DavidCarter

Genetics

2008-05-11T08:27:00.003Z

I posted a new mini-site today, highlighting what can happen when you mix genetics with insurance companies.

Take a look - I figured I might as well try and grab some Adsense revenue in order to pay the increased policy amount!

www.genetic-testing.co.uk - depending on what happens, I might just turn it into a forum, as this is a subject that will affect many people at some stage. We'll see.

All Change

2008-04-29T06:13:00.002Z

The past 12 months or so have been some of the most turbulent times for me in recent years.

The house building project of course, was always going to cause stress and cost a load of money. Dealing with that has actually been easier than I imagined, but that's what comes of having the right people around you.

Those people first and foremost, include my wife, Jan, without whose constant trust, support and encouragement when things got difficult, I'd never have finished the job.

The builder has been brilliant and is one of those rare breeds who is totally passionate about his work and always goes the extra mile. Last Saturday (a day off usually), he stayed with me until 9pm - and even then brought his wife over to show her what's been keeping him late most nights for the last year!

But the past 12 months aren't just about the house.

Building that is one thing. Along the way, I realised that a business relationship I had with someone was running out of steam for a variety of reasons.

That meant having to put in place a contingency, as the arrangement has provided me with a significant percentage of my income for a few years now.

Along the way, whilst building more web sites, carrying out my asbestos surveying work (I shouldn't call it work really, it's still just a hobby, albeit very lucrative) and coping with the fallout from a failing arrangement, I've also been quietly retraining so that I can add yet another string to my bow in order to become recession proof.

On Monday I sat an examination and will get the results shortly. To be honest, I'm not great at exams, but the result will be what it will be. I can always resit :)

The key thing for me is to always strive to move forward no matter what. Working for myself since 2002 has taught me a great deal.

Prior to that time, if I had recognised the business difficulties that were heading my way (which I probably have), I would have been overwhelmed with uncertainty, filled with fear and would almost certainly have placed an unfinished house straight back on the market.

Employment feeds fear, because your future is not in your own hands.

When you work for yourself, that fear disappears and makes you strong. Very strong.

I've attached a couple of pictures. The first is the stage I was at with my building when things started to a little awry... The next is where we're at now, still not finished, but we're moving in regardless!

The new garage door comes next week.

After buying our house in November 2006, we'll be moving in tomorrow.

Large donations from rich and generous befactors can be sent to Dave's Huge Mortgage Fund by Paypal at info AT hollywood-internet.com.

Large Projects

2008-04-25T06:58:00.002Z

I've been rebuilding our family home for the past year and it's been a long, hard slog.

Of course, I haven't done everything myself, but I have done some bits. Mostly I've been directing the builders and various trades, organising materials and making sure that the money has been in place to get everything done.

I've not done anything on this scale before, but when I started out, I didn't really give much thought to the task ahead.

As it happens, we're almost there and will be moving on Wdnesday, though a few bits and pieces (like a kitchen for example) will have to wait a while until my bank balance improves a little.

Now we're near the end, it's actually getting scarier, because a goal is almost realised - and not many people get to realise a goal.

It's made me think.

Many people online and offline, fail at something because they don't have a declared goal. They fail to plan for something they want, success.

Then, even when they are on the cusp of achieving a goal, they give up at the last minute, possibly at the very point they should be charging forward.

I've done that myself in the past. I've been content to have tried, but haven't been too concerned about finishing.

It happens a lot when building web sites.

An idea can be brilliant when you first start out, but after a few weeks of trying to get your ideas over to a designer and a developer or two, with everyone telling you what can't be done, it's easy to just put a project on the back burner and go on to the next idea - and then repeat the process.

Although I've been knocking out a few Adsense sites recenty, my main development goal has been to get one of my sites off the groubd.

It's been hard going and although I have a site up at the moment, it's not quie there, so I can't launch it yet.

All of the building blocks are in place, but it's just not right yet.

A year or two ago, I'd have abandoned it, but now, after going through the process of building a house, I fully understand (after only 49 years), that in order to succeed, you don't simply start projects, you have to see them through to the finish before even considering the next one!

Building a house is a lot like building a web site. It's frustrating, it's expensive, budgets don't matter, people let you down, there's a lot of negativity about and most importantly of all, it is extremely rewarding.

Acres of Diamonds

2008-04-21T05:45:00.004Z

If you've never read Russell Conwell's speech, "Acres of Diamonds", I strongly recommend it. You can read the full text here: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rconwellacresofdiamonds.htm

The reason I point this out is because so many people looking to make money online are looking to capture a global audience and sell stuff internationally.

True, the Internet is a global tool that allows you to do business just about anywhere.

However, if you are selling services (or somebody else's services), I believe that you can do this more effectively by actively targeting local web users of those services.

People like local. The trust local. They are comfortable when dealing locally, even online, simply because if they have to, they can meet the people they are dealing with.

In an age where anonymity rules, the local approach is a sure winner.

Try it.

Recession, What Recession?

2008-04-06T06:50:00.003Z

I've pretty much stopped reading newspapers at the moment, as the press seems determined to talk us all into an economic recession. I can't bear the negativity.

It's ironic that the very people who we are supposed to trust for financial guidance, banks, the so-called experts, are the very institutions that have been reckless in their lending and have created a situation that has caused a virtual meltdown in the financial markets.

It looks like there will be some hard times ahead.

My response to all of this predicted chaos is to strengthen my position by looking at how I think people will react online.

As business and household budgets get stretched to breaking point, people will be flooding online more than ever, seeking answers to their problems.

The simplest way for me to prepare for this is to build more sites, something I wasn't really that interested in doing a couple of months ago.

However, my safety net for a recession is my domain name portfolio, so it's time to put it to work again.

This means creating a few specialist niche sites that will allow me to:

1) Earn direct income from services offered (only the stuff I like doing)

2) Earn commissions from other businesses

3) Earn residual income from programs like Google Adsense

That's what I've always done of course, but there's no harm in adding a few more sites to the pot and making some money from those who turn to the Internet for their answers.

My job is to anticipate the questions of course. If I get them right, I'll make money.

So how do you anticipate the questions?

Simply put yourself in to the position of the people who will be affected by an economic downturn of course.

Personally, my approach will be to look at the service industry sector, as they will be the amongst the first to feel the strain.

Services like recruitment, training and the like always suffer from budget cuts.

Companies still have to recruit of course, even in recessions, but suddenly they find that they can't afford to be paying 20% fees to recruiters, so they'll have to start learning how to do it themselves - they'll be looking for free advice on how to do so.

Employment related information will serve the many people who will soon coming flooding online looking for new jobs as inevitable redudnacies take place. They will be looking for ways to promote themselves by writing a better CV. They'll want answers to interview questions.

Those struggling with mortgage or rent problems will be looking for new sources of finance, or information on how to cut their cost of living, or manage their budgets better.

Small businesses will be seeking out new ways of promoting themselves and having ignored or written off the Internet, will suddenly start exploring this wonderful "new" medium.

I've only touched on a very small part of what could happen, so the opportunity to strike it rich, or at least provide a cushion from any recession by putting in a few hours a day online are limitless.

Just like they have always been.

Working Online

2008-03-25T08:59:00.002Z

I'm in Spain at the moment, logging on with a laptop from an Internet Cafe.

In the 30 minutes I've been here, I've managed to update 3 web sites, add one new one using XsitePro and check the stats on some of my sitres.

My email is still downloading and sifting through tons of Spam but all in al, it's brilliant to be able to get away from the cold (it was snowing when we left on Sunday morning) and then spend the day in the sun with my wife and kids without feeling guilty about not working.

That's what Internet life is about. It's not the money, it's the freedom.

The Book That Never Was

2008-03-21T22:19:00.003Z

There are few really world-class, industry leading domainers (no, I don't include myself) and even fewer who provide free information.

One of the most prolific is Rick Schwartz.

Today, he closed his blog. He's posting no more, but he is leaving the archive online for all to see.

It's an education. Love him or loathe him, you will learn a lot from his blog at www.ricksblog.com

I for one would liek to thank him for his generosity in sharing his insight. I don't always agree with his viewpoint, but he has welcomed me into his private board and into his home and for that I am very grateful.

There are times when I have wondered I have a blog, but then I'll receive an email from someone who has taken a snippet of advice from one of my posts and turned it into cash, or made a positive change in their life.

That happens about once or twice a year.

Amazing considering the number of viewings this blog gets, but do you know what? Those emails, messages and calls I receive always spur me on to give more via the blog.

I don't crave praise and I don't really care if anyone ever reads my blog, but I do like to know if I've made a difference to somebody's life.

I guesss Rick is the same, so thamks Rick, you have helped me immeasurably - often indirectly, just through running your board.

Whilst I am on this theme, I'd also like to publicly thank Donna Mahony who runs another domain board where many of my peers reside.

Without the people on both boards, I wouldn't even have an online presence now.

More On Snowe

2008-03-18T07:45:00.002Z

As some of the regular readers of this blog know, I am currently renovating our home. Hopefully we'll be moving in within the next threee weeks.

One of the final external jobs was to put up a boundary fence between my property and my neighbour's.

That's when the problems started yesterday.

My neighbour has been very good and extremely patient whilst living next door to a virtual bomb site for a year now. There have been no complaints, no problems and we've all got along fine.

As soon as the boundary fence stared going up yesterday, all hell let loose.

I had asked my builders to err on her side when placing fence posts and luckily he'd followed my instructions. The net result was that we actually sacrificed a few inches to accommodate my neigbours requirements to move stuff betwwen the two houses. I do try to be reasonable.

However, she came out to see how things were going and screamed at the bulders that I was stealing her land!

Once all of the posts were in though, the builder was calmly able to demonstrate the reality, that we had actually given her more space than she previously had. All calmed down,

Boundary disputes are extremely expensive in the UK - one of the few things that every householder should try very hard to avoid. My work in the surveying industry has taught me that!

So, when I first insured my buildings last year, I added on legal protection with an extra provision for covering boundary disputes.

If the neighbour couldn't have been placated, then I could have expected a legal letter and huge expense in defending my boundary. Two sets of surveyors, a land surveyor acting as an independent arbitrator and of course, tons of legal fees.

As it happens, it wouldn't have cost me a penny, but the neighbour doesn't have such cover and probably doesn't have the cash to fight the case. There's nothing like being prepared.

Why do I mention this?

Simply because the Snowe Bill, if successful, will put our virtual property in similar jeopardy.

There is no insurance to protect against a domain dispute.

Many domianers don't have the funds needed to get professional representation in the case of an unprovoked attack from somebody wanting to "legally" steal domain investments.

Think about it.

Domains could be worth considerable sums of money. That could be a few hundred pounds to some and several million to others.

Why should you sit back and let someone take your property?

The simple answer is that you can't. Visit the ICA web site at http://www.internetcommerce.org/ and read up on this ridiculous Snowe Bill.

Understand the threat.

Then take the appropriate action - whilst you still can!

Threat to Domain Owners

2008-03-17T09:11:00.002Z

The Snowe Bill, for those of you who haven't seen the reports, represents a major threat to domainers everywhere.

Rather than repeat what others are writing, please take a look at Ricks Blog for a quick reality check. http://www.ricksblog.com/my_weblog/2008/03/what-is-the-exc.html

It's time for action. The domainer community isn't know for banding together, but if it doesn't happen now, there won't be a domain industry because will be able to legally STEAL your domain assets.

Donate A Domain

2008-03-05T20:25:00.003Z

I found an interesting Pay Per Click site today and donated an entire domain to it, allowing me to support a well known and under-funded children's charity.

Take a look: Cash For Kids.

Instead of me as the domainer taking my share of the revenue, it goes to the charity instead.

Sunday Times Advertising For Domains

2008-03-03T23:18:00.005Z

I'm trying a new experiment this week.

Although I only ever reluctantly offer domain names for sale, I am advertising a single word, prime UK name for sale this week in the Sunday Times (Publication date is 9 March, under the business section).

I won't mention the name here, because I want the advertisement to work for itself - Sunday Times advertising isn't cheap - even for the small display ad that I've placed.

This is an experiment to see whether national press advertising in a prime publication can really yield a result.

The domain is being advertised at what I consider to be a giveaway price.

I'll keep you posted on progress.

Who knows? If it works, I might even repeat the exercise on a larger scale in the future - with bigger prices of course :)

Update

The ad didn't work.

Visitor numbers to the domain went up but the domain didn't sell.

Print advertising in an untargeted newspaper is a waste of money, so don't be tempted.

The ad did result in three telephone calls though. Two from domainers wanting to sell their domains and one from a complete idiot.

Never mind. I hope my experiment saves you some money.

Developing on the Cheap

2008-02-22T16:41:00.004Z

I tried an experiment at the beginning of the year and appointed a couple of developers to build two sites using Drupal.

It's not been a great success to be honest, with missed deadlines, missed opportunities and a lot of misunderstandings along the way.

I've reached a conclusion and that is simply, that if you want something to work first time, look great and be a serious business, rather than just another web site, then you have to pay serious money in order to get it built.

So, one of my new sites is currently under discussion again and I expect it will cost several thousand Pounds to have it developed.

It's a change of approach for me, because like many people in the domain game, I have always done things by spending as little cash as possible. It's my own money after all.

That is ok when you're not trying to build something substantial.

My change in thinking came about after advising a friend who runs a very successful online venture. He was quoted several thousand Pounds to build a new web site, as the old one looks dated and is creaking at the seams.

He didn't want to spend a large amount of money, so I just asked him this question,

"If somebody was to come along and ask if you would swap a one-off £8000 investment in a new site for £150,000 per year, would you do it?"

Put like that, his decision was made far easier. He's found a solid, very experienced developer who can build his complex site for him and meet all of his development targets for that £8,000.

That looks like a bargain to me.

For some reason, I hadn't really considered that approach before.

So, today I decided to take my own advice and contacted a large scale, local web development company with a blue-chip client base and gave them the site specifications.

It's time to think bigger.

Affording it might be another matter, but time will tell.

One Man's Meat...

2008-02-22T07:38:00.002Z

I was intrigued to read this blog today, http://bigeduh.com/domainnames/the-bigger-story-domainers-are-offered-and-walk-away-from-over-26m-in-bids-at-live-moniker-auction/, whic hwas written by Tasha Kidd, a domainer I know by association from a private domain board.

Tasha puts a different spin on the domain auction scene and suggests that domainers walked away from $26m worth of domains at this week's T.R.A.F.F.I.C show in Las Vegas.

The T.R.A.F.F.I.C shows have been around for a few years now and the auctions always attract attention.

Personally, I don't agree with Tasha's assumption that $26million worth of domains were left on the table and am amazed at the guide prices of certain names in that list - and not necessarily the high priced ones!

The only one that really stood out for me was affiliate.com at $550,000, an instant passive business in a box if ever there was one.

Thank You The Government

2008-02-16T08:17:00.004Z

I love government legislation. It creates money making opportunities. Lots of them.

Last year I saw an opportunity to get a slice of a brand new market that, just like the asbestos legislation of 2002, could develop into a business that could be promoted online at virtually no cost.

Being a domainer, I purchased a few relevant names. Some of the better ones were already gone and the sellers weren't selling - certainly not a price I considered reasonable.

I then set out to write some unique content and started pushing that content out onto my various sites.

Sure enough, the target audience was, just as I suspected, already out there looking for their solutions to the latest piece of government meddling that would dramatically affect their market.

So rushed is the legislation that not one person in the entire country has yet qualified to carry out the implementation. Seriously, not one.

In fact, the training courses that are necessary to become qualified were only announced three weeks ago - and you really had to be looking for them in order to find them.

Already, my business partner and I have clients lined up for when our training is complete. Many have come from the Internet, as we sowed the seed just at the right time, when interest in the subject was high.

The approach I took in building the sites was to educate the clients on what they need to do in order to comply with the new legislation.

There was no sales page. There was no hype. Just solid, very useful and informative content designed to create trust and credibility with new and existing clients.

The new clients came searching for information. I don't know why they didn't do what I did and simply get it from the government!

After they'd read what I'd written, they made a phone call or filled in a contact form.

All along, we've kept them informed of progress by using an autoresponder. When there's news, we just send a broadcast email. It couldn't be any easier and of course, each email isa reminder that their problem can be solved. Somebody cares.

Internet marketing can be easy. It can also be lucrative - but the key is recognising the opportunities and taking action.

I'm not telling what the legislation is and I'm not pointing anyone to the sites. New industries soon have plenty of competition and I'm really not into giving away my income streams that easily.

All I will say, is that government legislation offers some wildly profitable opportunities, so keep your eyes on your own government's web sites for up and coming opportunities. You won't believe what you can uncover, it's like panning for gold - except you're more likely to strike it rich.

Spam - the downside of domains

2008-02-08T08:33:00.000Z

I've noticed a steady increase in the Spam emails I receive lately. A lot of it comes from temporary hotmail address, but an increasing number are coming from my own domains!

Spammers (or at least the robots they use), use fake headers on their emails and make their Spam as though it's coming from a different email account than the one they are actually using.

They can use information mined from domain records to send Spam in your domain's name.

Whilst most web hosts know that headers are faked, mail delivery systems with automated rules (for example auto-repsonses), don't.

What that means is that hen a Spammer uses your domain name, you get a ton of "undeliverable email" messages bounced back to you.

I get an average of 400-500 Spam emails per hour through my various email accounts and these undeliverables can add thousands to that total, so it's no joke when your domain name is abused in this way.

Until today, I have been using a great program called Cloudmark (www.cloudmark.com) to control my Spam, but for some time now, it has not worked properly.

I use Outlook Express for my mail and since Spetember, Cloudmark has not been able to prevent Spam in cases where an Outlook Express mail rule moves any mail to a folder other than the inbox.

Friends tell me that this didn't happen with Outlook - until this week. Now they understand my frustration.

Reluctantly therefore, I went off in search of a similar product and found SpamFighter (www.spamfighter.com).

It's faster, more accurate and a lot easier to use than Cloudmark. My Spam problems are solved. At least for now.

I recommend it, so if you are suffering from ever-increasing Spam levels, go and grab the free 30 day trial. I used the trial edition for 5 minutes before buying. It was that good.

What Domains Should You Buy?

2008-01-29T20:32:00.000Z

Somebody asked me this week which domains they should buy to "make the most money".

This question or variants of it, are probably the most commonly asked of most domainers, by people wanting to get into the industry, or those who just simply don't believe that you can money from this game.

The answer I gave was the same one that the world's greatest investor, Warren Buffet always gives when he's asked which stocks to buy. The answer is, "Buy what you know".

Domaining and investing are very similar, in fact, done correctly, domaining should be an investment.

In the investment markets, people think they can come in and make a quick killing by doing day trading - that's buying shares one day, only to sell them later in the day, or within a very short timescale, hopefully for a profit.

Many domainers (especially newcomers) apply the same strategy to their domains - they think that they can register a new domain name and then pop along to Ebay, Sedo or Afternic and sell their newly acquired name for a profit.

This isn't investing, it's speculation or opportunism, often with no foundation and nothing more than blind hope.

It's also the quickest way to losing your money.

Like stock investing, a domain portfolio performs best when held for the long term.

Just like the stock market, it's also best to buy names in markets that you understand and can write about.

If you know a particular niche market, buy relevant names that you know people will be searching online for.

When I first started out, I bought recruitment names, because I had many years experience as a recruiter. I still own those names today, up to 10 years later. All they cost me is the renewal fees, though many earn their keep (and more) from Google Adsense.

They do this because I understand the recruitment industry and so was able to write unique content for the mini sites I published.

I try to keep to this strategy of buying only what I know, but occasionally of course, I do deviate - but that is with the knowledge of the Internet behind me, together with specialist search engine optimisation skills.

Beginners simply can't do that.

2008

2008-01-01T20:43:00.001Z

At a time of year when most people make resolutions, I am bucking the trend.

Most new year's resolutions don't make it. Maybe it's the time of year...

Last year, I decided to unsibscribe from many of the domain and Internet Marketing forums I frequented, but this wasn't a new year's resolution, it was a mid-year crisis caused by lack of concentration and a need to focus.

Put simply, it was a realisation that I was getting sloppy, something that's easy to do when you work from home and have a lot of spare time, supposedly!

That has paid dividends and has freed up so much time that I really have struggled at times to know what to do.

My kids (all boys, 18, 15 and 7) have experienced more time with me and have seen a more relaxed father - apart from when the house renovation has got me stressed beyond my comfort level - which sadly, has been a feature of December.

Reading back on some of my blog entries also made me realise that sometimes during the past couple of months, I have posted the occasional rant that is not befitting this blog, so I've deleted some of them and apologise unconditionally for allowing the day to day crap affect what should be an educational and enjoyable blog experience.

Yes, David Carter is a human and is affected by the pressures that affects everyone - and why not? Afterall, I'm no different to anyone reading this and have the same pressures as everyone else trying to make their way through this thing called life.

Sometime soon, I hope to change the entire "David-Carter.com" web site so that it makes a lot more sense and is a lot more helpful to the people who visit.

My approach has always been to help others wherever I can in all things that are internet related. That will continue, but with more emphasis on "you" rather than "me".

Is that a resolution? Oh I hope it isn't!

Have a great 2008. Let's see where 2008 gets us.

For the record, here are my online development priorities for 2008, I will stand back and be judged on the success of these:

3) www.windowquote.co.uk

1) www.commercial-property.co.uk

2) www.tributeact.com

Look at these sites at the END of January to see what they have become, because I have three different teams involved in their development.

I have numbered them in terms of their importance to me.

It's my hope that in sub-contracting the technical stuff to others, using only my vision as the template, that something wonderful can happen.

If it doesn't, then my total risk is somewhere in the region of £3000 - and each one of those sites can be it's own business.

How wonderful is the Internet and domaining?

Let's face it, you couldn't open 3 shops for that little investment could you?

Now do you see the potential of domaining where each domain could be a complete business in a box?

If it doesn't work, so what?

If it does, I'll see you in the Bahamas this time next year!

7 Year Itch

2007-12-30T09:23:00.000Z

On August 19th 2000, I launched David-Carter.com. Back then I didn't know what I would do with the domain, or whether I could ever make a living online.

This site has been the backbone of my domaining work, though I don't pay it that much attention and don't put much effort into it.

I think that the fact it's been around so long is the key to it's high ranking in Google and other search engines, but it's not what it used to be - in the early days of it's launch, I could get this site top ten ranked for just about any search term I wanted.

I was just looking back at an archived page (you can too - www.archive.org) and though embarrassingly amateurish, there is no doubt that this site laid much of the foundation for what I learned and put into practice along the way.

On the old front page, I asked this question;

"What is the number one site on Alta Vista for the search term, "Domain Name Resales"?

The answer was David-Carter.com because at that time, it was easy to get top ranking.

I remember being number one for "search engine placement" and "top ten search engine placement" at one time too - which must have really pissed off those people who made a living at that kind of thing.

Somehow, I doubt that I could replicate this now in such a competetive market, which is why I now concentrate on specific vertical markets where I know there is little SEO educated competition.

All along, I have held the belief that domain names hold the key to making a successful living online.

Each one I own represents a business opportunity - either right now or at some point in the future.

This is the reason that I won't sell my names cheaply. Unlike many of the tyre kickers who come enquiring after my names, I have already seen the potential in them. I also know how to develop them, promote them and get them highly ranked in search engines.

So why sell that cheaply?

Forget Internet Marketing Gurus, Read This

2007-12-15T08:45:00.000Z

This article in DN Journal demonstrates everything that is great about the Internet and domain names in general.

If you haven't seen it yet, it's about Frank Schilling, probably the world's most successful domainer.

Frank gives tips and advice almost daily via his excellent SevenMile blog. He does it freely too, as do the other people whose blogs I link to here.

Compare that approach to the many money-grabbing Internet Marketing gurus who do nothing for free - unless it's to tempt you to buy their latest get rich seminars and dvd packages. Selling those packages is their real secret of success. Everything else is just packaging.

People like Frank are a true inspiration and well done to Ron on another excellent edition of DN Journal.

Example of a quick and dirty Adsense lander

2007-12-14T17:05:00.000Z

There's lots of talk in various forums lately about whether parking companies can be trusted to be transparent with their figures and whether there are better ways to monetise domain portfolios.
I've never been one for parking my domains, as I don't consider my portfolio to be particularly parking friendly - in so much as they don't get masses of natural type-in traffic.

The names in my own portfolio tend to be targeted towards particular niches that I know a little about, or have some kind of interest in.

For a more in-depth look at how parking may or may not benefit you, I suggest you read this post at Rick Schwatrz's blog.

Personally, on domains that I am testing (usually to see if I can get them ranked, or if I am considering selling them), I do a one or two page mini site using XSitePro.

I then add some content that I always write myself and then sprinkle in some Google Adsense and maybe even a sales message.

If people then happen to stumble upon the site, they at least have something original to read and I get a chance of getting a few cents from Google.

The approach isn't rocket science, but since most parking companies are simply syndicating ads from Google and Yahoo anyway, I just question the logic of accepting 65% of the click value when I can take 100% from the source.

Of course, the parking companies say that they achieve higher rates per click.

I've heard that argument many times. However, as Rick points out in his blog today, the parking companies are not exactly transparent about their earnings from other people's domain names.

Google isn't transparent either, but at least there's an element of control in what you can do with your own domain name.

Here's an example I knocked out quickly this morning. http://www.professionalfeeinsurance.co.uk/ (and yes, I have the .com too).

These sites won't win any design awards, but they'll earn a few pennies along the way before the domains are either developed fully or sold.

UPDATE 30 DECEMBER 2007

I was checking my stats on professionalfeeinsurance.co.uk today and was surprised to see a few hits from Google.

As usual, I checked the search terms and found that it's already listed on the front page for a few relevant terms, including of course, "professional fee insurance".

Just goes to show that XSitePro does exactly what I claimed it could do.

How Is Your Project Management?

2007-12-12T19:24:00.000Z

I don't know about you, but I am not a great manager of people or projects. I forget things from one day to the next and usually have so many ideas for my domains floating around that I rarely achieve anything.

But, I need stuff doing, so I take the outsourcing route and have had positive and negative experiences along the way. Mostly negative, simply because I am so poor at managing people.

Recently, I began working with a few new developers and one introduced me to a wonderful system called Basecamp.

It's a project management system that allows me to specify projects, set project milestones, time deadlines and provides me with a one-stop communication centre that can accommodate as many projects and developers as I wish.

I am so impressed with it, that I am considering offering development services and taking on a few clients, as this system makes it easy to manage projects, people and clients, even if they are on the other side of the world.

See it yourself at http://www.basecamphq.com/ - and no, that's not an affiliate link, it's a genuine endorsement.

How To Get Rich - Guaranteed

2007-11-30T05:16:00.000Z

Some people seem to think that domain names offer a guaranteed route to becoming finincially secure, even rich.

They don't.

The reason they don't is simple. It's called people.

Some people, especially newcomers to the domain game automatically believe that just because they have stumbled on a name that isn't registered, that it must be worth something. A bit like finding buried treasure.

You see these names listed for sale every day on Ebay and domain forums.

That is not the way to getting rich, but there is a 100% guaranteed method and absolutely anyone can do it, though 95% or more, who read this post will never, ever do it.

The problem is that most people looking to make money want to do it fast.

They are the same people who play the lottery each week. (Click that link if you're a lottery player and see an better way to play).

The chances of winning are remote to say the least. In fact, there is no worse "investment" on earth than a lottery ticket, unless it's the winning one of course!

Could a domain name be a lottery ticket route to riches? Yes, of course, but the odds of registering a new one, doing no work and then watching the money flow in are not exactly in your favour.

So what is the 100% guaranteed route to financial wealth?

Simply this;

All you have to do is save 10% of every pound, dollar etc that you earn. Save it automatically by opening a new savings account and having an automated instruction take the money from your bank each week or month.

It will hurt to start with, but after a short time, you won't even notice.

Consider that the money you are saving is as untouchable as the money you pay in tax.

Either put the money into a long term, high interest savings account, or invest in a low cost index tracking investment plan. If you can do it using some government backed incentive scheme (like an ISA in the UK), then that's even better.

How boring is that?

That's not what domaining is all about of course, but it's a lot safer than registering rubbish names, which is a complete waste of your money - and that, believe it or not, is what at least 95% of new (and some seasoned) domainers are doing.

At least 95% of people who read this post will never take action and will never put into place the ONLY 100% guaranteed way to make money either - simply because they are focused on the short term and quick fix.

Nothing on earth beats compound interest for making money.

Start today. If you're young and do this, you will be financially secure in no time. If you're older, tell your kids!

Domainers Choice Awards

2007-11-29T19:29:00.000Z

How lovely it was to find a nomination for me in the new "Domainers Choice Awards" web site. Especially since the nominations to appear at all came from domainers.

That's really humbling, as it means that the people I look to for inspiration and guidance seem to think that I offer something too, which is always nice.

Thanks to those who nominated me, you poor, misguided souls!

If you're a domainer, pop along and take a look. I'm not canvassing for votes though, honest.

Focus

2007-11-28T07:32:00.000Z

Apart from losing my login to my Blog account, I've been trying very hard to remain focused on the important thing just recently, so please excuse the lack of posts here.

That means trying to manage my house reconstruction - the Christmas completion date won't be met sadly and that's a pity, because I would have liked to have moved in by now.

The plans have changed many times over the past few months and that caused many delays. Nearly there though. At least we have a roof now. Almost.

The other thing I've been doing is getting a new site built. It's an advertising site with a difference. A specialist home improvement niche is about to get a new service that will hopefully knock the socks off the very little competition it has at the moment.

I'll show you very soon - I'm still testing it and though I've concentrated on keeping it VERY simple (the key to all good sites), I know that this is one that I will have to keep on top of and keep developing for some time to come.

Stay tuned. It uses one of my very favourite domains too, which is nice!

Snake Oil Salesmen Up The Ante

2007-11-10T00:01:00.000Z

I received an email this evening.

It was from a a couple of "gurus" who claim to be the top dogs in the search engine market.

Despite owning a private members site that is supposed to provide "all the answers" to everyting relating to search engines, they promote (outside their massively expensive club) another so-called, self-proclaimed expert's product.

I wonder why they are promoting a $5000 product...

Could it be the 50-100% commission they will receive?

The ante has been raised.

Just a couple of years ago, most of the Internet Marketers on the seminar circuit charged around $97 for their products and it seemed expensive then.

To get $97, the sales page had to be convincing.

These days, the same people are looking to grab thousands of dollars in one easy hit - and no doubt they will ask for more later, in back-end sales promotions.

I have been online for years now and can get number one spots in Google EASILY.

I don't consult. I don't sell a product. I am not a guru.

Instead, I just use my knowledge to make money for myself and for the people I work with.

I am deeply sceptical about $5-10,000 guru courses and site memberships with expensive on-going subscriptions.

You should be too.

My guess (educated of course) is that if you subscribe to any SEO or Internet Marketing newsletters, that every single one of them will soon be promoting yet another "must have" guru course or membership that you absolutely must join at the special discounted rate of $5000.

Watch your emails during the next few days as the race begins to catch the dollars from YOUR bank account.

Don't believe the hype folks.

You're about to be ripped off big time.

The stakes have been raised, but the information is as lame as ever.

You've been warned.