Song lyrics websites, something to sing about… May 31, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Domains, Society, music, popular culture.Tags: Add new tag, Domains, lyrics, music, songs, websites
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Another random thought for the weekend. I often like to look up song lyrics. For some reason, I can never settle for bookmarking one specific lyrics website and going there for every song I look up the lyrics for. Now, I think over the past year or so, I’ve ran into DOZENS of DIFFERENT websites that basically offer the same thing (song lyrics). Of course, it is difficult to differentiate this product offering… They’re all based on a similar concept, some kind of a cute design that’s simple to navigate, several of categories, and tons of advertisements. Nevertheless, all of these lyrics sites I’ve come across seem to rank very highly in Alexa, almost every one I hit happens to be in the top 100k.
The lessons of this phenomenon as I see them:
1) Content is indeed king, even if the content is redundant, and has been reproduced multiple times with similar content presentations. Just make sure that the content is well-organized, in demand, and somewhat useful. A shitton of interlinked HTML pages will do… HMM! Ideally, this will not remain the case forever, someone is bound to start cleaning up the internet of this mess sooner or later. On second thought, perhaps the word “WEB” by definition implies a messy concept…
2) Search engine traffic is hot. Type-ins? I don’t think so… Doubtful that people previously unfamiliar with the resource would type in “LyricsFreak.Com” in the address bar, yet this is a site comes close to having top 1k Alexa rank. Some people go for quantity with domain names, some go for quality. Sometimes, just having a dot com that makes sense with tons of sought-after information is enough for a guy to live on…
The problem with “call to action” domains May 27, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Domains, marketing, trends, valuation.Tags: call to action, Domains, meaning, value
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I think call to action names can be great. I’ve acquired quite a number of them for my future development to be honest. However, in my opinion, these names have very minimal intrinsic value, if any, because the same “call to action” can be issued with a potentially unlimited number of word combinations. Also, different people can have different associative concept schemas linked to different “calls to action.” Unless your domain is linked to a content-rich website, that stimulates the associations you do in fact want to evoke, your “call to action” dot com is probably worthless, unless it’s already in common usage (and few of those are left for registration…)
Just a thought.
This week’s focus of MY attention… May 27, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Business, Domains, Goals, internet, self-improvement.Tags: blogs, Domains, thinking
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I will be dwelling on the concept of “concenrated effort” this week. Don’t ask, this is just a note to self… Random thought: Is it healthy to think of life as an RPG? Is it worth spending weeks or months power-leveling your skills such as speaking, writing, coding, etc? In many RPGs if you concentrate your effort and attention on certain skills with specific goals and standards, you seem to reach your goals faster. Is this true of life as well? Are you better off being totally focused on certain aspects of life or business for brief periods or is it better to keep switching between tasks frequently?
In other news… DNXpert’s Domain Blogging Contest is in full swing… Lots of prizes ($9k worth!) to be given away, and lots of aspiring domain bloggers gunning for them. I do hope I win something! Also, it’s not too late to sign up and enter, since DNXpert keeps track of all tasks assigned to be completed on the original contest post. Not only is this great for promoting our industry in the blogosphere, but you are also getting the name of YOUR own blog out there as you complete the tasks, and especially if you end up winning something!
The vital importance of user-generated content and user-driven development… May 26, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Domains, advertising, internet, marketing, seo, trends.Tags: cms, collaboration, community, content, development, drupal, joomla, ning, web
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Perhaps I am a little “late to the party” in this respect. Perhaps I am stating the obvious, but this realization has just struck me now, on this Memorial Day morning with such a vivid clarity like it has never occurred to me before. The time of the “my little corner of the universe” web page has come and gone, perhaps it was never even here to begin with. The whole point of the internet is collaboration, not seclusion. The thing is, unless you own a short, generic, top-of-the line domain (the ones that go for $100k+ nowadays), you will not be reaping substantial profits in the web business without thorough development that attracts, marinates, and retains traffic. I speak of community building of course… It has never been easier to create a community-oriented resource online. There’s Ning, there’s all kinds of PHP CMS utilities (joomla, drupal, nuke, etc.), there’s always forums and chat-rooms you can quickly integrate… if you’re too lazy to do that, start with setting up a survey script with a new question every day, week, or month, depending on what your current traffic stream is and how creative you can be. Even if your website has a ton of really great information, it is not likely to be successful on today’s web without an obvious, attractice, COLLABORATION element that would encourage your audience to stick around and contribute to the growth of this web resource.
Even when some of the most popular virtual destinations for the masses were seemingly one man operations such as Maddox’s and Tucker Max’s dirty humor pages, a collaboratie outlet for their visitors to rant, vent, and argue was ever-present, be it Tucker’s forum or Maddox’s beloved “hate mail” pages…
Ultimately, this should all result in a “stickier” website with a more interested audience, a peer-reviewed informational resource that’s richer in content, and just a more fun web place for visitors to “hang out” at, instead of a one-stop, one-click mile marker for the blazing internet traveler.
That’s all for today… Now let’s party. If you gained any useful insight from this or any of my other posts, please let me know. If it’s complete rubbish, do notify me of that as well. We’re all trying to get better, and we’ve all got to start somewhere… My current craft of choice is writing at this time, and if you’re not a bot, your honest input is much appreciated. Best wishes to all.
Sumo.com for $150k, yay or nay? May 25, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Domains, internet, sports, trends, valuation.Tags: appraisals, Domains, sales, sumo, valuation
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Domain name valuation will remain one of most controversial topics in the internet business for years to come. Today’s question is whether Sumo.com is worth 150 thousand USD. The most obvious answer is YES, because that’s what someone just paid for it on Sedo. However, it is interesting to me to try to figure out WHY someone would pay such a price for this one. At first site (haha funny! I bet I’m the first person to say that!), it would seem that the buyer overpaid, but let’s look further.
Let’s start with the basics. “Sumo” is a CVCV that’s fairly easy to type in on my keyboard. It could work as an abbreviation for a four-word company name, or it could be a category website related to the sumo style of wrestling.
Let’s further assume that the proposed site will be one that’s related to the sport. Where could commercial value come from? A purely informational site with ads would not make enough money to cover such a large up-front expense. Hence, some sort of product or service must be offered on the website. Sumo equipment? Possibly. Sumo lessons? Perhaps. Could it be a wealthy sumo gym/club owner trying to cement a solid brand identity for his establishment, possibly franchise his business nationwide? I really have no idea… We start running into problems when we consider the potential audience. The sport is most popular in Asia, and is only practiced professionally in Japan (according to Wikipedia), a country of some 130 million people (not very much on the GLOBAL scale). Sumo is not an Olympic sport either. Will the acquisition be worth it in the long run? If I knew who the end-user is, perhaps I could have a better idea about this one…
Lastly, we must remember that sports domains ARE indeed some of the most sought-after on the internet. Live Current / Communicate.com, for example, turned down a $6M offer for domain Cricket.com, which is yet to be developed. Of course, the prospective audience for this one is much greater than for sumo.com, but so it seem is the difference in perceived value.
So, is sumo.com really worth $150k? If I had an extra 150k laying around, I probably would not take it. But I am clearly not the guy that’s about to start a nationwide franchise of sumo gyms and stores in Japan. If such a guy does exist, he would be at the top of my list of “Likely to gain the most value from owning sumo.com”
There are always multiple ways of looking at things, and usually good arguments can be made to support several side of every story… The market will prove you right or wrong. The market is the ultimate authority.
Generic dot com domain name available for registration… May 24, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Domains.Tags: Domains, sanitation
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SanitationStandards.com
A generic dot com, never registered before according to DomainTools, more than 100k Google results when placed in quotes, almost 400k otherwise. Ran into it earlier today during my usual Saturday morning generic domain brainstorming session. Had this been 3 months ago, I would have probably picked this one up on the spot. But not today. Today, I realize that even generic names that are available at the registration price are not immediately sellable for profit, and, to quote Rick Latona, don’t necessarily have “legs”… that is, it is not immediately obvious to the average domainer how a particular name could be developed into a commercial website that would sell products or run ads.
Perhaps this name WILL be more valuable in the future than I give it credit for today simply for being a two-word combination that’s got a concrete meaning associated with it and is SOMEWHAT in common usage, but today I have a better idea for this particular name, see below…
If you DO decide to register this name because you saw it in on this post, I would PLEASE ask that you leave a comment with what you intend to do with it in the near future (e.g. nothing, park, develop, sell, etc). Also, if you ever do develop it into a website or sell for a profit (or even if you just let it expire), I would appreciate an email about how the name worked out for you, if you remember and get a chance to write back.
Thanks!
Google AdSense now allowing third-party ads… May 22, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Business, advertising, technology, trends.Tags: adsense, advertising, google
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I guess this was posted on their blog three days ago, but I just got an email from Google about it today. Should be fun – I always look forward to better targeted ad campaigns.
We’re happy to announce that the Google content network now accepts display ads served from qualified third-party vendors.
During this initial release, only ads in English are eligible, although we look forward to offering more options in the future.
By accepting third-party ads, we can attract a greater variety of advertising on the Google content network, which we believe will result over time in increased revenue for publishers and more relevant advertising for end users.
If you’re currently opted in to image ads, you’re already able to receive third-party ads.
For all you RPG-lovers out there May 22, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Comedy, curious finds.Tags: rpgs, russia
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Perhaps this one is only funny to me because I’m Russian… but whatever.
Found this at EnglishRussia the other day…
Give me a reason… May 22, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Domains, Life, Society, advertising, trends.Tags: advertising, conditioning, culture, Domains, lifestyle, marketing, trends, websites
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In marketing, before you can sell someone something, you must first absolutely convince them that they have a huge problem that the thing you are trying to sell them (which they may or may not really need…) is going to help solve. People have gotten pretty good at convincing other people that they have various problems with intent of selling them garbage. Consider, for a moment, how many healthy people who lead healthy lifestyles buy health insurance and never use it, or how many good drivers buy more car insurance coverage than they really need. But these are cultural, socially-conditioned product offerings by now, so everyone buys both… what I really want to know is how the first insurance salesmen got these concepts to gain momentum and take off… must have been quite a challenge.
The web, in my opinion, is a little different.
It is still a little difficult to convince someone to stay and periodically COME BACK to your website unless your website offers a clear solution to a problem that they ALREADY know they have. So, my strategy for development, is to focus on the most dire needs that people have and create topical websites that offer either physical products, or digital services and content that cater to these OBVIOUS needs and fill these PRE-EXISTING niches. Of course, I select my domains for these websites accordingly.
Some of these needs include, but not limited to the following:
Sex & Love (no-brainer)
Food (also, consider some other items that people tend to consume on a daily basis)
Jobs & Money (most people wouldn’t be able to survive without their 9-5)
Education (people need to read and write to get by, lots want to go to college, some desire Ph.D.s)
Entertainment, Travel, Leisure (Whoo-hoo! These are a little difficult for me to develop websites about, because I would much rather be DOING it)
Real Estate (whether you have a shack on the beach or a million-dollar South Beach villa/condo, you are part of this market)
Health (staying healthy to prevent disorders, or popping pills to “cure” them, either way this topic quickly gets attention)
Spirituality (I still can’t come up with a good explanation for this one, but it seems that lots of people just want to “believe”)
Of course, all of these headings can be subdivided into millions of different categories and sub-categories as you see fit, but I feel that these few form a good initial foundation to focus on.
Lastly, focus development on the topics that appeal to you the most personally. That will keep you interested in your work long enough so that you stick around until success comes and finds you.
DNXpert Domain Blogging Contest! May 19, 2008
Posted by unemployedalcoholic in Domains, internet.Tags: blogging, blogs, contest, Domains
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DNXpert has just launched an awesome contest for blogging domainers. Lots of awesome prizes will be given away a month from today, totaling almost $9k in value!
Here is a complete listing of what’s up for grabs:
- $700 in cash from We Build Pages who offer Link Building Services. ($700 value)
- $200 credit deposited into NameDrive domain parking account courtesy of NameDrive.com. ($200 value)
- $100 Godaddy Gift card from instantdomaintool.com. ($100 value)
- $100 credit in Bidvertiser account. ($100 value)
- $100 cash from WordPressFreelance. ($100 value)
- $50 cash from Ades blog ($50 value)
- $35 Cash from Tim Schroeder of eMonetized.com. ($35 value)
- $35 Cash from Web Hosting Reviews. ($35 value)
- $30 Cash from Life is colourful. ($30 value)
- 1 Market Leverage promo pack consisting of: MarketLeverage iFlip (digital camera), MLRewards card ($50), MarketLeverage USB Pen, MarketLeverage Polo and hat, MarketLeverage/Nike duffelbag. ($350 value)
- 2 x Market Leverage promo pack consisting of MLRewards card ($25), MarketLeverage USB Pen, MarketLeverage Polo and hat, MarketLeverage/Nike duffelbag. (2 x $220 value)
- 3 x Market Leverage USB Pens with $10 ML Rewards card. (3 x $35 value)
- 6 months subscription to MarketMotive.com. ($1794 value)
- 1 hour of SEO Consulting from Todd Malicoat from stuntdubl.com. ($500 value)
- 1 year’s PRO Subscriptions membership to FreshDrop.net. ($395.40 value)
- 5 x 1 license of the software product Domain Name Pro (5 x $64.95 value)
- 3 months membership at Aaron Wall’s SeoBook course. ($300 value)
- 3 x 1 copy of the Domain Graduate ebook. (3 x $87 value)
- 5 x 1 exclusive list of 100 expired domains from DNXpert.com (5 x $50 value)
- 6 months premium clustered hosting at iMountain.com (6 x $39.95 value)
- 2 months VIP membership at ClickMojo ($200 value)
- 15 minute one on one phone coaching session with Simon Johnson from Domainer Income ($200 value)
- 2 year subscription to DNSstuff pro tools. ($139 value)
- 1 x 100 domain parking account at WhyPark.com ($99.95 value)
- 1 copy of the Revenue Domains Exposed ebook ($97 value)
- 2 month subscription at Wordze.com ($90 value)
- 3 x 1 copy of the Domaining Manifesto ebook. (3 x $27 value)
- 1 copy of Wordze’s Guide to Keyword Research & Niche Wealth Building! ($80 value)
- 1 copy of a single use license of Brian Gardner’s Revolution blog theme of the winners’ choice ($79.99 value)
- 1 copy of Optin Comments WP plugin. ($77 value)
- 1 DNForum.com Platinum membership. ($59.95 value)
- 1 yearly subscription to Gold Account at iwebtool.com ($59 value)
- 3 x 1 copy of the Killer Domains ebook (3 x $17 value)
- 2 x 50 available domains from WordFuse.com (2 x $24.95 value)
- 1 featured listing on Sedo’s homepage for 1 domain. (worth $39)
- 1 DNForum.com Gold membership ($19.95 value)
- 1 Month DomainNews.com Newsletter Sponsorship – Top Position Advertizing ($500 value)
- 2 months 160×90 ad on ClickFire.com homepage (2 x $200 value)
- 1 Month text link on JustDropped.com search pages ($100 value)
- 1 month text link at DomainNameWire.com ($60 value)
- 1 month of 125×125 banner advertising on Winning the Web ($50 value)
- 1 month 125×125 banner advertising at DNXpert.com ($50 value)
- 1 month 125×125 banner advertising at DotSauce.com ($40 value)
- 1 month text link on blogaboutyourblog.com ($10 value)
- 1 copy of Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger ebook ($16.49 value)
To enter, you’ll have to sign up for the DNXpert Newsletter, and start blogging about their contest to help spread the word and get other domain bloggers involved. Prizes will be awarded through a raffle on the 19th of June. Check out their official contest post for more info, and good luck to all!
