Halloween Arrives Tonight But It Will Be Hard to Beat Ari Goldberger's Mischief Night in Margate!

Ari Goldberger is known throughout the industry as one of the best domain  attorneys and brokers in the business,  but it looks like it's time to add another title now. The over-the-top Halloween themed extravaganza Ari staged at his Margate City, New Jersey home Saturday night (October 28) made it clear he has world class event producer chops as well. 

Ari poured weeks of work and blood curdling expense into preparations for his Mischief Night in Margate. As a mind boggling array of Halloween decorations started appearing on his lawn a month ago, curious crowds and representatives of local media outlets started showing up to find out why one of the most stately homes in the neighborhood was morphing into a ghastly haunted mansion before their very eyes.

At right: The maestro of mischief, Ari Goldberger, ready to lure unwary Margatians into his lair.

Above: A shot of Ari's front lawn taken weeks ago in a still early stage of preparations for the
Mischief Night in Margate City, New Jersey that finally arrived Saturday night (October 28).

Below: On the night of the big show, the home was taken over by all manner of ghosts and goblins, including the scariest apparition of them all - disco dancers brought back to life decades after we thought they had been dead and buried in the 1970s!

Above: Ari Goldberger, clearly possessed by the spirit of John Travolta, 
ready to lead his minions in reeking havoc in Margate City, New Jersey.

Ari added, "Halloween is the perfect setting for a special event. Not only do I do a fun party but I decorate the outside of the house. This year was especially over the top and hundreds of visitors have come from near and far to see it. I’ve been amazed at the appreciation and admiration expressed by so many. The looks of awe on kids and adult faces makes all the hard work worthwhile. I worked at least 6 to 8 hours every non-rainy day since September. But it’s fun for me. It’s play!"

Above: Of course, there is such a thing as too much food, drink and frivolity 
as some of the guests who wound up in the pool learned the hard way!

Below: Still, most carried on in the proud tradition of Scarlett O'Hara 
and danced the night away declaring, "I will think about that tomorrow!'

While Ari left no stone unturned to make sure guests had an unforgettable time, he had much more in mind than just fun when producing Saturday night's event. "We have allowed our greatest strength, our diversity, to be turned against ourselves as a weapon to divide and weaken us. The power is in our unity and common celebrations like Halloween can be a metaphor for how we get back to enjoying this great country together, seeking unity on things with which we agree and celebrate. We can come together, just like we do for trick or treat. No one asks who you voted for before they drop a treat in your child’s bag!"

In pursuit of that mission Ari made sure there was something for everyone to enjoy Saturday night, including horse drawn carriage rides around Margate City (below).

Above: there was even a photo booth where every guest could have a picture taken as a memento from the big night. Below are some film strips featuring some of the colorful faces in the crowd.

There were several well-known figures from the domain industry in the crowd. At far right in the third row above is attorney Brett Lewis who arrived as his hilarious alter-ego Mulletman! At far right below is veteran domain investor/developer Steven Kaziyev. We have to think people were a bit surprised that stylish Steven didn't bother to dress up for the party, rather than just showing up in his every day attire!

As we noted in a DNJournal Cover Story about Ari, written way back ih 2006, fundraising for charity is something he has been doing since he was a kid, so that could certainly happen. Still, given Ari's propensity for springing surprises, there is no telling what he will come up with next!

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Jeff Gabriel Launches Podcast with Announcement of New Domain Sales Platform Coming from Saw.com

When Jeff Gabriel talks, people in the domain industry listen - and with the launch of his new video podcast today, they can watch too! More on that in a moment but first some even bigger news. The Co-Founder and CEO of Saw.com has announced the company is about to roll out a new domain sales platform that is bound to shake things up. 

One need only look at what Gabriel has done over the past 15 years to understand why both of these developments are cause to sit up and take notice. Jeff is one of the most successful domain brokers in industry history with his resume including a legendary seven-year run as the Vice President of DomainNameSales/Uniregistry. Over the past four years at Saw.com alone, he and his team of five brokers have amassed a stunning $68 million worth of domain sales that have included names like AI.com, Virtual.com, Bunny.com, M1.com, Cool.com, Anatomy.com,  Event.com, Fancy.com, CO2.com, Comet.com, Media.com and many others.

Obviously impressive but Gabriel also wants people to know "We are not a brokerage of just high-profile sales. We estimate we will finish the year by selling more than 400 domains in various price ranges as we continue to break records and surpass our own goals. We have also developed an appraisal tool that is being used  

Jeff Gabriel
Co-Founder & CEO, Saw.com

thousands of times per week, providing valuable insights to our customers." Another draw at Saw has been the introduction of a buyer brokerage affiliate program that allows registrars and third parties to refer customers interested in purchasing specific domains that are not currently listed for sale.

With this successful infrastructure already in place, Saw.com didn't have far to go to take things to another level. "That is why we decided to apply the lessons we have learned over our time in the industry to build a new sales platform that allows sellers more control and more data than they do right now. We are bringing sexy back!," Gabriel declared. Saw aims to release a beta version of the platform in December with limited access, followed by a full rollout in January.  

To go along with the rollout of this ambitious project, Jeff also decided to create an industry podcast, dubbed The Uncomfortable Podcast, that he said will ""encourages more professionals to take a step out of their comfort zone so they can thrive (not just survive!) in the modern working world. Through open and insightful conversations with business owners, industry experts, and thought leaders, the podcast will share stories, secrets, and strategies from people who've been there, done it, and got the t-shirt when it comes to achieving extraordinary results. We will offer training and Q&As as well."

If you want to share a direct link to this episode with friends, that is:
 https://saw.com/yoni-belousov/. Jeff plans to release a new show each week to see how it goes and gauge what kind of schedule the audience prefers long term. 

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Braden Pollock Sells Socrates.com for $600,000 - Domain is New Home for a Web3 Social Media & Entertainment Platform

Our next bi-weekly domain sales report that will be out Wednesday evening (October 25) is going to have some eye-popping sales on the Top 20 Chart. Late last week we told you about the $400,000 sale of Betting.online by Radix. This morning we learned that ApexMoon.com has sold PFA.com for $450,000 and this afternoon Braden Pollock at LegalBrandMarketing.com let us know that he sold Socrates.com for $600,000.

Socrates.com is the new home of a global Web3 social media and entertainment platform that launched in September on the Polygon blockchain. The site gives users the opportunity to earn by participating in multiple-choice Q&As, debating and sharing knowledge. 

A summary on the site states, "Utilizing an innovative and intuitive UI, the platform allows anyone to openly debate and discuss any topic, ranging from politics, philosophy and science to sports and entertainment. Users can create multiple-choice questions and answers in-app, allowing others to interact by responding, giving reasons and liking comments."

Other details are provided in the Socrates.com mission statement: "Combining the best of Social-Fi and Game-Fi, the project aims to 

Braden Pollock
LegalBrandMarketing.com

explore the power of technology to reshape the world and build a new human civilization. With social media and mainstream media currently directing collective human thoughts, Socrates inspires individuals to think freely about issues and combats misinformation. The project endeavors to provide a platform allowing society to understand new and different ways of thinking across geographical boundaries and cultures."

If nothing changes before our next sales report comes out, Socrates.com will rank among the five biggest publicly reported domain sales of the year to date, tying #4 ECL.com at the $600,000 mark.

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Radix Books Year's Biggest Non .Com gTLD Sale To Date Banking $400,000 for Betting.online

Radix has just closed a $400,000 sale of Betting.online that will take over the top spot on on Year to Date Non .com gTLD Top 100 Sales Chart when the chart is updated in our next bi-weekly update Wednesday evening (Oct. 25). That is almost four times higher than the current chart topper, IO.net at $118,000. Betting.online also ties Giveaway.com as 2023's fifth highest publcly reported domain sale regardless of TLD.

The registry sold the domain directly to the buyer in a transaction handled by Escrow.com. As the biggest new gTLD sale reported in the past five years, Betting.online also boosts Radix's total .online premium domain sales revenue to date, through their registrar partners, to over $8 million.

Image from Bigstock

Karn Jajoo, Radix Head of Premium Domains, said the buyer of Betting.online is the same business group that acquired Casino.online for over $200,000 in 2017. According to SimilarWeb, casino.online now averages 160,000+ visitors per month, 34% of which can be attributed to direct traffic. Karn noted, "Businesses increasingly see the benefits of owning a category-killer domain on a new extension because they significantly amplify search engine optimization (SEO), enhance brand credibility, and attract a greater number of online visitors."

Casino.online CEO Patrick Gerhard said, "“We’re thrilled to add betting.online to our portfolio and have some exciting plans for using this domain. We chose to go ahead with it because a .Online domain is a great fit for our industry, and having keyword-rich domains such as these are a critical asset in our brand and vision.”  

Betting.online is part of Radix’s ultra-premium platinum inventory that includes names valued at over six figures (USD), which the Registry expects to sell directly or through top brokerages and marketplaces. These platinum domains have a one-time fee and standard renewal prices.  

Betting.online is an exception to how most of Radix's premiums are sold. The majority of Radix premiums are tiered sales with a recurring premium fee and sold through its global registrar channel network via EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol). 

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With Initial Response Exceeding Expectations Domain Days Dubai Founder Excited About Impending Launch

With the inaugural edition of Domain Days Dubai just two weeks away, Munir Badr, the founder of the new conference in the UAE, told us the response to the event has exceeded all expectations. "I never imagined we would get such an overwhelming response for Domain Days," Badr said in reference to both the demand for tickets and the number of experts from around the world who are flying in for the show. "We now have 38 speakers set to appear over the course of a full two-day agenda November 1 & 2," Munir noted. "As for registrations, over 170 people - all B2B  professionals - have already bought tickets and we have also sold out our hotel room block at the Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah."

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How Positivity and Perseverance Powered Sedo Premium Domain Broker Mark Ghoriafi's Rise to Prominence

I was happy to see a Sedo post on Facebook Friday announcing that Mark Ghoriafi was joining the company's all-star team of premium domain brokers. Happy for Mark, who has impressed me with his positive attitude and energy from the first day I met him almost a decade ago,  and happy for Sedo who will benefit from having this highly respected proven pro  representing them.

In his steady 9-year rise through the ranks Mark has had the opportunity to learn form some of the best people in the business, starting with .CLUB in 2014, followed by successes with  .GLOBAL, Afilias and Radix and the launch of his own shop at MrPremium.com. Mark had also worked with Sedo on specific projects over the years so they were already well aware of his capabilities.

While Mark is widely known throughout the industry I wanted to share his colorful and inspiring background with those who haven't met him yet or have never heard the full story. So, over the weekend I connected with Mark, who moved to Fort Lauderdale after growing up in the UK, for the interview below. This is Mark's word for word account of where he came from, what he has experienced along the way and where is headed now:

Mark Ghoriafi
Premium Domain Broker

"From fun-in-the-sun hospitality to the world of professional wrestling, and of course our passionate domain names industry, all my business paths had the same personal desire; to support my family and enjoy life’s journey! ," Ghoriafi began.  

My graduation from Oxford Brookes University studying Marketing Management in collaboration with one year spent studying in the U.S. at a prominent Pennsylvania school, gave me the educational tools to go out into the business world. I spent eight years working in Corfu, Greece focusing on face-to-face selling and customer psychology, and in addition founded a successful online store within the sports memorabilia industry, all of which provided a well-rounded overview of business logistics.

Mark Ghoriafi, .CLUB CEO Colin Campbell and CMO Jeff Sass (2nd, 3rd and 4th from left) at a 
.CLUB dinner with friends, Ray Dillman Neu (far left) and Howard and Barbara Neu (far right).

I worked directly with Colin Campbell and Jeff Sass, the then CEO & CMO of .Club, with Jeff becoming (and still being) my mentor (Jeff is now the CMO of .ART domains), and under his industry tutelage I advanced my role into premium domain sales, me able to confidently say I superseded all internal selling expectations.  

Those initial years in the industry helped me establish future footsteps with premium domain selling, working with Rolf Larsen (Founder of .GLOBAL) and an exceptional family-like team, collaboratively advancing the company to a high enough level where the decision was made to sell the extension to Afilias. I was graciously asked if I wanted to transition into Afilias and oversee all premium domain selling activities for dozens of Afilias-owned domain extensions, to which I accepted, having notable success with .BET and .POKER. 

Mark with .GLOBAL Founder Rolf Larsen at the 2023 NamesCon Global conference in Austin.

It was unfortunate timing that during my peak of achievement at Afilias, a 20-yar-old-company, a decision was again made to sell the company. However, when that door closed, a window opened, and I decided to start my own domains brokerage and acquisition: MrPremium.com.

(Left to right) Mark Ghoriafi, Marc Stepken, Sedo Senior Broker Dave Evanson and CEO Michael Robrock at a Sedo Party during the 2020 NamesCon Global conference in Austin, Texas.

Throughout my 9 years so-far in the industry, I have crossed paths with Sedo on many occasions, teaming up and partnering with them at many events and conferences during my time on the registry side of the industry, so I am no stranger to their style and success.

With recent life advancements, including getting married to my wonderful wife and moving to Fort Lauderdale Beach, future stability is a desired focus for us both. So, when casual Sedo conversations turned into long-term business opportunities, it is with great pleasure to say that I have now joined Sedo.com as a Premium Domain Broker. I will be working with a team of likeminded passionate people who I respect and admire, also thrilled that MrPremium clients have chosen to join in my exciting journey, with their domain inventory coming to Sedo brokerage.

Another day, another dime, another dollar,
another day in domaining paradise!" Mark, joyfully as always, concluded.

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ICA Accepting Nominations for Lonnie Borck Memorial Award - Winner Will be Honored for Helping Build the Domain Industry Community

The Internet Commerce Association (ICA), the non-profit organization that fights for domain owner's rights, is now accepting nominations for the ICA's 7th annual Lonnie Borck Memorial Award (LBMA). The prestigious award was first presented in 2017 in memory of the late universally loved domain advocate Lonnie Borck. 

In the LBMA's first three years its recipients were chosen based on their "exceptional efforts in championing the rights of domain name registrants" and went to industry leaders from the legal arena. Starting with the 2020 award, the criteria was broadened to include every corner of the domain industry with the guiding principal being to recognize a person who has made "extraordinary contributions toward fostering a sense of community within the domain name industry." 

Everyone in the industry (whether they are an ICA member or not) is welcome to submit a nomination for the 2024 Lonnie Borck Award that will be presented at the ICA's next Annual Meeting that will be held January 17-20, 2024 at Resorts World in Las Vegas. Nominations will remain open through the end of October. The ICA Board will then review and approve nominees with ICA members then voting to select the winner. 

Lonnie Borck

The previous winners of the Lonnie Borck Memorial Award were;

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GGRG's Latest Quarterly Liquid Market Report for 3Q-2023 Shows Stable Market for Short .Coms

GGRG's latest quarterly Liquid Market Report, covering domain sales from this category reported in the 3rd quarter of 2023, is now out. The report covers a subset of the overall aftermarket - short acronym and numeric domains - that, due to steady demand, tend to have more liquidity than most other domain categories. These are .com domains comprised of 2-4 letters, 2-5 numbers or a combination of 2-3 characters mixing letters and numbers. Taken as whole, that "liquid" universe includes 614,928 .com domains.

In this 29th edition of the report GGRG Founder Giuseppe Graziano compiled $22.4 million worth of sales closed on the Escrow.com platform, reflecting a stable market as it follows 

a total of just under $22 million in the previous quarter. Most of the sales that contributed to the 3% uptick from 2Q-2023 came from the 2-letter and 3-letter .com categories. Those accounted for a little over $8 million each in sales. 

Graziano noted, "The 5th percentile (which is a proxy for the liquidation value - a price floor) for 4-letter .com domains held pretty well at $137, while the 5-number liquidation value increased by 25% to $65. Overall, liquid domains are generally holding their value without major changes. 

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After Making Millions From His Biggest Deal to Date Rick Schwartz Reveals His Formula for Success

On Monday we told you about Domain King Rick Schwartz closing out a domain deal that started 14 years ago when he sold Candy.com for $3 million + 5% equity in the buyer's company. When that company (GreenRabbit) was acquired by the Performance Food Group this week Rick's equity portion brought him and additional $7 million that sent his total revenue from the deal past the $11 million mark!

In our story, Rick noted that the Candy.com deal, his biggest ever, would now be the baseline model for his future transactions. His quarter of a century in the domain business gave him the kind of experience needed to come up with a formula that can be repeated over and over again and now he is sharing it with everyone who wonders what is in his secret sauce.

"First, this formula won’t work unless we’re talking about great .com domain names. Category killer .com domains -  it is not viable with any other extension," Rick began.

Rick Schwartz

"Dotcom domains are the very foundation of the entire Internet. Recognizing the value of those names has taken decades but it is becoming apparent what a domain really is - it is much more than a name.    

• It’s your World Headquarters 

• It’s your World Famous Brand 

• It’s your Worldwide Business 

• It comes with a Great Location (assuming you stick with dot-com domains).   

• It comes with Unlimited information, products and expansion ability.   

• It can be transformed into a Skyscraper.   

• It can be Invented and Reinvented.  

"It is the one phrase you have to say for anyone to gather all the information they could ever need about you and your company," Schwartz said. "It is the land that all business is built on today but startups and others have a BAD habit. They start with a crappy and cheap domain name and their efforts are not amplified as they should be, they are diminished and minimized. By the time they figure it out, they are bleeding badly and losing talent. Game over!"

"My formula entails getting an end user or startup into a high profile domain so they can break through all the noise of 100 million businesses, jumping up and down yelling me, me, me. So, I get them into a prime one or two word meaningful name for as low as $1000 a month with annual increases. This gives them time and space to amplify their message in the right way and get down the runway and have a successful takeoff. Not a crash."

In closing, Rick added, "I can help startups takeoff with a minimal investment but they have to understand how important their domain name is because if they don’t or they pursue some unknown and unworthy extension, they’re going to either have a very costly rebrand that may or may not work or they’re going to crash and burn before they figure it out." 

You can agree or disagree with what Rick has to say (people have been doing so since he started back in the 1990s) and you can debate the merits of alternate strategies, but given the numbers he has put up over the past two and a half decades, it's hard to argue with success.

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Colin Campbell Reveals Serial Entrepreneurs Secrets in His New Book Released Today - Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat!

The highly-anticipated new book from serial entrepreneur Colin C. Campbell - Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat - was released today by Forbes Books. As the founder of the .CLUB registry that he launched and developed before selling it to GoDaddy in 2021, Colin is a very familiar figure in the domain business (In 2016 we told his life story in a DNJournal Cover Story that still attracts daily readers to this day). In addition to .CLUB, Campbell built, scaled and exited several other internet companies including Tucows Interactive, Internet Direct Canada, Hostopia and GeeksForLess that have a combined valuation of $1 billlion. He and partners continue to launch new companies that currently include Paw.com, HipOptical, GiftAI.com, Escape Club, and Startup.club.

Colin spent 10 years working on the new book, sub-titled Serial Entrepreneurs' Secrets Revealed! It is a remarkable 58-chapter, 523-page guide featuring tips from over 30 experts, including authors and seasoned entrepreneurs like Reebok Founder Joe Foster, and Crossing the Chasm author Geoffrey Moore. 

In a post about the book on the Startup.club blog, Colin said "If you have a strong team, the right funding, an industry ‘X-Factor,’ and efficiently strategize, you’re well on your way to serial entrepreneurship. The formula for success isn’t straightforward and one-size-fits-all, but every business can benefit from learning and integrating winning techniques in your enterprise. Emphasizing the well being of your People, Money, Story, and Systems in each stage of serial entrepreneurship– Start, Scale, Exit, Repeat– is key to overall success." 

Knowing Colin and having heard him speak to the topics in this book over the years, I fully expect Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat to become both a current best seller and a timeless business classic. I downloaded a Kindle copy from Amazon first thing this morning, so if you don't hear back from me right away, you will know I am busy reading!

Author Colin C. Campbell

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