One of the newest and most active blogs to enter the Domaining Blog space this year was DNFBlog.com written by Puranjay, a domain investor and blogger. The blog launched in January of this year and quickly ramped up with 58 posts in March and 61 in April. The blog covered a variety of topics from industry news to tips and tricks for investors.

In April they added a video intro that launches every time you go to the site introducing the blog and DNForum itself. I found the video a bit cheesy but at the same time can understand the value of it for new visitors who might not know much about the blog or DNForum. Since the focus of this blog was educating new Domainers I could definitely see this making them feel more comfortable.

Now it looks like the blog has gone dark with no posts coming out since May 1st. I was a fan of this blog and thought it was a great addition to the community, now the question is, what happened to DNFBlog?

I have been thinking about this for over a year now so decided to share it with all of you before taking the next steps. This idea initially came from a new blog reader who asked me if I had anything with my top blog posts in physical book form. I told him that I did not but did send a recommendation of a few of my most popular posts. He then responded saying, “Well if you ever make a physical book with your top posts in it, I’d like a copy!”

Now a year later I’m seriously thinking about doing it. The question for me is, are more people interested in buying something like this, and what service should I use to do it, if of course people are interested?

My thought was to break the book into four different sections:

1. Buying Domains
2. Selling Domains
3. Developing and Monetizing Domains
4. Running a Domain Business

There are a number of services that can turn your blog into a book but since I have no experience with any of them, I thought I’d reach out to all of you for some advice. Here are the services I’ve look at so far:

• Blurb.com
• Blog2Print.com
• CreateSpace.com
• Lulu.com

Let me know if any of you have had experience with these services, and most importantly, if you would want to buy a physical book like this!

Well my experiment with Disqus has come to an end after a few months of using their comment system on my blog. Overall I found that the number of comments I received actually went up, but I also found that I had to deal with a lot more issues with comments not being posted. I finally decided to throw in the towel when I did a post earlier this week that got over 80 comments but also lost a ton due to some kind of comment overload.

Still I’m a case study kind of guy so I thought, why not share what I learned with everyone else so you can make the decisions yourself. So first, here’s what I liked about Disqus:

• Ability to respond to comments and have the response appear in-line, very cool!
• Advanced options for access control – great to get rid of comment spammers
• Awesome support – the people at Disqus rock, definitely a good company

Now for the bad:

• Annoying to get logged-out of my own comment system when in my dashboard
• By not allowing anonymous commentators I lost a few really great people (not Disqus’s fault here of course)
• Problems publishing a high-volume of comments
• Confusing for people – Disqus just isn’t used on many blogs so people aren’t used to dealing with it

So there you have it. A great test, and an interesting adventure but I can tell you I’m already feeling much better with good ol’ normal WordPress comments. My original reason behind adding Disqus was to get rid of anonymous commentators, however through the whole experience I realized, heck, if you want to be anonymous, be anonymous.

For years I have said “Comment and let your voice be heard” and now I mean it more than ever. So come one come all, share your opinion, good or bad and join in the discussion. We’ve got an exciting year ahead of us!

Serial entrepreneur and Domaining legend Ammar Kubba has announced he will be starting a new blog on Afterthought.com. If you don’t know Ammar, you really should, he’s one of the pioneers in this industry as well as one of the smartest entrepreneurs I’ve had the pleasure of being friends with. This is a major win for the Domaining community and beyond as Ammar will be sharing his thoughts on business and life with the world, and it’s all coming soon!

Right now you can enter your email address and get notified when the blog goes live. I can tell you this is one blog that I think will quickly become a daily read for many people, myself included. Congrats to Ammar for this new venture and a huge “Thank You” from myself and many others out there who can’t wait to read!

Today I was sad to see a post by a new blog that I think has been a very welcome addition to the community, Toronto Domainer. He recently had his first major negative experience with a reader and announced that he was going to close down his blog. Well the comments came pouring in telling him to stick with it and ignore the negativity. What I have to tell him is, if this didn’t happen sooner or later, it would actually be a bad sign.

So I decided to put-together this video talking about why it’s actually a good thing to have one, two, maybe even ten people hating your blog because at the end of the day it’s the thousands of people who love your blog that matter. Enjoy the video and if you don’t like it, let the whole world know how much you hate the video, I’d appreciate it

My blog header has gone through quite a number of iterations. I used Screenshots.com to look back to 2009 and view the evolution of my header over time. Initially my blog was on TypePad starting in 2007, then Domainvestors.tv, and then in 2009 to MorganLinton.com. Before I merged the two blogs MorganLinton.com was being run as a personal blog as you can see from the image below of the blog when it was still separate from Domainvestors.tv:

Next came the integration of the two blogs into one and Domainvestors.tv began forwarding to MorganLinton.com which then became the new home for my blog. This was a very hard decision, I had over ten-thousand readers all of who knew my blog as Domainvestors.tv, would they all leave if I went to MorganLinton.com? Would people not be able to find me? I had to start the whole SEO process over again as well.

Well everything worked-out very well, everyone quickly adapted to the name. The first inception of the new blog looked like this:

For this header I took a photo that I liked from a recent trip to Australia along with a focus on my tagline. I liked this photo because it really captured me, not some guy sitting behind a desk, but an inspired entrepreneur traveling the world. At this time I was literally traveling the world! I also always liked the idea of having a beautiful landscape photo on the site, I feel like there’s something soothing or relaxing about it.

That’s just me and some people like this header, others didn’t. The #1 complaint was that I was squinting too much in the picture, well hey it was sunny that day!

Traffic and revenue started to really grow and with it came more emails, comments, attempted and successful hacks…I think some would say that was the tipping point for me. I had some strong recommendations to update the header and make it more professional. So I went for my first real Web 2.0 look and released this in 2011:

I liked adding buttons for my book twitter, facebook, and my newsletter – those are all important things for people to find easily. What really bugged me about this design is the page just looked too blank and plain. So a new design was born and you’re looking at it!

I choose teal as my primary color, I’ve been getting very into the meaning of colors over the past couple of years. As we’ve been building more and more brands color really does play a role. Teal is associated with trustworthiness, devotion, and healing. Then the yellow underneath represents joy, happiness and wisdom. I liked the balancing of Teal and Yellow so picked those colors.

While I like the colors I picked I think the design looks fairly boring and generic. Also I think it’s time for me to find a top-notch header designer to really do it right. So I wanted to reach-out to all of you, my readers, and give you the chance to provide your feedback on what would make a great blog header.

I am hoping that this will not only help me make a better header but everyone else that is developing sites and building brands. Your feedback will directly impact the look-and-feel of my blog because I’m doing this for all of you! Comment and let your voice be heard!

]]> http://morganlinton.com/what-makes-a-great-header-help-me-pick-my-next-blog-header/feed/ 4 http://morganlinton.com/an-unabridged-history-of-the-domaining-blog-world/ http://morganlinton.com/an-unabridged-history-of-the-domaining-blog-world/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:20:27 +0000 Morgan http://morganlinton.com/?p=5239

I started this blog in October of 2007 and at the time there were only a handful of bloggers in the space. Then, with the introduction of Domaining.com the space grew considerably since the industry now had a centralized source. Major kudos to Francois for having the vision and passion to put this together and make it the resource that it is today. Before I started blogging I was reading Domaining blogs every day, and night and that hasn’t changed over the last five years!

DNJournal - The Domain Industry News Magazine

Some of the first blogs in the Domaining world were DNW, DNJournal, DNN, DotWeekly along with Ricks Blog, Elliots Blog, Frager Factor and one of my favorites that I really miss – Sahar’s blog, Conceptualist.com. Sahar’s blog was actually the very first Domaining blog I ever read and the other blogs mentioned above I still read daily. It really was the incredible passion and consistency that these bloggers/journalists brought to the table that made this such an exciting space to be in!

Two month after my blog started Michael Berkens started TheDomains which I think it is safe to say has become one of the top Domaining blogs out there. Michael is a great example of why I think we’re so lucky in this industry, he’s a full time Domainer and ex-lawyer who shares it all on his blog, no hidden agenda, just great information and all for free! I still read absolutely everything that Michael posts and can honestly say I’ve received a mini Domaining MBA just from reading his blog!

The Famous Chef Patrick "Nipplegate"

Six months after Michael started his blog Chef Patrick hit the scene and created a real buzz around Domaining blogs as he quickly became a focal point of conversation. He was edgy and wrote interesting and sometimes controversial posts that got people’s attention, and got them talking. Patrick and I became friends pretty quickly and most of what I learned about Social Media,Marketing, and Blogging I learned from Patrick! Dan also started eBusiness Domains back in 2008 which has also been one of my long-standing favorite blogs. I’m not sure the exact date that he started so Dan if you’re reading this, let me know and I’ll update it and I apologize in advance if I got the year wrong!

Then in 2009 Domain Shane hit the blogging scene with a very down-to-earth and personal approach. Reading Shane’s blog was really like having a conversation with him and after getting to know Shane I can tell you he’s one sharp cookie. While Shane comes from the plant world, he really comes from the business world running one of the most successful plant nurseries out there. Domain Shane quickly became one of the top blogs in the space with readers appreciating his writing style, transparency, and willingness to speak his mind. Like Patrick, Shane and I also became friends pretty quickly and we’ve had some great adventures together!

Also joining the scene in 2009 was NameTalent run by one of the nicest people on the planet (seriously) Mike Law. Mike is probably one of the most humble people I’ve met and his blog also took-off very quickly as people identified with him and his writing style. Mike has done a great job of balancing Domaining News, Interviews, and his own views on the industry and even held the first Domain Conference ever in Colorado!

Next in September of 2009 DomainGang was launched by Theo, a Domainer and Developer with some pretty wicked graphic design skills. Theo set-out to make “The Onion” of Domaining and it is very clear that he has succeeded with flying colors. DomainGang became one of the most-read blogs in the space and provided some comic relief to an industry that really needed it, no offense to anyone, it’s just sometimes you do need some comic relief!

In March of 2010 Domain Industry legend Howard Neu launched his blog once again providing some incredible transparency from someone who has been doing this full time, for a long time! Moving forward in 2010 we saw HybridDomainer hit the blogging scene in October. HybridDomainer provides a great perspective on Domaining news and covers a wide range of topics as he himself is a Hybrid Domainer!

In early 2011 a new blog focused on interviews with top Domainers went live – DomainSherpa. Michael Cyger is a very accomplished businessperson and entrepreneur who saw a great opportunity to build a brand in the space, and went for it. In one year he was able to produce some of the best interviews I’ve ever seen period, with some of the top movers and shakers in the domain industry and beyond!

In May of 2011 a fellow Southern Californian, DomainMichael started a blog and has been a consistent contributor to the space discussing a range of topics from Development to Sales. Michael knows his stuff when it comes to creating software and is probably one of the most technically advanced Domainers out there which makes his blog particularly unique and refreshing!

Now let’s fast-forward to 2012 and we have a brand-new entry to the Domaining blog space with Adam Dicker launching DNFBlog an extension of his popular forum DNForum. Adam launched his own Domaining Course last year and now with his new blog this year it is clear that he is putting a lot more focus on the education space which is great to see. As I’ve said a few times earlier, it is this kind of transparency and willingness to share information that makes this space so incredible.

Of course one of the biggest challenges of being a blogger in this space is those people who assume that if you have a blog and lots of sponsors, then you must be making most of your income blogging. I have addressed this issue a number of times but for the sake of complete transparency – I’m putting it all on the table. Other bloggers are welcome to share this information but of course don’t have to, some people are more private than others and we live in a free country so you don’t have to share anything you don’t want to!

So far in 2012 I have made roughly $45,000 (yes, that’s over $20,000/month) and of that total, around $8,000 comes from blog advertising and the rest comes from Domain Monetization and Sales. This means that roughly 18% of my income this year so far is coming from this blog while 82% of my income comes from my Domaining Business itself.

When I started Domaining back in 2007 my goal was to make an extra $1,000 a month, now making over $20,000/month so far in 2012 it’s pretty incredible to look back and see how my business has evolved. I have always been focused on building a business as I have no dreams of being self-employed, I like to think of ideas and then hire people to turn those ideas into a reality. With every idea I have I make sure that I’m not creating another job for myself, but instead a business that can run whether I’m involved or not.

My blog takes around 30-45 minutes a day leaving a good amount of time to work on my business. I do also still have a full-time job which I absolutely love, you can read more about it on my About Page. People have asked how I balance all of this and it all comes back to my desire not to be self-employed, the more I do, the more money I pay for talented people to work on my ideas. So when you see me starting a new project, that means I’ve put the time into developing the business and the business model, but I rarely involve myself in the day-to-day, I’m running a business here!

I am sure that we’ll see even more bloggers enter the space in 2012 as well as other bloggers that chose to leave or tone-down their blog as they shift their focus onto other things. As I’ve said before, I’ll be blogging into my 90′s because I love it and you should never stop doing something that you love! Thanks for reading and thanks to all the other bloggers that take the time to share their experiences and contribute to the space, I am reading and learning every single day, and don’t plan to stop learning until I’m well into my hundreds.

Finally, I would like to end with a huge thanks to Francois for creating Domaining.com and making the Domaining blog space what it is today. I would also like to thank Ron Jackson for creating DNJournal which has been accepted as the de facto news and information source in the Domaining world. We are all incredibly lucky to be in a space with so many people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience for free. I now raise my virtual wine glass and say “Thank You” to all of the other bloggers out there, all of our readers, and to all the great companies that sponsor our blogs and support this incredible information exchange. You won’t find anything like this in other industries and I can’t wait to watch the blogging space continue to grow and develop, one things for sure, it’s going to be a wild ride!

In 2012 I am making a number of key upgrades to my blog. Many of these are based on survey’s that I have conducted getting feedback from blog readers on what they like and what they don’t like. One of the biggest pieces of feedback I received from readers was frustrating with anonymous commentators that would start fights or insult them without providing their real name. This was a very tough decision to make since I have always been a fan of letting just about any comment through giving my readers the voice they deserve.

So I decided it was time to go the way of some of my own favorite blogs like AVC, Engadget, and many many more and upgrade my comment system. I am using the Disqus comment system which is one of the most highly-rated and interactive comment systems out there. Not only are anonymous commentators a thing of the past but my comment stream will become much more interactive and usable. It’s a major upgrade and it’s already been great using it on my post from earlier today.

Since I started this blog back in 2007 I have always been passionate about giving a voice to my readers. I am still more passionate about that than ever, but in doing so I want to provide my readers with a comfortable environment to share their thoughts and ideas. Heck, let’s face it, I’m giving full disclosure and sharing my first and last name along with many of my private business dealings from domain sales to development income, the least you could do is let me know who you are!

The exciting thing about using Disqus is that you can login using just about any service you currently have an account with like Facebook or Twitter. This means that you don’t have to share your real name so you can still remain personally anonymous since Twitter accounts, Open ID, etc. can be used without exposing your name, location, etc. There are some very cool features for following the comment stream and responding to specific comments that I think will make commenting on my blog a lot more fun.

This is one of many upgrades coming to MorganLinton.com in 2012 based on feedback from you, my readers! With the first upgrade in place on January 2nd it’s onto the next – enjoy and happy commenting this year!

I am adding some awesome new features to MorganLinton.com in 2012 and one of them that I am really excited about it live chat. In fact, I got so excited about it that I decided to add it to the blog a few days early. As you scroll down you will notice the window on the right sidebar. Along with including it on the sidebar I’ll also be adding live chat to specific posts which I will hang-out and chat with people about after I write them.

I feel this goes a step beyond responding to comments and actually lets me and my readers have a normal conversation. In general I will not be setting specific times that I’ll be available, instead I’ll just pop on and start talking to readers. If you happen to be on my blog when this happens then we can have a conversation. This is a great chance to ask me any questions you have or get advice on a specific project.

For my Newsletter Subscribers I’m adding a little bonus. At least once a month I will be holding a scheduled chat but the time will only be available to newsletter subscribers. These will usually be focused on a specific topic with my first chat coming-up in January! If you are not yet subscribed to my newsletter make sure to subscribe now!

Now every time you visit your blog you might find me here available to say hello. 2012 is going to be an exciting year and it’s only a few days away! Stay-tuned and I look forward to chatting with you soon!

Merry Christmas! There’s something magical about Christmas, maybe it’s the focus on family or friends, or the magic of children who believe a fat man in a red suit goes down their chimney at night. Either way it’s a very special day and a time to relax and be with family, so honestly, you shouldn’t be reading this post! In fact, as you know if you read my post yesterday, I’m not writing this post on Christmas day but instead on Thursday night three days before. Ah the wonders of WordPress…

Right now Daina and I are in cabin in the snow in Big Bear enjoying a beautiful Christmas morning. I want to keep this post short since your focus really should be on your family and friends. I usually do a lot of reflecting on the year around the holidays and this year I feel very thankful, so I wanted to take a moment to thank some of my most active readers and people who have been following along with my blog since 2007.

Francois – first I want to thank Francois! If you look back at the very early days of my blog you’ll see Francois as an early commenter. Domaining.com has changed the industry and really brought us together in a way that other industries aren’t.

Leonard Britt – Leonard has been reading for a long time now and always posts some of the most detailed and insightful comments. I read every comment I get and have found Leonard to continually post some of the most well thought-out comments out there.

Jason Thompson – Jason has been following my blog since probably around early 2008. He reached-out early on for us to meet in person in LA and we’ve been friends ever since! We run the Los Angeles Domaining MeetUp together and have had some great adventures from New Years at a Bel Air Mansion to VIP seats for the Clippers. I consider Jason a true friend and he’s also one of the most insightful commenters I have!

Louise – Louise has been a major supporter and was the first person to comment on StartupNook which gives her all star status!

Uzoma – Another consistent commenter who’s been following along for long enough for me to not remember how long that is!

Poor Uncle – You’ll see Poor Uncle as a major commenter on a number of blogs. Poor Uncle is one of my favorites because he speaks his mind and shares in the conversation. That’s what it’s all about and I look forward to all the conversations ahead!

DomainFuze! – A new reader but very active commenter this year and a great voice to adding to the mix. I always like it when I see DomainFuze! show up in the comment list!

Ted Olson – this list would be incomplete if Ted wasn’t on it! Ted was one of my first blog readers as he commented on my blog a few months after I started writing it. Ted took the time early-on to respond to one of my posts and really inspired me to keep writing as these comments were one of the fist signs my blog had a pulse!

Teen Domainer – Brian and I have been blogging buddies for quite some time now and he’s always been a great commenter on my blog. I like that Brian can get into the tech-side of Domaining with me. Keep you eyes on Brian, he’s already done big things and something tells me he’ll be going even bigger over the next few years!

Jeff Schneider – Jeff’s been a avid commenter for a few years now and always has great feedback. All his comments also end with (Metal Tiger) which just sounds cool!

AndyO – Andy rocks! Read Andy’s comments and you’ll see that he is a really bright guy and we need more people like him in the industry. Andy – tell all your friends to become Domainers, we need more people like you!

I’m sure that I missed a number of people and I just want to say thank you to absolutely every one of my readers. What started as a way for me to keep notes for myself has turned into a blog that has become part of my everyday life. I can now say that I write every single day and have done so for more than four years.

This Christmas I am thankful to all of you who have followed my blog and kept my energy level where it is. Here’s to the next fifty Christmas’s! Okay, now this shot post really didn’t end-up being short, but I do get pretty darn reflective around the holidays! Now get back to your family and friends, they’re probably looking for you by now!

(Photo Credits: baltus15 on Flickr)