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Here's the The Lowdown
from DN Journal,
updated daily
to
fill you in on the latest buzz going around the domain name industry.
The Lowdown is
compiled by DN Journal Editor & Publisher Ron
Jackson. |
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Behind
Closed Doors: T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas Introduces
Private Option for Test Track + DomainState Forum Goes
Up For Sale
Earlier today we published
a preview
of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Las Vegas 2010 conference coming up January
21-23 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
The preview includes an interview with Rick
Latona who will be take over promotion of
five of the six T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conferences scheduled
this year (show Co-Founders Rick Schwartz and Howard
Neu will stage a conference scheduled for Miami's
South Beach in October).
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We
have some additional news about T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Las Vegas that came in after we did the
interview with Rick. A highlight of the
conference will be Test Track, a session
where business owners seeking capital for their
enterprises will get a chance to pitch their
story to a panel of angel investors. The new
wrinkle, just announced today, is that some
business owners who do not want to make their
pitch in front of a public audience will be
allowed to meet with potential investors behind
closed doors. Rick
Latona emphasized that "Most pitches will
still be made in the room in front of
everyone, but this is business. We
don’t want to miss an opportunity to invest in
an existing company or a start-up just because
the owner doesn’t want to ask for funding
publicly.” |
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Applications
to pitch your business to the investors can be made at www.targetedtraffic.com/test-track.php.
Applications for the closed-door pitches are made on the
same form, but those should start off the Description
field with “Closed-Door Preferred” or “Closed-Door
Only. By
the way, as most of you know, the Test Track idea is
based on ABC-TV's Shark Tank program which
drew a solid audience when it debuted last year. It has
been off the air for several weeks now but a brand
new season begins Friday night, January 8 at 9pm
(U.S. Eastern time). If you haven't seen this
fascinating show before, check it out to get an idea of
what you will be seeing live at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. in Las
Vegas. |
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One
other note today, one that is a sad one for most domain
industry veterans. The three founders of the DomainState.com
forum, Paul Cotton, Paul Shaw and Matt
Purtell, have
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announced
that after seven years of running the venerable site, they
are putting it up for sale. In a note to forum
members, the administrators said, "Our aim is to have
the site sold within the next couple of weeks and we are
considering offers now so any interested parties please
contact us ASAP at [email protected]."
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When
I entered the industry in the spring of 2002, the two
Pauls and Matt were moderators at DNForum.com
where their sage, unbiased advice won them a loyal and
appreciative following. They went on to create their own
forum at DomainState that has always been unique in a
number of ways. For one thing, they didn't accept
advertising. The trio always viewed the site as their
"hobby" with the ownership side of it being just
a means to an end so they could have a special place to
talk domains.
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DomainState
Co-Founder Paul Shaw at
the 2006 Domain Roundtable conference |
Beholden
to no one, you could always count on them for
honest answers to questions posed in the forum.
Many did not like the answers they got, but
the admins felt it was far more important to tell
site visitors what they, from their extensive
experience, believed to be true rather than
what people wanted to hear. Everyone had to
check their ego at the door and I have always
thought that was one of the most valuable aspects
of the site. If you wanted an unbiased sounding
board, DomainState has been the place to find
it.
Though
I communicated with them through the forum many
times over the years, I never got to meet Paul
Cotton or Matt Purtell in person (Paul lives in England
and Matt in Australia), however I did have
the honor of meeting Paul Shaw (DomainState ID:
Snoopy), also an Aussie, when he crossed the ocean
to attend the 2006
Domain Roundtable conference in Bellevue,
Washington. |
The
founders said the decision to sell was made because "we
have realized that it is no longer something we can commit
the same level of energy as we once did." I wish the
three of them well and say goodbye with a sincere thank
you for the time, expertise and advice they so
generously shared with everyone who asked for it over the
years.
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(Posted
Jan.
4,
2010) |
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For
all current Lowdown posts - Go
Here
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We need your help to keep giving domainers The
Lowdown, so please email [email protected]
with any interesting information you might have. If possible,
include the source of your information so we can check it out (for
example a URL if you read it in a forum or on a site
elsewhere).
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