I have noticed over the past few days some consistent traffic coming to TheDomains.com from a new site DomainSherpa.com.
DomainSherpa.com which bills its self as “The Domain Name Authority”, is the brand child of Michael Cyger.
The site launched in January.
Mr. Cyger background in publishing.
He sold his company CTQMedia.com, in 2008 when it was getting 750,000 unique monthly visitors.
Fast forward a couple of years latter and Mr. Cyger decided to focus on the domain industry.
“More and more of my friends started asking me questions about domain names, like I want a domain but its taken so what do I do?, or how do I get a good domain for to use for email?”
“I Bought some domains over the years for business development purposes, and sunpill.com was one. It was a domain I envisioned would be used by a company that would have a product that people could take once a day to give people a tan.”
“So I wound up selling this domain name I bought for $60 to the founder of Banana Boat for $7,500 and a case of sunscreen and I was hooked”
“So I started DomainSherpa.com to bring more and more people into the industry.”
“I started the site to answer the questions that my relatives had about domains, that my friends had about domains; that those in the tech field had about domain names.”
“I think of DomainSherpa.com as “Domain names for dummies” because people need basic information, how do I buy a domain someone else owns, how do I handle escrow, how does all of this work.”
“Domain blogs cover the news of the domain industry well but there are a lot of people just trying to learn the basics.”
In just the short time since DomainSherpa.com launched they already have over 1,500 followers on Twitter.
So this new site that mixes original content with links to stories from industry blogs.
According to Mr. Cyger, DomainSherpa.com is “a social network and online magazine dedicated to the domain name industry.” It’s social because you can create a profile similar to the one you create on Facebook complete with status updates mentions, etc. & it’s an online magazine that publishes new, evergreen content on topics related to domain names a few times a week.”
“A newsletter is mailed out to subscribers whenever a new article is posted. We also post the article to our Facebook page and Twitter account so readers can follow us in the manner they prefer.”
“We find the “best of the best” content, and we post links and tweets about it.”
“All links are editorially selected. We write articles, conduct interviews, and develop resources that are in-line with what our readers ask of us.”
“Editorial integrity is paramount to me.”
As such, we’ll never align with any domain name service provider, use affiliate links or do anything that would provide a perception of bias in our editorial.”
“I don’t see domaining.com or any other blog or aggregator as a competitor. The direction of our editorial is different than what’s currently being offered, which is why I decided it would be an interesting magazine to launch.”
I can attest to the fact that he must be on to something because the site is already directing steady traffic over to TheDomains.com.
We wish DomainSherpa.com the best of luck and welcome Mr. Cyger to the industry
How Motivating! Someone who gets up and does it. So much is achievable in this space when you focus on what can be done and not the challenges.
yes, it’s a quite interesting site
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the write-up about DomainSherpa.com. I sincerely appreciate it and look forward to interviewing you on DomainSherpa.com soon!
Best regards,
Michael
Sounds like competition or Elliot’s domainquestions
@ MHB
Just fyi… twitter followers’ count is pretty much a joke and worthless for the most part. Not an indicator of success/much influence.
Other than that, domainsherpa.com looks good. Lets hope they stick around longer than domainers magazine, modern domainer, etc.
Hi Joe,
I don’t consider DomainSherpa.com to be a direct competitor to Elliot’s DomainQuestions. However, there is some overlap, just like there was when Elliot launched DQ after viewing only discussion forums on DNForum, NamePros, etc. He launched what he considered to be a better solution for the Q&A area.
While DomainSherpa.com does have a discussion forum, it’s not the focus. Our focus is on professionally researched, written, edited and published content that helps people accomplish something related to domain names. For example, “How to Respond to a Domain Name Inquiry” (http://www.domainsherpa.com/how-to-respond-to-a-domain-name-inquiry/) or “How Does Domain Name Escrow Work?” (http://www.domainsherpa.com/how-does-domain-name-escrow-work/). These are topics that you and Mike Berkens easily understand from being experts in the industry, but *most people* in the world do not. Those are the people DomainSherpa.com was written for.
It’s my hope that DomainSherpa.com will also provide useful information for domain name experts too. For instance, we’ll be interviewing domainers like Mike Berkens who make a living with domain names to find out how they’re doing it, what’s been their critical success factors, and what others can learn from their years of experience. Mike has graciously agreed to come on our program in the future. I’d also love to potentially feature how you built your site, MinkCoats.com, for example.
I hope this has helped differentiate DomainSherpa.com a little more. Again, thanks for your input.
Best regards,
Michael
Hi Mike @ WannaDevelop.com,
I agree. I hope DomainSherpa.com is around much longer than Domainers Magazine, Modern Domainer too! 🙂
In my last company I started online and then grew into a 10,000 subscriber paid print magazine later. I can attest to the fact that print is hard — the editorial process is more in-depth, paper rises in cost every year, postage rises in cost every year, people move physical addresses all the time without updating their information, customer service reps are a requirement, distribution one newsstands and airports is enormously difficult unless you’re a 100,000 circulation magazine…the list goes on and on.
In any case, I hope perhaps someday to launch another print magazine if the industry requests one. Until then, we’ll keep publishing on DomainSherpa.com.
Best regards,
Michael
“brand child of Michael Cyger.””
It is not Cyger—it is Cyber
Glad that he is in my part of the world.
Mike Cyber– you do not need to write a dissertation or an apology to Joe why you are here.
Pretty soon, you will know who are the talkers and the BSers in this domain industry.
People take it so seriously that they piss off at anything and everything .
As for me, I take this crap as fun hobby and turn out that I make more money than before.
Remember- all domains are BS and all websites are BullS
Thanks, BullS. 🙂 I just like to “close the loop” with people. If someone took the time to comment, they deserve a response.
Mike @ WannaDevelop: I wrote a response to you, but I don’t see it posted. Hmmm… (In short: print publishing is tough. I’ve done it successfully, by the skin of my teeth. I hope to be around for a long time and perhaps launch a print magazine if domainers want one.)
Great site! I’m looking forward to reading more from you guys! Best of Luck!
Yawn
Yet another guy who had a ‘lucky’ sale for decent change…and becomes an instant “expert” with the ubiquitous blog.
Don’t forget: More about getting in early than anything..
How long was the domain held for prior to the sale…since 2004…
I want to see the guy’s successes going forward.
Truth: for most entering in past 1-2 yrs, domaining will, at best, be a mildly lucrative hobby
Failed at day trading, poker-for-a-living…all is not lost…try domaining…
just checked out domain sherpa and it is def worth reading
tons of good info and tips for any domainer!
And who are you Aggro ? A no one probably and cheap shot
Egos talk smack
Congratulations DomainSherpa and will be reading your blog. Congratulations on sale and many more to come!
@Lori, Chris and Low Blow: Thank you.
@Yawn: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I never claimed to be an expert; quite the opposite, in fact. I know very little about domaining, which is why I launched DomainSherpa.com. I agree with you: the proof’s in the pudding. We’ll both see over time.
@Michael Cyger
So how is DomainSherpa.com “The Domain Name Authority”
Kind of misleading… No?
@Mike @WannaDevelop:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
DomainSherpa’s mission is to provide authoritative information that “regular people” can use to figure out the domain name industry. A result of us doing our job well is that more people (business owners, individuals, etc.) will buy more domain names and associated services.
I believe we’re publishing authoritative and helpful articles related to domain names, like how to get free world-class email for only the cost of a domain name per year, or how to protect yourself when buying a domain name.
If you think otherwise or have suggestions for how we can publish more useful articles, I welcome you to call me directly at 206-347-0977. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to provide constructive feedback.