General archive at Conceptualist.com, By Sahar Sarid

« Older

Loading Newer »

Less

Excerpts Headlines Full Length

Archive for the 'General' category

The Choice Of Making No Choice

Published on May 18, 2009 in Business, General and Life lessons. 1 Comment

(image source)

After a long weekend, I’m finally glad to be back home. See, I spent this last few days somewhere in Trinidad, “meeting the Fockers!”. Good food, great hospitality, was good to finally meet the family. The place is as hot as Florida if not hotter. A lot of things made no sense to me. Why the rooftops are made of metal sheets in such a hot place? Why Rum is so popular? Why the roads, houses, and living conditions are so horrendous when it seems the country is doing well from its natural resources (Gas, Oil)? Why many are not trying to better themselves?

During the weekend we spent quality time with the family, drove around the island to meet Michelle’s extended family, and in between I had time to chat with some about business, life. Internet there, while common, isn’t yet to where it should be. It should be all over, it should be more affordable.

Rum and killing one another seems to be the favorite past time there. Laventille, one of the most dangerous places in Trinidad, counts well over 200 killings since the beginning of the year. And Rum? Not only locals make little money, they choose to spend it on drinking for the most part. Pausing reality keeps one away from making a better one. I found that sickening.

On the way back to the airport after spending the weekend there, seeing a stray dog walking on a busy highway calmly towards cars as if they were not there, head down, described my feeling there. Feeling of no hope, no future, nothing really matters.

I’m going to stop here, let you think it over for a day or two.

Have a blissful day!

Sahar

I Ask Myself “Why Not?”

Published on May 9, 2009 in Domain Names and General. 3 Comments

(image source)

You see things as they are and ask, “Why?” I dream things as they never were and ask, “Why not?”

George Bernard Shaw (Source: Wikiquote)

Why parking companies do not attempt to increase advertisers on a given domain? Over the years many wrote us how to list their site on a given domain. A link to Google/Yahoo with affiliate code should increase ad pressure, resulting in more to the domain owner and to the parking company.

Why parking companies do not sell direct advertising on top of syndicated advertising (google/yahoo sponsor/paid results)? To create a comfort zone, to increase the bottom line, direct makes perfect sense.

Why parking companies do not work together to increase mind share of direct navigation? 1% mind share increase, 10% revenue increase. Do the math.

Why parking companies do not work together to protect Domaining? Legislation against Domainers and Domaining is all around us and may kill this industry altogether one day. This is a billion dollar industry that not even 1/10 of a percent is being put back in order to protect it against those who wish to eliminate it.

Why parking companies do not work with the same traffic metrics? A unique visitor with one company is X while with another is Y. Makes no sense to me. Create transparency, it will help all.

The list goes on and on. All these and other issues are things that to me make no sense. Many of these issues have been brought up many times over the years, just to be ignored by parking companies. This list, most likely, will be ignored as well.

But when it’s too late, what would you say then? Would you say you didn’t know? Would you say you didn’t see it coming?

It’s not over yet. You can put pressure on your parking company to act on these issues. An email is a start, maybe a phone call to your rep.?

We’ve been working with parking companies for approx. 10 years now. We’ve seen them come and go, we’ve seen some grow. What we’ve learned is in order for you to get things done you must first recognize things could be better, should be better. We should have unity, we should have transparency, we should earn more. If parking companies do not try harder you lose. You lose revenues, you lose potential revenues, and you may lose it all when it is too late.

Have a great day!

Sahar

Must Be My Lucky Day!

Published on May 6, 2009 in General. 6 Comments

So I get a call from an auction house which shall remain nameless for now, telling me that one of my purchases during the live auction won’t go through because there was some miscommunication somehow, that is, after I agreed to purchase it. Now I can somewhat understand these issues but this isn’t the first time.

Then, another domainer which shall remain nameless for now as well put some domains for sale. I asked for total price on a number of them, got a reply, sent Paypal before the domains were transfered (meaning, I actually trusted him to transfer without escrow), just to get a note the method of payment isn’t to his liking.

I’m off for the day. If you call I won’t pick up. If you email you won’t get a reply. Maybe some other day.

Have a great day, at least, I hope better than mine!

Sahar

Ad.Com For 1.4M? I Hear A Problem

Published on May 1, 2009 in General. 28 Comments

(Sahar With Div, Traffic LV)

I had my doubt about the value of the domain prior to the auction. I heard there was a pending 400K bid prior to auction and even that sounded too much to me. I was next to Div when he made that bid. Afterwards, Div told me this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. If he missed it this day there won’t be another. When I got home, my girlfriend picked me up at the airport. As we drove home we spoke few minutes about the auction and I said “The Moniker auction did a total of 2.1M, two thirds of it was due to Ad.com domain sale”. And her response? It confirmed my initial thoughts. She said “So much for three letters?” And I said, “Please spell it for me?” and she said ” A D D DOT COM”. See, this domain, while short and relevant to the advertising industry, stands no chance in the radio test.

So how do the two sound, “Ad” Vs. “Add”?

See this link for “Ad” as well as this one for “Add”. On top of the page, look for this image (and similar on the other keyword).

It’s sounds to me like the exact same sound file on both of these listings, due to pronunciation.

What do you think? Good or bad purchase? If you had 1.4M to spend and if you were in the advertising business, would you have done the same?

On a side note, the other bidder on the domain, the one that pushed the price to its final price point, from what I’ve heard (highly reliable sources), is a major advertising company, end user. That at least validates the value of the domain in the advertising space (end users), and not just domain related companies, such as the buyer, Skenzo.

Cheers,

Sahar

@Jarred Cohen: CONGRATS !

Published on April 25, 2009 in General. 14 Comments

Auction Week Starts Today. What Should You Do?

Published on April 25, 2009 in General. 4 Comments

(image source)

This week is going to be one of the busiest weeks for auction houses. Besides the daily auction houses out there (Bido, Sedo, Afternic, NameJet, Snapnames) this week will be all about live domain auctions.

First in line is Aftermarket.com’s GeoDomains auction. Later the week Rick Latona is coming strong with an auction at the Targeted Traffic conference, with great inventory and a domain one all have eyes on, Shows.com, no reserve.

Last is the usual suspect and still top dog in the live auction business, Moniker.com. With years of experience and tens of millions in transactions under their belt, this auction is the “signal”, the “beat” of the industry.

Great inventory is out there, some are priced to sell, many are not. Things are getting better for buyers but is it enough? The global economic climate is still a mess and no company can truly predict tomorrow with confidence. Without understanding tomorrow, companies tend to preserve capital for a possible rainy day, they tend not to take on any additional debt. They tend to focus on operations, cutting costs. This of course effects commerce all around us, and as demand weakens, prices are as well.

The second problem here is live auction buyers are historically domain professionals or domain companies. Essentially, it is trading hands between one Domainer group to another. This was all good when domain companies and domain professionals were doing well but that isn’t the case anymore. Like the rest of the economy, everyone took a beating, most still do. Without these groups in full force it will be interesting to see the activity.

Third problem is related to the second one. Many have moved from buying into building. They built their inventory over years, happy with what they have, and now looking into executing on that inventory. Execution to those who do not know, is extremely expensive. Hiring people, offices, technologies, advertising, etc. When someone is focused, most cash flows to one direction. If their focus is development/execution it cannot flow into auctions as well. Even if some money flows back into auctions I believe the lion’s share will still go to operations.

And what should you do? Should you put your money in domains, or elsewhere? Since cash is extremely valuable today (likely more than you realize) I suggest to pick your buys extremely carefully. If you do not see how to get your money back from a domain, if it is not the PERFECT FIT for your plans, think hard before raising that paddle.

While we plan to attend all these auctions, we don’t have anything in mind as of now to buy. That may change as we see activity. My philosophy on good domains - “there’s always a price”. What the price though is the real issue.

Heading to TRAFFIC tomorrow, may post a little less this upcoming week.

Have a great day!

Sahar

How Much Will Marchex Sell uReport.com now?

Published on April 20, 2009 in General. 2 Comments

Via TechCrunch:

FOX News and MySpace are partnering to launch Fox’s citizen journalism social media platform on MySpace, called uReport. MySpace members can share citizen produced content with the MySpace community, as well as have the chance to be featured on FOX News. FOX News and MySpace are both owned by News Corp.

Rick Schwartz, after selling the domain iReport.com to CNN, wrote:

The race is on. Will Fox News fight back and get uReport.com? The one thing that is a SURE BET, is WHEN that domain eventually sells to Fox, and it WILL sell to them at some point, it will sell at a rate much higher than $750k

Rick of course saw this coming. Yet another good call on his behalf!

If my memory serves me right a while ago I got an email from Sedo offering the domain for US$ 250,000.00. I don’t have a copy of the email here but maybe someone does? Any more info on this do let me know.

Cheers,

Sahar

For Greatness, There’s Always A Price (And A Reward)

Published on January 12, 2009 in Business and General. 2 Comments

Many times I’ve been asked about “the secret”, you know, how you got to where you are, what should I do, How should I start, etc. “Faith” is the short answer. The longer one? I try to relate to these individuals the importance of “supporting legs”, that is, creating a personal library in your mind of what worked for you in the past and recalling those whenever you need some encouragement in the future. Some items in your personal library there may be events such as winning a race in first grade, helping another, or being praised by your parents for something good you have done. Whatever the case may be, having such a library will make your journey so much easier.

In my personal library there are many items, from critical decisions I’ve made before school and in my school years, time during the army, sports, and business. Whenever I pick up on some new hobby, or whenever I feel like moving forward on new concepts, I always look back, try to find the similarities, and make sure I have all I need to take on this new challenge. It is so easy to give up. All you have to do is stop trying and you are back to just as things were before you started. In order to succeed you have to believe in yourself when no one else does. You have to believe that the time, effort, investment will work out even though it at times look like it won’t. The alternative to having no faith in yourself, to not walking the extra mile, to not trying, to not pushing, to not believing, is always the same - No Reward. In my eyes that is not an option. I rather fail a million times than not try. I know very well that if I try, if I dedicate to anything the same amount of time and energy as I have with other areas in my life I will make it to the greatest levels. Over the years I did hear the “talent” argument, that is, that some people were “born with it”. I must disagree. While talent is somewhat important and of course can help I have never met anyone who excelled at anything without hard work. Stephen King once said:

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.

Pick up any master at any level, from musical players to business, artists, writers. The common thread is hard work. The common thread is dedication, faith. Rarely things work out as planned. Rarely one succeeds on first try. In many instances it is pure faith.

So if you are interested in “the secret”, the only thing I can say, what I believe, it is within you.

Have a great day,

Sahar

Good Bye 2008, Hello 2009

Published on December 31, 2008 in General and Shakuhachi. 7 Comments

Judging a year by the events and results within it will do no justice, as many correspondent events will only manifest in the future, at times, many years afterward. The tech bubble of 2001 brought many prosperous years to many, possibly even to you. There’s no doubt 2008 was a an extremely historical year. From an African American president to the collapse of financial giants, the bombing in Bombay to what now goes on in Israel. As for the domain channel, I believe the house of cards had to collapse for something bigger and better to emerge. It is those events who push the boundaries for all, and in the long run, I do believe for the better.To me, 2008 signifies diversification, peace of mind, progression, and new beginnings. Our company Recall Media Group is doing better than ever and is growing exponentially. I believe I found the woman I want to be with (Michelle), I invested further in my own health and spirit, spent time expanding my horizons (learning new subjects), and lately, I discovered the Shakuhachi, which I quickly have fallen in love with.

I’ll end here with a note I received from my dear friend Dr. Chris Hartnett:

We are not responding to this instant if we are judging any aspect of it.

The ego looks for what to criticize. This always involves comparing with the past.

But love looks upon the world peacefully and accepts.

The ego searches for shortcomings and weaknesses.

Love watches for any sign of strength.

It sees how far each one has come and not how far he/she has to go.

How simple it is to love, and exhausting it is to always find fault, for every time we see a fault we think something needs to be done about it.

Love knows that nothing is ever needed but more love. It is what we do with our hearts that affects others most deeply.

It is not the movements of our body or the words within our minds that transmits love.

We love from heart to heart.

Peace to you all,

Sahar

Obsessive Risk Management Results In Efficient Time Management

Published on November 26, 2008 in Business and General. 4 Comments

(image source)

In the comment section for this post Jeff Overman writes:

I surly miss your posts each day but understand…your a very busy man with your fun developments going on…

Over the years many thought because of all the projects we have, all the businesses, I must be extremely busy. That is not the case. Since the very early days of getting in business I was extremely obsessed with risk management. I wrote about it here and also managed to get Michael Weisman of Recall Media Group to write a guest post about the subject here. The idea for me is to build security layers that if anything happens to anyone the businesses will continue to strive on their own. A view from the top at risk management may tell you that it is all about building a healthy living ecosystem, one that maintains itself, expands itself. If done right you can unplug yourself from it and watch it grow. If done wrong, unplug yourself and the house of cards collapses with it. Our organization is built in a way that if I suddenly disappear, or any other person/principal in the company for that matter, the organization will continue to strive, continue to expand, continue to grow. Building an organization such as RMG is not an easy task. It requires a lot of planning, adding many building blocks when needed to the structure, taking care of legal structures and adjusting as we go along, banking systems, communication systems, tech, and more. The most important part though in building such as organization, while it may sounds like a Cliché, is the people in the organization. The mindset of these should be of growth, excitement, a feeling of taking over the world, a feeling of making things happen. The people in a healthy organization care for one another, first as human beings and only then as business associates. We tend to run the business as a healthy family. There is us as individuals, and then there is us as a whole.
Building RMG with risk management in mind allows me to be completely unplugged from the daily involvements of the organization. I can count on my partners and all those with the organization to push the business forward, whether I’m around or not. My thought process here is something I’m sure many of you can relate to: What if I’m not around tomorrow? Who will support my family? my loved ones? And while the job of building such an organization is never done, and at times I’m plugged in 24/7 to add or change blocks to the structure, I would say it is not just something you want to do, it is something you must do. If built right, this is what real financial security is all about - the ability to be unplugged from your business, for whatever reason that may be, where the business won’t just maintain itself, won’t just survive, but grow.

Have a great day,

Sahar