Evolution of a Domainer

[carlton]

Think back to when you first became involved in domaining. Do you remember what specifically led you in this direction? Was it a sudden realization? Or a slow path around the bend to where you are today?

Evolution of a Domainer

... by premiumdomains.biz

[Tia Wood]

I was "domain investing" long before I knew what it was. I started in development in 1999/2000. I had always experimented with different ideas for sites. Over time, my portfolio grew. I had sold and bought domains/websites before in the past, even before I know what domain investing was. It was fun to me. Still is. Only now I know it has a name.

[Acro]

Domaining, domainer....to this day I cannot embrace these words fully. I am first and foremost a child of the modern era of information technology. Well, it was modern back in 1981

Everyone has a story and to be here to tell it, suggests that they are able to use a computer. With regards to the Internet, I first came across email and other networking functions through ja.net in the late 80's. In the mid 90's I was directly involved with the Internet, right as the commercialization began and the BBS paradigm evolved into that of an ISP. To cut a long story short, in the last 3 months of 1994 and onto 1995 you could register pretty much any domain name you could think of; but I didn't have $100 a pop to spare.

Although I worked in the ISP industry I rarely perused the web in those early stages, especially with the Mosaic browser on Windows 3.1 and 3rd party "winsock" software. After Win95 came out with the native TCP/IP stack, we could use applications directly over the fast...14.4k dialup modems Another year passed by and I didn't register my first domain until February of '97 to host my design portfolio.

Even then, from that point until the next domain almost 2 years passed. Damn you, NetSol prices! What got me into the game was GoDaddy and their $12 domains so from late 1999 onwards I started registering domains intending to develop them (but what really happened with that, is another story)

[carlton]

I was "domain investing" long before I knew what it was.

You just reminded me how often it happens that people are involved in doing something long before society comes up with a label for it.

... I first came across email and other networking functions through ja.net in the late 80's. In the mid 90's I was directly involved with the Internet, right as the commercialization began and the BBS paradigm evolved into that of an ISP ... I started registering domains intending to develop them (but what really happened with that, is another story)

Acro, I had a brief stint trying to use Compuserve with a 14.4 external modem I bought at Office Depot. This was around 1995, maybe 1996. I paid $15/month for the Compuserve account just to see what this BBS stuff was about. It worked, but I lost interest and didn't realize that was the beginning of the commercial internet. I'd been using a PC since 1989 for midi sequencing and the Compuserve was supposed to provide access to the new "online" midi community. You got involved pretty early compared to most. Yeah, those NetSol reg fees were a huge hurdle at $100. I think my first domain with them was reg'd around $140. Darn, what a sucker!