We all talk about it.
For years and years now.
Getting big business to understand the value of domains.
Getting the Fortune 500 to “get” domains.
Problem is the Fortune 500 isn’t coming to our trade shows.
God knows Rick & Howard have moved heaven and earth trying to get them to come to the show, even bringing the show to them, in New York and Silicon Valley.
So maybe instead of banging our heads on the wall to get them to come to our shows, we need to go to there shows, and if so, we just missed the grandfather of them all.
Just concluded this week was the Wall Street Journal’s “All This Digital Show” held in San Diego at the Four Seasons Hotel.
How important is the show that was held this week?
Well it was sold out in January.
Right five months before the show every ticket was gone.
Want to stay at the Four Seasons, sorry sold out as well.
Who did they come to see?
Look at the lineup of Speakers for this show:
Irving Azoff | CEO of Ticketmaster Entertainment
Mitchell Baker | Chairman of Mozilla
Steve Ballmer | CEO of Microsoft
Carol Bartz | CEO of Yahoo
Mark Cuban | Chairman of HDNet and Owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theaters and Magnolia Pictures
Eve Ensler | Playwright and Founder of V-Day
Arianna Huffington | Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo | CEO of Nokia
Mike Lazaridis | Co-CEO of Research In Motion
John Lilly | CEO of Mozilla
John Malone | Chairman of Liberty Media Corporation
Roger McNamee | Partner, Elevation Partners
Jon Miller | Chief Digital Officer of News Corp.
Jon Rubinstein | Executive Chairman, Palm
Randall Stephenson | CEO of AT&T
Biz Stone | Co-Founder of Twitter
Owen Van Natta | CEO of MySpace
Katharine Weymouth | Publisher of the Washington Post
Evan Williams | Co-Founder and CEO of Twitter
Jeff Zucker | CEO of NBC Universal
Some heavy hitters to say the least, and a who-who of the online world.
Not only are the movers and shakers represented but their CEO’s came to speak.
You want to get the big boys to learn about domains?
You want the online giants to find you?
Maybe you should calendar this show for next year and get your tickets and room reservations early.
Mike –
That is a valid point.
However, as individual domainers it means nothing. It would need to be done as a united presence.
How do we know if some of the major players in the domain industry were not there?
NameMedia, Marchex, Frank Schilling, National, etc., etc.
What you have done is opened our eyes to new opportunities.
Now, we have to figure out – is it worth attending the next one?
Domainers will never “get it”
Web Hosting = Domains = Not a real value (low value)
The fortune 500 that own the top generic domains, don’t really do anything with them.
Has anyone seen a commercial from any of them?
http://blog.domaintools.com/2007/08/generic-domains-owned-by-large-corporations/
Any ADs for Bayer and Aspirin.com?
The domains that are being used by them are terms that they branded well before the internet, like priceless.com etc, though AMEX doesn’t say go to priceless.com to
If corp america push a “website”/”domain” vs. product or brand, what good is their brand?
The most important part is
On a VC board, the owner of customerservice.com wants a “funding” to build a website out.
He has, NO team, NO experience in building a company with REAL PEOPLE, just a domain and an idea based on the domain. Just owning a great domain does NOT make you God’s gift to the business world.
The domain company is “godaddy.com” which I am sure was purchased for near reg fee.
Domainers buy a domain for $10/$59 Snap/$69 Namejet. Then sells them for $100,$500 or $2,000 does NOT make you a business man. It make you a used car sales man.
The BOTTOM of the food chain, the parasites that feed off real business people doing something.
I always thought introducing our business to other industries is the only way the domain business can grab some attention. While the occasional million dollar sale is impressive it’s still a blip in the news any given day. Leading organizations in our industry making their presence known at these related industry shows would bring domains to their attention much better than a news clip. Successful business owners talking to successful domain industry leaders and those domain leaders showing the impact a proper domain can have to these people and their business is priceless. Our industry needs to reach out and show the unconverted the power of domains. Preaching to the converted at domain industry conferences is great but we need to reach out. We need to show others the power of these business vehicles. We know it, they don’t. The sooner they do the sooner we all move forward.
Cheers!
Funny. These people already “know about domains”. Huffington, Cuban (sold broadcast.com for $1B almost 10 years ago), etc., know exactly what they are doing and how they are doing it. Most of these people have been there, done that and most importantly are still DOING it. Sure, there is still large corporate incompetence in many cases, slowness to move to web based operations, inability to turn eyeballs to profit (Twitter) but just because these successful people are not interested in (a) PPC, (b) “mini-sites”, (c) cyber/typo squatting, (d) weekly UDRP challenges, does not mean they “do not get domain names”. Rather, in most cases the opposite is true. They would probably say “domainers” do not get building a real business (registering one-thousands of names does not put one in business, contrary to the thinking of most domain name registrants). And in most cases they would be correct.
Since probably 80% of all domain names registered by “domainers” are worthless, its and uphill, counter-intuitive effort to “convince” already successful business people they they just “do not get domain names” especially when so many above mentioned are thriving on the web by using a domain name now.
The only time a Fortune 500 company even thinks about a domain is in preparation to a new product release or a subsidiary.
Very doubtful they would consider buying one because a domainer is sitting next to them and has one for sale.
Perhaps ICANN heads should have been in attendance.
Perhaps, a keynote speaker as Kevin Ham giving an address on the changing landscape of domains.
But I really don’t think they would be too keen on domainers being in attendance when they are already up in arms over all the new proposals.
Who knows, they probably burned ICANN in effigy.
I deal with Fortune 500 companies in other matters, and I know that there is a lot of red-tape involved in getting anything done.
Excellent post, Mike.
Let’s stop kidding folks, Does anyone make a living off cash parking domains??? The Click system is evaporationing “Help” Has arrived williamblairpinc. We need to stop and think, what can we do update the click world, if I told U we can today would you believe me? Well it’s true see U soon!! Jessie
That’s an incredible line-up of speakers.. Definitely going to give serious thought to going next year.
Please change the headline to ” We should have gone to the show”.
Thanks
W
While I don’t agree with most of what’s been said in the comments. I also think a show with a lineup like this is hardly the place to make a pitch about domains, nor would I think it’s even necessary. What would exactly would you say to any one of the people on that list ? These are some of the top business people online, if not globally. Call me a defeatist, but I think it’s amusing to imagine you could strut in to a show of this caliber and have a sit-down with the CEO of Nokia or whatever company you pick on that list. Sure maybe chipping away at the “issue” is one we can all undertake and little by little we make a dent, but there’s most likely far better ways to evangelize whatever the message is you want to get out. (I’m not sure what that message is yet). How many people do you reckon from other sectors are sitting in that audience thinking the same thing “If I can only get a minute with the twitter guys” or “I’ll go to this show and surely they’ll understand what they’re missing if I get a chance to present something to them”.
@William. There’s a handful of players who do make a living off of ppc yes, including the person who runs this blog. I’m not sure what the number is but some of said in the thousands. . . . my guess is around 2500
Adam
Like all shows there is a social component.
You might meet strike up a conversation in the lobby bar, in the steam room at the spa, out by pool.
You need one good conversation.
Baby steps.
William
Adam is correct, I as well as many people make a living off of parking domains.
If I have a domain that naturally gets hundreds or thousands of visitors per month, specifically looking for that item or subject, that traffic is priceless. If you don’t think that is worth something even “without a plan” you are very mistaken.
Flipping domains, bottom feeders? Must be nice to sit at the top of the mountain and trash the pee-ons. At least the bottom feeder flippers might be making an honest buck selling generic domains rather than trademark typo’s and/or redirects on arbitrage traffic.
What do you call a company or individual that redirects trademarked names to ppc ads to make money off those trademarked names like Ford.cm? Bottom feeder? parasite? reputable business?
What do you call a company that borrows billions of dollars to build overpriced gas guzzling cars and then bankrupts itself all the while taking the taxpayer down with it? Successful businessmen/company my ass.
What do you call a company that produces a product that has an expected lifespan already built into it? Intentionally building a product to break so you have to buy the replacement. Successful businessman/woman? No parasite on the planet.
What do you call a company that is allowed to make seeds that have a suicide gene built into it so the farmer can’t collect the seeds to grow the following year but has to return to the supplier to buy the specialized chemicals and seeds to continue farming? Monsanto successful business? No, one of the biggest parasites on the planet. What do you call a government(s) that let that happen?
What do you call a company that makes a phone that you can’t replace the battery on? Successful? Maybe from a $$ point of view but morally?
The majority of successful multinational business’s have been built with the profile of a psychopath. Make more profits with no regard for how you do it.
An interesting documentary called “The Corporation” should be viewed by all.
Peace, Namaste.
To Adam, Hope all is well, making money is great, Account executes are pretty honest for the most part. Ask them about about parked cash revenues. Maybe you will make money if you have a great domain, but there is so much more to domaining for money. We will deliver hope to the domainer just trying to make a enough money to feed and house their families. I read the blogs, All I read is look at me I’m the king and I make millions, Kings help feed their people (domainers). We will deliver at williamblairpinc.com. Coming soon Profitableurls.com. Hope is coming. Profitableurls.com is a webparking platform geared specifically for domainers, it tackles key issues which included but are not limited to, propagation, variation, content and revenue. Be patient domainers, I can’t disclose to much. You know the drill. Just think Massive network coming soon. Wm