The Real Elliot Silver and More
By Alan on Jun 17, 2011 in Random
Some domainers have been around for years while others are just learning how to spell GoDaddy however it doesn’t matter if you are young or old in this industry, even veterans have made mistakes over the years.
Somewhere around 2004 I dropped my .com (alandunn.com) for reasons which still baffle me today. This mistake not only cost me losing my name but also any blind date I go on is difficult since there is a much prettier version of me and someone who actually knows how to cook located at the site today.
Domaining is a small community and one where many of us have good times and bad times. There are certain groups who play more with others, some who live in a different country every six months for residency (tax) reasons, others who think they know everything but are willing to sell their soul for $100 and then of course, the crazy people who comment on blogs and need therapy.
However there are certain elements of domain investing which are common to all and securing your own name .com is important. I stopped blogging a while ago since it’s extremely unproductive and Elliot, Michael, Andrew and Shane do a much better job. However I couldn’t help but share some of the mistakes or missed opportunities other domainers also had over the years.
Michael Robertson
All around cool dude from the other side of the pond. Most will know him from being one of the faces of Fabulous over the years and is now part of DomainGaurdians.com – However I think when Michael sleeps he dreams of raising $100 million in venture capital money like the real Michael Robertson
http://www.michaelrobertson.com
Hang in there mate!
Brian Gilbert
For those who know Brian Gilbert (and his lovely wife of 12 years Charlotte) its rare not to find great joy in his presence. His laughter and knowledge of the domain sector space is one most domainers would envy and both of the Gilbert’s are just all around genuine people. However the real Brian Gilbert is proud of his work with “The Queen of Clean” and her Vapamore Steam Cleaning System. I know there is a bad joke here somewhere.
Elliot Silver
Author of ElliotsBlog.com and one of the nicest guys you can meet in the world, Elliot has been around for a while. Many of us are addicted to this little guy’s blog more than coffee however did you know the real Elliot Silver is a yoga Jedi and around 6 feet tall!
http://web.me.com/elliotsilver/Yoga/photos.html
Craig Snyder
Another great guy in the domain space and GM of Oversee but even this Navy Seal didn’t acquire his own name. The real question however is who would win in a battle – the Craig Snyder we know from a Navy Seal team or the real Craig Snyder who celebrated building his own forging hammer last year?
http://craigsnyder.com/2010/hammer-time
Jeff Kupietzky
President of Oversee, $17 million in sales the last quarter, millions of domains parked, a Harvard education yet… can somebody buy his name as a present please.
Any other domainers you know where the .com is used by an “impersonator” 
Ron Wells | Jun 17, 2011 | Reply
Nice post Alan!
Here’s 2 guys that I know personally. Their .com is used by an “impersonator”:
Oscar Correa (San Diego Domainer)
http://www.oscarcorrea.com/
Jason Thompson (Blogger at DNPimping.com)
http://www.jasonthompson.com/
No disrespect to the current owners … especially the owner of JasonThompson.com!
mike | Jun 17, 2011 | Reply
I got started building websites in 1994 and registered my first domain name in 1995. But I truly did not “get it” and not only failed to register killer domains but even failed to secure my-own-name.com Another guy with my name got the dot com in 96 or 97 just 3 or 4 months before I tried, and has never dropped it. Why would he?
Brian Gilbert | Jun 17, 2011 | Reply
Hahhaah. Awesome!
Joe | Jun 18, 2011 | Reply
Nice post!
rjb | Jun 18, 2011 | Reply
I own my full name .com and my two kids too. My wife, I have her first name in my country code tld. Helps to have an uncommon last name or first name, even though my last name is only 5 letters.
glaxxon | Jun 18, 2011 | Reply
Nice post. Well you have motivated be to by my own name in .com & my cctld.
Don’t really blog, but well its better to own it than to regret it in the future.
Alan | Jun 18, 2011 | Reply
Glaxxon, good move.
You don’t have to blog or even have a website to make use of it. I know a lot of people who simply forward the name to their LinkedIn profile.
Then on a business card or footer they simply reference theirname.com
Much cheaper than reprinting business cards with any contact change and much better for maintaining/building contacts through a social media network instead of the old fashioned way.
Joe | Jun 19, 2011 | Reply
I made sure my two kids names were available before they were born, if not they would have different names today. I own Joe, Joseph and Mr. mylastname.com and have for 10 years now.
Mike Robertson | Jun 20, 2011 | Reply
Great blog post Alan. As soon as I realized the value of domains and began working at a domain related company I tried (unsuccessfully) to secure my name .com, both Michael and Mike but both were long gone. Michael Robertson is the guy behind mp3.com, so it’s safe to say he was well ahead of the pack there. I had contacted both owners over 8 years ago, neither wanted to sell. I’ve had to settle for others, MikeRobertson.com.au and MikeyRobbo.com. If anyone can land Mike or Michael Robertson.com, it’d make a great Birthday present for my 30th this October.
Wade Coye | Jun 22, 2011 | Reply
Although I do own wadecoye.com I have moved my blog to be more directly linked with my law firm’s site. It’s better to own the domain so I don’t have to worry about it, but the less running around I (and when I say that, I mean, “my staff”) have to do to edit, update, and post at various sites is more efficient for everyone. Thanks for the reminder that one can never be too careful in today’s technological world.
Buy rich dad education real estate success software | Jun 24, 2011 | Reply
Interesting observation on how real elliot can shape ones perspective. This is very beneficial information. Great job Alan.
wikimouse | Feb 14, 2012 | Reply
LOL, I was doing a research on your sites and saw that website… your name might be in a lot of places on the web but when people google it, they see that pretty boy. That’s funny.
This is an interesting site… not sure (yet) if it’s yours but I will be reading the stuff here…