Rubber Duck
25th August 2007, 08:30 AM
....The final Tuesday morning session was devoted to Domain Appraisal and Evaluation and featured panelists Peter Lamson (NameMedia), Victor Pitts (Moniker.com), Jay Finnan (Sedo.com), Jakob Knightly (NameDrive.com) and John Tompkins (Trellian) with Sevan Derderian serving as moderator. They discussed the various factors that make domains valuable. While a PPC revenue stream is an obvious parameter, Lamson noted that his company sells many low or no traffic domains at good prices because they have a memorable and brandable ring to them, passing what is often called the "radio test." That is, if you heard a domain name on the radio, is it one you could easily remember?
Domain Appraisal and Evaluation Panel (left to right): Victor Pitts,
Peter Lamson, John Tompkins, Jay Finnan and Jakob Knightly
When this session moved to the audience Q & A segment, many of the questions revolved around values outside the red hot .com sector. Lamson said he saw interest in .net falling off while ccTLDs were gaining strength. He sees a lot of potential in .us, noting that the American country code would likely benefit from the sheer number of small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) coming online. There are 17 million SMBs in the U.S. alone and more than 100 million around the world that need digital ID's.
On the flip side of the coin, most of the panelists were less optimistic about "re-purposed" ccTLDs, country codes being marketed to mean something else. In response to a question about .TV, Finnan said the extension faces a lot of obstacles. "The variable pricing is a nightmare for buyers - a domain can cost thousands a year to renew," Finnan said, adding "it would not be at the top of my list for investment." Pitts was bullish on International Domains (IDNs), saying they are growing rapidly in demand and usage as Internet adoption continues to grow even faster in other regions around the world than it is in the U.S....
http://www.dnjournal.com/articles/events/domain-roundtable-2007-page2.htm
Domain Appraisal and Evaluation Panel (left to right): Victor Pitts,
Peter Lamson, John Tompkins, Jay Finnan and Jakob Knightly
When this session moved to the audience Q & A segment, many of the questions revolved around values outside the red hot .com sector. Lamson said he saw interest in .net falling off while ccTLDs were gaining strength. He sees a lot of potential in .us, noting that the American country code would likely benefit from the sheer number of small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) coming online. There are 17 million SMBs in the U.S. alone and more than 100 million around the world that need digital ID's.
On the flip side of the coin, most of the panelists were less optimistic about "re-purposed" ccTLDs, country codes being marketed to mean something else. In response to a question about .TV, Finnan said the extension faces a lot of obstacles. "The variable pricing is a nightmare for buyers - a domain can cost thousands a year to renew," Finnan said, adding "it would not be at the top of my list for investment." Pitts was bullish on International Domains (IDNs), saying they are growing rapidly in demand and usage as Internet adoption continues to grow even faster in other regions around the world than it is in the U.S....
http://www.dnjournal.com/articles/events/domain-roundtable-2007-page2.htm