WHEN YOUR DOMAIN HELPS TO CHANGE THE WORLD
June 6th, 2008 Posted in Aftermarket, Business Sector, General Domain News
There are many domainers I respect who have sold domain names to buyers that have made huge differences in their market with those domains. Slow down. Re-read what I basically said. “Some domain names have made a huge difference in their market“. That’s right. A domain you sold can go on to make a significant impact in the world market. Of course, you don’t even have to sell the domain. It could be you that makes the domain powerful in its relevant market.
However, maybe the domain you sold (or own) only makes an impact in your local market. Maybe the domain you sold ends up affecting the services and products in just your state, or maybe your country (just ask David Costello). If your domain sale affects the world stage, that’s big. Rick Schwartz, the man some call the “Howard Hughes” of the domain industry, sold “ireport.com” to CNN for $750,000 this year. When this news was reported, all of us domainers took a moment and muttered to ourselves, “Good God he’s good - and lucky!” We all want to be as fancy-free as Rick seems to be now, and you can only get that way by being smart and taking chances that coincide with your intelligence.
However, this blog post isn’t about our friend, Rick. This post is about something else. It’s about people like you who buy domains everyday for investment purposes. It’s about domainers who find vision in a concept they read about, dig deep for creative marketing inspiration, and then go and buy domains that can literally help the future define itself. Your domains can help companies make an impact worldwide. Your ideas can change a company and make their brand successful.
Domainers are basically marketing geniuses when they succeed. How does a domainer succeed? They succeed when they sell ONE domain for a profit to a buyer who wants that domain. It doesn’t matter if the sale is $10 or $10 million, if your domain has inspired someone to fork over their cash to own it, and you made more money than what you paid for the domain, you are officially in the domain investment game, and you scored a point. Congrats! However, when the buyer of your domain does something with it to set a standard, control a market, help people, inform the public, change the way technology connects with us, and becomes the “location” for these accomplishments or more, that is icing on the cake for the domainer who created the domain. That means you. You actually did something good for someone.
So with that, my proudest sale to date, out of thousands of domain sales I’ve made, was the domain GRAPHENESOLUTIONS.COM. I sold the domain only a few weeks ago to Professor James Hamilton, of the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. The sale price was minimal because I asked for more than just money. The professor led his students, one who is a 17 year old home-schooled genius, to discover a new technology that will change the world as we know it. I bought the domain only three and a half months earlier after reading a little article about this promising product “graphene” in a science blog. (2/20/08)
When I sold the domain, I wanted to keep abreast of the professor’s success, since I was convinced of the product’s future viability. I simply asked the professor to let me know when something significant occured with his product or his website, including receiving coverage in the media.
Today, the good professor, a man of his word, sent me an update on his website, using the domain name I created and sold to him: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=756845
Everyone buying domains today has the power to achieve great success, or be a part of someone’s success, through the ownership or sale of a relevant domain that defines or brands a product or service that makes a difference in the way we live. Stay focused, keep the faith, use your head!
If more of these types of “end user success stories” are published, it would promote the domain industry, and many domainers can stand proud. Let’s hear YOUR stories of domains you sold that made an impact.
6 Responses to “WHEN YOUR DOMAIN HELPS TO CHANGE THE WORLD”
By Nick on Jun 6, 2008
Very inspiring. I’ve only been at it for about four months. I’ve made some horrible purchases but am learning to pick names that endusers don’t even know they need yet (or at least I hope I am). In fact, I’m pretty happy because I got my first positive appriasal this morning on a vcvcv.com I reg’d.
I would also love to have my names go on to become sites that may change the world. I was reading an article the other day and realize that we all have been taught to “follow our heart” and we teach our kids the same thing. Problem is, our hearts are flawed and lead us in the wrong direction most of the time (affairs, gluttony, stealing etc.). The article went on to say that you should instead “lead your heart”. “Wow”, I thought, what an interesting way to think of it: it’s not really saying to use your head instead of your heart, just “lead your heart”. Could be spiritually, mentally whatever. Sure would have helped me as a teenager, in college, in marriage, heck, life in general. Needless to say, i reg’d LeadYourHeart (in six different extensions) and hope to raise the money to spread the word by developing them into world changing sites some day!
Thanks again for this inspiring post.
Nick
++++STEPHEN DOUGLAS SEZ+++++
Nick - a very nice comment. I’m glad you can see the purpose in what you do. I hope many of my readers see your comment and get inspired, because true to what you say… “Lead your heart.” Find the magic in your life when you are only seeing darkness. Smile when it’s easier to get angry, or in other words… take the high road. That means recognizing your soul history and wishing to raise it in this life.
By Kelly Lieberman on Jun 6, 2008
Of course, since I had a Google alert set on “Graphene” I noticed your sold domain on this news story!!http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1412910/tiny_product_huge_possibilities/
Congrats to you, Graphene Solutions, and Philip Streich, the 17year old Boy Wonder!
++++STEPHEN DOUGLAS SEZ+++++
Hi Kelly,
Pretty amazing, isn’t it? The interesting part is that domainers can use other types of “bartered” deals with their buyers to maintain an interest in the domains they sell. In this case, I forfeited thousands of dollars of the value of my domain name “graphenesolutions.com” in exchange for the link to Successclick.com being on their website for http://www.graphenesolutions.com for as long as they use the domain. So sometimes “cash” for your domain isn’t the only benefit you can negotiate for. Think about that on your next domain sale! Position yourself!
By Kelly Lieberman on Jun 7, 2008
That is a great point. That could help a smaller business buy into a domain they need right away, while you make your money over time as they build their business.
++++STEPHEN DOUGLAS SEZ+++++
Succinctly put, K-L.
Thanks!
By Jamie Parks on Jun 7, 2008
Solid post Stephen.
You’re nailing it to the tree for every “domainer” to see. This web, that we’re all bidding on and building together, has so many forms of value.
By negotiating a deal, such as you have with Mr. Hamilton, you’ve really tapped into the collaborative value of GrapheneSolutions.com. Cultivating highly meaningful relationships that can extend beyond the general perception and over a lifetime, is what this style of domaining is capable of producing.
The extent of return that a deal of this nature can bring forth can be both infinite and priceless and has the potential to launch both parties further and faster into the many realms of success.
Thanks for sharing your success and keep on changing domaining click-by-click.
++++STEPHEN DOUGLAS SEZ+++++
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for your nice comment and introspective analysis of where domain values can be “hiding”. Everyone just needs to look at each domain they own, and if someone is interested in buying the domain but maybe isn’t in the position to pay the full “retail” value, you can work out other costless deals for the buyer that actually benefits you in another way. You can define that “deal” in a way that suits you best, and actually “supports” the buyer’s efforts by believing in their success with the domain.
Thanks for reading the blog, and hope to hear from you again!
By admin on Jun 11, 2008
It’s growing even bigger weekly. Check out this article on the science awards for Wisconsin:
http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/06/09/daily10.html?jst=b_ln_hl
By Team Angry on Jul 1, 2008
Stephen
I cannot find a way to reach you but this story is BIGGER then I thought. If you look my comments are GONE Adam has his hand in EVERYTHING under false names. I will gladly bust this story WIDE OPEN. I could use the pub anyways.