Going through my TRAFFIC videos and noticed blackcherry.com.

Tip: Have a listen to the “comedy gold” at the start.

A number of attendees have asked for copies of my photos. I’ve got a “Traffic DownUnder 2008″ set at Flickr. Go crazy kids!

Here we have myself and Ron from NamePros as well as Jessica and Jen. Of course, as the night progressed, more red wine, white wine, cocktails and beer was consumed.

Then Jonathan Frakes dropped by to say hello. Given the fact he was drinking VB (and I’m not in the movie) I thought it was worthy of posting. Incidentally, Jonathan had a great speech at TRAFFIC; and for those that don’t know him, he is one hell of a nice guy. I’ll post the presentation as soon as I receive it.

Enjoy

Here we go – live from TRAFFIC. All names are in US$ including .com.au’s

• exhilarating.com – starting price $3,500 – SOLD $3,500
• hunting.com.au – starting price $1,850 – SOLD $1,850
• DentalPolicy.com – starting price $500 – SOLD $500
• JobListings.com.au – starting price $3,000 – passed in
• HispanicKids.com – starting price $500 – passed in
• UnderGraduate.com.au – starting price $500 – SOLD $1,500
• BirthStoneJewelry.com – starting price $400 – SOLD $500
• NightScape.com – starting price $3,500 – SOLD $3,500
• BusinessFirms.com – SOLD $500
• 2o.com – starting price $8,5000 – SOLD $8500
• camp.com.au – starting price $351 – SOLD $2,600 (Congrats Dan)
• newTLD.com – starting price $1,800 – passed in at $1,500
• stealin.com – no reserve – SOLD $101
• IndianaHome.com – starting price $1933 – passed in at $1,800
• migrant.com – starting price $3,500 – SOLD $3,700
• jackets.com.au – starting price $200 – SOLD $3,000
• PersonalChauffeur.com – starting price $102 – SOLD $202
• barbecuing.com.au – starting price $500 – SOLD $500
• blackcherry.com – starting price $6,000 – SOLD $6,000
• landdownunder.com – starting price $1,100 – SOLD $2,100 (ausadmin)
• essays.com.au – starting price $150 – SOLD $1,600 (Dan)

• Card-Processing.com – starting price $500 – SOLD $800
• BikeRims.com – starting price $1,500 – SOLD $3,000
• SurfingLessons.com.au – starting price $135 – $2,200
• GourmetStores.com – starting price $300 – $1,200

• camera.co.uk – starting price $15,000 – SOLD $35,000
• CheckRegistry.com – starting price $51 – SOLD $101
• InsuranceOffers.com – starting price $350 – SOLD $1,600 (hawkmoon)
• shout.com.au – starting price $1,000 -  SOLD $1,000 (Dan)
• ThisDay.com – starting price $24,000 – Passed In
• Veg.as – starting price $201 – SOLD $350
• SafariAdventure.com – starting price $400 – SOLD $1,800
• refrigerate.com starting price $3,500 – SOLD $4,500
• BookTemplates.com – starting price $0 – SOLD $550
• DownloadIt.com – starting price $5,000 – SOLD $5,000

• Income.info – starting price $600 – SOLD $2,100 Ron Jackson
• CheckoutLane.com – starting price $151 – SOLD $151
• StartingCapital.com – starting price $1,100 – SOLD $1,300
• BusinessFinancials.com – starting price $150 – SOLD $1,400 (Eastbeck)
• iUS.com – starting price $25,000 – Passed in.
• rules.com.au – starting price $51 – SOLD $700
• sello.com – starting price $4,000 – passed in
• nocalorie.com – starting price $51 – SOLD $400
• PassYourTime.com – starting price $300 – SOLD $300
• Carpenters.net – starting price $6,722 – passed in
• Toons.com.au – starting price $500 – SOLD $500
• LightGauge.com – starting price $1 – SOLD $301

We have taken a 5 minute break due to computer problems with the auction provider.

There appears to be a sync issue with online bids vs bidders in the room.

• ImageViewer.com – starting price $1,500 – SOLD $2,400 (Eastbeck)
• CreativeSoftware.com – starting price $300 -  SOLD $500
• DigitalVideos.com – starting price $5,000 – passed in
• Jeweller.com.au – starting price $1,557 – SOLD $9,200
• Athletic.com.au – starting price $2,000 – passed in
• HotMag.com – starting price $51 – SOLD $500
• ebon.com – starting price $1,995 – SOLD $1,995
• HandicapShop.com – starting price $450 – SOLD $800 (hawkmoon)
• Southwest.asia – starting price $51 – SOLD $101 (eastbeck)
• ExamServices.com – starting price $2,000 – passed in.
• Knit.com.au – starting price $101 – SOLD $700
• ClearanceHouse.com – starting price $2,000 – SOLD $2,000 (eastbeck)
• TaxDownloads.com – starting price $101 – SOLD $151
• Laughter.com.au – starting price $2,000 – passed in
• Coed.com – starting price $50,000 – passed in

The auction skipped a number of items to focus on .com.au domain names. Continues:

• MensClothing.com.au – starting bid $750 – SOLD $4,000
• CDs.com.au – starting bid $750 – SOLD $2,000.
• branding.com.au – starting bid $330 – SOLD $2,500
• authentication.com.au – starting bid $500 – SOLD $500
• Pollution.com.au – starting bid $228 – SOLD $3,000
• enter.com.au – starting bid $2,000 – passed in
• plans.com.au – starting bid $300 – SOLD $2,700 (dougs)
• parasailing.com.au – starting bid $150 – SOLD $1,700
• dirtbiking.com.au – starting bid $500 – SOLD $500
• JetSkiing.com.au – starting bid $101 – SOLD $2,000
• Bake.com.au – starting bid $306 – SOLD $800 (Narkov)
• broadcasting.com.au – starting bid $1,500 – SOLD $2,000
• up.com.au – starting bid $971 – SOLD $2,500 (Narkov)

It appears that other bids come through after the gavel dropped.

• saws.com – starting bid $52,000 – SOLD $52,000
• privateresort.com – starting bid $1,500 – SOLD $1,700

As we ran out of time it was reported that the auction will remain open post this event for online bidders.

The staff and management at Fabulous have put on a fantastic show thus far. The entire team should be congratulated. Like everyone, I had my own thoughts on what it would be like, and the organizers have more than exceeded my expectations.

At this point, I want to say another “thank you” to all the people who have taken the time over the past few days to post comments on the blog and email me, with their appreciation for covering the conference. Out of all the emails and comments, I’m constantly being asked one question “What do you think of the conference?” Even though it’s close to 1.30am, I thought I’d give you a run down.

Here are some of the pros and cons for me. Now I’m not someone that goes to all the domaining conferences. I’d never previously attended a TRAFFIC conference, I’m not a conference junkie, so please factor that in when you read the following:

Pros

• The venue is great – accommodation, gym, facilities, food, staff, the lot. The above picture was taken from my room, it looks out over the ocean. You can hear the waves – very peaceful.
• The quality of the speakers and their presentations is quite good.
• There was something for everyone as the presentations were aimed at all levels of knowledge. This was spot on, considering the cross section of domainers; some are techos, others have very limited or no technology skills, others are more business focused.
• You get to meet everyone in person. The people on NamePros, DNF, company CEO’s, their sales and biz dev guys.
• Great representation across the industry. eg: Sedo, Parked, NameDrive, Moniker, Namejet the list goes on.
• You get to ask all those questions directly to the people who can answer them. For me, some of those tricky parking questions I’ve been thinking about for months, have now been answered – its a big relief.

Cons

• The weather – its raining again! We can’t control that unfortunately.
• There are a very small number of people with very big egos. You just have to laugh.

So, would I go to another conference? Yes, without a doubt. Although I’d want to make sure it was some months away from this one. As domainers, we need to ensure that we actually DO the things we talk about, otherwise its just noise.

Most important of all, we all have limited time on this planet and need to prioritise and ensure that we focus on the things that matter. For me, domaining is a means to an end. Domaining shouldn’t consume your life, so stop reading this and go talk to your family, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, kids, parents, friends or someone that matters to you. Tell them you appreciate them.

Richard Moore is the CEO of Dark Blue Sea. Given the fact DBS own Fabulous, it was a very interesting insight into how they apply financial modeling.

Domain name portfolios have:

• Two revenue streams. 1.Advertising – monetizing the direct navigation traffic. 2. Domain sales
• One expense – Registration cost

Modeling Advertising Revenue

• Advertising revenue = volume * price
• Volume is the number of unique visitors. Search volume data (google, wordtracker)
• “Heartbeats” (Overture with extension)
• Price is the amount received per unique visitor. For example, bid price data and number of advertisers.

Five Different Types Of Prices

• Wholesale price. eg:$100
• Flipper price. eg:$200
• Retail price – one that would list through a sales channel
• High retail price – portfolio owners who say they will sell for $X
• Very high retail price – An astronomic price for a domain name

Modeling Probability of Sale

• Actual number of sales divided by size of portfolio
• Depends on sales strategy (flipper -> 50%, retail 1% to 4%, very high retail 0.01%).
• Optimal strategy is average sales price * probability of sale – restocking cost

Restocking is if you sell a domain, can you go out on the retail market and buy another?

Jackson Hopkins is the CTO of Domain Distribution Network.

• Fabulous has a target of 2% inventory turnover
• How to price half a million domains?

Single parameter analysis

Segment, ROS%, Traffic Multiple, Traffic $/D, Sales $/D, Total $/D

Finding Retail Buyers

• Maximize number of eyeballs
• Explain why they are buying
• Close the transaction quickly

Summary

• Try and sell some names
• Find the right price
• The buyer will find you

John Mauriello is a Domain Sales Specialist at Moniker.

• 57 domains sold twice between 2004 and 2005
• The value increased an average of 288% over 230 days
• More than 200 domains sold twice between 2004 and 2006
• Notable sales such as fund.com for $9M

Just like real estate, domain names are considered a commodity. They are considered property by most governments and ICANN.

Domains are usually categorized according to:

• Domains you’ll monetize
• Domains you’ll never sell
• Domains you’ll sell for a profit.

Comparable public and private sales: eg: dnsalesprice.com.

Appraisal of domain and or business – moniker does both

Earnings multiples

• Domains 5-7 times earnings, portfolios 2-5 times earnings
• Businesses (domains with assets)

Other Types of Considerations

• Direct impact on branding and marketing
• Which target audiences are better than the primary brand. eg: underwear.com
• Is the buyer coming to you before or after launching. Example: ireport.com vs cnn.com/ireport.

Here are some of the key points:

What It Takes To Succeed In The Search Engines

• Unique content
• Onsite optimisation
• Link building

What Domains Should Be Developed For The Search Engines?

• Base keywords
• Age of domain
• Availability of traffic
• Existing back links

Scaling From 10 to 10,000 Domains

• You should have a “roll your own mentality”
• Every development has to pay rent
• Use rapid development

Let Your Network Work For You

• Each development adds value to your network
• Increased product value

Ryan also covered some of the well known tools such as Google Adwords Traffic Estimator, Google Keyword Suggestion Tool, SEO Book Keyword Tool.

Summary

• Development cost money – Rapid development allows you to test the waters
• SEO requires patience – 2-3 months
• Investing in your domain to increase its value

It was great to see Ron at TRAFFIC DownUnder. Here are a few key points from his presentation on website development.

Development Goals

• Add value to your domain name property
• Earn more revenue than you would by parking
• SEO / Increase traffic
• Establish a legitimate use – reduce the threat of UDRP
• Independence from Google and Yahoo
• Control your own destiny

Planning Your Development

• What is your goal?
• Building your website is about building your business

Use Off The Shelf Products

• For example: ning.com – case study: thechocolatelife.com
• shop.jam.com – online store

Mini Site Development

• whypark.com
• imodo.com
• evolanding.com
• steadyniche.com

Fundamentals

• Know your limits
• Start with one focus
• If you can’t beat them, buy them
• Partner with those that can take you to the next level

Craig Rowe is the President of WhyPark and is speaking on the topic of “Content is King”.

Benefits Of Content Development

• Creates a theme for search engines
• Acquired unsolicited inbound links and proactively build new links
• Provides a good user experience leading to return visits

What To Consider Before Developing

• What will be the ROI
• What is your long term goal with your portfolio?
• How much personal time should I allocate
• How informative of a user experience do I want to provide?

Disadvantages of Affiliate Content

• Always linked to merchant
• Promoting merchants rather than your own brand
• Little flexability over how content is displayed

Case Study: airlinerewards.com

• Added 70 unique articles through it by Whypark
• 50 incoming links in the past 2 months.
• Indexed within 30 days

One of the most valuable tips I thought was to wait 90-180 days to see results. Don’t expect them overnight.