Posted in Domainers | 13 Comments
Rick Schwartz Blog Post: ……The Start of an Era – Part 2
It seems I am a little behind on my blog post reading. I stumbled upon Rick’s post titled “The End of an Era……The Start of an Era…..Part 2” tonight and read some of the comments where some individuals took offense over his statement that “we don’t look to attract domainers that make $1000 a month. Sorry, these folks are “Extras” from central casting. They don’t make you money, they COST you money by wasting YOUR time with folks that can’t do a damn thing for you.“. He further explains with the previous statement “And to be blunt, it is not our job to reach down and pull you up. We try, but the ultimate decision is yours.”
While my post has nothing to do with TRAFFIC ticket costs or organizer agendas, I did feel the need to speak up on Rick’s character.
I am a “small guy girl” compared to the domainer greats but I always had a pleasant experience when it came to talking with Rick. He let me join his private board many years ago having never attended TRAFFIC, having no real success at the time. It took me a full year of persistent trying but he finally allowed me to join. Over the years, he has taken the time to privately mentor me and others whenever we needed it.
Not once has he treated me like someone who was a waste of his time. Because of him, many doors have been opened for me only because when he opened them, I WALKED THROUGH. I did not expect him or others to hold my hand and drag me through the door. I WALKED THROUGH. And this is what he meant by “And to be blunt, it is not our job to reach down and pull you up. We try, but the ultimate decision is yours.“.
In my opinion, if you cannot afford TRAFFIC or feel the organizers have hidden agendas you are free to attend other conferences.
The truth is nobody owes us a damn thing. Just because someone is a successful domainer does not mean they owe the public a “How To” write up but rather you should be thankful when someone does take the time to hand you knowledge (opportunity) that they spent years (thousands) to acquire (organize). The same goes for all the bloggers who take the time to post about their experiences via Domaining.com.
Let us be careful not to gain a false sense of entitlement but to be grateful for those who do take a time out and hand us their Cliff Notes of blood, sweat and tears they spent years or thousands to generate.
( By the way: Happy New Year! | 31 Days of Code )
“we don’t look to attract domainers that make $1000 a month.”
Common sense if you ask me. They are definitely catering to certain domainers, and honestly, that’s where their time SHOULD be spent.
If you want to go, you are free to go… but people shouldn’t expect to get the full experience if you aren’t “part of them”.
We need more like Rick, those who go out and kick ass and arent afraid to talk. He’s usually right and his experience is tops as is his clarity of thought, IMHO. So easy to criticize; so hard to be a leader..
I forgot to mention. TRAFFIC used to be invite only but now anyone can go. http://www.ricklatona.com/2009/06/18/targeted-traffics-new-open-arms-policy-no-more-invitation-only/
Also, if you take a look at other “niche conferences” and their prices they are similar to TRAFFIC’s:
https://www.signup4.net/public/ap.aspx?EID=201020E&OID=130
http://www.techcon.info/TC10/register.htm
http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2010&program=photoion
http://www.techexpo.com/events/
The overall impression is that domaining is a cinch, anyone can do it, there is no risk to be taken and no effort is necessary. Of course, whoever says that needs a head check. In my opinion, TRAFFIC should have remained by invitation only; the opening of an exclusive event to everyone with the attitude I described above led to some people assuming that TRAFFIC is equal to all the other current events catering to domainers. That’s far from the truth; TRAFFIC is still *the* biggest opportunity to meet with the industry’s core people at a quality setting.
Thanks for understanding and articulating it.
If I drive a Ferrari and a guy has a 15 year old junker, I will share my story of how I got the Ferrari and what I believe and how I see things but don’t expect me to get into the junker if I am not stranded. I already had my share of junkers. I was already where others were. All I can do is share what I personally learned and believe. I can’t force anyone, nor do I want to. I can lend a helping hand when I have time and willing to pull others up. But I do get annoyed when I lower my hand and others try and pull me down. THOSE are the people I have no time for. The time wasters with bad attitudes that are mad at everyone else for THEIR shortcomings. THOSE are the people I avoid in the domain business and in life in general. Pretty simple. The only ones that get offended are those very people. So they stick out and it makes it easy to exclude them. When they figure it out, they are included. I say it out loud and in writing because that is the foundation of my belief system. Surround yourself with people that pull you up not the ones that try and pull you down. SIMPLE! People that pull you up NEVER get offended by that or have to make snide comments. It only reflects badly on them. So what we see, they don’t. That’s the magic of life.
Thanks again for the post!
Business is business.
When I’m trying to broker a premium domain I target high rollers with deep pockets. No use wasting your time casting pearls before lowballers.
Sentiment is a luxury i can’t afford so why shouldn’t the same apply to those at the top of the domain tree.
Afterall any one of us can hit the heights, anytime. Sometimes all it takes is luck but like the old jewish proverb goes (and I’m Irish)
“The harder I work the luckier I get.”
I wish to point out (as it has been pointed out elsewhere) that even when TRAFFIC was “invite-only” anyone who wanted to go and paid could go.
Very well said. If someone like Rick Schwartz opens a door for you, it is your own responsibility to make the next move…
FACT: TRAFFIC has never turned anyone away from their doors if they paid the fee and weren’t out to bring trouble. It’s a smart marketing ploy by Rick, but nobody discusses the ambiguity about it because there is no need. Rick is smart enough to know if someone can afford the ticket, they can afford to be a part of his party. (Heck, you can find photos online of at least one competing domain conference owner actually videotaping what TRAFFIC is doing.)
My limited and shaky “celebrity” in domaining has also risen thanks to Rick, but on the opposing side. Once you get publicly spanked by Rick, you’ve arrived! We agree on some important issues, but we constantly disagree on that “exclusivity” facade, and I think his “passive/aggressive” personality keeps things interesting.
But I can say honestly that Rick is a fair guy to deal with lately, and I’ll kill to support his right to say the dumb/smart things he says from time to time. I predict within 2 years, Rick and I will be sitting on my 100 ft yacht off the coast of S. Florida, laughing about all the times we yelled at each other… he being a winner, and me being a whiner about him being a winner but not really understanding the growth of this industry “beneath” him.
Without Rick the King, domaining wouldn’t be where it is today. His burden is having to fight all the wannabe’s who want to knock him off his throne. Rick’s statement’s such as:
“We don’t look to attract domainers that make $1000 a month. Sorry, these folks are “Extras” from central casting. They don’t make you money, they COST you money by wasting YOUR time with folks that can’t do a damn thing for you.“
That statement is so classically WRONG that you have LOVE Rick for saying them, just to prove him wrong (which is easily done if you have the brains and the guts).
(Note to Rick: Name any top actor who didn’t come from “central casting”. )
Anyone who can make $1000 a month by investing in domains today has reached a point where they could easily become one of about 3000 specific domainers who are making ten+ times that now. That’s just a guess, I think there are a lot more.
Going against Rick’s observation of the “little domainer”, of course you want to cater to anyone who can make $1000 a month domaining… because they obviously are doing something right in their understanding of the domain industry, and at that income, compared to working at MacDonalds, is serious money. With that sort of return, who will bet that the person making $1000 a month will STOP trying to learn and earn more in domain investing? Nobody will take that bet. Imagine betting against Elliot Silver back in 2005. So Rick’s statement there is — well, all Rick.
What’s funny is that I’ve met Rick personally only once, and the extent of our conversation went like this: “Hey, Stephen Douglas! You’re the guy who wrote that great article about domains verses Google Page Ranking. Loved the article! Nice to meet you!” *Handshake, big smile.” I felt pretty big all day long. A lot more to that story, but I’ll let Atom Bomb talk about that when he’s at the conferences, at an after-party, if he get’s drunk and bored! I won’t be there, and I’m going to miss everyone I know — arrrgggh!
But back to the main feature:
Rick, what a card… like an ace when you got a king in the hole at the blackjack table.
Nice article, Tia.
Tia, your so right, no one owes you anything. Any tip or advise you get from them, you should be grateful and say THANK YOU for being in their company.
Ricks done nothing but help others.
Steve
Ricks grace, character, consideration and salesmanship are legendary to the industry.
I never met Rick i person as I am living remotely in Dubai. I did not get the opportunity to be in TRAFFIC. I wish one day I will. Once I got a reply from Rick in my over 10 years contact via personal email.I keep it as a bible. He is so busy in arrangeing all the events and writing his experiences for us. I only learned from him or his posts and I try to apply some of those and come back here to get more knowledge. He is open to all with his helping hand. Above all he is human and got the limitation in 24/7. Of course other guys here openly explained the insights that I had difficulties in understanding. Long live Domain King!