Why I Love Domaining

It really was love at first site. Notice my spelling here – not a typo! I bought my first domain back in April of 2004 – HappySticks.com, really not the best domain name and I would soon-after buy a number of other names that really weren’t very good. Domains like IWantASegway.com and DropShippingSuccess.com. Like many new domainers I thought – these are going to be worth a fortune!

At that point I didn’t realize there was even a Domaining industry or other people buying domain names as investments. I was inspired and knew that the potential for turning domain names into investment vehicles was out there – I just didn’t know how. Well, I graduated from University and entered the “real world” and soon work was my life. I forgot all about my domains and just paid the renewal fees each year.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2007 that I stumbled across a blog – Conceptualist.com. Here was someone that was buying domain names as investments! I got excited – the industry did exist, there was a future! I started reading more blogs and found-out that there was a whole world going on that I knew nothing about. The most exciting thing for me is that everyone was just as inspired as I was and felt the same way I did (and still do) – the sky is the limit!

At that time I was actively looking for property in Maine. I had always dreamed of having a vacation house and finally had enough money to buy some property and build my own vacation destination! So in July of 2007 I started Linton Investments as a real estate investment company. I was still actively reading blogs Domaining blogs but was still learning the basics of the industry.

Then in October of 2007 I took the plunge, I started my own blog – DomainFlipBlog.com – great name, huh (note my sarcasm here). I think the domain I chose for the blog really showed how little I knew about domaining at the time since it was a fairly weak domain name. Still, I was inspired and began blogging about my “adventures in domain name flipping.” Before I knew it – I had a following – people were actually reading my blog!

It felt great to share my experiences with others and learn together. I found the whole domaining community to be so positive and creative that I knew what I had to do. I decided not to build my vacation house in Maine and instead put the money into domain names. I also changed Linton Investments from a real estate investment company to a domain name investment company. The interesting thing is that they are more similar than you would think. The company initially was created to buy and sell physical property at a profit. It was changed to become a company that would buy and sell virtual property at a profit!

Now it’s almost two years since I started this blog and I have to say – I am more inspired than ever. I made a significant investment in a portfolio of excellent domains and like so many domain investors I let most of my crappy names drop. My blog has moved from a .com to a .tv and from a focus on domain flipping, to a focus of domain investing. I have embraced .tv – a TLD that I think represents the future of content delivery online.

I have a portfolio of over 500 domain names, of which around 80 have active sites and are making passive income. My goal is to have 100 domains monetized by the end of the year. So what is it I love most about Domaining? The people!

I read Domaining blogs everyday and am constantly impressed with how many incredible and creative people there are in this industry. I’ve become buddies with Chef Patrick who is an absolute genius and someone who is breaking new ground in the domaining industry and blogging world! I read every single post on ElliotsBlog and RicksBlog as they are major inspirations for me. I listen to Ed’s podcasts on OzDomainer.com and of course read anything Ron Jackson writes on DNJournal – he is a true visionary and believer in this industry.

I enjoy DotWeekly, DNXpert, and DotSauce for really pioneering in the Domaining journalism department. Of couse – I also love the new blogs, those people either gettings started in the industry or getting started with blogging in the industry. Blogs like DNPimping, LazyDomaining, TeenDomainer, and Arbel Arif are just a few of the great new bloggers that have joined the community this year.

I couldn’t imagine being surrounded by a more creative, dedicated, and inspired group of people – and that is why I love Domaining!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton