Urban Domainer

OK so my spring cleaning list is going fast. I am selling about 10 a day, five days a week. Here are just a few, you can find the complete list when you do a search on ebay. Lots of New York and West LA domains this week.
NewYorksGold.com
NewYorksPremium.com
ManhattanPremium.com
West LA consists of: Bel Aire, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. The creme de la creme of Los Angeles. So check these out:
WestLALawyers.com
WestLAHotel.com
WestLAFun.com
WestLALawfirm.com
Also some real goodies that have obvious value:
ScrapYourGold.com
TechnologyFilm.com
TurnOnDaily.com
iNakedTruth.com
eOrganicWine.com

I have decided on a new strategy because change is good. ( I am actually rewriting my last post from a month ago, It’s July 9th today) I am cleaning house and have sold many of my domain names on ebay of all places. There is definitely a buying market, it’s just that everybody wants a deal because there are wayyyy more sellers than buyers. So selling cheap is the nature of the beast right now. It’s just like the real real estate market right now, no surprise there! I do however have a lot of faith in domain names no matter what the economy looks like, so since we are still on the ground floor of this relatively new market I am going to sell all but a few really good ones and focus on getting just a few quality ones that have higher value, kinf of like moving up the domain food chain!

There has been a lot of talk about development among the domaining community. For awhile now I have simply read these posts then just filed them away in my mind but not ready to deal with the idea. The irony here is that I am a web developer so you would think I would naturally embrace the idea but not so for me.

I have been developing for a long time (about 13.5-14 years) and as I have grown aesthetically and technically I have developed a level of perfectionism that is cherished among my client base. However this level of development gets me into to trouble as a domainer. I get overwhelmed at the thought of spending 3-6 months developing one domain name without a definite pay check. So as you can see I need more insight. I have come across a few blogs that suggest the ‘keep it simple’ method such as domainflipper.com who is capable of developing a domain name in one day. (Not sure I can do that). Then there is the Elliotsblog.com type, who spend a lot of time on one domain that has taken many months to develop and nurture (lowell.com)

So I guess what I am asking is if anyone knows the approximate breakdown of revenue, cost, time, etc. of the different levels of developing a domain name for yourself? And certainly an example of something in the middle of these two options?
Thanks : )

I can’t remember which blog I read it on but it gave a good break down of what is ‘generally’ considered a valuable domain name. Made a lot of sense and I am sure most of us have made purchases that we look back on and think to ourselves, ‘What was I thinking when I registered that?’ So since it is actually spring I am going through my list and doing some research to see if what I purchase is worth holding on to, should I sell it or just simply throw it back into the proverbial domain ocean? I feel pretty good about most of my purchases, my biggest regret of course is that I wish I had the mindset as I do now as I did when I first started registering domains back in 1998. I was young and very busy and really didn’t have much money (and back then they were $100 a year, ouch) but I bought what I could and I think I purchased about 20. A few good ones and some that are still not worth what I paid in registration all these years, so live and learn. I have grown up quite a bit since my first registration and making much better choices these days, so life is good and I am very grateful to have had the insight when so many others thought domains a waste of my time and money.

So with all those commercials and reminders around every corner did you at least get inspired to find a great eco-conscious domain name? Well I did. I also dropped off a months worth of recycled glass and aluminum to a homeless guy down the street who was picking out of a garbage. I must have gave him a full days work! I used only seventh generation and water to clean my house. I also remembered to bring my re-useable cloth bags shopping with me and I bought my daughter and I a few shirts at the local thrift store. Ok so all you really want to know is what great domain name I found huh? alright I found SustainableJournal.com, lucky me! Have a great week : )

At first I was disappointed that my domains didn’t sell in the DRT auction. My second domain didn’t even go to auction because of technical difficulty. So when it was over It felt a lot like it does when I watch or read the news too often. I decided it was a good idea to just step back for awhile, do nothing and think about where I should I put my energy. At some point I was trying to get another bookmark but landed on Frank’s sevenmile.com instead. His latest entry was very interesting and although I had heard or read his story about his job selling sheets of glass prior to domaining he put a different kind of spin on it. Or maybe I was ready to hear more clearly what he was conveying. Why am I in such a hurry to sell? I am clear they have value. The majority of my domains are definitely are in the 7-12 % that have value across the board and not just to me. I have decided not to let the recession get to me and am now trusting the process and doing things differently than the rest of America. I am grateful that I realize this, sure makes life a lot easier. So my point is I think successful people plan, they don’t just follow the herd they go in there own direction. I watched it in the real estate market and lucky for me I remained a spectator since I was in graduate school and had my own direction. But I did feel the energy of the rise and fall in the market and wanted to get back in eventually but not for the reason everybody else did. I had already been a homeowner and was not willing to put in an offer without doing my research, appraisal, neighborhood, schools, etc. and since everything was moving so fast I just wasn’t willing. So now here I am again except now it’s virtual real estate, and I have been sitting on some property for the last decade. So why hurry now when the market is down? I decided I am actually going to keep buying cause we are simply in the state before things go up again. Our world is based on polarity’s so eventually the ebb will again flow and the flow is when you should sell. The internet is still young but is maturing at an incredible speed and capable of much more and then the masses will finally start to get it. And when they do they will start pouring their money in the market at rates that we have never experienced. It’s going to be mind bongling. Yeah so really all of us who get it now and are preparing for the flood will be in a great position. So what I am I doing? I’m holding (and developing) thats what I’m doing.

I think I need a meeting for my search addiction. It took all I had to take my daughter and her friend hiking today. I mean 4-5 hours away from my obsessive search is enough to put me into withdrawals! It was, however, very good for me since the one thing I can’t do is buy back time and lucky for me right now my daughter still likes to hang out with me, and she’s a teenage so who knows how long this will last. So I am working on balance and still very grateful that I don’t have a time clock to report to and I have a great boss since I am self-employed!…Domain Roundtable Auction starts tomorrow, yeehaw all ready to keep tabs via online. This should be fun.

mmm, sure wish I could go….and what a great road trip from LA to SanFran! And then to finally meet all the people I have been reading about and learn more about the developing domain industry and then head off to the mountains for a day hike, ew dayhike.com wonder if that’s avail. I just can’t seem to shut my mind off so really I’m in the right business right now. Oh did I mention I have two domain names in the live auction? yeehaw! They are SpiritualWorks.com and SpiritualJournal.com! So we’ll see, to be cont. peace out.

It’s cold in there. I know I should jump in but I’m from Florida. What does that have to do with anything you ask? Well I’m used to luke warm all the time, so just give me a minute.

This is going to be an interesting venture…And ‘they’ say domainer’s are lazy. Well maybe I’m a little slow but I’m not working any less than when I had a corporate job…I just do it in my underwear now!
So here I am on yet another ride (domain ride, hey is that available, domainride.com) I have tried not to be a domainer but I just can’t help myself, it is quite addictive. I think it really is about the linguistics involved. If domaining were about numbers then I would never have gotten started, for sure, but if you really think about it, it is (at least for me) about understanding our cultural language and making decisions based upon the direction were headed in. How cool is that? So in a nutshell that’s why I’m in.

“I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.” ~Harry Emerson Fosdick