Reflections on DOMAINfest Global 2011

Well DOMAINfest Global 2011 is over and I still can’t believe it went by so fast! This year the conference hosted close to 700 people and ended with an absolutely spectacular party at the Playboy Mansion.

As Domainers leave Southern California and head back to their homes all over the world I’ve had some reflections on the week. I’m going to keep this short and sweet as I’m ready for my first full night of sleep this week!

– This is still the beginning and we’re all early. Being around Domainers from all over the world is inspiring and reminds me of just how many opportunities there are in the space. Still it’s the Wild West and these are the good old days. Ten years from now I could see our biggest conference bringing tens of thousands of people.

– Development is getting more attention than ever and for good reason. In 2007 when I started talking about buying domains for development and monetization people said I wasn’t a Domainer. Now the biggest names in Domaining are developing and monetizing their names as parking looks less and less like a real long-term solution.

– Domainers know how to party. We may be computer geeks (or Internet geeks) but we know how to have a good time. A lot of great business also gets done at these parties as you get the opportunity to network with people you might not otherwise connect with.

– Seeing Bob Parsons and Ben Mezrich was not only inspiring but changed my perspective on my life and my business. I’m going to be writing another post specifically about these talks so stay-tuned!

– Sleep becomes a precious commodity at Domaining conference and I think I averaged about four hours a night…and it was worth it!

– The introduction of new gTLDs is going to be a game-changer no matter how you look at it. It is clear that Domainers have strong opinions either for or against it. It will be very interesting to see how this develops over the course of the year.

Okay, that’s all the reflections for now. Time to enjoy a movie at home and an early night! Pardon any typos, wrote this whole post on my iPhone!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton