be fully recognized by the marketplace. The are no guarantees, and you should use good judgment when making decisions about how much you can afford to invest and how/where you invest your money.

Regarding Fractional Domaining and trends, in Part 3 of our 4-part interview, Griffes mentions that Fractional Domainers should be paying attention to the same trends as other domainers, but adds, "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..."

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I personally look forward to reading Scott Griffes' TrendDomaining.com Blog for many reasons, besides the fact that his postings are always interesting reads. I read it for:

Information
Inspiration
Ideas/Suggestions
Scott's research/insights relevant to GeoDomainining
Occasionally, a list of immediately available names that can be hand-registered

Will your reading his blog mean he will identify every major emerging trend for you? Surely not! Will it mean that you can expect to be hand-fed trend-relevant hand registration-available domains every time he posts? No, not nearly. Will his predictions and suggestions always, 100 percent of the time, be correct? Likely not, but his track record has inspired my confidence -- and my enthusiastic readership and recommendation.

Look at the topics of Scott's many blog postings, look at the trends he has identified to date -- hypermiling, astronomy, personal solar power, virtual mannequins, day trips, and so many others... Think about those trends -- what ideas do they stir in you? Do they inspire totally new ideas for you or new ideas that you can apply to what you are currently doing? How much would one idea be worth? How much would one resulting good quality or premium domain registration be worth to you?

At his site, Scott also offers links to many helpful tools for domainers and Fractional Domainers. (In our interview, he mentioned NameBio.com and City-Data.com as two resources that he believes Fractional Domainers would find especially helpful.)

TrendDomaining.com also now offers periodic "Free Unique Content" for readers to adapt for use on their own web sites... and Scott has plans to add even more helpful tools and resources in the future.

I am pleased to recommend Scott Griffes' TrendDomaining.com Blog to you. Visit his site, get acquainted, share some comments (he loves reader feedback), and enjoy one of the best bargains available for your continuing domainer education!

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A personal note to readers: An unexpected emergency room visit, followed immediately by a 2-night stay at the hospital, delayed my efforts to complete writing and publishing this site review when I had originally planned. I hope you feel it was worth waiting for!... And, I am okay, finally feeling better rested and able to complete getting my thoughts written.

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I hope you find this site review to be helpful! Your comments are welcome!

-- Neal

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

2008-07-31T11:42:00.001-04:00

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

2008-07-30T11:00:00.014-04:00

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

2008-07-29T11:32:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-28T12:23:00.000-04:00

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

"The Domain Game" Has The Potential To Influence And Ignite The Next Generation Of Leaders...

2008-06-27T15:36:00.008-04:00

Following-up on Fractional Domaining Blog's 4-part interview this week with David Kesmodel, author of "The Domain Game", here is my personal review of this important book that I believe has the potential to influence and ignite the next generation of Internet and business leaders...

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Many of us have a valid excuse why we missed an early wave of opportunity to invest – or invest more heavily – in Internet domain names. We may have had no idea what was happening and what we were missing out on, or we may have had a clue but could not quite grasp how to get a handle on it. With David Kesmodel’s “The Domain Game” now available, though, there are few excuses to sit on the sidelines anymore!

Some books focus on one industry but are really about so much more. They are about people, about business, about life. They are about how one’s perspective, creative thinking, actions, and persistence can make a difference in his or her success. “The Domain Game” is one such book, and I highly recommend it both as an insightful view into the world of domaining and as an interesting and enlightening story that is worth reading whether you know what a domain name is or not.

Kesmodel, a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal’s Chicago bureau who formerly worked as technology reporter for the Journal’s online edition, expertly weaves Internet domain name industry facts and history into the context of events, sharing the true stories of successful domainers. He tells how individuals of varied educational and work backgrounds found success through foresight, smart thinking, and/or aggressive pursuit of domain names that they acquired for prices as low as under $10 to many thousands of dollars.

But Kesmodel doesn’t stop there – he offers insights into opportunities that exist in domaining today, and he introduces readers to many key players and domain industry resources.

Readers who know nothing about Internet domain names beforehand will sooner or later realize that they could have hand-registered a couple of “.com” domain names for the price of the book... and know that buying the book first was a good investment because it can help them make smarter decisions.

That is not to say that you cannot have success in the world of domaining without reading Kesmodel’s insightful historical look at the evolution of the domain name industry – far from it, because readers will see that many successful domainers over the past 15 years or so have done phenomenally well without Kesmodel’s near 20-20 hindsight.

With over 500 Internet domain names in my own “portfolio”, I am by no means a newbie to the world of Internet domain names and have had some modest successes as a domain buyer, developer, and seller... From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that names purchased for tens or hundreds of dollars can sell for thousands if you find the right buyer... I am aware enough about the domain industry to have become a geo domainer, a domain developer, a domain name reseller, the author of a blog about Fractional Domaining, and an active participant in domain industry social networks. Looking back, though, I sure wish I had the knowledge contained within “The Domain Game” years ago when I and so many others were learning on our own and guessing what we should do when opportunities were great and the very best ways to success were not always as clear as they could have been.

The good news is opportunities in domaining still abound, and Kesmodel provides insight, perspective, and direction that can benefit newbies through experienced domainers.

The knowledge you will gain from “The Domain Game” will be invaluable in framing your approach and mindset about domain names and domain name investing. Warning: You may catch yourself beginning to think of concepts, places, and things in terms of domain names! (But that could be a good thing!)

If reading “The Domain Game” generates one idea for you or gets you thinking differently about how you approach things or what you are currently doing, then its value far exceeds the price of the book.

Also, because of the relatively low price of domain names, it is easy to apply the knowledge gained from “The Domain Game” in your personal life. And while it may be possible, you do not have to achieve the astronomical successes of some of the individuals mentioned in “The Domain Game” to have success as a domain name investor yourself.

Are there risks involved with investing in domain names? Absolutely! And to his credit, in Chapter Nine when Kesmodel talks about “The Future”, he is upfront about what some of those risks are. He is also clear in stating that the domain market has changed over the years and some opportunities are different now than they were previously.

“The Domain Game” has the potential to influence and ignite the next generation of Internet and business leaders. Every self-learner and every business school should make “The Domain Game” required reading because it chronicles one of the most important business evolutions of our time and tells how readers can get involved.

The sequel to “The Domain Game” will be played out in real life whether Kesmodel pens its history or not (and I hope he does)... What will the topics be next time? Geo Domaining? Fractional Domaining? Cluster Domaining? Domain Exchanges? Something else?... Who will the main players be? Will YOU be one of the players? That’s a question only you can decide by your actions!

But that’s jumping ahead... Read this book, and enjoy the story!

My recommendation... Buy the book. You’ll want to keep “The Domain Game” handy as a reference that you can read and refer to again and again.

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I hope you find this book review to be helpful! Your comments are welcome!

-- Neal

Part 4 of 4: Extra Insights From The Author Of "The Domain Game"

2008-06-26T09:30:00.004-04:00

Today we conclude Fractional Domaining Blog's 4-part interview with David Kesmodel, author of "The Domain Game", with discussions about notable trends in domaining since the book manuscript was written; additional resources Kesmodel plans to offer; feedback the author has received so far and whether another book is planned; whether writing this important book about the domain industry and many of its key players was worth Kesmodel's time investment and why; and additional thoughts from the author.

Don't forget to join me at FractionalDomainingBlog.com tomorrow for my personal review of "The Domain Game"!

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Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q16: Are there any notable trends in domaining that you have observed since your manuscript was finalized that you think your readers may find of interest?

David Kesmodel:

A16: A big one is that it appears Google and other pay-per-click networks are changing their policies to make sure advertisers are getting high-quality traffic. And that appears to be making it tougher for domain investors with average or subpar domains to generate revenue from pay-per-click ads displayed on their site. So domain investors need to do more work to produce cash flow. It looks like cost-per-action (CPA) models could become increasingly important to domainers, and they should be doing some homework on opportunities in this popular branch of affiliate marketing.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q17: You have a "Resources" page at your book's web site. Are you planning to offer any other resources or interactive features of your own for your readers?

David Kesmodel:

A17: I am. I eventually plan to provide some information on how the domain market evolved, so that someone new to the space who wants to do some quick research to understand what happened in the past can do that. Understanding history in this market is important to understanding the future, I believe. I am also thinking of offering a tool to allow people to give me feedback about the book.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q18: Since May 2007, you have been a staff reporter in the Wall Street Journal's Chicago bureau, where you cover the beer and grocery industries... Do you currently have plans for any additional books about domaining?

David Kesmodel:

A18: Not at the present time. But I will continue to keep an eye on the market.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q19: What has the feedback been about "The Domain Game" so far? (Positives and Negatives)

David Kesmodel:

A19: So far, it has been mostly positive. Frankly, though, I don't think a lot of people have yet had a chance to read it. There were some glitches with Xlibris.com, though now they've been resolved. The book soon will be available to international readers through a service in London, so that will get the book in more folks' hands. But the few who've read it and commented say they've enjoyed the book, especially how stories about people who took risks are woven into the narrative about the domain market's history. Even my 61-year-old mother, who doesn't use computers at all, is reading the book and says she's fascinating by the stories of fearless domainers. Sure, I admit she's biased, but I just expected her to skim the darn thing. Maybe she'll soon be on SnapNames going for drops.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q20: Was writing "The Domain Game" worth your time investment? Why?

David Kesmodel:

A20: Absolutely. I had a blast facing up to the challenge of quickly researching and writing a book on the domain market. I was given only six months to turn out the original manuscript, so I had to work feverishly to get it done. I enjoyed meeting that challenge. I also had a great time getting to know a number of domain investors. These are really interesting people, and we had provocative conversations that went outside domaining. My interviews with top domain investors and the time I spent alone in my office, writing and rewriting and rewriting again, will always evoke special memories for me. It was a tough time for my wife, but she is starting to forget the hard parts. I also remain confident that the book will be a modest financial success, which will make all that hard work even more worthwhile.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q21: Any additional thoughts you might wish to share?

David Kesmodel:

A21: I would just urge people to give the book a shot. It's only 209 pages. I truly believe people can learn things from this book, even if you have no intention of going into domain investing. There are some good Horatio Alger-type tales in there that anyone interested in business could learn from.

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

See you tomorrow with my personal review of "The Domain Game"!

-- Neal

Part 3 of 4: Extra Insights From The Author Of "The Domain Game"

2008-06-25T12:15:00.005-04:00

In Part 3 of Fractional Domaining Blog's 4-part interview with David Kesmodel, author of "The Domain Game", we continue with discussions about opportunities for profiting from domain names; how much the comparison of domain names to real estate has impacted the success of domainers; observations and thoughts about Fractional Domaining; and the emergence of new business models like domain exchanges...

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Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q12: What opportunities remain for individuals and businesses interested in profiting from domain names?

David Kesmodel:

A12: I tackle this in my last chapter, so I hope folks will read that for details on my thoughts on this. But I think there are some great opportunities in "local search" getting domains related to local business information, such as littlerockplumbers.com and names related to emerging industries or technology. You could even try to get a name of a small suburb that you think is going to eventually be a big community. Keep up with the news and be curious when you meet people at parties or on airplanes. You never know where you might get a great idea and find the relevant domain(s) has either never been registered, is for sale at a good price, or is in the hands of someone who would be a willing seller (and you can try to contact them via their information in the name's Whois).

Lots of domains expire all the time, so getting into the expired domain market is important and my book has lots of details on how this market evolved and works. In general, profiting from domains may now involve a lot more of the skills of being a trader. That means finding names at the lowest price you can find and then selling to the highest bidder you can find and that can take patience. You probably need to have a long-term outlook. Trading, of course, takes a strong stomach for risk. Still, good salesmanship and savvy investigation of cheap properties could pay off. There are domain traders that are doing well right now.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q13: How much has the comparison of domain names to real estate impacted the success of the domainers mentioned in "The Domain Game"? Does "virtual real estate" seem to be a good way to view domains?

David Kesmodel:

A13: It's a reasonably good comparison, and I do think the analogy benefited some of the most successful domain investors. One point of caution, though, which I highlight in the book, is that the domain market is not nearly as liquid, generally speaking, as the real estate market. It can take a long time to find buyers for certain domains especially at a desirable price for the seller. Then again, the American real estate market has its own problems right now and isn't as liquid as it usually is!

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q14: Based upon your research for your book, what role has Fractional Domaining (buying or selling of fractional interests in domains) played in "The Domain Game" to date? Have you noticed any trends involving Fractional Domain Ownership?

David Kesmodel:

A14: I think this is a pretty new area, although you can even go back to the 1990s and find some people jointly owning domains. It seems that the three sellers of wallstreet.com, one of the first million-dollar domain transactions, were essentially fractional owners. I think fractional ownership is going to become more common as the prices of high-caliber names rise. It is definitely getting a lot more expensive to own high-trafficked generic domains.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q15: Fusu.com bills itself as the world's first "Domains Stock Exchange", facilitating transactions involving the selling and buying of fractional interests in domain names. How prominently do you think this "stock" model might stand in a sequel to "The Domain Game"?

David Kesmodel:

A15: I think there's the potential for some more books on this industry as these new business models take shape and more and more people get involved in the market. As the market becomes more liquid through such domain exchanges, you could see some new domain-investing superstars emerge. That will make for good copy for writers. You'll also see more how-to books on the market.

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Don't miss Part 4 of our interview on Thursday when Fractional Domaining Blog and David Kesmodel, author of "The Domain Game", discuss additional topics, including: notable trends in domaining since the book manuscript was written; additional resources Kesmodel plans to offer; feedback the author has received so far and whether another book is planned; whether writing this important book about the domain industry and many of its key players was worth Kesmodel's time investment and why; and additional thoughts from the author.

Join me all week as Fractional Domaining Blog continues with Part 4 of our interview, followed by my personal review of "The Domain Game"!

Thanks!
-- Neal

Part 2 of 4: Extra Insights From The Author Of "The Domain Game"

2008-06-24T11:30:00.005-04:00

In Part 2 of Fractional Domaining Blog's 4-part interview with David Kesmodel, author of "The Domain Game", Kesmodel discusses a wide range of topics, including: how he researched his book and how forthcoming domainers were; what surprised him as he learned more about the domain industry; who a 'typical domainer' is; how media coverage of the domain name industry has evolved; how important Geo Domains have been to the growth of the industry; and whether it's too late and all the great opportunities are gone...

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Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q6: How did you conduct research for "The Domain Game"? How cooperative and forthcoming were the domainers you contacted?

David Kesmodel:

A6: I interviewed as many people as I could, read a lot of old newspaper articles and books, and dug through UDRP cases, SEC filings, federal lawsuits and other public records. My abiding fear – really the fear of any non-fiction author doing his or her conscious best – was that I would screw something up and be the laughingstock of domainers and the publishing world. I didn’t want to be on Oprah for my big interview on domains and have her tear me apart for failing to understand that, you know, ICANN is based in Marina Del Rey, California, not Bakersfield. Some domainers were really cooperative. Others were, frankly, uncooperative. Others were in the middle. One problem is people are awfully busy these days, so they didn’t have a lot of time to gab with me. Another is, I think, people were terrified about what I would write.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q7: Was there anything that surprised you as you learned more about the domain industry? What and why?

David Kesmodel:

A7: Probably the biggest surprise for me was how critical “the drop” has been not just to people who got into domains in this decade, but for those who got into it in the mid-to-late nineties. It’s pretty amazing to think about how many of the world’s most successful domainers got domains pretty cheaply that someone else had owned and had let go on purpose or by accident. One person’s trash is another’s treasure, right? That’s what happened in this market in many cases. I just think that’s really fascinating and made the book a lot of fun to write. The other surprising thing was how some of these big companies in the space made some poor decisions about what domains to own. One example is iREIT, this powerhouse with financial backing from Perot Investments and Maveron LLC, that owned a bunch of names that resembled corporate trademarks of big companies. They have since cleaned things up, but it was shocking to me at the time.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q8: Based upon your research and experience, who is a typical domainer?

David Kesmodel:

A8: I like this question, because I tried to address it in the book. Domainers all have their own traits, of course. But they often share many of the same qualities. They tend to be independent-minded, have a tolerance for risk (some have an incredibly high level), are skeptical of the corporate world, like to work for themselves, have a strong drive to succeed so they don’t have to work for someone else, are incredibly curious, and – a big thread through my book – they are willing to sacrifice sleep and exist on stuff like very strong coffee. I think John Berryhill, the lawyer who represents many domainers, made a really poignant observation when he said the following. I quoted it in the introduction: “One of the reasons I love this crowd so much is these are all the wrong kind of people. These are not the people who went to the right schools, who had the right social connections.”

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q9: David, it is mentioned on your web site that a news release about a $1 million domain sale in 2005 caught your attention. Was the business media unaware of what was happening in the domain name industry prior to then? Have you noticed any difference in the reporting of news about the domain name industry since that time?

David Kesmodel:

A9: Up until that point, few reporters in mainstream media had recognized that a new boom in domain names was under way. Many of us, and I include myself in this, were familiar with the big sales of the 1990s, like Marc Ostrofsky selling business.com for $7.5 million, so we understood that domains could be really lucrative investments. But we weren’t aware that, post-dot-com-bust, paid-search advertising had created this enormous new business opportunity for domain investors. Basically ever since Paul Sloan wrote his groundbreaking piece in Business 2.0 on the market, and I and a few others wrote articles here and there, there has been fairly extensive media coverage. A lot of tech and business reporters get what’s happening. Still, one of the things that drove me to write a book was that I felt many of the articles failed to cover the nuances of this market. Frankly, it’s hard to explain the complexity and intrigue behind this market in a 1,000-word article. And, sadly, you still have newspaper types who think domain investors are all cybersquatters.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q10: How important have Geo Domains been to the growth of the domain name industry?

David Kesmodel:

A10: I think they’ve been really important. Think of it this way: The biggest single financial move in this market that I’m aware of was when Marchex Inc. bought Yun Ye’s slate of about 100,000 names for $164 million. His list included some great geo domains like LasVegasVacations.com. And Marchex has invested in tens of thousands of other geo domains. That’s clearly fed the growth of the industry. Then there are companies like Castello Cities developing all sorts of city-oriented sites. And I argue in my book that locally oriented domains are an important new opportunity as people increasingly go online to find local services and travel information rather than flipping through those hefty phonebooks.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q11: Are all the great opportunities in Internet domain ownership gone? Is it too late for those individuals and businesses who are not in "The Domain Game" yet?

David Kesmodel:

A11: No, it’s not. I could go on and on about this. But here’s a key point. People often say well, aren’t all the good domain names taken? What they don’t realize is there’s a vibrant secondary market for domains, just like real estate and bonds and other securities are sold in secondary markets. So, yes, while you’re not going to go to Go Daddy and register shoes.com for $10, you just might be able to negotiate with the name's owner to purchase a domain you really desire. Or you can go on one of the many domain marketplaces and try to buy a name for what you think is a good price. You need to do your homework to make sure you are getting a good deal, but there are deals out there and an opportunity to either develop the name and reap substantial cash flow or flip it. Whenever a marketplace exists, where goods are bought and sold, there are opportunities for profit. Sure, there will be winners and losers in this, but that’s capitalism. One caveat – domains are not nearly as liquid as other investments. Another point: the World Wide Web is still pretty young – not 20 years old yet. And domain names have only been around since the early 1980s. So a lot of things are going to happen online in the coming years that will affect the value of domains.

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Don't miss Part 3 of our interview on Wednesday when Fractional Domaining Blog and David Kesmodel, author of "The Domain Game", discuss additional topics, including: opportunities for profiting from domain names; how much the comparison of domain names to real estate has impacted the success of domainers; observations and thoughts about Fractional Domaining; and the emergence of new business models like domain exchanges.

Join me all week as Fractional Domaining Blog continues with Parts 3 and 4 of our interview, followed by my personal review of "The Domain Game"!

Thanks!
-- Neal

Part 1 of 4: Extra Insights From The Author Of "The Domain Game"

2008-06-23T14:08:00.011-04:00

Fractional Domaining Blog was fortunate to glean extra insights about domaining from an individual whose perspective as a researcher and chronicler of domain name industry history gives him a unique view -- David Kesmodel, author of "The Domain Game".

In Part 1 of our 4-part interview, David explains who he wrote the book for and why; discusses what makes domain names such a compelling subject; tells who really "gets it" about domaining and who doesn't; and explains the main benefits of his book for readers...

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Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q1: In his Domain Tools Blog, Jay Westerdal has called your book, "The Domain Game", "hands down the best Tutorial/Introduction on the domain space I have seen"... David, that's quite a compliment! Is the book for newbies to domain names, or will experienced domainers find value in the book as well? Why?

David Kesmodel:

A1: It’s really for both. What I set out to do is tell the history of the domain market and explain who some top domain investors are and how they became successful. I believe experienced domainers will benefit from reading some never-before-reported information about individual domainers as well as big investors in the space. I believe newbies will benefit from understanding how this marketplace grew up and from reading about the strategies of some of the pros. And the last chapter is dedicated to providing tips and observations about the ways newbies should approach the market.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q2: Before you started writing the book, you were a technology reporter for the Wall Street Journal's online edition... What made you decide to write a book about Domaining?

David Kesmodel:

A2: I wrote a couple of articles about the domain market and how it was really booming again thanks to pay-per-click advertising. While interviewing domain investors for those stories, I became intrigued with these people. I felt like there were some really interesting characters in the domain market entrepreneurial types and other risk-taking types who would make for an interesting book. A phone call with Michael Berkens, a Florida domainer, prompted me to start writing a book proposal. We were talking and he was telling me about his life paying attention to the drop everyday, skipping vacations and such, and I was like, “Damn, someone needs to tell the story of these guys (and gals)”.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q3: What is it about domain names that makes them such a compelling subject?

David Kesmodel:

A3: I think it’s the fact that they are an investment opportunity with just an amazing range of prospects. I mean, you can buy a name that no one has heard of today, but perhaps an industry will emerge five years later that uses that name, and bam, you have struck gold. Or you might buy 100 names you think are pretty solid and, well, no one visits those sites and you’ve got a money-loser. Domain names are like other investments in some ways art, rare coins, real estate, of course – but they have their own unique set of properties that make them really fascinating. One, simply, is you can revamp a domain almost any hour if you wanted to. These things are so malleable that if something fails, you can try a new approach and you just might have a site that draws a lot of traffic. But overall, the most compelling thing to me is that anybody can do this – anybody can try it. You don’t need to have a computer science degree or an MBA. Many successful domain investors never finished college. Some didn’t even finish high school.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q4: Who really "gets it" (understands) about Domaining? Are there any groups that don't seem to "get it" yet? Why?

David Kesmodel:

A4: I think the only people that really understand domaining and by that, I mean the business of regularly investing in domains are those who do it, the ad networks, and people like me who are on the sidelines observing and remarking on this activity. I don’t think a lot of people in corporate America really get domaining, per se. They do understand the value of domain names, though. Maybe they don’t appreciate it as much as domainers would like, but in many ways that is to domainers’ advantage. I’ll add this: I don’t think the publishing world gets how interesting this space is. That’s a personal view from a guy whose publisher canceled his book contract because of concerns about sales potential.

Neal R. Voron, of Fractional Domaining Blog:

Q5: What are the main benefits readers will receive from reading "The Domain Game"?

David Kesmodel:

A5: My hope is that they will, first, enjoy the story behind this group of dreamers, wildcatters and misfits who’ve gotten wealthy from domaining. I really tried to write this book in a way that people would get hooked on the personal stories behind successful domain investors. Secondly, I hope they will understand how this market came to be. I don’t think many newbies would understand, for instance, how crucial the evolution of drop catching was to this market. And I doubt many have heard of companies like Oingo/Applied Semantics and GoTo.com, which were really important to how this crazy market grew up. Finally, I hope they will benefit from learning how people like Scott Day, Garry Chernoff, Frank Schilling and Rick Schwartz approached this market. If these guys struck gold, don’t you think their strategies might be worth paying attention to?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Don't miss Part 2 of our interview on Tuesday when Fractional Domaining Blog and David Kesmodel, author of "The Domain Game", discuss a wide range of topics, including: how he researched his book and how forthcoming domainers were; what surprised him as he learned more about the domain industry; who a 'typical domainer' is; how media coverage of the domain name industry has evolved; how important Geo Domains have been to the growth of the industry; and whether it's too late and all the great opportunities are gone.

Join me all week as Fractional Domaining Blog continues with Parts 2, 3, and 4 of our interview, followed by my personal review of "The Domain Game"!

Thanks!
-- Neal

Opportunities To Discuss Fractional Domaining...

2008-06-18T11:47:00.003-04:00

Domainers are invited to join in discussions about Fractional Domaining...

Topics posted at the Fractional Domaining Group at SynergyDomainClub.com include:

Have You Sold Or Purchased A Fractional Interest In A Domain At Fusu.com Yet?
FRACTIONAL SYNERGIES: 'Fractional Domaining' + 'Affiliate Programs'

Topics posted at the Fractional GeoDomaining Group at GeoDomainer.com include:

What's Your Interest In Fractional GeoDomaining?
What Would The Ideal Fractional GeoDomain Ownership Team Look Like?
Would 'America.com' Make An Attractive Fractional GeoDomain?

Feel free to visit SynergyDomainClub.com and GeoDomainer.com! Your comments are welcome!

Will A Group Of Fractional GeoDomainers Emerge With America.com?

2008-05-28T12:43:00.004-04:00

It is going to be interesting to see what happens with the auction of America.com when it concludes tomorrow, May 29th, at GreatDomains.com. As of 1:30 p.m. Eastern time today, with 1 day and 30 minutes remaining in the auction, 8 bids had been posted, with the high bid of US$1,050,000 not having met the reserve price. Will the domain sell, and, if so, who will the buyer(s) be? Will the buyer be an individual, a company, or perhaps a group of Fractional GeoDomainers?

As a potential umbrella URL for many geographical subdivisions and a myriad of other topics and keywords, America.com could certainly be attractive to a group of investors who come together to make each investor's contribution more palatable. For example, fifty Fractional Domainers contributing $30,000 each would enable a bid of $1.5 million. Assembling such a group would not necessarily be easy, and who knows how high a successful bid would need to be... but the Fractional Domaining possibilities for America.com are certainly intriguing!

A Tribute 'For The Heroes'...

2008-05-26T13:11:00.004-04:00

For Memorial Day, with gratitude and in honor of the men and women who gave their lives in support of freedom and peace, Fractional Domaining Blog would like to share a truly special tribute song written several years ago by my friend and RyKy Records co-founder Joseph F.M. Pokorny...

"For The Heroes"

By Joseph F.M. Pokorny

http://www.ForTheHeroes.com

This song is For The Heroes.
For all the unsung heroes.
For those who put their lives on the line,
Regardless the cost,
No matter place or time.

Like angels, they are watching.
Their memory lives forever.
Their courage gives us strength to go on.
Their love is a song in my heart!

Now, we must do our part
And carry the flame of hope!
Yes, we must light the way,
Fulfill their dream!

This song is For The Heroes.
For all the unsung heroes.
Each one has made the Great Sacrifice,
Regardless the price,
They strove for lasting peace.

Like angels, they are watching.
They're there, beside us, always.
Their courage gives us strength to go on.
Their love is a song in my heart!

Interest In Fusu.com Spurring Important Questions...

2008-05-12T16:33:00.004-04:00

The Fusu.com "Domain Stock Exchange" model for Fractional Domaining is certainly attracting some attention and interest in the domaining community -- and that interest is spurring some important questions that are being posed publicly.

The questions raised in a blog posting today on TheDomains.com titled "Selling & Buying Domain Interests on FUSU.com: Is it Legal????" center on whether domain interests being sold through Fusu.com are securities under U.S. federal or state laws. The blog posting also includes discussion on various legal issues. If you have any interest at all in Fractional Domaining, READ IT. While the posting discusses Fusu.com specifically, it also touches topics that would apply to other Fractional Domaining models and relationships as well, such as accountability, fiduciary responsibility, protection of shareholders, etc.

The well-written post (sorry I do not yet know the author's name) has quickly received many comments from readers. To me, this indicates there is a lot of interest in both Fusu's model and Fractional Domaining -- and I take it as a positive sign that important, constructive questions are being posed...

How Fusu.com handles the questions and addresses any legal or logistical concerns that may affect its model will greatly influence future participation and the company's ultimate success. I do believe it has been unanswered questions like those raised in the blog posting today that have caused potential participants to stay on the sidelines. I know that is the case with me personally because I would want all parties involved in a fractional domaining relationship with me to be fully comfortable with the integrity of the deal -- and I myself have questions about the Fusu model and terms that I would need to have sufficiently addressed before I list any of my domains.

So, thanks to TheDomains.com for posing some important questions. I hope Fusu.com views the questions as expressions of true interest and as invitations to educate and satisfy their potential customers in order to "close the sale".

'Fractional GeoDomaining' Group Formed at GeoDomainer.com

2008-05-04T02:31:00.002-04:00

Whatever happens in the world of Fractional Domaining will surely have implications for GeoDomainers -- and there could even be ways that fractional ownership of domains may uniquely impact geodomaining.

That is why I felt it was important to create a "Fractional GeoDomaining" Group at the new GeoDomainer.com Social Network community just launched by Steve Morales of SimplyGeo. If GeoDomains and/or Fractional Domaining interest you, then consider joining this great new free resource!

In case you are not familiar with the concepts of Fractional Domaining (or Fractional "GeoDomaining" as it applies to the GeoDomain Industry)...

Fractional GeoDomaining can enable geodomainers to gain liquidity by selling fractional percentages of a geodomain or domains or to gain fractional interests in other owners' geodomains through purchases of fractional percentages. Not only that, but Fractional GeoDomaining could enable participants to interact and synergize with other fractional geodomain owners who have a vested interest in the success of jointly-owned domains.

'Fractional Domaining' Group Formed at Synergy Domain Club

2008-04-29T09:48:00.004-04:00

I joined Randy Charach's new Synergy Domain Club (a free-to-join Domainers' Social Network) the other day and just started a "Fractional Domaining" Group there, so I invite all domainers interested in interactive discussions about aspects of Fractional Domaining to join our group!

BTW, other groups formed already include "Geopreneurs" and "Marketing and Monetizing". Since the Synergy Domain Club was just launched 2 weeks ago, now is a great time to be an earlybird and make some domainer friends, perhaps even starting a domaining-related group of your own.

In an industry where networking and relationships can prove valuable, this is a great opportunity to connect with others and perhaps build some life-long friendships.

Take a look at SynergyDomainClub.com. I look forward to "meeting" you there!

How Could Fractional Domaining Impact YOU?

2008-04-22T14:56:00.002-04:00

You won't have to be directly involved with Fractional Domaining for this trend to possibly impact you. If more and more domainers begin offering to sell shares of their domains and more and more investors buy-in, adding liquidity to the marketplace and funds for domain development, the growth of the Internet -- and your own domain holdings -- can be dramatically impacted... even if you stay on the sidelines!

The biggest questions, I guess, involve whether you will be one of the major gainers as a result? Or, could your competitors' gains negatively impact you? Do you need liquidity, and would selling fractional interests in your domain(s) help?

Should you explore Fractional Domaining further and get actively involved as a buyer or a seller, or should you "stay on the sidelines" and just watch and accept whatever happens?

I have brainstormed some questions you may wish to ponder now...

How will Fractional Domaining Impact Your Site Traffic?

Will Fractional Domaining Increase Or Decrease The Value Of Your Domain Portfolio?

What Could Fractional Domaining Do For Your Liquidity?

What Could Fractional Domaining Do To Help You Spread Your Risk?

Would You Be Willing To 'Buy A Fractional Percentage' Of Others' Premium Domains?

Would You Be Willing To 'Sell A Fractional Percentage' Of One Or More Of Your Premium Domains?

Would Fractional Domaining Hasten Or Slow Your Chances For Domaining Success?

Will Fractional Domaining Affect You And Your Business Even If You Don't Personally Get Involved?

Your comments are welcome!

I'm Looking For A Top-Notch 'Fractional Domain Lawyer'...

2008-04-18T16:58:00.001-04:00

Some smart entrepreneurial lawyer who specializes in domain name law, intellectual property law, and/or contract law is going to see a potentially-lucrative opportunity in focusing on the niche of legal issues involved with Fractional Domaining... and that's an individual I am interested in starting a dialogue with to discuss possibilities!

For the right person, this could be an opportunity to build a personal business brand as "THE Fractional Domain Lawyer" and to pursue some Fractional Domaining-related projects with me for mutual benefit.

I personally believe that clarifying legal issues and facilitating transactions involving Fractional Domaining are major areas that need to be addressed to enable faster and more substantial growth in this realm of domaining. A lawyer, or lawyers, who effectively identity and help resolve the issues could make a great impact not only upon how fractional relationships evolve, but upon how the Internet itself evolves as a result.

Interested individuals should contact me directly at nvoron (at) voron.com.

Is 'Fractional Domaining' In Your Vocabulary Yet?

2008-03-27T17:00:00.003-04:00

If the term "Fractional Domaining" is not in your vocabulary yet, consider adding it now, as we are all going to be hearing about it a lot more in the weeks, months, and years ahead! I have been using "Fractional Domaining" on my blog since November as a general term to define and describe the practice of buying, selling, owning, developing, and/or monetizing fractional domains... and I am now starting to see the term used elsewhere.

Steve Morales of SimplyGeo.com used the term in a blog posting yesterday in which he spoke of "Big Announcements To Come". "Fractional domaining is something that has started to evolve and alot of major media groups are willing to partner with the right name," Steve wrote. Might the "big announcements" he mentioned involve fractional domaining in the geodomain industry? That's my guess, but if I am wrong, I do not think it will be long before we hear more about "GeoFractional Domaining" -- or should I say, "Fractional GeoDomaining" ? (BTW, I have not met Steve yet, but I have been superbly impressed by his efforts to support the GeoDomaining industry through his and Skip Hoagland's development of the SimplyGeo network... Steve's blog is a "must-read" for domainers.)

I am going to continue to be on the lookout for references made to "fractional domaining", "fractional domainers", and other terms relevant to the fractional domaining industry. If you notice any mentions, please comment and share the URL(s). Thanks!

Milestone Fusu Domain Sale Brings Return To KPY.com Fractional Domain Investors

2008-03-24T03:13:00.002-04:00

Fractional domain investors in the domain KPY.com earned returns of about 55% to 80% on their investments when the premium three-letter name became Fusu.com's first fractionally-owned domain to be sold after having been listed and fractionally purchased via its Fusu Domain Stock Exchange.

Fusu.com Founder Tobias Ratschiller informed Fractional Domaining Blog that KPY.com sold for $9,000 on Saturday. The sale price is significantly more than the $5,000 the name was originally listed for during Fusu's public Beta cycle and the $5,800 it had risen to in trading. Fourteen investors had bought 45% of the domain. Nine of the 14 had owned less than 150 shares. They share in the proceeds of the sale. (For more details, visit Fusu at http://www.fusu.com/blog/fusu/first-domain-sold-fusu.)

This blogger's thoughts on the deal?... While the dollar amounts each fractional domain investor received are not huge, the percentage returns in such a short period of time are impressive! This sale demonstrates the Fusu Exchange model can work, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves as more domains and more investors get involved with larger amounts of money invested.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T17:13:00.003-04:00

Fractional Domaining and holiday-related domains would make an interesting topic -- for another day... Today, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter holiday. And, to celebrate the holiday, on behalf of my music label, RyKy Records, and songwriter/musician Joseph F.M. Pokorny, I invite you to enjoy listening to six songs from Joe's Easter Songbook at EasterFunSites.com.

The site provides free access to the lyrics and complete songs for: With This Candle, The Right To Live Life, Too Soon Forgotten, Let There Be Light, Faith Can Move Mountains, and A Brand New Day. I have also compiled some fun Easter resources in a .pdf ebook you are welcome to download from http://www.LyricSongbooks.com/EasterFunSites.pdf.

Happy Easter!

An Irish Blessing...

2008-03-17T13:59:00.007-04:00

While some members of the domaining community may be familiar with me as a result of my domain development activities since 1996 or, more recently, via the Fractional Domaining Blog, many of you may not be as familiar with my RyKy Records music label which features the music of my friend, songwriter/composer Joseph F.M. Pokorny.

Joe has written and composed over 860 songs and nearly 20 musicals and cantatas. He has written powerful songs like the tribute, For The Heroes; the peace/love song, When; the thought-provoking, Save The Earth; and too many others to list here. He has put my lyrics for We Thought She'd Live Forever to music and included the song at a climactic point in his Wind Dance Musical, and he has even created The Obstacle Course Musical, based upon my self-help/inspirational novel, The Obstacle Course!

I mention this because collaborating with Joe to help make his music available to the world has been one of the great joys of my life. I feel blessed to have his friendship and the privilege of working with him towards "Making A Difference With Music (tm)".

This experience of creative synergy is also one of the driving factors of my interest in Fractional Domaining. I want to collaborate with others for mutual benefit, and I believe Fractional Domaining is a way to do it!

I will provide a fuller introduction to myself and my interests soon... In the meantime, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I invite you to enjoy the beautiful An Irish Blessing and other songs from Joe at StPatricksDayFun.com. I have also compiled some fun St. Patrick's Day resources in a .pdf ebook you are welcome to download from http://www.LyricSongbooks.com/StPatricksDayFun.pdf. Take a listen and a look, and please pass along the links to your friends!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Publicity Opportunities For Fractional Domainers And Wannabes…

2008-03-03T10:29:00.003-05:00

As the world of Fractional Domaining evolves, I am looking to chronicle it and to help facilitate its growth. Feel free to contact me directly with relevant news at nvoron (at) voron.com (include "Fractional Domaining" in the subject line).

Also, I am looking to feature some current Fractional Domainers and Fractional Domainer wannabes on upcoming web sites… so now is a good time to identify yourself to me for a potential opportunity to tell the world what you are up to and/or what your Fractional Domaining ambitions are.

Are you looking to buy into a Fractional Domain Ownership Group or sell all or part of one or more domains to Fractional Domainers? Have you gotten involved with Fractional Domaining via Fusu.com or some other way? Is there a message regarding Fractional Domaining that you are looking to communicate to the Fractional Domain community? Let me know!

A Fractional Domaining Opportunity In Albuquerque?

2008-02-25T15:45:00.004-05:00

As someone who years ago worked for a community newspaper for several years, and as an individual who appreciates the many positive contributions newspapers make to society, it saddens me when I learn that a newspaper like the afternoon daily Albuquerque Tribune has printed its last issue.

Albuquerque, New Mexico now has only one major daily newspaper and a huge void in the space the Tribune filled in reaching out with news, features, and advertising content to its daily circulation of 9,600. Lack of competition usually does not help promote greater opportunities for wide expression of opinions, better coverage of news, and lower advertising rates.

E.W. Scripps, the Tribune's parent company, has been seeking a buyer for the newspaper's remnants, including the Tribune's web site (ABQTrib.com) and archives. (Note: According to Alexa.com, the web site has 1,685 sites that link to it.)

It is sad that many columnists, reporters, and others who have developed a loyal readership base over the years will now be silenced -- at least in the print medium to which the readers were accustomed. I wonder how they would fare online under a "Tribune" umbrella?

Does this seem like an opportunity for a Fractional Domain Ownership group -- maybe including some former employees -- to form and "revive" the Albuquerque Tribune as perhaps a "web-only" news site/local portal to serve Albuquerque?

To the right group, the domain name and archives could be a worthwhile investment.

We'll see what happens.

Fusu's Historic Launch: Fractional Domainers Buying eel.com, Other Domains

2008-02-25T14:12:00.007-05:00

Well, the official launch of Fusu, the world's first domain stock exchange, was announced on February 19th, 2008 at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. WEST Domain Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, marking a historic event in the domain industry and in the emergence of Fractional Domaining as a possible route to liquidity for domain owners and as an investment option for individuals and businesses.

If the Initial Domain Offering (IDO) of the domain "eel.com" (initial value = $250,000) is an indication, interest in obtaining fractional interests of premium generic domain names may be high. According to a Fusu news release on Saturday, the eel.com IDO -- available until tomorrow, February 26th -- was already 80% subscribed.

The participation of domain industry leaders David and Michael Castello of Castello Cities Internet Network, owners of eel.com, in the first Fusu IDO certainly demonstrates their support of the fractional domaining concept and lends credibility to the Fusu exchange model.

More details about the Fusu IDO process are available at: https://www.fusu.com/node/172

Other domains currently up for auction via Fusu IDO's are: Warning.com (ends tomorrow, 2-26), Flowers.mobi, owned by "Domain King" Rick Schwartz (ends Wednesday, 2-27), and rvx.com (ends Friday, 2-29).

If you are interested in learning more and/or being a part -- and grabbing a piece -- of history, then NOW is the time to visit Fusu.com!

And, if you get involved and become a fractional domain owner via one or more of the Fusu IDO auctions, please share your comments about your involvement and the process here! Thanks!

The World's First Domain Stock Exchange Announces Public Beta

2008-01-26T05:12:00.000-05:00

Fusu, which bills itself as the world's first Domain Stock Exchange, today announced the launch of its Public Beta. (Read the complete news release here.)

The site uses a stock exchange model to allow participants to get liquidity from their domain assets. Through Fusu, owners of a premium domain can offer a fractional percentage of the domain to the market via an "Initial Domain Offering" and get money from it. Shareholders, in return, get their share of future sales or advertising revenues generated by the domain name -- and they can trade shares, too, just like on any other stock exchange.

On Fusu's web site, they outline 4 major components of their mission:

1. operate the world's largest and most liquid domain secondary market,
2. open the domain secondary market to shareholders,
3. provide means to get liquidity for domain owners, without giving up
control of their domain, and
4. add transparency to the domain aftermarket.

This is a potentially HUGE undertaking that could dramatically change the dynamics of domain ownership! First, though, domain owners and investors will need to get familiar with this new investment model.

...Learn more at http://www.fusu.com, and come back and share your thoughts!

Oprah.com Heralding A New Era In Fractional Domaining?

2008-01-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's announcement by Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications that they will create OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network in 2009 on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel is big news in many ways and could have a greater impact upon the Internet than perhaps anyone imagines today.

OWN will undoubtedly make a big mark in the broadcast industry, as two major media companies collaborate on a joint venture that will debut in more than 70 million homes. It will be interesting to observe how this pairing affects the Internet...

While the October purchase of Cowboys.com by a group of investors led by Eric Rice drew attention to the concept of Fractional Domain Ownership; Sahar Sarid shared his vision of Fractional Domain Ownership as a new industry; and sites like my Fractional Domaining Blog recently emerged; in my view the creation of The Oprah Winfrey Network may someday be seen as a milestone event that heralds a new era of activity in Fractional Domaining.

That's because the new multi-platform media venture, The Oprah Winfrey Network, LLC, an independent company, will include Oprah.com (more than 6 million unique visitors per month, according to their news release) and be owned 50/50 by Oprah's Harpo Productions and Discovery Communications.

Frankly, the idea of a domain like Oprah.com having been available as a fractional domain acquisition (albeit part of a bigger, much more comprehensive deal) was beyond my radar. Not anymore... and I believe other businesses will begin noticing -- and acting upon -- Fractional Domaining opportunities that make sense for them, too.

How dramatically will the collaboration of Oprah and Discovery Communications affect their online presences, reach, influence, and profitability? Fractional Domaining with strong partners can lead to great synergies, and I expect both companies will ultimately be pleased by significant online growth.

When I speculated in my December 11th post, "What Will The Next Big News Story Be In The Fractional Domain Industry?", I found the possibilities for events that influence Fractional Domaining to be exciting. If this Oprah Winfrey Network announcement is indeed the milestone I believe it may be, we are in for a very interesting year!

What do you think?

Fractional Domaining As A Liquidation Strategy?

2007-12-31T10:43:00.000-05:00

In a recent Conceptualist.com blog posting, Sahar Sarid asked, "How would you liquidate your domain portfolio if you needed to? What strategies would you use? And realistically speaking, if you were to decide to liquidate today and sell all within say 15-30 days, what do you think you would get in terms of % of the ideal price you would get in good times?"

In response, I commented that my strategy would be to seek out domain investors for a Fractional Domain Ownership arrangement:

"I would seek to identify some honorable and fair domain investors who have successful domain development and monetization track records, who see opportunity, who are able to seize it, and who are willing to build a long-term, mutually-beneficial relationship by engaging in a Fractional Domain Ownership arrangement.

Then, we would bargain for a “fractional” deal that makes all parties involved feel “whole”.

[BTW, with the “right” players, that’s a scenario I would be interested in entertaining anytime!]

…Potential for greater liquidity is one of the reasons why I think Fractional Domaining will interest more domainers in the months and years ahead."

You are welcome to read the rest of my response and other replies at Sahar's blog.

What Will The Next Big News Story Be In The Fractional Domain Industry?

2007-12-11T12:54:00.000-05:00

What is the next big news story going to be in the Fractional Domain Industry?

New 'players' in the domain industry due to Fractional Domaining?
The emergence of 'Super Fractional Domainers'?
New alliances spurred by Fractional Domaining?
The formation of more Fractional Domain Ownership groups?
More domains sold at auctions to groups of buyers?
Premium domains selling for higher prices due to Fractional Group purchases?
More -- and easier -- ways to sell Fractional Interests in domains?
New Fractional Domain marketplaces?
Greater opportunities for domain owners due to Fractional Domaining?
Business models evolving based upon purchases of only Fractions of domains?
Business models evolving based upon sales of only Fractions of domains?
Faster development of domains by Fractional Ownership Groups?
Increased valuation of domains due to development and improved monetization by Fractional Owners?
The emergence of new specialties, such as 'Fractional Domain Investing' and 'Fractional Domain Law'?

Something else -- or someone else? Will you be part of the next big news story in the Fractional Domain Industry?

Your comments are welcome!

A New Challenge: Deciding To Sell Your Domains Whole Or Fractionally

2007-12-04T11:36:00.000-05:00

It is interesting how once you start looking at things differently, that perspective begins to permeate your thinking... The idea of Fractional Domaining comes to my mind often now when I contemplate topics involving domain names, and it adds to the possibilities when trying to decide what to do with some of my domains. Actually, it can pose quite a challenge...

Just today, for instance, I learned that Moniker will be holding an online auction at the iDate Internet Dating Conference in Miami, Jan. 31 - Feb. 1, 2008. The deadline for submitting dating- and social networking-related domain names for consideration for inclusion in the auction is -- surprise -- today, so I quickly checked my domain portfolio for possible entries.

I found several that I felt I could offer:

OnlineDatingCenter.com

OnlineDatingPower.com

SocialNetworkingCenter.com

SpringWeek.com

Sweet16Central.com/SweetSixteenCentral.com

VideoSharingDirectory.com/Video-SharingDirectory.com

I contemplated submitting the names, even drafting an email to do so, and then I hesitated. "Should I sell the names entirely, or should I sell a fractional percentage of one or more of them?" I asked myself. Basically, the challenge is this: "Should I sell the 'cows' and be done with them, or should I sell fractional interests in them, get some upfront cash and still have opportunities to benefit from the 'milk'?" And if I sell fractional interests in them, how should the deals be arranged and structured? How do I assure that I find good partners?

Fractional Domaining is so relatively new that I and many other domainers have lots of questions about it. What is the best way for a potential seller to proceed? Currently, there are no ideal venues that I am aware of to assist with fractional domain transactions.

So, considering my interest in exploring and facilitating the world of Fractional Domaining, I have decided I am going to further contemplate and seek fractional possibilities for my dating- and social networking-related domains (and other domains). And, I will set-up a web site soon to enable opportunities for fractional domaining to be publicized. Stay tuned! Your comments are welcome!

'Fractional Domaining' Has Implications Far Beyond Fractional Domain Ownership

2007-11-26T12:25:00.000-05:00

The implications of Fractional Domain Ownership extend far beyond just part-ownership of a domain or domains. In future postings, I will explore specific implications in greater detail, but to help understand the scope of this industry, it is important to recognize that there are a wide range of components:

-- Networking/Creating A Group
-- Legal Issues
-- Buying
-- Selling
-- Bartering/Trading
-- Investing
-- Domain Portfolio Management
-- Fractional Domain Ownership
-- Domain Development
-- Site Management
-- Monetization

... the list can go on and on! And, as with any new industry, new opportunities are created or will be created -- such as this blog, and web sites, products, and services focused on this niche/trend.

Because of the broad range of topics involving fractional domains beyond just fractional domain ownership, I am using "Fractional Domaining" as a general term to define and describe the practice of buying, selling, owning, developing, and/or monetizing fractional domains. Using that definition as a reference point, if you are involved with buying, selling, and/or owning a fractional domain, you are a "Fractional Domainer".

It is my hope that these definitions will help to facilitate discussions about all aspects of fractional domaining. Are there any major components or implications that I missed? Your comments are welcome!

Getting A Handle On The Idea Of Fractional Domain Ownership…

2007-11-20T03:43:00.000-05:00

The concept of Fractional Domain Ownership caught my attention big time recently when Domain Hall of Famer Sahar Sarid of Recall Media Group termed it as an emerging “new industry” in a posting on his blog.

Sahar was referencing the purchase of the Cowboys.com domain name at the Moniker/T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East Auction in Miami in October by a group of investors (including himself) who pooled their resources for the $370,000 winning bid. He wrote that because of the publicity surrounding the purchase, he believes the event will be the cornerstone of this new Fractional Domain Ownership industry.

I agree. The idea that investors can own a fraction (percentage) of a domain name or names is exciting for both domain buyers and sellers. For buyers, it makes purchases of premium domain names potentially affordable and could lead to alliances where synergies enable the members of the ownership group to each benefit by much more than the sum of its parts. For sellers, it offers possibility for realizing higher value for their domain(s).

Under a Fractional Domain Ownership scenario, a domain investor can perhaps decide to purchase a small fraction of many premium domains rather than 100 percent of fewer domains, thus spreading his or her risk/reward potential while associating with other co-owners who each bring their own knowledge, experience, skills, and resources to the venture(s).

When someone who has been as successful in the domain industry as Sahar has been publicly identifies what he sees as a growth area – and backs up his claim through his participation as a Cowboys.com participating investor – I think what he suggests is worthy of thoughtful consideration.

Because the concept of Fractional Domain Ownership is so relatively new, though, it can be difficult to fully grasp both what it is and what it can be. Early movers are likely to be learning as they go. Trust in co-owners would seem to be of paramount importance. Sahar wrote that the Cowboys.com purchase came together very quickly on the strength of the credibility of former Bulkregister GM and current DomainsForMedia.com Founder Eric Rice, who organized the group. The ownership entity, Cowboys.com Group LLC, will doubtless face many questions among the fractional owners as they move forward logistically to plot a course of action and to determine how their group will function in the weeks and months ahead. Likewise, the domain industry will have many important questions to ask and resolve as Fractional Domain Ownership gains traction.

As any regular reader of Sahar Sarid’s blog will attest, he freely offers great insights into many topics pertaining to the world of domaining. His initial posting about Fractional Domain Ownership was an important introduction to a potentially huge growth area, and it attracted a number of positive and enthusiastic comments from readers. But like other valuable postings in an active blog, it quickly gets obscured despite its value. That’s a shame because the topic deserves much more attention.

I have launched this Fractional Domaining Blog as part of an effort to provide regular focal points and resources to help the domaining community to get a handle on – and to aid participation in – the many components of Fractional Domain Ownership. As stated in the sub-title, this blog is intended to be “A Look At The World Of Buying, Selling, Owning, Developing, & Monetizing Fractional Domains”. I will be announcing the launch of other web sites about fractional domaining to complement this blog in the near future. If the concept and/or practice of fractional domaining is of interest to you, please don’t be a stranger! Bookmark this site and/or subscribe. I invite your comments and regular involvement. Let’s learn and prosper together!