2008 December | The Gremlins Umbrella Authority

Where am I? New domain ! Forget acronyms !

December 29, 2008 | Written by -GRUMBA- | Topic: My Developments, My Views | Comments (0)

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. I did! That is the reason for a week with no posts. Regardless, I am back, so do not worry !

If you were one of the early birds: one of those who visited this site/blog prior to this post, then you will notice that our domain has changed for the final time. We are now, at least for the moment utilizing gremlinsumbrellaauthority.com. Let me explain.

When I decided to build a web based business I was met by an opportunity to purchase a variety of domains. One of them was GUA.com. I decided that as this is by far my best domain, that I would utilize it properly, and develop it.
My team spent the next few days throwing ideas around as to an acronym: we were developing the meaning after choosing the domain. Gremlins Umbrella Authority was born, on the basis that it is completely barmy, and thus reflects my personality perfectly

Whilst development was underway, I had the domain parked at domainsponsor: to my dismay (if that is the correct word) it earned me a low $xxx amount each month it was parked. Great!
After completing the development (you see before you), I launched the site, placing adsense here and there. My revenues for the last month totalled less than $1.
This got me thinking, so I did some research. I checked out the keywords, the traffic sources, and did a bit of googling. As far as I could see, the traffic was arriving from people looking for GUA.com.my, a well developed website, and missing off the .my

Now this poses a problem. I bought this domain unaware of the .com.my version, and unaware of the traffic. I had never thought of it in this way prior, but the traffic it was receiving was negatively impacting me. The number of visits daily was extremely volatile, and random. Thus my analytics data was completely random. Analytics was giving me a view of how random typo traffic is, NOT how my site was growing/converting. What is more, the traffic could be utilized, and monetized !

My solution… a compromise. I decided that I would setup a lander page on the GUA.com domain name which would link to our new gremlinsumbrellaauthority.com domain name. Surrounding this link I would place ads: most likely adsense. I can then make money, and at the same time people who want my site, can have my site. After all, that is why I bought the domain.

BUT WAIT. During the course of writing this post, I had an epithany.
This was written prior to purchase of the gremlinsumbrellaauthoirty.com domain name (go register it if you want ). My intention was to schedule this post for publication, and then when I got the chance update the domain (ahh the power of wordpress).
Whilst writing about this I noticed that my intended new domain went against ALL my domaining peeves. It is long, it is 3 words, it is difficult to seperate the words etc If i were to change, I think I would actually rather have gremlins-umbrella-authority.com. I realised that I did not want that domain at all. I realised that I bought the domain GUA.com BECAUSE it was short, easily memorable, and brandable. I should not have to compromise (even if I am making money in the process) simply because another website has the same acronym, but their users dont look at the extension!

Thus I am rewriting my original ‘final’ paragraph.

My solution… a compromise. I will retain usage of the GUA.com domain, it is mine after all (without wanting to sound like a petulant child). I will however set up a landing page on the initial root domain. This will link to my blog/main site, so people who want my content can easily get my content. I will also place a link to the website the typo traffic visitors are looking for : gua.com.my, and to top it all I will throw some relevant adsense in the mix too.

So to summarise. Hopefully you managed to follow me documenting my thought processes over a 30 minute process. In simple terms the only difference is that my blog is now at gua.com/blog. Exciting !

Chow!

Masspay can be used for anything !

December 23, 2008 | Written by -GRUMBA- | Topic: Advice | Comments (2)

Paypal Masspay CAN be used for anything.
When it came to a particular purchase, I was requested to pay via paypal masspay. I happily obliged, and saved my seller around $50. I was curious. I decided to phone.

After going through paypals ridiculous automated system I clicked 3. Yes, of course I would like to speak to an operator! Paypals website has details as to how masspay works but does not actually state who is, and is not allowed to use it (at least definitively). I proceeded to ask.

My question was met with an extremely polite, “I am sorry, I do not know. Will you hold“. I did. I waited, and a response came back saying yes it is absolutely fine, anyone can use it.
The staff member however suggested masspay had different fees than those documented, and seen by those who have used it. I re-asked my previous question, and asked for clarification. After a labouress process, and multiple periods on hold I was happy with the response. Masspay definately can be used for anything, and you are well within your right to request payment be sent via masspay for absolutely anything.

On ebay, payment can be rendered by normal paypal, cheque, postal order, bankers draft, and yes masspay. This has come from the horses mouth: paypal staff.

Clarification however I feel is neccesary here. You are allowed to request payment be sent by masspay, however you are under NO circumstances allowed to request masspay payment for the purposes of saving on fees. This may be a by-product of such a payment, but paypal Terms of Service clearly state that you can not request the buyer absorb their fees.

The only other slight thing is that you need a premier, or business account to utilize masspay.

I would at this point like to point out, paypal provides the masspay feature as a tool. I use it because it makes the large number of transactions I complete easier to manage, and log.
If every Jack, and Jill uses paypal to buy their Christmas presents on ebay for $20 each, then paypal are well within their right to remove this feature. Dont ruin it for the legitimate users by abusing it !

Best of luck with your business transactions.

Problems with the Domain Industry & How we Fix them!

December 20, 2008 | Written by -GRUMBA- | Topic: My Views | Comments (0)

If someone came up to you and hit you, you would not be too chuffed ! If someone came up to you and flamed you or your family, again you would not be too chuffed !
In a recent blog post Rick Latona outlined how an internet user could be anyone, or anything. In reality when communicating with any entity you can not be sure exactly who you are dealing with unless you personally pay them a visit.
I do however feel we should not have to visit a person prior to communication, or business. Scams and conflict simply should not be happening.

Nominet the UK domain registration body has a membership system. ‘World of Warcraft’ utilizing a small electronic device which connects to a satellite, and generates a unique security code used to login.
I imagine 99% of domain thefts would not be able to occur if top registrars implemented these systems. I am suprised they have not already.
Someone posted about moniker MaxLock for your whole portfolio: only $200 or so, a cheap price to pay to protect your portfolio. I disagree, it is not cheap when the above method would work a lot better, and be a lot more secure. It seems to me like a money making ploy in disguise!

Reece has created Domain Name Scams, a website outlining how to protect yourself from scams in the business. A useful, and helpful resource. However I think money would be better spent, and time better used to contact registrars and prevent scams before they happen.

So we have removed the scams from the industry.. what next…

General Conflict.
I have made a few offers on domain names. 2 out of my 3 offers resulted in deals, the 3rd resulted in a stream of pointless abuse. I was told that when instigating negotiation for a particular domain, evaluate its value to you, and then take 20% off. I did this, and off went my email.
I waited…, I waited some more, and then it arrived. My response!: Flame, flame, flame… No!
Now I simply ignored this email. I clearly was not going to accquire the domain, thus why waste any further time. I have however on numerous occassions seen people post about abusive responses they have received.
If you dont want to sell your domain, you dont have to. Just reply politely saying No, or ignore the email. A response however, is always courteous. You lose nothing but 2 minutes of your time, and in my view you maintain your integrity, and respect as a professional.
In my opinion if you flame people you instantly lose your chances of success in the business.
One thing that strikes me. Say a business with no knowledge of domain value emails you an offer of $500 for amazing.com for their brand. If you reply flaming them, they will not deal with you. If you reply explaining that the domain name has significantly more value, link them to dnjournal, and post a price expectation, then they might realise the true value of the domain. For all you know they are a multi-billion dollar corporation who now with this additional knowledge WILL offer you $1,000,000. Dont waste opportunities.

My third pet peeve with the current state of the industry is ‘Tosh’.
On every domain forum there is a subforum for Tosh/Rubbish, however it is disguised with a descriptive name such as ‘Domains under $100′. This really annoys me. If the owner of cat.com wants to sell his domain for $99, then strictly it should come under this forum. Great! I imagine we would all rush to post BIN. Unfortunatly this is not what is normally posted. We get x79.net, fujik.com, guwe.net etc
Now I myself do not want to be blunt, and/or induce conflict BUT the only way you are going to make money with these names is to hold them, and hope that by some miracle they increase in value. If a domain is not worth more than $50 is it really worth the time, and effort associated with the registration, renewal, sale, and transfer? In my opinion No.

In my opinion Namepros is the best for news, and news discussion along with these low end sales. Although I am not currently a member, dnforum looks to be the place for high end sales. I was always told to choose a niche, and stick to a niche. These forums would be much more successful In my opinion if their niches were ‘High end, and Low end’ respectively.

Domain Name Appraisals: Worthwhile?

December 16, 2008 | Written by -GRUMBA- | Topic: Advice | Comments (1)

I read a post today disregarding the appraisals on others on an interesting basis. The suggestion was that an appraisal is how much a domain name is worth: how much a buyer, perhaps THE buyer is prepared to pay to own the domain. I disagree with this definition.
My definition of an appraisal is: ‘The opinion of the appraiser as to the value of said domain name’. Given that no domain ever sells for its exact appraisal value an appraisal cannot be a statement of fact, therefore it is opinion :- well actually informed opinion.
Opinion is opinion, everyone has their own opinion. Therefore your appraisal value in most cases will not be consistent with that of others.

When you pay for an appraisal, what you are getting is their opinion, or perhaps their softwares opinion as to the value of the domain. I would advise that you NEVER pay for an appraisal. There is no reason too.
There are numerous appraisal tools which can give you an appraisal value, an opinion, for free! My appraisal service will be released soon. It will be completely free, and it will be a better opinion than most.

I have seen a few appraisals: Moniker, Godaddy, Estibot. To say they are reasonable, and fair opinions is ridiculous. Unless you pay for premium services you get an automated service, and a bad one at that.
They base their appraisals of a variety of metrics BUT not all domains are deserving of usage of certain metrics.
‘Reece’ off namepros mentioned how he had been asked to appraise certain short domains. Why? Because he knows his stuff. Want to know how much your assett is worth? Ask an expert. Simple as.
Another member stated that if you ask 20 people of varied backgrounds to do proper research, and appraise a domain, then average these results, you will get a pretty decent idea.

My domain appraisal tool will seek to do this. Fine you may have to wait a while longer to get your appraisal, BUT at least you get a good one…
Thinking about it, perhaps I wont make usage of my tools free. Perhaps rather I will make a reward system. Help me, help other members, and we will help you!

How to invest in domain names…

December 15, 2008 | Written by -GRUMBA- | Topic: Advice | Comments (0)

Relative to some, I am extremely new to domain name investment. However to say I did my research would be the understatement of the century. I have fortunately had a LOT of contact, with a lot of people who have mentored me thus far.

I now have approximately half of what I started this adventure with, and I am having a tough time deciding how I should proceed.

The economy is not at all like what it used to be. I see people posting: ‘Invest in stocks!’; ‘Buy Gold!’; ‘Buy Money!’; the list goes on. The question is, is domaining what it used to be, and can I really make a living from it?

I want to buy a LL.com. I want to buy a LL.net. I want to buy a LL.org. I want to buy lots of LLL.com. I want to buy some great generics. I will be extremely lucky to be able to complete one of those with my available funds. To reach all those ‘targets’ I would actually have to invest: buy, sell, trade etc. The old bigger, and better philosophy. Buy low, sell high etc. Easier said than done of course.

You can buy a LLL.com cheaper than ever before now, however it is not actually cheaper. I would hesitate to buy a LLL.com for $4k now whereas I would have jumped on it had I been around a year or two ago. The reason is $4k costs more GBP than it did before.

If you get lucky, and find a cheap LLL.com for say $3,000 USD. You now have an asset which you simply cannot sell. People need money at the moment, hence why they are selling on the cheap. This means you cannot do a quick flip. This is where my problem arises. Should I have these opportunities, I can buy BUT I MUST hold. This therefore means I cannot sell high, reinvest, and continue on my circle of money making madness.

I am going to keep this short, and sweet. In answer to my question/statement ‘How to invest in domain names…’ the answer is buy low, stop, and wait – Hesitate at all times, Think carefully. Something may seem like a bargain but don’t rush, consider the economy. Contrary to popular belief this has a HUGE influence.
Once you have your prized assets hold them, develop them. Make money of development, and reinvest it. Hold you domains until we are out of recession.

New to the business: Great! (In some respects you are in a better position than the old hands: those who bought cheap at the time, but have since seen their investments lose value AND liquidity). Got money to invest? Great! You are all set to go.
What I would say is that if you know in your heart of hearts you cant afford to invest, DONT. Riding the wave out of recession is going to take a long time, and not many seem to make it big in this business. Lets just hope I am one of those few!

Best of Luck!

Not So Great Domains Auction: December 2008..

December 12, 2008 | Written by -GRUMBA- | Topic: My Views | Comments (0)

The Greatdomains.com auctions are supposed to be exciting and excilerating auctions for your typical domain investor. Admittedly I have only ‘attended‘ two, and only one was any good…

Today, on the 11th of December 2008 the most recent great domains auctions ended. Names on the block included ZP.com, TX.com, WY.net, Mouse.com, Shelf.com, SAD.net, PDA.net and many many more. These are extremely high quality domains !

During my break at work I got a list of the names on auction, and transported it to a notepad file. I proceeded to note my highest bids for each name I was interested in. This narrowed it down to around 15 domains. Many were already out of my budget, many were overpriced, many just didint ‘excite’ me in the current economic climate.

End Times
I then caught a glimpse of the end times of the auction: 1 hour 49 minutes…. I was confused. That was 5pm GMT. Surely no logical money making business would end their auctions at what can only be described as the worst time for UK domainers (a big market as far as I am concerned). I had to leave work early to be able to get through the rush hour, and even stand a chance of bidding !

Where are they?
I then got home, 5 minutes to spare, opened my browser, and got an appreciation for the shambles of a system they had in place. In the 5 minutes I had, I could only actually find 5 of the 15 names I wanted to bid on. Ending loads of auctions at the exact same time cost sellers potentially a lot of money, simply because I could not find their auctions!

What was the point?
Of the 5 domains I did manage to find, I immediately saw the ‘Reserve Not Met’ message on 3. My main interest: SAD.net had a reserve above $10,000. A great name, but a ridiculous reserve. I would have paid $3,000 for it, and I think that is a GOOD offer in the current climate. Why accept names for auction with ridiculous reserves? It wastes time, and effort, and means people cant find the names they really want as the list of names is too long

At the end of this all, I had a few names left available to me, my main interest was TAH.net. I placed a bid: $850. My max was $1,300. I believe it sold for $900. The reason I didnt bid more was because of a few sneaky terms on SEDOs part. On placing a bid I was told that being from the UK I would be invoiced in GBP. This got me, because the auction listing was in USD. It would seem SEDO are being a bit sneaky, and trying to earn on Forex as well as domains. They cost the seller $400…
They may not have cost the seller $400 if their site was clearly organized and information could have been easily found. As of yet, I have no confirmation, or real understanding of this whole currency invoicing ‘thing’. If they had explained it beneath, I may have felt more reassured, and ultimately bid.
If anyone could explain, it would be greatly appreciated.

All in all SEDO/Great Domains have cost themselves, and their sellers a lot of money, and lost potential buyers (such as myself) some great domains.
It is all good, doing an auction, but at least do it well!

Domain Name Tools: Free & Efficient!

December 9, 2008 | Written by -GRUMBA- | Topic: My Developments | Comments (0)

General Musings

I was having a good, old think about GUA, and how I would like it to proceed and grow.

I created this, as I was interested in online markets and business. However there are also a variety of other things which interest me.

For example today during a training session I was made away of ‘The Freedom of Information Act’, whereby essentially, and in simple terms anyone can request any and all kinds of information from a person, company, or entity, and unless real significant reason, they must legally oblige.

Pretty interesting stuff If I must say so, and thus I thought it would be quite interesting to ‘investigate’ this.

My intention from here is to advertise, and promote GUA. I intend to promote it as an ‘online-based-blog’, but what if I were to write about general musings as though it were a personal blog also.

I dont want to develop TWO blogs… BUT will having none domain/web posts cause me problems in terms of getting my blog listed at sites such as domaining.com?

Your knowledge, and thoughts about this would be appreciated.

Domain Tools

As many of you may be aware along with the accquisition of the gua.com domain name, I was fortunate to pick up a variety of developed sites and scripts.

Having spent a large part of yesterday looking through these, I was able to properly explore the ‘Domain Portfolio Management’ script which I had inherited. To be quite honest, it is excellent, and it got me thinking. Unlike dnzoom, it does not offer the actual ability to modify or edit domains at multiple registrars, what it does do is list your domains, a lot of details, and provides many additional features and options.

I thus proceeded to spend the rest of the day updating, modifying, and implementing this script. It is looking extremely good.

Before I release it to the general public however, I intend to continue to develop further features/modules to expand on this. I asked on the Namepros forums as to features users would be interested in. A few suggestions were given, and a few similar sites mentioned. I proceeded to take a look, and got a few great ideas.

All my services where possible will be free, and I intend to develop every imaginable tool, a domain name investor, or web marketer could look for. My first project is archived whois, and a general whois service. This will allow you to conduct whois searches, see recent changes to the database, see other domains owned by the same person, and monitor further changes.

Considering many people pay domaintools a lot of money for these features, I feel this is a perfect way to state my presence, create business relationships, and give back to the community.

Advertising

At this moment in time, I am looking for domain blogs, resource sites, forums etc whom are prepared to link to me. At this moment in time GUA does not have LOADS to offer, but it will! Thus, this is an opportunity for both me, and you. If you link to me, I will link to you… simple as.

After all, help make the site popular, and I will be more motivated to provide you with awesome tools, articles, and resources.

Thanks

Hello, and Welcome !

December 7, 2008 | Written by -GRUMBA- | Topic: My Developments | Comments Off

Hello,

I am proud and honoured to present to you (my first human visitors) ‘The Gremlins Umbrella Authority’.

After months of hard work, negotiation, worry, and financial termoil, I have succeeded in creating what will hopefully be my first, last, and only online business venture.

So who am I, and what the hell is this?

I am -GRUMBA-, or at least that is my online alias/handle from now on. My real name (offline alias) is Thomas Clowes. I have a loving family, and a boring but reasonably well paid day job (At least for now).

In a curious, and random series of occurences one cold night in March 2006, I was introduced to the world of online advertising, domain name investment, and web site development. Immediately I saw a great opportunity. The Gremlins Umbrella Authority is the result.

Motivation?

As far as I am concerned, the world is in a terrible economic state. I have always been interested in business, and investment: the current climate got me into the stock market, and now into online business. It is potentially a huge risk, but I intend to rise to the challenge, and give it a go.

I am a big fan of books such as Freakonomics by Dubner & Levitt, and have been in many ways motivated by projects such as Oneredpaperclip. This however is not a punt, or a gamble to such an extent as ORP. I feel that given the small, condensed introduction I have had that there is a lot of money to be made online.

This will most certainly be a learning experience, and ideally a money maker!

My intention/ideal is to turn ~~-removed-~~ hard earned United States Dollars of my own into enough to buy me a new house, new car, and provide me with a substantial income for life. A long shot I know, but it would not be a challenge were it not.

This website aims to be a humerous(where possible), down to earth, online instance of my new business venture GUA. I intend to keep you updated of my progress all the way.

Thanks

-removed- I had a sudden realisation a week after my initial post, that my investment is of no concern to my readers. That is meant with no disrespect, rather on thinking about it I feel that this blog is equally informative, and perhaps more helpful if the reader is not aware of my investment. Cheers