It is a pleasure to announce that GeoDomainer.com registered its 100th member yesterday.  Matt Bently of Sedo.com signed up as the 100th member.  In a very short amount of time, we have been able to recruit many of the world’s top domain professionals.  This is only the tip of the iceberg as we continue to build onto the network.  We expect membership to skyrocket once we finish adding all the apps and resources needed in conducting business among domain professionals. 

GeoDomainer.com will continue to transform the traditional ways domainers have done business in the past.  We have already added video conferencing, chat, industry resources, entertainment, ratings, and wiki this week.  Eventually, it will become the destination for all your domaining needs, from reading articles to obtaining services.  Everything will be available through the site to access all external sites frequented by domainers.  

Additionally, we have already received success stories from members, that may have not been possible if they had not signed up as a member.  The site enables professionals to cross talk to anyone listed on the site and allows users to introduce themselves to established professionals.  Where as in the past, you could only talk to someone if you had an established relationship.  We will be adding virtual business cards, a widget to list domains for sale under user profile, and an app to list recommended services with a rating system built in.  In the end, members will be empowered to create their own validation system as the tools are made available.

Lots of great things to come and we would like to thank everyone for their continued support.  If you have not joined, please feel free to do so.  It is open to all domainers in the industry. 

According to data from Borrell Associates’ fifth annual local online revenue survey, newspaper-owned Web sites maintained a three-to-one lead over other local competitors in advertising market share last year, capturing 26.9 percent of the market.  

This is an article that sheds some light on how well local newspaper websites are doing.  It appears that many are figuring out how to capitalize on the local market by using a geo domain.  Although, many still do not own the key geo for their areas.  I found the video advertising stats interesting, and forsee this strategy becoming the new trend for online advertisements the same way we see ads on TV, but at a fraction of the cost. 

The survey indicates that video, the fastest growing segment of local online advertising, generated $363 million in 2007, with local online advertisers expected to spend $1.2 billion in 2008 (nearly a four-fold increase).  Newspaper-owned Web sites have seized a foothold in this area as well, with a 26 percent share of all local online video advertising - more than any other local competitor.

(Via MediaPost.com)

Geo domain sales continue to gain momentum in the aftermarket with Bellevue.com selling for top dollar.  ccTLD geo domain sales totaled $110,759 for a grand total of $434,469.

(Interact with Mike on GeoDomainer.com)

Mike is Chairman and Founder of WashingtonVC, a private equity group whose portfolio of companies share resources, talent and technologies to deliver innovative digital products and services.

In ‘94 he founded Internet Interstate, which he sold to Verio in ‘97. In ‘98, he founded BuyDomains.com, the world’s largest secondary market for domain names, and sold majority interest to Highland Capital and Summit Partners in 2005, along with the “Seeq.com” search engine portal. Mike has sold more domains on the secondary market than anyone in the world.

Between ‘98 and ‘01, he served as the founding Chairman of ByteBack.org (501c3), which operates free computer training centers serving inner-city communities.

Mike is the Founder and Chairman of Grassroots.org (501c3), a global network providing free services to nonprofits and promoting social action. He also manages Make Change! Trust, a charitable fund that supports select 501c3 organizations. You can view GrassRoots.org and MakeChangeTrust.org to learn more.

(SMO) You have been involved in the domain industry for quite some time. How did it all start?

(MM) In 1998 I sold menus.com for 25K which I had been paying a $50/yr. registration for, so I found the profit margin intriguing and decided to buy and sell as many as possible, leveraging innovative technology and talent to assist.

(SMO) You were one of the first individuals in the domain industry to set up a sales platform to sell your own domains. Additionally, your team developed new technology in which you applied for patents. When did you realize you were on to a winning business plan with buydomains.com?

(MM) Day one.

(SMO) Having a large portfolio for sale, was it easy to spot enduser and investor trends in the domain industry thru purchases? How did this help you in acquiring additional domains?

(MM) We ran detailed statistical analysis on everything and only bet on the best ones dollar for dollar. Some sold at such high margins that it made up for the minority duds which were bought in buying frenzies.

(SMO) With such a large portfolio, you surely owned some outstanding geo domains for sale. How was the market for geo domain sales thru your experience?

(MM) While we sold some in the normal course of business, that had not been my specialty until recently, now we own much of the African country .coms and some others.

(SMO) How did you place value on geo domains in your portfolio? How big of a demand was there for geo domains, if any?

(MM) Each name price was based on detailed technical analysis with human insight added. We measured demand the same way.
(SMO) As a seasoned domain investor who has seen trends come and go, what role do you think geo domains will play as the internet and consumer behavior continues to evolve?

(MM) Geo is a broad powerful category encompassing cities, states, countries, and localities,each group being permanently powerful in its own right. Aggregating a consistentportfolio within one group or the other, and applying best web and marketing practicesover a long duration should be the ultimate way to monetize them, anything less will yield less.

(SMO) Do you still own any great geo domains, and if so, can you name a few and your plans for them?

(MM) Angola.com, NorthernIreland.com, BaltimoreWashington.com, VaticanCity.com, and many more, please see DomainMarket.com. The plan is tobuild carefully, in detail, one at a time, or sell to big bidders. Or keep forever and let values rise until my daughter’s retirement.

(SMO) Do you have any future plans in reentering the domain industry as a service provider?

(MM) We are already deep into some powerful things in the US and internationally since my “noncompete” expired. DomainMarket.com will be the base of our future activity.

See MikeMann.com and WashingtonVC.com to see how we add value to super premium domains (we build companies like Phone.com, Software.com, SEO.com, HappyBirthday.com.)

We will also launch the world’s most profitable parking platform in the future using tools and ideas so far unseen by the public, and without competition to date. Last but not least we will replicate the BuyDomains buy/sell/optimize model that I developed long ago, but only using the world’s best names, as opposed to huge numbers of good and great names like BD does.

(SMO) Why do you think everything has gone from a global concept to a local concept on the internet? Do you think the local concept has always existed, but never made it in the mainstream as global did, until recently?

(MM) We learned years ago to make the most impact we had to “personalize, customize, and LOCALIZE” each web experience, that is still the best way to go. Please see my free ebook which explains a lot of my theories in detail.

(SMO) There are thousands of domain investors who are always looking for advice from proven professionals such as yourself. Do you have any advice that you are willing to share for those old and new investors in the domain industry? Do you have any advice on the evolving geo domain industry?

(MM) The best advice is to only invest in the best .com domains since they will stand the test of time, and will be “flights to quality” in turbulent economic times. Also just buy the ones you take to heart, that you want to build a perpetual, powerful business on top of. And use the most modern best practices borrowed or hired from a myriad of the most profitable web people you can find.

Dr. Kevin Ham
(Source:DNJournal.com)

Ron Jackson at DNJournal.com recently published his May cover story, Kevin Ham. In it, Kevin talks about a variety of projects his team is focused on. One of those projects include geo domains in his portfolio. When the most successful domain investor in the industry states he is focused on geo domains, people should pay close attention. He is pioneer in this industry because he has focused in areas others have failed to embrace and has become very successful because of it.

Many people say to follow the money when it comes to investing. Additionally, I would add follow the smart people who have consistently become successful by following the less traveled path. You can bet Kevin and his team are going to bring proven platforms to the geo domain industry. These 3 paragraphs that Kevin writes from the article say a lot of what is being developed, yet he is very discrete. Still, there are some in the industry who under value the power of geo domains. After this interview goes mainstream on Monday, you can bet major players in the industry are going to reevaluate their portfolio for geo domains and see them start focusing on geo domains. Kevin has a track record for setting industry trends among domain investors.

Ham is also moving into the Geodomain space and has acquired the ultimate destination for his hometown - Vancouver.com. “Vancouver.com is a very special domain for many reasons. Many would say that Vancouver is the domain capital of the world. The city is consistently voted as one of the top three livable cities in the world. And of course, the 2010 Winter Olympics will bring the eyes of the whole world to Vancouver,” Ham said.

“We are building a new advertising and retail platform through Vancouver.com. The ambition and initiative is huge and if we can make it work for our city, then we can build it for the rest of the world. Geo domains are asset rich but cash flow poor. So if we can change that paradigm into one that is cash flow rich, then we will raise the level for all geo domains.”

“We also own Washington.com, Melbourne.com, Brisbane.com, Perth.com, Wichita.com and many other geo related domain names. While these geo domains are words, they need to be combined with the right business models to realize their value. We are confident that our efforts and the plans we have for our geo domains will change the way people interact and do business.”

(Via DNJournal.com)

It felt good to take a few days off from blogging, although I did miss communicating with all the readers of the blog. It seems many bloggers took it easy this weekend. While I was not able to blog, I did keep busy working on the GeoDomainer.com platform. We now have an industry blog roll located on the site that is going to be more presentable this week if all goes well. Additionally, we have been working on the wiki and video conferencing apps that will go live this week.

Tomorrow I will publish a GeoView with Mike Mann of WashingtonVC.com. I am sure many of you will find it a good read. There are many more coming that will be as enjoyable. It is outstanding that these proven professionals have taken time out of their busy day to conduct these GeoViews for readers. It really shows their true character.

In closing, I would like to wish any mothers who read this blog a Happy Mother’s Day. You all definitely deserve your own day of glory after putting up with your significant other or husband. I have listed links to articles I would have blogged about for your reading pleasure.

Newspaper Web Sites Bash Other Media in Local Advertising

Schmap - Rotating city guides, local search, maps on your iPhone

Local.com Reports First Quarter 2008 Financial Results

AOL eyes local online ad portal

Socializing Search, Part 2

This is a great interview with Avinash Kaushik from Google.com analytics that will prepare you for the next level of development.It is proven that fresh content is essential for site growth, but how do you know if the content you have built is effective to visitors? Answer, analytic tools. There are a variety of analytic tools available on the internet to help you solve this problem.

This data can help you create a site that delivers effective content, rather than just words on a page. If you do not know much about analytics, I have provided a link from the expert himself explaining the basics. Additionally, I have added Mr. Kaushik’s blog, Occam’s Razor, to the blogroll for your future reading pleasure.

You can purchase his very popular book, “Web Analytics, An Hour A Day” here.