Rich Schwartz challenged me to repeat the poll he ran on RicksBlog.com last week after I called the results of the poll Bull Shit.
I have no problem with running polls on blog, matter of fact at thedomains.com we were the first to build a polling feature into the blog, from the get go.
Over the years we have asked 127 questions, (yes I had to check) however I have never attempted to take the results and analyze them or hold them out to mean or represent anything.
For one people can vote multiple times in the poll using different names, by using different browsers; people can call their friends who know nothing about the domain space and tell to vote; the same person can vote from his desktop, laptop and cell phone.
A poll of such fashion is not scientific and its result cannot be held up to represent anything.
Most of the questions Rick asked and highlighted in his post about the results had less than 150 responses.
TheDomains gets somewhere between 3,000-7,000 readers a day.
At best if each vote is real and one person one vote the tally doesn’t even represent 10% of the readership on a low day.
More importantly, I’m not going to let some readers of the blog dictate what I write about.
I see TheDomains.com as a leader, not a follower.
TheDomains.com is not a going to be a blog whose opinion or direction is determined by the readers.
I’m not a yes man.
Nor is Rick.
Rick has been a leader a forerunner of the whole domain industry so it puzzles me why he gives a crap of what some of his reader think og what he writes about.
I’m not going to tell the masses what they want to hear.
I will write what I want to write.
I write what I think.
I write what I believe.
Sometimes I’m right.
Sometimes I’m wrong.
It only take someone getting a hit 3 times in every 10 times at bat to make it in to the Baseball Hall Of Fame.
The best professional sports betters get it right less than 60% of the time.
I think my average is much higher.
So lets say this to say it.
I don’t accept money to write posts (and have been offered it and turned it down a ton of times)
I don’t accept money not to write posts (yes I have written negative posts about advertisers( i.e. Oversee, .XXX)
If people choose to read the blog they do, if they don’t, they don’t
I can only assume if they come to thedomains.com on a regular basis they find the posts either entertaining, a source of information, a source of news, a place to read my opinion on issues that they either agree with or disagree with but find some value in.
Readers motivations are their own.
I don’t need to know why they people come to thedomains.com, whether they like me or don’t, whether they think I’m right or wrong.
I’ll continue to write the blog and chat about the issues I think are important, take position on issues that require an opinion and report news about the domain industry which I find interesting.
When the day comes when I don’t want to write the blog anymore, I’ll stop.
However, I’m not going to give control over what I write about, what I think, what I believe in to a small group of readers representing based on Rick’s poll something like 5% of our readership.
Here are the poll questions in particular Rick chose to highlight in his post, which he would like me to repeat on thedomains.
While for the reasons above I will not run the poll on thedomains.com I will openly answer the poll right here, right now (although I did vote last week on the poll as well)
Rick’s Posts about gTLD’s have been Fair and has brought up good points or Unfair and has brought up invalid points
My Answer Fair and has brought up good points
Has Ricksblog.com been Beneficial to you?
Yes
How many gTLD’s will you Buy Into?
10 or more
What would you give as an overall rating of the new gTLD extensions
I certainly wouldn’t pick 1 they are not excellent but I don’t know what I expected from the new gTLD’s and I don’t think any readers knew what heir expectations where.
I think the answers should been in a grade form instead
What grade would you give the new gTLD extensions?
A
B
C
D
E
F
In that case I would choice B.
However, even an overall grade is a simple answer for a very complicated question.
How can you rate 1400 new extensions?
Are there a lot of terms you would have spent $200K to register that haven’t been registered?
Probably not.
Most of the natural terms were applied for.
Are there a lot of horrible new gTLD’s?
Yes
Are there other right of the dot words that would have been better than some of the one’s applied for?
Definitely
gTLD’s are off to a good start, a bad start, I don’t care
My vote is off to a bad start.
I think I have made that known in my own post and comments see:
Godaddy Opens Up Pre-Registrations on 14 Donuts New gTLD’s With 6 Levels Up to $12,569.99 Per Domain
1and1.com New gTLD Pre-Registrations Blows Past 2 Million, Setting Off gTLD Pre-Reservation Panic
You’ve Got To Be Kidding: $25K For A .Sucks Domain Name Registration
Do you think gTLD’s will Increase demand and value for dot-com or Lower demand and value for dot-com?
There are 112,000,000 .com domains and they come as short as two letters and as long as 64.
Great .com’s will go up in value, crappy domains will become worthless.
I don’t know what each new gTLD registry plans to do.
Most of the best strings, the most valuable one’s the one’s we are in contention .web might compete with .com or the winner of the auction might charge $1,000 a domain name to register one.
.music; .app.; .book; .shop.; .news all in contention and its unknown who will own the string.
Out of the 30 top new gTLD pre-reserved on 1and1.com, I think 27 are still in contention.
How can one has an opinion on how successful these will become when we don’t even know who will control them, what their business plan is, what their fees look like and how much marketing they are going to put behind it?
If you are Planning to Invest in gTLD’s, How much Money will be earmarked?
I’m not earmarking any amount.
I have no problem spending $100K or more on new gTLD domains but they have to be great domains and at a price that allows me a lot of upside.
I know I’m not going to register any premium domains that carry a premium annual renewal price.
If there are no great deals I’ll just register what I like.
Hold on for 5 years and see what happens
If you buy any of these to flip I think your going to be sadly disappointed unless you happy making a few hundred a domain.
How much of the TRAFFIC Agenda Should be Devoted to gTLD’s?
2 or 3 panels
The more time TRAFFIC Devotes to gTLD’s the more or less likely I will come to T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Actually there should have been a choice like it will make no difference as to whether I’m will come to TRAFFIC
That is my answer
Will the main reason you will attend a trade show in 2014 be to meet the gTLD Registries?
No
How many gTLD’s will be successful?
Success
What is success?
Is a registry successful if its profitable?
Is a registry successful only if it gets a certain number of registrations?
Is a registry successful only if it gets adoption by end users.
Is a registry successful only if there is an active aftermarket where domains are resold?
Or all of the above.
Without defining what success is the question is unanswerable.
If your talking profitable ,which is what anyone goes into business for I would say more than 100 registries not companies but each string being a registry more than 100.
I don’t know how many more but more.
How many TLD’s of the 23 are unprofitable today?
Does anyone know?
If you don’t know what are you basing your answer on?
Are Bloggers views slanted because of gTLD advertisers?
Do I think the most widely read domain blogs change their opinion because of advertisers
No
Andrew, Kevin, Elliot, Myself
No
I’m I surprised most readers think blogs are slanted by advertisers?
No
Now I’m just asking, but do you think its possible that blogs actually turn down advertisers?
Would you believe that that at RightoftheDot.com we have turned down six figures in revenue to not work on some new gTLD’s we don’t believe in?
I’m sure you don’t, but we turned down $20,000 just yesterday.
Would you?
In 2014 Rick Should: Continue to write about gTLD’s, Stop writing about gTLD’s, or Keep holding their feet to the fire?
Continue to write about gTLD’s
There you go Rick
Those are my answers to the poll questions.
What does it mean?
Nothing.
Battle of the ‘Domain Divas’ part I 🙂 ?
with utmost respect to all 3 of you 🙂
I agree, write what you want, not what certain readers might want you to write. Those people can start their own Blog if they want to get their message out there. Then they can get feedback from their readers’ comments, and see what it’s like to be disagreed with or told what to write. 😉
If I worked in the competitive intelligence department of a large corporation and the executive management team wanted me to give them a report, right now, about whether they should invest in new gTLDs and if so, how much, the only data I would have to go by that could give an indication of the future success or failure of the gTLD expansion would be Rick’s unscientific poll.
It is sad, isn’t it? However, it is true. And we are talking about companies with cash and cash equivalents of millions and hundreds of millions of dollars and we cannot give them any hard data on why they should change their existing operations, alter their existing marketing platform, and use gTLDs to do business. The best we can say is people have an affinity for things, they like horses, so they will use these gTLDs to conduct business. Really?
As of this date, there is now one company that says it will change its corporate website to resolve to its gTLD brand. We needs hundreds of companies saying they will use a gTLD to complement existing marketing efforts, or domain investors will be left holding the bag of .crap
Patrick
Actually that is not true, there are other polls that have been taken, I’m not saying they are any better or more reliable than Ricks but they are out there:
pcadvisor.co.uk took a poll and got almost 3,000 responses
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/polls/3466599/poll-with-the-launch-of-new-domain-names-are-you/
Fairwinds Partner poll:
http://www.thedomains.com/2013/06/14/fairwinds-new-poll-shows-half-of-internet-users-are-willing-to-try-a-new-gtld/
NetNames:
http://www.thedomains.com/2013/05/15/netnames-33-have-no-idea-what-a-new-gtld-is-62-have-no-plans-to-register-one/
Sedo
http://www.thedomains.com/2013/09/30/sedo-com-new-gtld-study-says-59-said-they-would-consider-using-a-domain-other-than-com/
There have been others those are the only one’s i can quickly find.
And the conclusion is that domainer polls are BS. But at least, they are entertaining.
http://domaingang.com/domain-news/domainers-99-9-of-polls-are-bullshit-according-to-a-poll/
I spoke to the people at Rackspace earlier this week, about why they were resolving CloudSaas.com to Rackspace.com instead of developing it out to give potential customers more information about their Software As A Service offerings.
They are forwarding the information I gave them to their web design department, to see if it would be cost effective to do so. The strategic information about domain names is going to the web guys, instead of someone in the executive management team.
We are talking about a top tier .com that they aren’t using, that they should be using. What makes you think that strategic information about the gTLDs is going to make it past the web guys into the hands of the management team at this point? The gTLD registries are going to have to do a much better job than they are to get any sort of traction, any sort of end user adoption.
And that traction, that adoption starts with better data. Data that can be put in a memo, in a report and given to someone of the executive management team who has more authority than the web guys.
Although Rick’s poll wasn’t scientific it aims at getting more useable data than the polls you listed above. It attempts, and I will admit in a limited way, to gather data about future spending on gTLDs. Data needs to be gathered to determine the following: How much of the marketing budget would businesses spend on gTLDs if their use would result in increased profitability? What is the perception of the executive management team about using gTLDs to augment and complement current marketing efforts? Would companies continue to use their current domain name or would they change to a gTLD if doing so would increase sales?
The information and data that should have been gathered by this point has not been gathered. The registries are already behind the curve. They need to step up their efforts if they are to succeed, because the odds are against them.
I’ve read all this, watched you two talk it out live and I still don’t don’t understand what the big deal is. He had a poll which is unique to him and his readers. No more, no less. At no point did I see another blog mentioned uniquely. I see it merely of a representation of Rick and his readers, nothing else. You have mentioned the 4 blogs several times that you think write unbiased, unpaid for, post. ALL writers are influenced by friends and business relationships. Our ideas and opinions are created through our interactions with those around us. We will always be biased towards something whether we admit it or not. All our stories are shaped by other’s posts, outside information, or talks with other colleagues and are biased based on the source of original info or driver of post ideas. As long as that bias happens naturally and without financial payments, I see no problem with it. I think you’re talking to the mirror when you say you are not biased because I don’t think I’ve ever heard say anything bad or negative about your views or where they came from. Like I tell Elliot all the time. Don’t worry about telling everyone you’re not being paid to say something. We’ve never thought you were.
Shane is right, I think Rick can take what he takes from his POLL, you are just stealing his thunder now with these bogus headlines… domain celebrity gossip… DMZ
Hello MHB,
Its one thing to have polls whose internal results are in control of the poll taker sponsor, whose supposedly external poll taker is a well payed intermediary third party hoax. There are other people besides yourself that know how the game is really played.
This whole gTLD shakedown is meant to juice the froth of the hopefull domainers qwest for the next .COM inspired Gold Rush. The hook is set and the suckers will surely bite for how long? The Smart money is divesting from this registrar and Ad Media Blitz campaign.
Meanwhile the really smart money has been scooping up the .COM franchise Addresses that have been spooked into selling in the secondary market. This is fundamentally setting the stage for a .COM Franchise Address BOOM in Online Business expansion.
Online Start-ups spurring gTLD adoption? OR .COM Franchise BOOM ?
Where do you think the people who can afford the loge seats are betting ? to watch this game unfold ?
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
Another X-Mas gift to Rick?
Mike, you really have the holiday spirit going on this year 😉
Michael,
I ran some numbers and Rick’s poll does have a sufficient sample size so that it is valid, and it does contain some key information that other polls have not. Rick’s poll asks two key questions: (1) How many gTLDs will you buy into? (2) If you are planning to invest in gTLDs, how much money will be earmarked?
According to TrafficEstimate.com, Ricksblog.com has received 436,400 visits over the last 30 days. The number of visitors or unique visits would be lower. Using a population of 436,400 you only need a sample size of 150 to have a 95% confidence level with an 8% margin of error. You can use a sample size calculator at SurveySystem.com to check for sample size.
The question “How many gTLDs will you buy into?” has 317 responses. And the question, “If you are planning to invest in gTLDs, how much money will be earmarked?” has 170 responses. Both questions have sufficient sample size for a poll of Rick’s readership, and do provide useful and actionable information.
“I love pop culture — the Rolling Stones, the Doors, David Lynch, things like that.
That’s why I said I don’t like elitism.”
― Haruki Murakami
Berkens is well liked in the Domaining Community. And probably beyond. His blog is first rate. He is a diligent, and classy guy. It doesn’t hurt that he speaks softly, and carries a loaded portfolio. And he’s been there.
Therefore, he has accumulated a lot goodwill in this industry.
But none of these give him the chutzpah to refer to us, the readers of this blog, as the masses! We are not here to be led; we are not here to be taught; we come here to reason, inter-react, play, form opinions, discuss, and do whatever we want, that is allowed in the terms and conditions.
The gtld news of the past few weeks has been a window into the problem of “elitism”: who is perceived to be “in” and who is “out”. These attitudes have proven to be offensive, corrosive, and dangerous to our unity and trust in our fellow domainers. I had once suggested that the new gtld people should do their own stuff, find their own blog, and stuff.
Six months ago, I perceived that they will all descend here on Berkens blog, so I decided to focus all my comments on Berkens. I have been proven right again. They are here! And Berkens is attacking Schwartz for a reason. Make no mistake about it. Berkens has to realize that, even tho Schwartz is a strong personality, he hurts just like any flesh and bones. To pick on Rick just because he conducted a poll of his readers is completely out of order! And to tolerate anonymous posters dumping hurtful allegations about Schwartz here, and then refuse to delete them, is beyond the pale.
So, Cultra may feel slighted because he didn’t make it to Berkens upper elitist incorruptible bloggers, so are we readers being insulted by Berkens; he says he doesn’t care about what we think, or say for that matter.
Well, I’ve warned many times that I will stop posting here if Berkns continues with this attitude.
Therefore, I’m out.
“Incestuous, homogeneous fiefdoms of self-proclaimed expertise are always rank-closing and mutually self-defending, above all else.”
― Glenn Greenwald
Hello Domenclature.com,
To back off now is playing into the other sides strategy. You take on liars head on again and again. The light bulb eventually goes off with persistence. When this whole gTLD Bubble bursts people have memories like elephants and will follow the whistle blowers.
(TARGET) Phisching Scams and other upcoming scam ploys, will only heighten consumers avoidance of any right of the dot offerings, this will include right of the dot gTLD brands. Count on Consumer behavioral response, not gTLD hype.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
I still have to wonder…if michael had no stake at all in the gtld’s would his opinion be the same? I know if i was director of a company who’s job is to help promote gtld’s and help corps understand how to market gtlds it would be kind of hard to not be pro gtld.
myself, i own thousands of .com’s…so i am biased in that i am not fond of the new gtlds.
Shane
Sorry for some reason I just got an email of your comment, I didn’t see it before so sorry about the delay in responding
I’m not going to go through the poll thing again as I said I was done with it
But to your point:
” You have mentioned the 4 blogs several times that you think write unbiased, unpaid for, post. ”
Ok to be clear the question Rick asked was:
“Are Bloggers views slanted because of gTLD advertisers?”
That is what 91% of the voters in the poll answered yes to.
My answer to that question was:
“Do I think the most widely read domain blogs change their opinion because of advertisers
No
Andrew, Kevin, Elliot, Myself
No
I’m I surprised most readers think blogs are slanted by advertisers?
No”
Ok so now your comment above:
“”You have mentioned the 4 blogs several times that you think write unbiased, unpaid for, post. ALL writers are influenced by friends and business relationships.”
Ok so you see you have broadened Ricks question and changed my Answer.
I will agree with you that “ALL writers are influenced by friends and business relationships.”
But that was not the question that Rick asked or that I answered.
Now if you ask are bloggers “influenced by friends and business relationships?”
I would answer yes.
I would go further and say all human beings are influenced by friends and business relationships.
That’s different than getting paid or having an advertiser.
See the difference?
Having said that all bloggers are “influenced by friends and business relationships the question now becomes how do you handle it and how much does it effect you and what you write about?
That’s a whole different question for another post another day
Interesting to read the back and forth of it all…
Well, interesting and boring…
It’s all a waste of time and energy…
I have the ability to SEE into the FUTURE
(whether anyone believes that or not – I could care less)
gTLD’s won’t be worth the time or $$$ over the next
35 years… (I don’t see anything past that)
I enjoy everyones sites/blogs…
there are lot’s of folks that post comments here/and elsewhere that I just scroll past and never read anything they have to say…
Reason for that: Life’s to short to be bothered with
yakkityyak that has no benefit to ME…
The sites/blogs I LIKE the MOST – Know it — Because
I try to RT their content at least once a month as time permits…
Time for fresh hot tea…
~Patricia – Ohio USA – DomainBELL
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