Premium domain hack: Lapto.ps - appraisal?

[petrosc]

Hi all

I was watching it for a long time, and once ir dropped I grabbed it.

Lapto.ps

Any ideas about value, or suggestions on development etc?

Thanks
P

[DNP]

.ps - Palestina? Any restrictions?

[katherine]

IMO it's not worth reg fee...
I guess it dropped for a reason.

[oveber]

IMO it's not worth reg fee...
I guess it dropped for a reason.

Agree

[petrosc]

.ps is palestina -

As far as reselling goes, here is a copy/paste from their regulations: "The Domain delegatio8 is personal and not transferable from a domain owner to a new domain owner unless the domain name is transferred with the business assets of the Registrant. "

Although I don't understand the last part with the business assets(maybe somebody can explain) there is more to it than pure reseller value. Domain hacks have the privilege of being extraordinarily memorable and brandable, thus making it a perfect alternative for someone who wants to build a website but doesn't have money to buy laptops.com

IMO it's not worth reg fee...
I guess it dropped for a reason.

Although you may be right, you cannot use the fact that it dropped to speculate on it's value. Why did laon.com which recently sold for $500k drop?

[katherine]

If I read this right .ps domains are not supposed to be sold. Still the registry is offering a bunch of premium domains for sale at above-standard rates
Check business.ps for example (sedo parked page) then click details at the bottom to see the list.

To elaborate on my appraisal above, there are still plenty of generic keywords available under .ps so why bother with typos or domain hacks. Anway, you should not expect serious traffic without development.

[petrosc]

To elaborate on my appraisal above, there are still plenty of generic keywords available under .ps so why bother with typos or domain hacks. Anway, you should not expect serious traffic without development.

About the traffic part, it's obvious that there will be none, no domain hack can expect to have traffic(At least in most cases). But as I commented above in my previous post, it's about their brandability. Nothing special about laptops.ps ... the word with the extension is not memorable enough and besides the obvious SEO value, it has nothing special to it.

Lapto.ps on the other hand is somewhat "weird", as all domain hacks, and are for this reason much more memorable than an ordinary domain. Eventhough I might not be able to sell it, there is still the possibility to build an affiliate website selling laptops and other computer related goods.

Anyway, what would be more memorable? Delicious.us or Del.icio.us?

If I read this right .ps domains are not supposed to be sold. Still the registry is offering a bunch of premium domains for sale at above-standard rates

I'm really not sure about the selling part, maybe someone can tell us exactly what the following means?

"The Domain delegatio8 is personal and not transferable from a domain owner to a new domain owner unless the domain name is transferred with the business assets of the Registrant. "

[owntag]

This domain hack doesn't make sense to me. Can't see any value. but GOOD LUCK.

[Bill Roy]

In my opinion this is one of the best 'generic hacks' available. An advert for laptop computers (and accessories) with the website 'lapto.ps' automatically brings site recognition married with the product range. This domain is crying out for development (and when it is watch the previous owner cry over letting it drop).

For those who doubt the future of this type of domain (hacked domains) think back to the hacked domains you have seen previously, tens of them in number I bet, and yet you have never visited the sites (if they are developed that is), and yet still you remember them! Well you have to remember that the actual end-user of domains is not the website owner but members of the public, and members of the public like things that are simple, to them lapto.ps will present class, inginuity, and humour that will in the end at least rival laptops.com if not superceed it in popularity.

My understanding of the wording is that the domain can only be 'sold' as part of a business, i.e. as a shop front of an existing business and not just as an undeveloped domain name.

Good luck to you with this one, get a site up and get traffic to it and watch the advertising being done for you by the best advertising there is - word of mouth.

[petrosc]

and I was wondering... what is taking Bill so long?

You know.. Bill was the one who encouraged me to get it in the first place. If there is someone who understands the true potential of domain hacks, that is BILLBO. It takes an open mind to realise the value of domain hacks, just as it took an open mind to see the value of .com generics back in the 90's. The .com millionaires of today, were the laughing-stock among the business enterpreneurs back then.

[Bill Roy]

There is an old saying 'there is no such thing as bad publicity!' Not sure if this is really true, but.......

Imagine a computer company advertising in a newspaper, they describe all these laptops for sale, and then they tell you to go to 'ufhrpqwuf.com', that advert has cost them $x,xxx's. But for a fraction of that price you have advertised 'Lapto.ps', guess what, subconsciously every person who has seen your advert for 'Lapto.ps' prior to seeing the huge advert by 'ufhrpqwuf.com' will think of 'Lapto.ps', you will be stealing your competitors advertising, and what is more it is totally legal!

This applies to many hacked domain names not just to laptops/lapto.ps. It is a realization that many domainers do not yet understand, a revolution that is about to engulf the industry.

The question this domain raises above all else is 'are domains and domaining a mature industry or are they still evolving?'. My view is that domaining in general is a very young industry and those who think things are done and dusted (no matter how successful in the past) are like the giant dinosaurs, they look impressive, but they had better watch out for that meteorite!

[petrosc]

A superb article by DNF member Nametrader.com, on his blog doma.in

"Domain Hacks: Inventive and Catchy OR Poor Domainer’s Attempt at Being “Cool”?"
http://doma.in/?p=3

A must read!!!

[Acro]

I like it. It serves the purpose that *you* registered it for: laptops.

πετρο, εχω το malak.es για τον ίδιο λόγο

[katherine]

BILLBO you seem to be overoptimistic about domain hacks.

Just because some domain hack can sell for good money here and there (examples: blo.gs) does not mean there is going to be a thriving market for them.
And delicio.us (not even sure about the correct spelling lol ) is an awful name IMHO...

Still domain hacks can be successful but they need more promotion and branding effort. On the other hand the good names speak for themselves. They require less promotion. With type-in traffic you even get visitors without asking. You would much better off with laptops.com - that's the real thing.

To be honest I consider domain hacks a newbie mistake.
I agree the domain is 'cool' but that's it
I prefer to be a dinosaur and stick to generic .com

[petrosc]

πετρο, εχω το malak.es για τον ίδιο λόγο

lol na doume ti malaki.es tha valeis mesa

[Acro]

Mpa, einai apla ena pointer. To idio kai to camelto.es

[Bill Roy]

Sdsinc, in the past the same was said about .coms, was it not?

When you saw Lapto.ps did you read it as 'Lapto dot ps' or 'Laptops'? If you are anything like the vast majority of the rest of the English speaking/reading population your mind automatically read 'Laptops'!

It is time for domainers to spread their wings into the real world of the public at large. It has been the practice for domainers to look at type-ins, mis-types, etc., and think this is the be-all-and-end-all of domaining. But now with public usage of the internet spiralling upwards whilst other traditional media reduces the advertising industry and indeed commerce generally is hurtling head first onto the internet.

The advertising industry and large retailing businesses spend fortunes annually on research into the psychology of the public, why is it that the results from this can be so easily denied by domainers. Surely you are not expecting the advertising industry to turn around and say 'oh yes, everybody reads it as Laptops but we will ignor that and pay a fortune for Laptops.com instead!'

Dotcommers were once thought mavericks, now they seem to be the ultra conservative rear-guard (a generalisation only), and those whom challenge are now seen as the revolutionaries in the midst of domainers to be dismissed as irrelevent and mistaken. The torch of the revolution has, in my opinion, been handed over to the new mavericks, the domain hackers and those who bring in experience of the outside world.

In 2 years time which will have made the greater gain, Laptops.com valued at the very least $xxx,xxx at todays prices or Lapto.ps which has cost $xx?

Roll on the revolution, long may it live.

[Gerry]

I also like it for development potential.

Traffic, once developed, can come from many sources. Someone has the domain name DOMA.IN. A simple redirect and little DNS manipulation and promoting in the right places and right forums and you have a good start on a site dedicated to DOMAIN.

LAPTOPS is no different. I have WHIMS, WHAMS, STEAMS, HAREMS, STRUMS, CRAMS, FOAMS, MAXIMS, PRIMS, SWIMS, TRIMS, and DOCKSIDE to name a few.

None receive massive amounts of traffic but all have great development potential. Actually, www.whi.ms is getting quite a bit of traffic as I use this as a free web site to post available domain names. Not making a penny off of this but certainly very much appreciated free service as well as bringing some notice to the .ms extension.

Having been in the advertising business for decades, I guess I can appreciate the creativeness of words and find that this may be an unexplored and highly underappreciated side of domain words.

We all rave about dictionary words and generic words when they are right there in front of us. LAPTO.PS, DOMA.IN, and any other are good regs for the purpose of what they are...great words. These odd ccTLD's may not be mainstream yet, but we have seen what the right planning and promotion can do.

As for me, I do have plans for each of these I have registered to actually develop into web sites. There is nothing wrong with creativity and imagination. Unlike acronyms that need some explaination sometimes, these domains say everything you need to know about the word and the extension.

So, I say BRAVO to those that see things a little bit differently seeking to be creative. I think that is a healthy approach to this side of domaining. We might not get rich off of these, but that's why we have a portfolio comprising the remainder of our core domains.

Besides, anyone who does this will tell you it is downright FUN!

[yoyosean]

I have LaJol.la thought it was kind of neat.

[Pim(P)]

0$ Imo