(Interact with Mike on GeoDomainer.com)

Mike is Chairman and Founder of WashingtonVC, a private equity group whose portfolio of companies share resources, talent and technologies to deliver innovative digital products and services.

In ‘94 he founded Internet Interstate, which he sold to Verio in ‘97. In ‘98, he founded BuyDomains.com, the world’s largest secondary market for domain names, and sold majority interest to Highland Capital and Summit Partners in 2005, along with the “Seeq.com” search engine portal. Mike has sold more domains on the secondary market than anyone in the world.

Between ‘98 and ‘01, he served as the founding Chairman of ByteBack.org (501c3), which operates free computer training centers serving inner-city communities.

Mike is the Founder and Chairman of Grassroots.org (501c3), a global network providing free services to nonprofits and promoting social action. He also manages Make Change! Trust, a charitable fund that supports select 501c3 organizations. You can view GrassRoots.org and MakeChangeTrust.org to learn more.

(SMO) You have been involved in the domain industry for quite some time. How did it all start?

(MM) In 1998 I sold menus.com for 25K which I had been paying a $50/yr. registration for, so I found the profit margin intriguing and decided to buy and sell as many as possible, leveraging innovative technology and talent to assist.

(SMO) You were one of the first individuals in the domain industry to set up a sales platform to sell your own domains. Additionally, your team developed new technology in which you applied for patents. When did you realize you were on to a winning business plan with buydomains.com?

(MM) Day one.

(SMO) Having a large portfolio for sale, was it easy to spot enduser and investor trends in the domain industry thru purchases? How did this help you in acquiring additional domains?

(MM) We ran detailed statistical analysis on everything and only bet on the best ones dollar for dollar. Some sold at such high margins that it made up for the minority duds which were bought in buying frenzies.

(SMO) With such a large portfolio, you surely owned some outstanding geo domains for sale. How was the market for geo domain sales thru your experience?

(MM) While we sold some in the normal course of business, that had not been my specialty until recently, now we own much of the African country .coms and some others.

(SMO) How did you place value on geo domains in your portfolio? How big of a demand was there for geo domains, if any?

(MM) Each name price was based on detailed technical analysis with human insight added. We measured demand the same way.
(SMO) As a seasoned domain investor who has seen trends come and go, what role do you think geo domains will play as the internet and consumer behavior continues to evolve?

(MM) Geo is a broad powerful category encompassing cities, states, countries, and localities,each group being permanently powerful in its own right. Aggregating a consistentportfolio within one group or the other, and applying best web and marketing practicesover a long duration should be the ultimate way to monetize them, anything less will yield less.

(SMO) Do you still own any great geo domains, and if so, can you name a few and your plans for them?

(MM) Angola.com, NorthernIreland.com, BaltimoreWashington.com, VaticanCity.com, and many more, please see DomainMarket.com. The plan is tobuild carefully, in detail, one at a time, or sell to big bidders. Or keep forever and let values rise until my daughter’s retirement.

(SMO) Do you have any future plans in reentering the domain industry as a service provider?

(MM) We are already deep into some powerful things in the US and internationally since my “noncompete” expired. DomainMarket.com will be the base of our future activity.

See MikeMann.com and WashingtonVC.com to see how we add value to super premium domains (we build companies like Phone.com, Software.com, SEO.com, HappyBirthday.com.)

We will also launch the world’s most profitable parking platform in the future using tools and ideas so far unseen by the public, and without competition to date. Last but not least we will replicate the BuyDomains buy/sell/optimize model that I developed long ago, but only using the world’s best names, as opposed to huge numbers of good and great names like BD does.

(SMO) Why do you think everything has gone from a global concept to a local concept on the internet? Do you think the local concept has always existed, but never made it in the mainstream as global did, until recently?

(MM) We learned years ago to make the most impact we had to “personalize, customize, and LOCALIZE” each web experience, that is still the best way to go. Please see my free ebook which explains a lot of my theories in detail.

(SMO) There are thousands of domain investors who are always looking for advice from proven professionals such as yourself. Do you have any advice that you are willing to share for those old and new investors in the domain industry? Do you have any advice on the evolving geo domain industry?

(MM) The best advice is to only invest in the best .com domains since they will stand the test of time, and will be “flights to quality” in turbulent economic times. Also just buy the ones you take to heart, that you want to build a perpetual, powerful business on top of. And use the most modern best practices borrowed or hired from a myriad of the most profitable web people you can find.

Dr. Kevin Ham
(Source:DNJournal.com)

Ron Jackson at DNJournal.com recently published his May cover story, Kevin Ham. In it, Kevin talks about a variety of projects his team is focused on. One of those projects include geo domains in his portfolio. When the most successful domain investor in the industry states he is focused on geo domains, people should pay close attention. He is pioneer in this industry because he has focused in areas others have failed to embrace and has become very successful because of it.

Many people say to follow the money when it comes to investing. Additionally, I would add follow the smart people who have consistently become successful by following the less traveled path. You can bet Kevin and his team are going to bring proven platforms to the geo domain industry. These 3 paragraphs that Kevin writes from the article say a lot of what is being developed, yet he is very discrete. Still, there are some in the industry who under value the power of geo domains. After this interview goes mainstream on Monday, you can bet major players in the industry are going to reevaluate their portfolio for geo domains and see them start focusing on geo domains. Kevin has a track record for setting industry trends among domain investors.

Ham is also moving into the Geodomain space and has acquired the ultimate destination for his hometown - Vancouver.com. “Vancouver.com is a very special domain for many reasons. Many would say that Vancouver is the domain capital of the world. The city is consistently voted as one of the top three livable cities in the world. And of course, the 2010 Winter Olympics will bring the eyes of the whole world to Vancouver,” Ham said.

“We are building a new advertising and retail platform through Vancouver.com. The ambition and initiative is huge and if we can make it work for our city, then we can build it for the rest of the world. Geo domains are asset rich but cash flow poor. So if we can change that paradigm into one that is cash flow rich, then we will raise the level for all geo domains.”

“We also own Washington.com, Melbourne.com, Brisbane.com, Perth.com, Wichita.com and many other geo related domain names. While these geo domains are words, they need to be combined with the right business models to realize their value. We are confident that our efforts and the plans we have for our geo domains will change the way people interact and do business.”

(Via DNJournal.com)

It felt good to take a few days off from blogging, although I did miss communicating with all the readers of the blog. It seems many bloggers took it easy this weekend. While I was not able to blog, I did keep busy working on the GeoDomainer.com platform. We now have an industry blog roll located on the site that is going to be more presentable this week if all goes well. Additionally, we have been working on the wiki and video conferencing apps that will go live this week.

Tomorrow I will publish a GeoView with Mike Mann of WashingtonVC.com. I am sure many of you will find it a good read. There are many more coming that will be as enjoyable. It is outstanding that these proven professionals have taken time out of their busy day to conduct these GeoViews for readers. It really shows their true character.

In closing, I would like to wish any mothers who read this blog a Happy Mother’s Day. You all definitely deserve your own day of glory after putting up with your significant other or husband. I have listed links to articles I would have blogged about for your reading pleasure.

Newspaper Web Sites Bash Other Media in Local Advertising

Schmap - Rotating city guides, local search, maps on your iPhone

Local.com Reports First Quarter 2008 Financial Results

AOL eyes local online ad portal

Socializing Search, Part 2

This is a great interview with Avinash Kaushik from Google.com analytics that will prepare you for the next level of development.It is proven that fresh content is essential for site growth, but how do you know if the content you have built is effective to visitors? Answer, analytic tools. There are a variety of analytic tools available on the internet to help you solve this problem.

This data can help you create a site that delivers effective content, rather than just words on a page. If you do not know much about analytics, I have provided a link from the expert himself explaining the basics. Additionally, I have added Mr. Kaushik’s blog, Occam’s Razor, to the blogroll for your future reading pleasure.

You can purchase his very popular book, “Web Analytics, An Hour A Day” here.

There is no doubt the geo domain industry has become red hot in 2008. Already, we have seen a variety of geo domains come to auction and on the after market, with most selling for top dollar. However, there are a variety of geo domains that were listed on auction since January that did not sell.

This is not stopping the owners of America.com and Israel.com from listing their geo domains on auction. These are two amazing and valuable geo domains that have already turned heads. Both have been registered since 1994!

Here is the break down:

America.com will be auctioned from 22-28 May (though the press release states 18-22 May) on Greatdomains.com and Sedo.com platforms. There is an unset reserve price at this time and it is in excess of $1 million + according to the greatdomains.com listing. America.com was appraised by independent evaluators like Duff & Phelps, Sedo and Afternic within a range from $3.5 to $7.3 million. According to compete.com statistics for the month of April, America.com received 10,866 unique visitors. Because of the recent announcement of America.com being place on auction, the owners have had to increase bandwidth on the site. Already, they have received a large volume of interest as you can imagine. America.com may break domain industry records, even in a troubling economy if it does sell. I am doing my best to get an interview with the owners and awaiting a response.

Next on the list is Israel.com. It is listed in the upcoming Traffic Auction on 23 May with a reserve of $5 million. This is another amazing geo domain with many characteristics that make it priceless. This is the holy land for many religions. According to compete.com statistics for the month of April, Israel.com received 4,081 unique visitors. Do not let the amount of traffic take away from the value of this name. The true value of any geo domain is unlocked when it is effectively developed with content. When this happens with Israel.com, it will be embraced by the world.

These geo domains will set new standards for the geo domain industry, if indeed they do sell on auction. As a side note to the Israel.com listing, I have just completed an interview with Michael Weiss, owner of Jerusalem.com. It will be an enjoyable read. Well have to wait and see if any domain industry records are shattered.

We officially launched the GeoDomainer.com Social Network on 3 May and have already recruited some of the most powerful domain owners on the internet.  While GeoDomainer.com is somewhat of a targeted community, it is open to all professionals in the domain industry.  I wanted to take a little time explaining the benefits of this social network.  It is not the average social network you are used to reading about or using.  Before I do, please make sure to read the articles I have published in the past on this social network here, here, and here.

GeoDomainer.com will help transform the way domainers do business with associates, peers, partners, and clients on the internet.  Traditionally, business transactions and communications were done with people you knew nothing about, except what they told you via email and phone conversations.  This process manifested when domain conferences went main stream, however, professionals still did not know how credible an individual was while negotiating business deals and networking.

Now, you will be able to validate professionals, as well as become validated by peers, associates and clients based off their experiences with you through the social network.   By using the tools available to build quality friend/associate lists, commenting on profiles, and applying kudos(coming soon) to individuals through the site.  This was a void in the industry and many depended on word of mouth validation of a person you were conducting business with.  This can be very misleading as a professional may act one way with this guy/gal and another with a different group.

There was no accountability for the actions of professionals both good and bad.  Professionals had to depend on word of mouth validation.  Transformation is eliminating this problematic practice and the social network will allow you to conduct research on the individual you want to do business with if they have signed up.  It will also allow you to post comments in your blog, forum, or group of people who are good and bad if they have not signed up.  This will help others when they conduct research on the site.

This is an essential tool for professionals who are conducting hundreds, thousands, and millions of dollars in business transactions.  Historically, big deals were only saved for attendance at domain conferences.  With the tools we are implementing into Geodomainer.com, you will be able to video conference and video email professionals without having to attend a conference to complete a transaction.  Although, attending conferences is still a must as it broadens your networking capabilities.

GeoDomainer.com will become a centralized business portal for the domain industry.  The biggest resource it will deliver  is a unified front of professionals moving the industry forward united.  The days of being selfish and secretive are coming to an end and it has only damaged the domain industry from exponential growth.  Additionally, it will become the largest educational platform in the domain industry by users contributing personalized content and comments.

Users can develop their own blog, groups, forums and create a personalized targeted network. Think about the power of these tools and how they can impact/promote your business and networking potential.  Additionally, users  are able to network  through live chat,  email,  video conferencing(coming soon), sharing videos and photos, etc.

There are still may great tools to come to assist domainers.  Take advantage of GeoDomainer.com and use it to promote and push your business to the next level.  The opportunities are endless with what you can do with a targeted domain industry social network.  Get the word out and join!

GeoDomainer.com, Connecting Professionals For Success

This was a great week for geo domain sales. It seems there were a lot of investors and end users ready to spend top dollar to acquire geo domains. RickLatona.com has done an outstanding job selling some of his geo domain portfolio through his daily newsletter filled with domains for sale. He is responsible for many of the top geo domain sales for 2008. Shaun Pilfold and Robert Montgomery broke the industry record for ccTLD geo domain sales when they acquired jobs.ca for $600,000. Congrats to both! ccTLD geo domain sales totaled $734,419 for a grand total of $935,012.