First I want to say that your words “a Domainer is nothing more than a glamorized term that cybersquatters like to label themselves” is wrong. There is a clearly a difference between those who invest in domain names as assets (domainer) than a cybersquatter. Most, if not all, professionals in this industry would define cybersquatters as people who try to make money from domains or typos of well known trademarks. There is no doubt this industry has a lot of bad apples in it – probably no more than selling used cars – but I will say there is a big difference.

Secondly, I will agree however that public perception would probably agree with you since most people have no idea what business models are set up to earn revenue and how generic domains with traffic do constitute a valid business model. Any generic domain name – take the one you mentioned, babybibs.com – can be owned by anyone with/without the use of intent. Think of all the empty parking lots in downtown Vancouver or Toronto where the owners charge $10-$20 a day to park, only to ask for more on game nights.

Are these people squatters?

No, they are smart investors with prime land. Many will never develop but that was probably never their intent – it was to buy the land and hold out for a good price from a developer some day while making some money along the way from parking revenue (comparable to ad revenue with domains).

I think most domainers (the ones who people know) do exactly the same thing. Of course, the ones who participate in cybersquatting (using our definition) usually hide behind false whois, privacy or fake monikers but there is a real industry of professionals who invest for value and future development.

Back to my quote about winning public perception. Is it like the war on drugs? Maybe. Cybersquatters are so visible in what they do their activities definitely can overshadow all the real business models in place but I’ve seen many industries turn from negative to positive so there is hope for the massess to see value here one day. Of course, you don’t need the masses to make a lot of money in this industry but the goldmine – the day when domains are bought in high volumes and greater prices – that day can not be ruled out.

You are right about developing domains as one of the keys to educating the masses but many domainers are soooo new that learning development has just begun and there will be a learning curve for many so success stories will come but in time (many are already alive like americanflags.com). Much more has yet to be told. The last 5 years have been about buying for many domainers and now the industry is moving towards more development so hopefully many of today’s investors will have developed properties with real business models (not adsense pages) in the future. Only time will tell.

As for the “they don’t get it” whine comment you made. I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Anyone who owns a good domain can always find a buyer or develop a good project around the domain. It’s usually the owner of a domain like wannabuyahotdogor2atmyplace.info who will whine – the rest of us know what we have.

Thanks for the comments. Some may read your post and go off like a rocket but I do not think you were trying to insult the industry but provide an educated opinion on how the general public perceives the industry in its current state. Enjoyed your comments – almost went off when I say the term “cybersquatter” but I understand your arguments and choose to agree/disagree as above.

Cheers.

I am not sure this will ever be possible, due to the inherent nature of things.

Unfortunately the truth is that, a Domainer is nothing more than a glamorized term that cybersquaters like to label themselves. You can change the name but you can’t change the perception in people’s mind once you tell them about what it is that you do, or when they find out themselves. And if you do then congratulations but i think that the effort far outweights any benefits.

No you don’t have to own any typos, or break trademark laws, to earn the honorable title of “cybersquater”, you can legally own a legit generic, category defining domain like for example babybibs.com. If you own such a domain (a thousands such domains) and for whatever reason you are forced into leaving it parked, or undeveloped, you are squatting on a domain, the land in cyberspace, hence cybersquater, that is i believe the correct description of what you are doing.

Squatters squat on real land. Cybersqutters squat on cyberland aka domains.
Lets be clear there is nothing wrong with squatting, it is just that this kind of activity inherently does not carry a whole lot of charisma in peoples eyes outside the domainer “industry”. And no amount of education will change that, it is what it is.

I hear alot about “we need to educate” the general public, the media, so they like us more, and see through the light and get that what we are doing is valuable, that these assets are valuable, valuable to them, worth millions. I can’t think of a better way of educating anyone, than developing your domains. Any other education is a bit like trying to educate someone who likes chocolate that strawberry flavour is the better tasting flavour.

Oh and the “they don’t get it” whine. Usually when someone doesn’t get something, it’s because there is nothing to get, or they get something that is much bigger and dwarfs the idea or benefits that you are trying to convince them of, or your argument, communication is not persuasive enough.

Of course you can just conclude something about their ignorance, in which case, any amount of education will not help right? Unless you educate by examples of developed properties. But since you can’t develop them all, you can’t escape the wrath of being a domainer (cybersquater).

So to conclude, do domainers play an important role in the internet marketplace, do they bring value, ofcourse yes. Will this role ever be popular outside the domaining underworld, which will launch the “domaining industry” into stratosphere, most likely not.

I’m a domainer, and the definition of a domainer is someone who takes domains and makes a living from them. Most domainers focus on domains full time for their income. There are a myriad of ways to monetize domains, and all of them that work for someone who owns domains proves that person is a ‘domainer’. That means developing, parking, flipping or pointing to a website selling your own products.

Latona has a nice buildout service, but I’m partial *ahem* to the fastest and least expensive solution for content development for domainers who aren’t making money from PPC — that is WhyPark.com.

As the VP of Biz Dev at WhyPark, I’m authorized to give out 100 free accounts for ten domains to be “condevved”. (I love making up words to keep me from typing out long phrases). Condevved means “content development”.

I’m inviting your readers to open up a free account at http://www.whypark.com/successclick/ and park 10 domains of their choice for free for 90 days, and test our system. (Bring over domains that make you no money).

Who knows? With the right keywords and a lot of domains parked at WhyPark.com and other monetizing sources, you could become a domainer very quickly.

Stephen Douglas
WhyPark.com

Its a learning experience and many people have not dabbled in the developing area of the industry and do not have the high skill set that some us have. Which in return turns out the crappy adsense pages. There are also many factors of why people put those types of sites up. Skills, lazy, time, and money are all examples of what could effect the site as a whole and others that are created by the same person.

This is where Rick Latona comes in with his company. Offering what he has to offer is a great alternative to the crappy adsense pages. Though it may cost a pretty dollar it is worth it to put a site up like that on a semi-good to awesome domain name. Potentially make more and drive traffic to the domain rather than sit and wait. Plus on top of that he goes the extra mile and offers a sort of SEO package with the site, which is awesome.

The industry is evolving and it takes more than money and to know how to change a nameserver to make money these days in the industry.

Good Luck!

Now you brought up those silly AdSense pages. Well i would consider that development. At least the person produced a somewhat quality site that actually contributes to the internet as a whole. Weather the info is correct or not it is an actual site and not a link filled mine field. Plus it took some skill to make the site and actually get it on to the internet instead of just changing the NameServers.

The industry as a whole is very confusing and only the brightest minds shine. To succeed in the industry you have to come up with more of a business model than just simply know the industry. For most big names that has been PPC or Auctioning off names. Sounds like the stereotype to me does it not? I think the one person i see actually adapting to and evolving the industry is Rick Latona. I have noticed he is actually on top of things and creating liquidity and alternatives to parking in the time of need.

So in all reality it is the people that are speaking out against the stereotypes now that actually created them in the first place.

And YES i am a Domainer /(SLASH) Developer