May 19th, 2008 by Andy Sweet
An
article posted today on Boston.com talks about the upcoming auction for the domain America.com. In the second paragraph, they say, “The Cambridge auctioneer and a Swiss broker representing the overseas owner of the America.com domain say there has been strong interest among prospective buyers and the sale price could exceed the estimated $12 million paid for Sex.com earlier this decade, thought to be the most ever.”
Ron Jackson, the publisher of one of the top domain industry news sites – DNJournal.com says he doesn’t think America.com is even a 7 figure number.
My 2 cents – I think it could be a 7 figure name but a low one. Yes, Ron’s big time (and a very nice guy, as well) and I’m small time. So if you’re betting, bet wisely. But while it’s not nearly as clear as sex.com, cars.com, or poker.com it does have its audience… Think about what you could sell. All sorts of patriotic stuff.
Questions – Will the economy have an effect at depressing the price compared to trying to sell 2 years ago? Will fear of future legislation like the proposed Snowe bill scare people away?
** Edit ** – Since posting this, I’ve been thinking about it some
more. As the geographic name in the domain covers more space, does it
decline in value? How much would Boston.com go for if it were for sale
today? Without question, hundreds of thousands of dollars. How about
Massachusetts.com? NorthAmerica.com? Earth.com?
May 12th, 2008 by Andy Sweet
Frequently you hear athletes, successful business people, etc… saying, “You can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it” or some similar variation of goal achievement. I find that a lot of people (myself included) frequently just lack the goal. Yes, if you have a clear vision of your goal, it’s a lot easier to figure out how to get there.
I’ve been fortunate to work closely with some very, very successful people. Truly game changing visionaries. Wherever they go, their reputation precedes them. Their bio’s tout about how early on, long before anyone else they saw an opportunity and charged full speed ahead. What I’ve found in talking with them candidly is that often is not completely accurate. I’ve learned that they didn’t necessarily know what they were stumbling on and luck was a large part of their success. Where they are today wasn’t a goal back then.
That’s good news for those of us who fret about not seeing the master plan today. As long as you’re out there making yourself open to opportunity, you have a good chance of something coming your way.
May 4th, 2008 by Andy Sweet
Boy, did Yahoo really screw the pooch this time!
Microsoft got tired of Yahoo’s game. Now Google might now want to do the ad distribution deal because they don’t feel like dealing with the regulatory commission hassle. And even if they did, what leverage does Yahoo hold anymore? NONE. I hope Yahoo enjoyed being the popular girl everyone was trying to get to go to the big dance. Now she gets to sit home on prom night eating her Haagen Dasz all alone. Well, that’s not entirely true. She’ll still be getting lots of attention… by way of class action lawsuit from investors for this total debacle.
So what does Microsoft do now? They were trying to jump start into being real competition for Google. Their MSN er… I mean Live.com really hasn’t done it. How do they go and get in front of massive amounts of eyeballs? Some are suggesting that AOL might be the next stop.
What about domain portfolios? Say… Marchex? The stock is weak because the public doesn’t understand them. Not to mention the parting gift you could make on Yahoo’s bottom line by taking away one of their bigger distribution partners.
April 25th, 2008 by Andy Sweet
A few posts ago, I said I’d get a bit more in depth about my feelings about Google. Basically it comes down to this: I don’t understand why everybody is walking on eggshells when it comes to dealing with Google.
Google is nothing but a tool. So many SEO folks are like, “Oh my God. I don’t want to do anything that would make Google not want to be my friend! Without their friendship, I’d just DIE!”
Hey, I get it. A top ranking in Google for a term that gets a lot of searches is really great. But really people, you give them too much credit! If you can build a site that is sustainable from other sources besides Google, they have no choice but to come begging! It’s their whole business. Without listing the most credible sources of information at the top, they’d just end up another AltaVista. Despite all their genius and algorithms, Google can’t think for themselves. They need to look to others to figure out who to like.
Didn’t anyone ever teach you that playing hard to get is a great way to attract someone?
And just like playing hard to get with the object of your desire, you weren’t REALLY making yourself impossible to get. You do things that make yourself more attractive. Look at this blog. It’s not an SEO piece of art, but I did do the fundamentals. But I spend more effort getting attention from other sources than I do worrying about optimization.
April 21st, 2008 by Andy Sweet
Last night I watched the UFC pay per view fights. No major upsets. GSP beat Matt Serra, Michael Bisping beat Captain Miserable McCarthy, Kalib Starnes killed his career as a UFC fighter.
I always notice the intro music. You know, the music over the louspeakers that blast as the fighters make their way to the ring. It used to seem that every fighter would come out with some aggo-scream metal song like Korn, Godsmack, Disturbed or Drowning Pool. The other night, there was much more a mix of more recognizable music with classic rock, rap and country. Eminem is used a lot. The funniest I’ve heard was Duran Duran’s ‘Wild Boys’ for Mirko Cro-cop.
I wonder if the metal is out of the fighters’ itunes playlists or if it’s an overt effort by the promoters to have more encompassing songs. Do the fighters have complete control over what they could play assuming it’s a pay per view fight and naughty words isn’t a problem? If I wanted to use the theme song from Happy Days, could I? What about inserting subliminal messages? “You will wet yourself in fear when Andy Sweet enters the ring…. You will wet yourself in fear when Andy Sweet enters the ring…”
That got me further thinking… what would I choose for an entrance song? The following are some possibilities:
The Serpentine Offering by Dimmu Borgir - evil symphonic metal
Come to Daddy by the Dillinger Escape Plan and Mike Patton – insane redo of Aphex Twin which was insane to begin with
The Foggy Dew by the Chieftains and Sinead O’Connor – The Dropkick Murphys use this before they take the stage. Or at least they did the last time I saw them. It gives me goosebumps.
What would your fight entrance song be and why?
