I will be sending out the first newsletter tomorrow.  It took a little time getting the right format together.  There has been a large of amount of people sign up for the newsletter, as well as the press release subscription, which is great news.

A newsletter is a very powerful tool to use in your online campaigns.  It can keep your customers informed and lets you reach out to them when you need to communicate.  They also offer a revenue stream to deliver products offered by your company.  There are a variety of topics available on the effectiveness of newsletters.  However, I have selected to keep this an open discussion, instead of posting facts here for now.

I would like to hear from the community on how to use Newsletters effectively and the benefits they deliver as well.   So please feel free to share your opinion. Once we consolidate all these opinions,  I will list what the professionals have to say.

The Traffic Show auction results were not very impressive as I stated earlier today.  There were 6 geo domains that did sell for a combined total of $105,000.  

The Geo domain industry is steadily gaining momentum, even in the aftermarket among domainers.  All signs point to explosive growth in the coming years, heck even months to come! 

NewYorkCheesecake.com $12,000
VegasDiscounts.com $15,000
Hollywood.mobi $16,000
Broadway.mobi $17,000
Vegas.mobi $20,000
OklahomaRealEstate.com $25,000

The Geo domain industry will continue to make unknown people, into popular internet rock stars in local media as great geo domains are developed.  This industry is great and SimplyGeo.com is doing all it can to help promote its growth, along with AssociatedCities.com and other sites to come SOON. 

AssociatedCities.com recently published an interview with the owners of SantaFe.com.  It is a great interview that gives you some insight as to what it takes to build your geo site up from scratch.  From my understanding, the site was launched this year.

There will be many great stories and interviews published as the Geo domain industry continues to mature.  

(via AssociatedCities.com) 

Associated Cities: What are the advantages and challenges of operating within a network like Associated Cities?
P/MF: The advantages of being with Associated Cities became obvious when we attended its San Francisco conference in 2007. We met a lot of innovative owners and managers (particularly from Scottsdale, San Diego, Chicago and New York City) who are a lot further down the road than we are. It was great sharing ideas and getting inspired. As our background is in real estate, we’re planning something special with that component.

This is something we’d like to share at the next Associated Cities meeting. Another bonus of the Associated Cities network is the access to talent. We hired out current president (Bob Shaffer) from Richmond.com. He told us he was ready for a change and he has been a gem to work with.

Associated Cities: What are your day-to-day responsibilities? How much of your energy is devoted to sales and marketing versus content and production?
P/MF: At this moment, our full-time staff is small: eight including the two of us. Pat and I do everything from marketing and selling ads to writing content and implementing growth strategies.

The eight of us work well together. In terms of specialization, Pat has been in sales and marketing for 30 years. That was the engine that drove our real estate company. I’ve published 20 novels and have written a business and real estate column for the last 10 years. Writing and editing come easily to me.
   

Yesterday, I posted Google.com’s, DoubleClick.com, launching a new auction advertising platform.  Now Google releases Adsence for videos today.  This is great news for those .TV owners who have developed video content on their websites.  Additionally, for those who are still currently developing their domains with video content.  Google has been experimenting with this program for the past 2 years and has selected 20 partners to test the technology platform.

Although this is a small part of the web advertising market, Google.com remains committed to this niche.  Historically, Google.com has proven to stay the leader in niche markets because they have been the first to offer user friendly programs and technologies.  Additionally, they have continued to be the first in many niches that have kept them on top.  

Google.com is not slowing down their dominince in the web advertising market anytime soon.  I am sure in the upcoming months, they will release some new technologies to interlink the complete advertising network with the click of the button for advertisers. 

(NyTimes)

DoubleClick, confirmed yesterday that it planned to launch an eBay-style auction system in Australia to sell online adverting space.  This could be the start of a new hot trend if it is successful in Australia.  This will give advertisers the opportunity to bid on elite markets and targeted groups of consumers.  

Additionally, this will give them the opportunity to secure some bargain advertising rates in niche markets.  There is no doubt that this will lead to higher revenue payouts to pulishers.  Anytime you create a competitive platform where consumers/businesses get to compete directly, it raises the price extremely.  As a great example, take a look at Google’s Adwords.  Competitiveness drives up the price.  In the end, this will be great for Google.com, DoubleClick, and major publishers with traffic.

What are your thoughts on this new trend evolving?  Will it become mainstream or fade out? 

 (via SMH)

There were no records set this year at the famous Traffic Expo.  The live auctions only netted $4.3 mil after much hype of the event.  The silent auction is still ongoing, which should probally net $600-$1 mil more if lucky.  The recession could have had alot to do with auction results.  I believe reality has finally hit the Traffic Show, and the bubble has finally popped of it setting historic records.  It happens in every market where growth occurs rapidly.  

From sources at the show, attendence appeared lower than previous shows of Traffic.  This could be because of the invitation only strategy this year, that in my opinion was very foolish.  It probally kept quite a few from attending.  How can you grow an industry if you only limit it to a small group of elite people?  It is becoming more of a good ole boy network, rather than the voice for the industry IMHO.  The newly formed DomainFest auction netted approx. $4.2 mil last month and did outstanding when compared with the popular Traffic results.  Additionally, attendance was outstanding at DomainFest.  Has DomainFest become the new Expo of the Industry?

There will be plenty of stories written on the Traffic Show outcome in the weeks to come.  With approximately $8.3 mil of domains sold at the last 2 auctions, does DomainCircle stand much of chance at success in April with their auction? Alot of money has been spent in the aftermarket the first 2 months of the year.       

 Updated:  Thank you to all for the kinds words.  Great acquisition of 2 outstanding domains that will be announced. 

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Well, another year has passed and I am now 1 year older.  Time certainly does not stand still, unfortunately.  February 20 has always been a good day for me. Hopefully we will receive some great news on a few projects we are working on today.  It would make for a great present and conversation. Hopefully, by next year’s B-day, the SimplyGeo Network will be complete and 100% operational.

Anyway, I would like to thank you all for your continued support of the blog and forum.  I will be off to Myrtle Beach tomorrow for the next 3 days.  I will do my best to post a few topics while I am enjoying time with the family.