Domain Name Wire Podcast

Chaning your website's domain name is scary. How will everyone find your websites? What will happen to Google search rankings? On today's episode we talk to someone who has successfully made this change, Jeff Gapinksi. Jeff's company Huemor switched from a .com domain to Huemor.rocks. Even if you aren't considering moving to a new TLD, what Jeff has to say still applies to any company moving from...

Companies own a lot of great domain names, but they usually aren't available for purchase. When companies go through bankruptcy or reorganization, these assets sometimes come up for sale. Today's guest, Dmitriy Chemlin, discusses how Hilco Streambank helps sell these domain names from "distressed" companies, and how you can get in on the action. Also: GMO buys .shop for $41.5 million, Golden State...

We buy and sell domain names -- but what about developed websites? Rick Latona's brokerage Latonas.com specializes in established websites, and is very successful at connecting buyers and sellers. Last year Latonas.com handled 13 sales over $1 million, and already has $3 million in sales this month. Rick discusses what makes a site valuable, how to value it, and other considerations when you buy o...

Taxes take a big chunk out of domain name investment returns. What if there was a way to defer taxes? It's possible, and today's guest Kirk Chisholm of Innovative Advisory Group explains how. Also: NamesCon recap, Banana.com, Frank Schilling gives away domains, .Boston, GoDaddy investor app and .Club sales.  

How do you build buzz for a top level domain name .buzz? Bill Doshier has done a remarkable job as a mostly one man show, building the domain name up and finding a loyal following of registrants. One user has given .buzz attention on Wheel of Fortune and in the L.A. times, and Doshier found an interesting type of registrant he hadn't thought about when he first applied for the domain. Also: An ins...

Public Interest Registry is a not-for-profit that operates the popular .Org domain name. CEO Brian Cute explains the unique nature of his registry, as well as its rollout of .Ngo, .Ong and IDN domain names. Cute explains what needs to happen for these new domain names to be successful, and he believes validation will be key for domain name in the future.

It's the annual predictions podcast! Listen to predictions from over a dozen people in the domain name business about what's on tap for 2016: Bill Sweetman, Michael Castello, Rightside CEO Taryn Naidu, Igloo, Sedo CEO Tobias Flaitz, Braden Pollack, Richard Tindal, Braden Pollock, Giuseppe Graziano, .Club, THE Domain Conference, Christa Taylor, Richard Lau, Public Interest Registry CEO Brian Cute,...

Tucows started in the early 90s as a software download site, but is now one of the world's largest domain name registrars and has a market cap of about $250 million. CEO Elliot Noss explains a common thread in Tucows' transition from downloads to domains, and now a provider of mobile phone and internet service. 

Michael Blend missed two glaring signes of how valuable domain names could be. The third time around he pounced on the opportunity. Blend developed the domain parking service HotKeys and acquired some of the world's best domain names, then sold the business to Demand Media. Hear his story and learn about TopCoin, the "frequent flyer program for domain names". Also: Berkens is a sell out, CentralNi...

Michele Neylon runs Irish hosting and domain name company Blacknight. On today's show he gives thoughts on new TLDs from the perspective of a mid-sized domain name registrar...and you'll find his perspective to be really interesting. We also discuss WHOIS and the IANA transition. Also: China clamps down on .com domain names, a banner month for .Club, big Rightside investors and an agency that .Roc...

Have new top level domain names had their twerking moment yet? Jeff Sass, CMO of .Club, talks about what it's going to take for new top level domain names to gain mass exposure. Jeff also talks about what's going on in China and the value of short domain names. Also: Beware of domain name pumping, .Booking domain name auction and Is Verisign stock a buy?

Monte Cahn founded domain name registrar Moniker and later sold it, and now is a partner with domain name consultancy Right of the Dot. On today's program, Monte talks about how the domain name business has changed over the past 20 years, and how it might change in the future. He discusses current domain investing trends and the upcoming domain auction at NamesCon.

Paul Stahura is co-founder and CEO of Donuts, the company that runs more top level domain names than any other company…by far. They currently have nearly 200 domain names available. On today's show, Paul discusses how the company picked the 307 domains it applied for, the $150M+ it raised, pricing strategy for new domains an how he thinks the market for these domain names will unfold. Also: .Sony,...

3 and 4 letter domain names are in high demand, and few people know more about the market than Giuseppe Graziano. His domain brokerage firm GGRG.com works exclusively on these domains. On today's show he'll tell you how to find and buy the best 4 letter domain names, and what to avoid. Also: Verisign gets .XYZ on its face, MySchool lawsuit dismissed, a major phishing attack.

Want to master the expired domain name game? NameJet GM Jonathan Tenenbaum discusses the types of expired domain names and provides 5 tips to crush it with NameJet. Also: ICANN drinks in Dublin, Afilias acquires 101Domain and University of Cambridge learns the limits of trademarks.

New top level domain name company Minds + Machines CEO Antony Van Couvering is back on the podcast this week. He discusses what's happening with new top level domain names and how his company is responding. He also explains how people can partner with Minds + Machines, either to help sell domain names to communities or to develop a premium domain name into a web destination.

Richard Lau's life hit bottom in 2000. His business was essentially wiped out in one week. Worse, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Since then he has perservered in both business and in health. On today's show, he discusses his journey. He also talks about his Resume.com business and why he started the NamesCon conference, which returns to Las Vegas in January. Also: ICANN heads to Panama, Taco...

Paul Nicks runs the aftermarket for GoDaddy, which includes Afternic and GoDaddy auctions. Paul discusses the current state of the domain aftermarket, including which direction sales and sale prices are moving. He also discusses changes they're making in the aftermarket and how how they're trying to remove friction from the domain selling and buying process. Paul also provides stats on how suspect...

Can Frank Schilling help domain name owners sell more domain names? He's on the show today to talk about the platform he is creating. Although he doesn't spill all the beans, he promises something big to be released by NamesCon in January. Schilling also gives his latest thoughts on new TLDs, the value of .com domain names, and reveals how his domain sales in 2015 compare to last year. Also: Inter...

Bhavin Turakhia founded Directi with his brother Div, and sold part of the domain name company for over $100 million last year. But neither Turakhia brother is heading into retirement. This week, Bhavin discusses his new top level domain name company Radix. The company has released names ranging from .tech to .site, and its .online domain name has set numerous records in its first weeks of availab...

Is there a scaleable way to monetize domain names with lead generation? Today's guest, Braden Pollock, runs lead generation company Legal Brand Marketing. We'll chat about monetizing domains with lead gen, as well as get Braden's opinion on new top level domains (he's invested in some) and the state of the domain name aftermarket. Plus: a new Domain Dunce, .com winners and losers, not quite "emazi...

Christa Taylor runs new top level domain name consulting firm Dot TBA, which has assisted a number of new TLD applicants with their financial projections. She's also currently involved with the launch of the .Love top level domain. Christa discusses the current state of new TLDs, how this will likely shake out in the next few years, and what's .love got to do with it. Also: GoDaddy two-factor auth...

Are you developing some of your domain names? You'll want to listen to this week's interview with Enrico Schaefer of Traverse Legal. Enrico discusses 5 things you need to do when developing a website to keep yourself out of legal hot water. Don't make a mistake that can cost you more than you'll earn from your developed website. Also: Web.com credit card theft, eNom and Sedo link up, Verisign v. X...

Eric Borgos developed one of his best domain names, Bored.com, and sold the site for $4.5 million. He went on to sell $3 million of domain names after that. On today's show, he'll explain how he developed his sites, what has worked…and what hasn’t. Eric will also explain why he bought bricks-and-mortar two flower shops site unseen, and about the toy he created that was sold at Toys"R"Us. He will a...