My LuxuryNames Auction Picks

approved

Ok, time for GoDrops to weigh in on this. LuxuryNames.com is having a domain name auction starting November 18th. They’ll be using the SnapNames platform (sans Halverez). I gravitate toward the .COMs and the .ORGs that make sense — that’s just how I’m rolling these days :)

While there is absolutely no reason why you can’t develop an e-commerce solution on top of a .NET or .ORG, I’ve been able to get those at bargain prices elsewhere…

There are over 200 domains scheduled to be auctioned, but here are my cream of the crop picks:

  • WeeklyPlanner.com
  • Kayaking.org
  • SimpleIRAs.com
  • RareCards.com
  • MoscowVacations.com
  • CreteVacations.com

I’m I going to bid on any of these? No… Despite the quality, I’ve had my head buried in the drop and aftermarket lists long enough to know what comes and goes around. I’ve managed to get quite a few “vacations” names of very popular GEOs for reg fee, same thing for my RareIssues.com (more generic, but less targeted than RareCards.com), WeeklyPlanner.com is just too nebulous for my taste, and SimpleIRAs.com stretches into the brandable territory a bit to far for its stated reserve price.

That leaves Kayaking.org. A great name, but also one of the more expensive at a reserve of $8,000. If you want to jump into the domaining business with one great name, this could be it, although with ALL the names in this upcoming auction, don’t expect to turn around and flip them at the next domain auction for multiples. The winning bidders will need to have a plan in place — development or an end-user on the hook — to see returns on these…

Cool New Chat Features!

If you made it to the Live Chat + Drop Event today, you saw a taste of what’s to come. GoDrops engineers have built a customized chat widget and tomorrow will be turning on some exclusive features domainers should enjoy. So don’t miss out! The Live Chat + Drop Event happens every day at 11am PST!

Search Is Back On!

Our engineers have spent minutes, nay, an Hour bringing back the Search to GoDrops.com. Up in the header, you’ll find the familiar search form that takes you to a dedicated search page where you can browse those golden-oldies from drops’ past.

I hope soon to introduce premium listings to the regular available domains search – I’m working on it…

Congrats to the Winners!

Yesterday we held another great GoDrops.com domain giveaway. Winners, remember to contact me to claim your names! Participants correctly answered the question “What am I drinking in my Twitter avatar”  (A: beer, of course), demonstrated their geographic knowledge by unscrambling a city name and a free domain was given to the one who gave me a new tagline for GoDrops.com — just look up for that one =)

More contests are coming up, so stay tuned!

Domain Faving is Back Online!

One of the (many) benefits that GoDrops members have is the ability to “fav” domains they see on the site. Domains listed on any page, the live feed, the “my drop” page, the search, and “my watch” page, can be faved and unfaved simply by clicking the STAR icon. This is just coming back online now, so if you catch any bugs or issues please let me know in the comments below… =)

When a faved name drops or becomes available, a notification email is sent to YOU immediately. So sit back and relax. Come fav the freshest names during the daily domain drop everyday at 11am PST, or browse the site and make your picks — all this is absolutely FREE for GoDrops members!

Enjoy the Drops!

Dude, Where's My Widget?

Everyday at 11am PST the Daily Domain Drop starts. This is when expired dot COM and dot NET domains are deleted from the central registry and become available for general registration at your favorite registrar. Here at GoDrops we bring it to you LIVE from drop start to drop finish.

Accompanying the live feed is also a chat widget where spectators can talk with others about the dropping names, domaining news or whatever… and from where I sit during drop time, the chat widget has stopped working and THAT’S why I haven’t been showing up to chat recently.

So, along with the pending theme update, I’ll be replacing the chat widget… again, sorry if you were looking for me during the chat. Hopefully, things will be mended in a couple days =P

Nearly There With The New Site!

Hang in there folks! GoDrops technicians are working day and night on the new site. The new site is shaping up, though. Nearly There!

I haven’t been catching too much lately, but have been saving my pennies for renewals coming up. Some name I have grabbed are: turquoiseoutlet.com, lapulse.com (for Las Angeles), and archaeologyshop.com. I really like the former… always wanted to be an archaeologist since Indiana Jones and Raiders came out; then again with the sequal, and again with the most recent film. OK, I still want to be an archaeologist!

Big Changes Coming Up!

There has definitely been a different vibe here since April 1st when Domain Tasting by Enom and others essentially ceased. I’m going to mix it up here a lot in the coming week, so watch out! I’ve got a more user-friendly and intuitive interface in store to track dropping domains during the drop and off-drop.

One thing I will reveal, is that I’ll be publishing my picks ahead of the drop, so that you can “fav” them and get notification when they drop without having to attend the daily drop at 11am PST everyday.

Stay Tuned!

The New Domain Development Blog!

Some of you know that I’ve setup a new blog over at http://ResidentTourist.com. Here’s the offical announcement! Lots of good stuff happening over there: what I’m grabbing off the daily drop, how I’m developing names, hacking WordPress themes, different ways to monetize, etc…

I’ve got a brand new post today, part 1 of a series on a developing a travel/geo domain. Check it out!

GoDrops.com GeoDomain Expo Recap

Andrew from Domain Name Wire and Elliot from Elliot’s Blog have weighed in on the GeoDomain Expo, now it’s GoDrops’ turn!

This was my first domain conference, so I had really little to go on other than being familiar with a few of the personalities on the various panels. Setting up GeoRevolution.com was a good idea and made a great ice-breaker during the expo.

The first person I met very early before the first breakfast on Lexington.net. He had a novel business card with the question “Lexington.net – Should I Develop?” printed boldly on the front. By the end of the expo, I had met and spoken with owners of City dot Coms, pattern collectors of long-tail GEOs, solutions providers, parking companies, major personalities, and so on. Very positive and friendly atmosphere!

If I could sum it all up in one word, that word would be “Partnerships“. Building a business relies on establishing partnerships, but these times call for being more creative. Partnering with journalists who’ve recently been let go or forced into retirement, partnering with other domainers who happen to have been grabbing the same kinds of domains you’ve been collecting, and how to partner with brick-and-mortar hotels, local businesses and even national advertising channels — just to name a few.

The most important messages delivered by guest speakers and members of the Association were: move out of your comfort zone, be creative, take risks, bet on yourself, in short, if  you’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit, NOW is the time to engage it. Times of turmoil like these are leaving a lot of people guessing and more receptive to trying new ideas. There was a lot of talk about the current window-of-opportunity and how it won’t last forever. Old media will regroup for a comeback next year…