Let's start with the newest one, a fine piece about Escrow.com by Owen Frager that just came out today. Like just about every other domain buyer and seller in the business I have been using Escrow.com for many years and have been acquainted with their brilliant and personable CEO Brandon Abbey for most of those years. Still, Owen dug up some interesting information I was not aware of, including the fact that the company came close to dumping its invaluable category-defining name - Escrow.com - in favor of some forgettable coined brand name (in this case Finera, which for some reason makes me think of a company that bakes bread, not one that handles money)! Fortunately (and thanks primarily to Brandon), that never happened and, under the  Escrow.com banner, there is no doubt about what this popular, well run company does. 

In addition, Owen reported on the crash of an airliner that Brandon happened to be riding in. With its landing gear disabled, the plane managed to land on its belly and everyone 

Escrow.com CEO Brandon Abbey

survived, but, as you would imagine, it had a big impact on Brandon's outlook on life. The elements Owen found make this well written story about a household name in our industry especially illuminating. Escrow services, like most financial transactions, are one of those things we just take for granted. There is not much drama there  (unless something goes wrong) so no matter how superlative a company in that field is, they rarely get the kudos they deserve. Owen rectified that, putting Escrow.com in the spotlight, giving them their well deserved due and giving us a very interesting story to boot. 

Michael Berkens

Earlier this week, Michael Berkens, a domain industry pioneer who has made millions buying and selling domains and also authors a great blog at TheDomains.com, wrote an excellent piece on the history of this business (a history he has lived through, making it a topic he can address with authority) called It’s Domaining 6.0 & It’s Is All About Branding. 

Every pro in the business reads Michael's blog, so I know all of you in that category have already read the piece. But if you are a newcomer to the industry who missed it, or you stumble upon this post at some time in the future, read Michael's article for an excellent summary of where we have been and where we may be headed next.

Last but not least, last fall Nat Cohen wrote a terrific in depth profile of up and coming (actually already here) domain star Andy Booth that I somehow missed reading until seeing a link to it somewhere a few days ago. The thing that makes this story at Nat's blog, DomainArts.com, timeless is that it proves, yet again, that it is never too late  to succeed. 

Based in England, Andy, who is one of the most personable young guys in the business, started from scratch just six years ago at the age of 22, yet he has already reached a level of success that most of the rest of us are still dreaming about. The story tells you exactly how he did it and how domains have enriched his life in so many different ways. You keep hearing people say what a great business this is with endless opportunities and Andy's story shows you that, despite the never ending changes in the industry, that is still as true as it ever was. 

Andy Booth