Master of Your Domains

On page 83 of Step Into The Spotlight!, I admitted that I have 503 domain names. My friends were ready to send me to “Domain Names Anonymous”, but I stand my ground. They’re not making any more lakefront and they’re not making any more .coms. But in the past few months, I let a couple of hundred of them go, scrutinizing each one and really asking myself if I was going to use ‘em to market my business. That’s what domain names are for…aren’t they?

I wish I’d had a copy of David Kesmodel’s new book “The Domain Game” at the time. It’s a fascinating history of the high stakes game of buying and selling domain names for fun and profit, mostly profit. The characters are as colorful as Damon Runyon’s gamblers (brought to life in Guys and Dolls) from a watermelon farmer to a young reclusive guy who’s near impossible to contact. There’s intrigue, drama–all the elements necessary for a Hollywood blockbuster.

Those looking for a detailed “how to” on how to get rich from domain names may walk away disappointed and I must admit at a certain point, I did “cut to the chase” by skipping straight to the last chapter, ie the what can be done today portion of the show. But the narrative was gripping enough that I did go back and read what I missed. I gotta congratulate this guy, Kesmodel. He’s a journalist and he got people to spill their secrets, big time. And I did put the book down several times to run to the computer and renew some of my almost-expired names. Well worth the read.