Okay, so is it really Thursday night? This week has flown by, most likely because I’ve been so busy playing catch-up after a week away. Every trip I take, every conference I go to gives me new perspective on my life and the industry. TRAFFIC Dublin and MeetDomainers Manchester were both eye-openers in their own ways. Sitting behind a computer reading Domaining blogs is so different from being there in the action hearing what people are talking about.

This is the first in what I’m sure will be a series of posts that I’ll be writing as I decompress from the conferences. Nothing I say here should be taken as more than a brain dump, a way for me to get what’s in my head out there. I’m not one to make predictions of the future, I haven’t been in this game long enough. What I do know is what I’ve learned so far and what I’m learning every day. However the trip did give me a good idea of what I think is in our future…whether we like it or not and here’s how I think the Domaining Dream is changing.

The Domaining Dream is Changing. There – I said it, although I guess I’ve been saying it since 2007 and now it’s really happening. The Parking world is crumbling and the buzz right now is loud and clear – DEVELOPMENT! Notice I didn’t say Parking is dead…I once thought that but now I’m confident that it’s very much alive, but the space has become too crowded. Domainers needs have changed too – while once the focus was monetizing type-in traffic now Domainers want their pages to show-up in search engines like Google and Yahoo.

Probably the most well-positioned company at this moment is Epik headed by the well-respected Rob Monster. Rob has done a great job of focusing on developing sites rather than simply monetizing domains. Other Parking companies like Domain Advertising have completely revamped their algorithms to focus on new approaches. Why Park has completely stepped-up its platform to include Domain Apps.

So what is going on here? Companies are changing to adapt to a new kind of Domainer. It might be the same Domainer from the 90′s or the early 2000′s that bought a bunch of great names. It could also be the Domainer that started late but had the capital to buy great names. Or it could be the Domainer starting now, the fact are the same – the dream is changing.

Let’s face it, the dream started-out with the idea of buying domains, changing the nameservers and watching the money come in. As more and more parking services came-out the dream evolved into trying-out different services, heck there’s even a service that automates the process – Above.com! Now as PPC revenues have declined and search volume has become undeniably huge compared to direct navigation traffic the name of the game is Development.

That’s why I said “whether we like it or not” the dream is changing - it’s a new game. I see the first step here being a collaboration between three industries Domaining, Affiliate Marketing, and Development. Conferences could have tens of thousands of people. Web developers, Domainers, Super-Affiliates, Serial Entrepreneurs, Real Estate Investors, all together sharing ideas and working together.

The first big step towards this reality has already happened, just about every Domainer out there now knows that Development is the key to growth in this industry moving forward. You can try all the parking services you want but building a business on your domain means being able to sell that business later on, and that my friends is the new model…that is if you aren’t already doing it.

Now it’s your turn! What do you think? Do you agree? Totally disagree and want to yell at me on my blog? Comment and let your voice be heard. Good or bad I publish all my comments and I want to hear from you!

Apple just announced the largest refresh to the iPod line-up in history with brand-new iPods in every model. All of these models will be available starting next week! Below are some pictures of the new iPods:

iPod Shuffle – $49

iPod Nano – $149 8GB, $179 16GB

iPod Touch – $229 8GB, $299 32GB, $399 64GB

The new iPod touch is even thinner than the previous model and includes Apple’s Retina display. It also includes the Apple A4 chip, a 3-axis gyro to improve gaming, and a front camera with FaceTime. A rear camera has also been added to allow iPod touch users to finally record video without having to switch to an iPhone.

Of course we’ve all been waiting for a refresh to the Apple TV. The new Apple TV addresses a ton of problems that people had with the first version of the Apple TV. The first major change is that videos are no longer for sale, instead everything is available to rent for a significantly lower price than before.

It’s now only $0.99 to rent an HD TV show!

This fixes storage complaints as well since you no longer have to worry about syncing the Apple TV with your computer. The new form factor is also significantly smaller – just take a look at the photo below:

Another major update is the addition of Netflix so you can now access their entire content library as well. Apple also announced new partners to increase their library size so you can now see more first-run movies on the Apple TV than ever before.

Probably the most exciting thing about the new Apple TV is the price, $99 and it’s available in about four weeks!

iTunes 10 has been completely refreshed making it easier to navigate, find music, and interact with all of your iOS devices. A social network for music called Ping is built-into iTunes now making it easier than every to share music recommendations with friends. Ping works in a similar manner to Twitter where you can follow friends and easily keep track of their updates.

iOS 4.1 along with a brand new Apple TV along with a slick refresh of the iPod Nano. Both are welcoming new addition to their lineup and of course a crowd-pleaser amongst Apple enthusiasts.

The new version of iOS fixes many of the bugs people have complained about. This should make the OS run much smoother and it’s going to be available next week! Steve also gave us a peek at iOS 4.2 which brings everything to the iPad, features like wireless printing, Air Play. The release is scheduled for November of this year and will be free for all devices.

Air Play will let you not only stream music, but also photos and video over Wi-Fi.

HDR Photos will be standard in iOS 4.1. HDR Photos actually takes three photos, a normal photo, an over-exposed, and a under-exposed, and the result is a significantly more crisp, clear, and detailed photos.

Game Center is all about multi-player games, it’s an app and an architecture that game developers can interface with. This will now make it easy to play iPhone/iPad games online and easily connecting-up with other players online.

The Apple TV has started-off with less-than-impressive numbers and this refresh definitely shows the dedication Steve Jobs has to the space – and we all know the opportunity is tremendous. Apple is now taking one step closer to Time Warner, Comcast, and DirecTV as a real contender for the king TV, however there is still a long road ahead.

Apple is winning battles on all fronts right now as the iPhone has unseated every rival in the category and the Macbook and iPad have revolutionized the portable market. Now as Apple takes a step closer to becoming a centerpiece in the living room.

Steve Jobs also highlighted new stores in Paris, China and London – all very large-format stores in prime locations within each city. Apple now has 300 retail stores and is located in ten countries with Spain coming soon! Some stores get over 1,000,000 visitors/day several days a month, definitely a record for the retail market.

Over 50% of people buying Apple computers are brand-new users so it’s clear Apple is really making some incredible headway in a market that non so long ago they controlled less than 10% of. 120 million iOS devices have been sold so far and the app store now has 200 apps every second being downloaded!

The keynote ended with a surprise performance by Coldplay. All I can say is, “wow” – Apple has once again stepped-up their game and I can’t figure-0ut how they have the time and people to do so much! As a die-hard Apple enthusiast I can say, today was a good day!

Chef Patrick is in Germany right now probably enjoying a nice German beer or a race along the famous autobahn, but if he’s doing both at once there’s a good chance he’ll encounter Braden Pollock – the king of DUI/DWI online and President of Legal Brand Marketing based in Woodland Hills, California.

Now I know Patrick would never do this – for those who know Patrick you know that while he likes to have a good time, he’s actually a damn responsible guy! However not everyone out there is and when people get a DUI or DWI, Google is oftentimes the first place they look for help and advice. Just try it yourself – search on Google for anything related to DUI/DWI – chances are you’ll find Braden’s company (or one of his many sites) on the first page, in many cases above the fold in this wildly competitive and lucrative niche.

Braden is a lead generation expert and a major Domainer with thousands of domains – he’s also managed to do what almost no other Domainer has – created a synergy between online and offline businesses. Michael Berkens did a great piece about Braden on The Domains – The Perfect Marriage Of Online & Offline Business: The Domainer Profile You Have To Read.

So don’t miss Domain Masters tonight at 7:00 PM EST (4:00 PM PST for those who can’t subtract three) on WebmasterRadio.fm. Make sure to login to the chat so you can interact with both of us!

Just when I thought that Chef had lost his marbles offering a money-back guarantee for first-time Domain Conference attendees, he has upped the ante once again. Today Patrick announced on his blog that he has partnered-up with Escrow.com to offer a free pass to DNCruise plus airfare (up to $250). The only requirement is that you are a domain investor with at least ten names and of course that you can attend the cruise.

I have to say that I was really impressed with this offer as Patrick has provided yet another way for new Domainers to get involved with conferences. As many of you know this year was the first-time I had EVER attended a Domaining conference…and I got a bit carried away so ended-up going to TRAFFIC Las Vegas, DOMAINfest, TRAFIC Dublin, MeetDomainers Manchester, oh and I’ll of course be on DNCruise and at TRAFFIC Miami.

So yes – Domaining conferences can change your life and this is an incredible opportunity that Patrick is offering. To learn more about the offer head on over to ChefPatrick.com and read his latest post – Win A FREE DNCruise Pass, Cruise and Airfare.

To sweeten the deal just a bit I’m also happy to say that whoever wins Patrick’s free cruise/airfare offer will also get a free copy of my book (priced at $49.99) so there’s just another great reason to give it a shot! To enter just post a comment on Patrick’s blog explaining why you think you should win!

It’s 11:30PM on Saturday and tomorrow at this time we’ll be back in Los Angeles. It’s been an incredible adventure in Ireland and England and while we’re sad to leave our Domaining buddies – warmer weather is calling!

Since we have to get-up early for our flight I’ll keep this short and sweet and give you a few videos that I thought you would all enjoy. Many more videos to come but I just couldn’t go another day without sharing these three with all of you.

The first video is a snippet from my presentation at MeetDomainers and the next two are me in action as the auctioneer. I still can’t believe the adventure is over – it all went by so fast! However we’re leaving England with more great ideas, inspiration, and most importantly some great new friends!

After meeting so many great people over here I can’t wait to come back and see everyone again, so as our governor Arnold says, “I’ll be back.” Now enjoy these videos as we’re flying across the Atlantic.

Today was the first day of MeetDomainers in Manchester England. It was an action-packed day with some incredible sessions followed by the domain auction.

As usually I took a ton of video which I’ll be sorting through and uploading over the next week. Right now I want to let you all in on the details of what happened today so you can feel a bit more like you’re here with us!

The morning started with the “Domainers meet Domainers” panel featuring Gregg Mcnair, Brian Gilbert, and RobTaylor. Each of the presenters explained how they got started in the domain industry and what they are doing now.

I thought this was a great idea for a panel and very interesting to hear from three full-time Domainers. You can Google any of these guys if you want to learn more about them.

I was the next presenter and discussed Domain Monetization. I’d be happy to give a copy of my presentation to anyone that would like it – just shoot me an email.

In my presentation I discussed the importance of developing the right domains and how to use tools like the Google Adwords Keyword Tool to determine important keyword performance metrics. I had also been asked to give a WordPress 101 tutorial. Even though I only use WordPress on about 2-3% of my sites I do think there are some cases where it can help Domainers get started with development.

The point I made is that WordPress is NOT the perfect development solution…but in some cases if you have a site you plan to update frequently, it can be a good fit. Still I stick with static HTML sites for just about every site I own.

Next-up was the Domain Legislation panel featuring Lesley Cowley, the CEO of Nominet joined by Matt Mansell the CEO of Domain Monster. It was very interesting to hear some of the details of Domain Legislation and ideas both Nominet and Domain Monster have for the future.

I’m not sure what is confidential and what isn’t so I’ll have to leave-out the details on this one.

The next panel was one that I was particularly excited about – Domain Sales – an area I’m very keen to get more experience with. The panel featured James Tuplin from NameDrive, Edwin Hayward from Memorable Domains, and Tessa Halcomb from PPX.

I learned a LOT from this panel and will actually be putting-together an entire post about selling domains along with some of my new strategies. This directly influenced how I plan to move forward with my new focus on both domain sales and development!

Next Bryan Lip, the Director of Partnerships for the Expedia Affiliate Network discussed their travel affiliate program. This was a very impressive and informative talk and I learned some very valuable things about Expedia’s affiliate program.

Once again – I’m going to do a full post just on this so stay-tuned!

The last panel of the day was about Development and SEO featuring Emma Meheux from Oooba.com and Sam Allcock from Custard Media and PR Fire. Lots of great information here and as usual I learned a few nice tidbits that I’ll share with all of you in a future post.

The day ended with the live auction and for those who didn’t know, I was also the auctioneer! No, I’ve never been an auctioneer before but I did have a blast doing it.

I did my best to not only describe what made each domain valuable, but also keep the mode light by making lots of jokes and doing my best to keep everyone fully engaged.

Tonight we’re heading-out to Vermillion Cinnabar – an awesome bar in Manchester for the main party. I just looked at the website for the bar and it looks amazing – it was designed by the same person that made Buddha Bar in Paris (which I’ve also been to!).

That’s it for now – more pictures, video, and great learning from the show to come – now it’s time to head downstairs and talk domains!

(No time to proof-read or grammar-check this post so please pardon any errors I may have made)

TRAFFIC Dublin Day 2 was a blast and I still have plenty of pictures and videos to upload. Since we’ll be hopping on a ferry soon to head to England I’ll keep this post short and sweet!

First – let’s start with my intro video!

The first session of the day was Feast or Famine: A time of opportunity for domain owners.

I have to say this is one of the most interesting panels I have ever seen at a domain conference, and with an all-star cast, I’m not surprised! The general theme was how the market is changing and what domain owners can do to adapt.

A lot of really useful advice and some excellent points about how the currently global economy is impacting the industry. Of course I’m not going to give-away the good stuff but I can tell you it’s given me a fresh perspective and some great ideas for the next 18-months!

Given how busy our schedule has been I headed back to the hotel after this to spend the afternoon with Daina. During all the excitement and intensity of the conference it can become easy to forget you’re in Dublin! We spent the afternoon exploring around and enjoying some time just the two of us!

We returned to the conference for the auction at 3:00PM.

I have a great video of an exciting bidding war at the auction that I’ll be posting soon. While everyone has seen the initial results I’m not going to be posting the sales until Latonas finishes closing all the deals they are working on. It’s not over till it’s over folks and if you know Rick and Toby then you know some big sales could be coming down the pipe!

After the auction we all headed up to Greg’s room for the afterparty. Above is a picture of Daina and I with Alan – a really nice Irish Domainer that we met at the show. Alan is one of very few Domainers in Ireland and it was great to talk with him and learn more about the market.

Of course the conference wouldn’t be the same without my buddy Zaev from Skenzo. Always great to see Zaev and if you don’t know this guy – you should!

I also had the chance to meet Brett Lewis – who has been my attorney since I started my business. The funny thing is even though we both live in the US I didn’t meet him in person until being here in Dublin! Brett’s firm is one of the best in the business and I highly recommend Lewis and Hand LLP.

The party was a blast and another great opportunity to network with all the amazing people at the conference. We stayed until the wee hours of the morning and this was definitely my favorite night we’ve had so far!

It was a great day and an excellent end to TRAFFIC Dublin 2010! Stay-tuned as I’ll be posting more videos and pictures from the show along with the finalized sales results once they are available.

Now it’s time to head to the ferry and off to England. MeetDomainers Manchester starts tomorrow!

(Please excuse any typos or grammar errors in this post – no time to proof read!)

That’s right – less than three hours from now the TRAFFIC Dublin live auction will begin. If you haven’t had a chance to check-out the inventory for this auction you can view it here.

I can honestly say that I was blown-away when I saw the incredible names that are available in this auction and at very reasonable prices too! For my first time ever I have two names in a live auction so it will be exciting to have some skin in the game as well!

Below are my top picks for the auction – I see these domains as much more than domains, these are all potential businesses ready and waiting to be created!

Please remember, you don’t have to be here to bid! You can bid online and pre-bidding has already started. Once the auction has started you can bid directly on Proxibid.

UI.com

DebtSolutions.com

DebitCard.us

ER.com

Bankers.co.uk

SEO.in

MakeMoney.com

Consolidate.us

Ticket.us

Equity.us

TRAFFIC Dublin 2010 Day One is now over and I couldn’t imagine a more successful start to the conference! Once again Rick Latona and team have shown that they can put-together an amazing conference jam-packed with great sessions and excellent networking opportunities.

To help you feel a bit more like part of the action I recorded a short intro video this morning:

The conference started with opening remarks by Rick Latona. After this the first session started – Site Clinic. The focus of this session was to allow audience members to get SEO and monetization feedback on their own sites. Myself, Rick Latona, and Kathy Nielsen were on the panel and the audience was ready to rock right-away! We evaluated a ton of sites and provided some great feedback and ideas to help audience members rank better and achieve better conversions.

Some of the main themes discussed during the site clinic were how to better direct your visitor to your main revenue stream, integrating social media, and fixing some common SEO mistakes. I would tell you more but come’on that’s the advantage of coming to a conference like this so I can’t give-away all the good stuff – you have to be here!

After the site clinic Daniel Eisenhut from InternetX spoke about enhanced mobility. InternetX just came-out with a very slick iPhone app that I can’t wait to try-out. They are a very forward-thinking company and it’s things like these that keep them ahead of the curve!

Following Daniel’s presentation we moved-into the adjoining room for lunch. Lunch at a conference like TRAFFIC offers yet another great networking opportunity. Everyone is very approachable and it’s always fun to sit at a table with fellow Domainers and talk about what we’re all passionate about!

After lunch the SEO Topic session began and I have to say this one really went-over the top providing in-depth SEO tips and tricks that you just can’t get online. Three SEO experts shared their experiences and tips and took questions from the audience.

This is another great example of how interactive these sessions are. Audience members had the opportunity to ask SEO experts anything they wanted. Considering most SEO experts charge north of $200/hour this really was an incredible opportunity and as an SEO geek a really fun one for me!

The final session of the day is one of my personal favorites – Test Track. Test Track allows Entrepreneurs to present their ideas to a panel of investors. This is a great opportunity for both the Entrepreneurs and audience. Entrepreneurs get the chance to pitch their ideas and audience members have the opportunity to learn more about what investors are looking for in this space.

At the beginning of the session Lori Anne Wardi from .CO gave a great presentation about .CO and the current status of the TLD. With over 400,000 registrations the extension is going strong and Lori pointed-out some great stats about .CO and some of the great things being done with it.

Since Test Track does contain a fair amount of confidential information I’m going to keep the details out of this post – once again – you really have to be here!

The night’s festivities kicked-off with a cocktail party followed by dinner. I had to skip-out on dinner because I really wanted to write this post and share TRAFFIC Dublin Day One with all of you!

Now it’s time to catch-up on some emails and then we’re heading-out to a popular Irish pub called The Arlington to see some traditional Irish dancing! Stay-tuned for more photos, videos and updates from TRAFFIC Dublin 2010!

Today was day two in Dublin and all I can say is this city is AMAZING! The morning started with an incredible downpour and then completely sunny skies about two minutes later. This repeated itself for most of the day truly proving that weather in Dublin can’t make-up its mind.

It’s funny to see how the locals respond to the rain. They seem completely used to the constant change as many duck-into phonebooths (yes they still exist) and doorways to wait it out.

In the afternoon we took the tour bus around Dublin – great to learn more about the city. So much incredible history here – which of course led us to one of Dublin’s most famous locations – the Guinness factory.

The Guinness factory tour was a lot of fun and I’m now certain I know more about beer and the beer-making process than I ever wanted to know. The Guiness store/museum is actually a giant seven-story beer glass! Much more elaborate than I expected and it’s the end of the tour that really takes it over the top.

The tour takes you up all seven stories, each floor focusing on a different facet of Guinness. At the very top there is a cylindrical room with all glass walls – it’s the highest viewpoint in Dublin and the view was incredible. I took a bunch of videos that I’ll upload soon. While you soak-in one of the best views in the world you get to enjoy a perfectly prepared Guinness – pure heaven!

After the Guinness factory we headed to the hotel where TRAFFIC is taking place to meet with some of the other panelists. I’ll be speaking on the Site Clinic panel – should be really interesting!

Next we met-up with some fellow Domainers for dinner and drinks at a traditional irish pub and restaurant. I had the best sheppards pie I’ve ever had…but come’on we’re in Ireland!

Tomorrow TRAFFIC Dublin starts with opening remarks beginning at 10AM – which means it’s time for bed! I’ll be posting more videos over the next few days and providing some great live-updates from TRAFFIC Dublin so if you aren’t here – I’ll do my best to make you feel like you are!

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