DomainTools Blog

Looks like the domains with zero dollar reserves have little mini bidding wars going on several days before the auction closes. It is sort of fun to watch. One example is the combined two domain lot of SecretCode.com & SecretCodes.com. We let this Lot into the auction with a zero dollar reserve and people are aggressively bidding on it. Typically everyone waits for the last 15 minutes of the auction and then they try to snipe it with all the other like-minded snipper people. But once you see one bidder it is safe to say there will be a battle. The DomainTools auction system allows people to bid ahead of time because unlike other live events we broadcast to the Internet and let remote bidders participate just like they are in the room. Thanks to AJAX (and not some windows download) we are able to open up the bidding up to everyone that has a modern web browser.

For the pre-bidders, the current winner can set a proxy bid and defend their position while not even attending the auction. No one can see the proxy bid price including the Auctioneer. This means a leader of an auction can successfully defend against auction snippers while sitting on a beach without Internet access.

Testing the bidding system
If anyone wants to test the bidding system, we have setup a test spot on lot 1. The domain is called “Xx–Practice-Domain.com“. Anyone is free to bid on this domain, the current price is $1,500,000. This is the only domain in the auction that is for testing the interface and getting used to our controls. The domain is currently not registered, so hopefully no one goes out and registers it and tries to claim $1,500,000.00 from us. Once again, the domain is xx–practice-domain.com, please do not register it.

Are you eligible to bid?
Don’t wait for the last minute to figure out if you can bid. Visit the bidding page and look in the second yellow box. If the auctioneer is telling you that you are not eligable go threw the wizard and become eligible. If you have ever purchased ANYTHING on domaintools then you are eligible, just sign the contract. If you have never shared your credit card with us and we don’t know who you are, we ask that you purchase a $1 verification item prior to the auction so that we can verify your identity and make sure you are a real person.

Domain Roundtable
The conference begins today and I am extremely excited, I get on the plane this morning and hope to see everyone soon. I am looking forward to hearing all the speakers and moderators. I want to personally thank, Susan Prosser, she has done a fabulous job selecting speakers and coordinating the whole event. The Domain Roundtable would not be possible without her and the rest of the wonderful team. As the founder of the conference people look to me, however she is the one that truly deserves the respect for putting on such a great show. When you see us, be sure to thank her, I am more of just an observer.

Secret Announcements
We have so many cool things to share with everyone. We have not officially announced this one yet, but I will let you readers in on a small secret. We quietly launched Thumbnail History this week (The service is still in beta, don’t try it in IE8!). It allows people to see what domains looked like years ago. Sort of like Archive.org except we take thumbnail images and not just HTML copies. The thumbnails have been taking by us with Internet Explorer over the years, so they have Flash and the other things that archive.org doesn’t seem to capture. We have hundreds of millions of these thumbnails, several Terabytes actually. More on the thumbnail system later… There are a lot of details I can tell you about it but I will use a dedicated blog post after the conference to really tell you the ins and outs of the service.

I was asked a question in a forum recently: “if I really thought attending a Roundtable conference will be beneficial to domainers?” It didn’t take me long to answer that question. Yes. I believe participating in any conference can be beneficial. If you take advantage of any of the networking opportunities, meeting new potential business partners, speak with companies about their tools offerings, attend sessions that can aid in portfolio performance and of course take full advantage of all the party events, you will find it worthwhile. Really it comes down to being successful in making a new business connection or gain knowledge on new technology / tool to increase traffic or find out about an available domain name that would enhance your portfolio and your return on investment is made. The conference has paid for itself.

To ensure that the Roundtable is successful for participants, there is an outstanding cast of speakers lined up including leaders in the industry from DNZoom, DomainTools, EuroDNS, Fabulous, GoDaddy, HitFarm, Name.com, NameDrive, Parked, Sedo, Sendori, TrafficZ, Trellian and more attending. Plus other key individuals with tremendous experience to share such as Adam Strong and Matt Cutts; new companies Mpire, EVOLanding and Domain Strategies; legal panel with John Berryhill, Karen J. Berstein, Paul D. McGrath, Derek Newman; and independents such as SEO experts Vanessa Fox, Rand Fishkin, Dave Bascom and Jamie MacMillan, and more. There is also a special presentation from GoDaddy regarding dotME and NameMedia will host a lunch to talk about their latest updates.

There will be plenty of opportunities to network with fellow domainers, sponsors and participants. The conference sessions are set to allow breaks. The sponsor exhibit area, with a barista stand sponsored by NameDrive, has clustered gathering areas to meet. Evening activities, which often prove the most lucrative “meeting time,” are an opening cocktail party, a TrafficZ sponsored party for Grassroots Casino Fundraiser and a closing cocktail party. Plus, recognizing that sponsors and attendees appreciate free time, Sunday evening is open to plan your own evening. Sponsors have appreciated this open night to host their own event to further enhance their customer relations.

Of course, there is the DomainTools Live Auction being held April 21^st. This is definitely beneficial to enhance portfolios. The list of domains going up for auction will be released soon.

These are highlights. More sponsors and leading domainers in the industry will be in attendance. With all of this available, yes, I do believe attending Domain Roundtable is beneficial to domainers, investors, legal and intellectual community and internet enthusiasts in general. The latest information on sponsors, agenda and registration can be found at DomainRoundtable.com.

To contact us by email: “sf2008 [at] domainroundtable.com”
Or call us at 206.838.9035 ext 8

The domain industry consistently improves – adapting to latest trends, technologies and changes. This is evidenced in the relentless emergence of new companies with improved products and fresh perspectives and existing companies enhancing their platform and tool offerings to better serve their customer. A panel session at the Domain Roundtable Conference emphasizes this very topic. Guaranteed to be interesting. This is a valuable panel you will not want to miss. Highlights of the companies on the panel are below. Attend Domain Roundtable conference and discuss how your portfolio can make more money with any of our sponsors.

Company overviews:
Domain Strategies

How do you convert a domain worth $1 million on the retail market into a growing business worth $10 million+? That is our goal with each and every domainer we partner with and every domain we build. Domain Strategies develops high value, category defining businesses on premium domains by applying progressive business planning, visionary entrepreneurs and smart capital. We partner with the domain owner to create a new business entity, staff it with a world class CEO and development team, look worldwide for partnership opportunities and capitalize the enterprise with the seed money required to launch and grow to a higher valuation. Each domain is category defining and each business is unique. Healthcare.com, Alerts.com, Patents.com and WiFi.com are all examples of this model.

EVOLanding

EVO Landing (“EVO”) is a next-generation domain monetization platform built around its ability to rapidly develop topic-relevant, media-rich websites. EVO’s proprietary technology is a web-based software and methodology that harnesses the power of the semantic web. Using a modular-based architecture, every site managed through EVO Landing is updated dynamically, daily, and automatically with relevant, rich-media (articles, listings, products, photos, videos, downloads). With this platform, domain owners are able to turn static web sites into online investments as they enjoy the added monetary benefits of multiple ad-network integration, multiple affiliate program integration, and exclusive partnerships.
EVO is a limited liability corporation (LLC) based in Seattle, WA and was founded in October 2007 after months of dedicated research and years of Internet site design and search engine optimization experience. The Company received angel funding in November 2007 and closed a venture capital round of funding in December 2007.

Mpire

Mpire, an online shopping site, developed WidgetBucks – a pay-per-click shopping widgets that help you make money fast- using MerchSense, Mpire/s proprietary contextual technology, to help publishers earn more money from their advertising space compared to what they earn through traditional ad networks. Mpire provides domainers shopping specific template sites customizable for specific products or categories. Using the proprietary technology providing rich interactive sites, domainers are able to engage their trafficked audience to higher conversions and a 5-10% return frequency from their traffic. We make creating shopping type sites a simple and scalable process without needing to manage feeds or API’s and building custom templates

Mpire is an online shopping site that provides shoppers with everything they need to find the best deals online. Founded in 2005, Mpire is backed by Ignition Partners and former eBay executive and Pay Pal angel investor Richard Rock.

Sendori

Sendori provides innovative monetization solutions to large domainers. The solutions are based on a portfolio of pending-patents. Initial solutions include the Zero-Click service which monetizes domains using redirects, and the Qualified Click solution which monetizes category clicks on parked pages. Traffic from domains is efficiently routed to leading online advertisers and to ad networks. Sendori provides advertisers with APIs that allow automated updating of keywords and bids.

The Company was conceived by Ofer Ronen and David Weldon while studying business at Cornell University. Sendori prides itself in being technically savvy and in providing ground-breaking solutions. Investors in Sendori include First Round Capital, Ron Conway, Baseline Ventures, Maples Investments, Amidzad, and Felicis Ventures.

Check out these companies plus all the sponsors at the Domain Roundtable taking place in San Francisco, April 18-21. More posts to follow about other great sessions scheduled. All the latest information can be found at Domain Roundtable.

Domain Roundtable venue hotel – the Palace – extended the booking date.

I received quite a few emails and calls this morning from people forgetting to reserve their hotel room at the discounted rate that ended yesterday. DON’T PANIC !!! The hotel has agreed to extend our rate until April 7. Our rate of $239 is only for the days of the conference with an April 18 check-in and April 21 check-out. Any additional dates around this will be charged current hotel rate pricing.

To take advantage of our rate though, you must book with our Domain Roundtable code. Go to the venue section of the website or you can call the hotel, (415) 512-1111, and tell them you are a Domain Roundtable attendee.

Also, quite a few airlines have been advertising spring specials too. Check out your favorite airline or airfare site like Orbitz, Travelocity, Airfare Watch Dog, etc, for the best deal from your home town.

If you have any questions about the conference or hotel reservation, please contact at sf2008 [at] domainroundtable.com. Don’t forget to register for the conference as passes are required for entrance. Get a discount for the conference pass by taking the survey or being a DomainTools member.

We look forward to seeing you in San Francisco!

Inspired by last year’s $20,000 success, Domain Roundtable is back at it again! So, get ready to press your luck Saturday, April 19 as you are invited to Gamble for Good at the Domain Roundtable Conference.

For the event, DRT has teamed up with TrafficZ and Grassroots.org to give attendees exclusive access to Club 443, San Francisco‘s hottest nighttime spot. With a full open bar, craps, cards, roulette, and music by San Francisco’s favorite DJ Matteo, guests can get down to some risky business without chancing a loss.

No, at Gamble for Good, you can’t lose. We’re proud to say that all proceeds from the evening go directly to Grassroots.org, the tech industry’s leading charity organization. Grassroots.org is a national nonprofit campaign which seeks to empower charity organizations, and help them reach their financial and philanthropic goals, via current technology, savvy web-based marketing innovation, and a focused network of similar supportive web sites and organizations.

Casino games and raffles will be provided. Prize packages, totaling nearly $10,000 so far, include:

• One year of VO1000 Phone.com Subscriptions ($39.88 per month value)

• 20 hours of SEO consulting from SEO.com (value of $5000)

• One-year DomainTools.com Gold Membership (valued at $292)

• Domain Roundtable Future Conference registration (valued at $1000)

• 20 hours of web design by Graphics.net ($2000 value)

• Black Sabbath autographed CD ($150 value)
  

• Shania Twain autographed lyrics (value of $100)

• Rick Reilly autographed books ($60 each, $200 for collection)

Also, any attendees who register on or before Friday, April 17th will be recognized on the Grassroots.org website with a text-based link!

Domain Roundtable and Grassroots.org offer special thanks go to TrafficZ for sponsoring this event. Founded in 2001, TrafficZ is one of the oldest and most experienced domain parking and traffic monetization services in business today. Since its inception, TrafficZ has remained at the forefront of the domain industry, driven by an unyielding dedication to provide innovative products, cutting-edge technology, unparalleled service and best-in-class monetization. Widely regarded as a pioneering force, TrafficZ continually strives to maximize the potential of each and every domain asset by identifying its highest and best use and extracting maximum value for its clients. TrafficZ partners enjoy unsurpassed customer service, a renowned templating system, near-limitless customization options, dynamic and flexible content management solutions, SEO functionality, advanced auto-optimization technology, a comprehensive suite of domain analytics and, last but not least, industry-leading payouts.

So, play cards, place some bets, win prizes, make a difference in the world!

Interested in donating prizes or funds? Please contact support@grassroots.org for details.

For more information on registration or donations, please visit: http://www.domainroundtable.com/2008/gambleforgood

Betting on change,

The Domain Roundtable Team

Conferences: fantastic for networking ease and relaying new information. They are, nonetheless, also posing challenges for the future. The obstacle has more to do with character, and less to do with charisma, anymore. As new conferences fill the industry’s calendars, it only stands to reason that people will be choosy about where they spend their time – and their dollars. That is, a conference should really be a worthwhile experience. So, as industry conferences come of age, they are simultaneously put in a position to find a marketable identity.

Fortunately, our name says it all: Roundtable. An equal shape, a roundtable is a comfortable space designed for conversation. We are looking beyond simple networking; Domain Roundtable has education at heart. The best way to learn is to talk. So, a discussion-based conference provides a real experience in conversation among people from every corner of the industry. Taking initiative from a domainer perspective, we believe roundtable sharing is useful to a variety of people, no matter their involvement or experience with domains.

This year, we have decided to workshop with the industry. With a marketing focus, sessions and speakers will center on practical applications: building up your domain portfolio and initiating better SEO strategies. We’re even including a DomainTools workshop.

As usual, we have an exciting new line-up of speakers. To cover the latest trends in SEO, we are bringing in Vanessa Fox, Rand Fishkin, and Dave Bascom as some of the panelists. All three are top industry bloggers and sought-after speakers on the topic. Fox, formerly of Google Webmaster Central, is an internationally renowned speaker on SEO trends and technology; Fishkin, recently quoted in Newsweek, devised SEOMoz.com; Bascom, of SEO.com, offers words from nearly a decade’s worth of experience in marketing and optimization.

Of course, we cannot forget our sponsors. Through their confidence in, and direct support of, our conference, we are able to promote and put on the best conference event of 2008.

NameJet is one such sponsor. NameJet is a domain name aftermarket auction company. With exclusive access to top-level registrars’ inventories, NameJet offers an extensive list of expired and deleted domains for auction. NameJet works with Network Solutions, eNom and Bulk Register to provide real solutions for customers who are attempting to acquire domain name registration rights to expiring names and domains which have not been re-registered by their current registrant.

Visit www.domainroundtable.com for more information on sessions, DomainTools Live Auction, reduced hotel rates and ways to receive promotion codes for discounts and coupons.

The Traffic Conference hits New York this week. I will be interviewing domainers from around the country and checking out what is new this week. There are several announcements that are happening this week and I will let everyone know what those are as they happen. But back to the conference, My first thoughts when I walked around the welcoming reception at the Conference tonight was that it is good to see everyone again.  This is such a small industry that it seems everyone knows each other, but I never fail to meet someone new when I attend a domain conference. I don’t often have time to mingle at my own conferences so I enjoy attending the Traffic Conferences.

Everyone is competing for attention this week and it is very amusing to watch. The Keynote speech was moved up to the first night because a competing domain party wanted to entertain all the domainers that went to NY this week. We saw a similar situation with Google last week when they announced they would hold a party in Boston to attract over the visitors of the eBay developer network. Ebay pulled all their adwords from Google and Google quickly folded the party plans. Ebay was able to leverage Google off their back but for this domain party, I am not sure what leverage the Traffic conference has.

I have to say I was disappointed with the party though. It would be nice if everything was coordinated and companies were not holding parties at the same times as other events. I think everyone loses in this situation. When I arrived at this party, it took an hour to get a drink and I felt like a sardine boxed in the roped offed area of the roof top. Then it started to rain and I knew that someone at the Traffic conference had paid the rain Gods off. Why have a party on the roof when it can rain on your head. Yuck. After the thousand other people left the night club I was finally able to talk in a normal voice and I got my first drink. I headed back to the Grand Hyatt and had an interesting conversation with GoDaddy and Demand Media about what the two companies are up to. We finished off the night with excellent New York street dogs at 1am in the morning.

Registration is now OPEN for the August 13th-15th Domain Conference here in Beautiful Seattle Washington. We are excited to reveal some new technology this year which will make networking so much easier! We are the first Domain Conference to use this wireless networking technology.

Networking, Finding People and getting business done is the point of a Domain Conference. When you are at a conference you can get a years worth of business done in only a few days, but only if you have the right tools. Domain Roundtable as been raising the bar and getting more sophisticated every year. Domainers love technology and we think this wireless name badge will lend itself well to our conference.

The First 100 people will receive brand new eNom reseller accounts along with $100 in Credit. The accounts are top notch eNom accounts, no retail pricing. eNom values professional domainers and this community and its gift is one way of showing it.

A detailed agenda will be going live later this week and expect more big announcements as well.

We expect the eNom accounts to go fast, so please register before they are gone. As always, please feel free to contact as at 2007info [at] DomainRoundtable.com

http://www.domainroundtable.com/registration/

The conference is $1495, but if you complete our survey the price drops $50 and if you have a paid account at DomainTools it drops even more.

Stay tuned, sign up, get rich,
Jay Westerdal and the Entire Roundtable Staff