Would Like Your Input on Next DNJournal.com Cover Story on BuyDomains

[GeorgeK]

1. Do they buy non-expiring names (i.e. in the secondary market), or just focus on expiring names? One would think that if they're spending $XYZ on 3-letter names, for example, they'd be interested in 3-letter names that other people already own.

2. What's the average age, in months, of their inventory, and how long do they wait to lower prices to move it?

[Duke]

Originally posted by GeorgeK
1. Do they buy non-expiring names (i.e. in the secondary market), or just focus on expiring names? One would think that if they're spending $XYZ on 3-letter names, for example, they'd be interested in 3-letter names that other people already own.

Excellent question George and one I hadn't thought of. I will include that.

[ps123]

1. Do they ever approach potential buyers with cold calls or are all their sales made by queries initiated by potential buyers?

2. Do they own any developed site/s?

[JuniperPark]

1) Why does none of their staff answer email?

2) Why do they not respond to price requests via their web site?

[Duke]

Originally posted by JuniperPark
1) Why does none of their staff answer email?

I have already wrapped up my interviews with Michael Mann, so you'll have to drop them an email to get an answer to that question. :-D

Seriously, the interview material is excellent and I got a lot of surprising answers that really shed some light on what Mann and BD are all about . As I expected he didn't want to answer all of the proprietary dollars and cents questions a lot of people had (he's too smart to give away the blueprint to his business) but I think what he did have to say about their operation, the prices they pay, the domain business today, WLS, Verisign and other topics is far more interesting anyhow. We expect to have the story posted next weekend (Aug. 15-17). You will know a heck of a lot more about Michael Mann and BuyDomains after you read it (and you may end up liking the guy whether you want to or not! )

[DomainMyName]

Originally posted by Duke


I do not do interviews by phone. They are done in writing. I submit the questions I want the subject to answer. He fills out the quesionnaire and returns it to me. This has many benefits and has yielded much better information than you get in off the cuff phone interviews where the subject doesn't have time to think about all of the details he might otherwise forget to provide. It allows them to take their time and give more thoughtful answers and also gives me a written record which does away with "I was misquoted" complaints.

Sorry, Duke. I must respectfully and emphatically disagree with your interview protocols.

I made my bones in journalism, albeit sports broadcast journalism, and for the past 25 years have served as CEO of a national public relations firm (www.newsbureau.net). Few know the ins-and-outs of newsroom protocols better than I do.

That said, and no offense intended, no print journalist worth his weight in ink would EVER either suggest or submit to interviewing a subject by questionnaire -- with the only exception being political candidates who are asked to complete a questionnaire PRIOR to be interviewed face-to-face by an editorial board.

Here's the inherent folly of your methodology:

1. The very LAST thing a writer EVER wants to give a subject is time to think through his/her answers. Candor is king. Questionnaire "interviews" afford the respondent time and opportunity to tailor answers to fit his/her own agenda, exclusively. And if the respondent retains PR counsel, bet your best domain that the written responses will be carefully reviewed, edited and sanitized. In our business, that's call puff. And even sophomore journalists will detect the stench of crafted responses before their eyes reach the first comma. It's unprintable, self-serving garbage.

2. Candor is the casualty of questionnaire journalism. In a face-to-face (or telephone) interview, the respondent can't easily dodge or dance around uncomfortable questions and follow-up questions, nor craft pat answers that are really of no interest or insight to the reader.

3. Furthermore, you've neutered the all-important follow-up questions. Those unscripted responses are ALWAYS are more revealing and expansive than the original questions, and inherently test the respondent's truthfulness and credibility.

4. When the subject and/or respondent is controversial, which is precisely the case with BuyDomains.com, multiply the importance of items 1, 2 and 3 by 100.

I could drop about 50 more good reasons why your questionnaire method will produce a flawed product, but it's 3:10am and I've got a early client meeting.

If you want to do justice to this important feature, nix the questionnaire, pick up the phone and engage the subject in DIALOG. That's the grist that make a story come to life. Anything less, well, isn't journalism. It's puff. Useless puff.

Your readers WANT to know the subject, not his PR people. You can't deliver the goods without first knowing him yourself.

'Nuff said. Do the right thing. And deliver the goods.

Scott

[DomainMyName]

Originally posted by Duke


I have already wrapped up my interviews with Michael Mann, so you'll have to drop them an email to get an answer to that question. :-D

Ugh. Too late. I should have scrolled down the thread before posting.

Still, it's not too late to pickup the phone and complete the interview.

Scott

[Duke]

If we were 60 Minutes I would agree. We are not - we are a domain industry trade magazine and a lot of people seem to miss that seemingly obvious fact. We have done 7 cover stories (and many feature columns) and I doubt you will find many people here who did not find them to be extremely interesting, insightful and helpful in improving their own businesses (all you have to do is read the past threads here about the DNJ cover stories to verify that). That is our mission with Domain Name Journal and it is the mission of most trade magazines.

I have also been in media all of my life (as it happens also in sports much of that time - 17 years as a major market television sportcaster who has had stories picked up by both ABC and CBS TV). I have done it all - newspapers, magazines, radio, TV (both as a news director and a sports director) and I have used all methods depending upon the job I needed to do. I will use whatever methods are best for the given circumstances. For the domain business, the questionnaires have been great. I have gotten thoughtful truthful responses that have yielded what most people seem to think are excellent helpful articles about the industry.

As a domain professional as well I can easily spot BS. Trade magazines are not about "ambush" interviews hoping to trick someone into making themselves look bad. It is about learning how successful companies and individuals reached the stage they are at so others can learn from that.

Michael Mann's questions never went to a PR firm - he had them back to me within a couple of hours after I submitted them and he never would have answered with such candor if he was listening to a PR flack. I shot him some follow up questions by email after midnight on some nights and had an answer back within seconds. I will venture to say that what he had to say will be extremely interesting to virtually every one in this business.

This is a small industry - most of us already know or at least know about the leaders we talk to. I knew enough about Mann from friends who already knew him well to know he would not pull any punches and he didn't. The questionnaire approach gives me what I want for our readers, very detailed and thoughtful information about how the subject approaches the business and got to where they are. Off the cuff comments would not have yielded anywhere near the insight I have gotten from them.

While they teach the basics you talk about in journalism school, the one size fits all approach does not yield the best results in the real world in my opinion. Experience is the best teacher and I don't mind throwing away the book at all to get better results for the job at hand. I have no problem at all with anything that has been printed in DNJ to date and expect to continue to be proud of what we produce in the future. Individual readers can make up their own minds about whether they are getting something honest and useful from us on not. We will succeed or fail on their judgments.

You say that my methods can only produce "unprintable, self-serving garbage". Those were the methods used to produce every cover story in DNJ, so all of them are either unprintable self-serving garbage or you are wrong. I have an opinion as to which it is but people can make up their own minds.

Certainly there are SOME instances where I would not use the questionnaire approach, one obvious one being with a massive corporation like Verisign. If companies need to be called to task we will do that - which is what the upcoming DNJ Watchdog column will be all about. In any case to each his own - I have never been much of a follower and I have nothing against textbooks in general - but I have found it is often helpful to throw away preconceived notions and put less importance on protocol and more on results. If someone else wants to go by the book 100% of the time in every situation, they can certainly do that - it's a free country.

[Nexus]

I get your point, Scott, but I agree with Duke that you can get some good interviews by questionaire that are very useful and interesting for people in a particular industry.

For instance, I have a matrix of questions that were used in the comicbook industry round-robin:
http://www.figma.com/secretsofart.shtm

It's been a VERY popular feature on the website, and you'll have to note, that the NATURE of the question certainly helps. If you are getting a perspective... spontaneity is preferable, but unless its a volatile subject, you may get a more thoughtful answer with a questionaire. On dodgy questions... as Duke note like "60 minutes" type stuff, you will certainly get garbage, puff, or spin. Depending on the nature of the interviewee, its more or less likely.

Often times with busy schedules and such, a phone call is a huge drain, face-to-face is impossible, and e-mail is more than likely to fetch a response at all.

You definitely have every right to dislike it though. Someone else should do a live interview sometime. I'm sure it will have a different feel to it (more spontaneous), and reveal other things. In the end, it may not be as valuable for some as for others though.

~ Nexus

[trader]

Originally posted by Duke If we were 60 Minutes I would agree. We are not - we are a domain industry trade magazine and a lot of people seem to miss that seemingly obvious fact. ......Trade magazines are not about "ambush" interviews hoping to trick someone into making themselves look bad. It is about learning how successful companies and individuals reached the stage they are at so others can learn from that.......

IMO this written Q & A inteview approach is very valid and by far the best method regarding Trade Magazine type of interviews with professionals.

Keep up the good work Duke.

[DomainMyName]

Originally posted by Duke
[B]I have also been in media all of my life (as it happens also in sports much of that time - 17 years as a major market television sportcaster who has had stories picked up by both ABC and CBS TV). I have done it all - newspapers, magazines, radio, TV (both as a news director and a sports director) ...

Holy Salty Sol Fleishman, Duke! You're in Tampa! That's where I began my broadcaster career, as host of the Bay Area's first sports talk show (WDAE). Small world. (I left in 1976, when I was passed over for the Bucs' play-by-play job, and returned to Miami to succeed Larry King.)

I will use whatever methods are best for the given circumstances. For the domain business, the questionnaires have been great. I have gotten thoughtful truthful responses that have yielded what most people seem to think are excellent helpful articles about the industry.

If you served as a news director, then there's no point in arguing the virtues of my arguments. Although we subscribe to different methodologies, you certainly understand traditional interview protocols and their inherent merits.

Trade magazines are not about "ambush" interviews hoping to trick someone into making themselves look bad.

Agreed. Nevertheless, you cannot effectively get into the respondent's head without dialog. The Q&A format might work for a verbatim Q&A read, but it fails to deliver the depth and perspective necessary for a feature story.

I shot him some follow up questions by email after midnight on some nights and had an answer back within seconds.

Impressive, and surprisingly so, but still not dialog.

The questionnaire approach gives me what I want for our readers, very detailed and thoughtful information about how the subject approaches the business and got to where they are. Off the cuff comments would not have yielded anywhere near the insight I have gotten from them.

Tom McEwen, the venerable former sports editor of the Tampa Tribune, once explained that the best way to really get to know a subject is on the golf course, citing that the time and intimacy of the dialog supercedes the necessity for a notepad. I never actually followed his admonition because I don't have the patience or inclination to play golf. Borrrr-ring.

But I understood the simple logic behind his admonition and have successfully mined subject insights using alternative social/business avenues. And McEwen's wisdom has served me well in both business and journalism.

I point this up not to suggest that it's essential to a good story, but rather the underscore the theory that the best stories evolve from dialog.

Experience is the best teacher and I don't mind throwing away the book at all to get better results for the job at hand ... but I have found it is often helpful to throw away preconceived notions and put less importance on protocol and more on results.

That said, I take no issue with what works best for YOUR purposes. You certainly know your constituency better than I do.

No offense intended.

Gotta bolt.

Scott

[Luc]

Duke, any chance we could get a sneak peek of the interview?

[Duke]

Originally posted by DomainMyName
Holy Salty Sol Fleishman, Duke! You're in Tampa! That's where I began my broadcaster career, as host of the Bay Area's first sports talk show (WDAE)....
Tom McEwen, the venerable former sports editor of the Tampa Tribune, once explained that the best way to really get to know a subject is on the golf course, citing that the time and intimacy of the dialog supercedes the necessity for a notepad.

Tom McEwen & Salty Sol were both personal friends (Sol has since passed away of course)...Sol in particular as I worked for the same CBS station - channel 13 (WTVT). Sol's protege, Andy Hardy and I were the sports team at Ch. 13 throughout the 80's when Ch. 13 simply demolished the competition - we had over 55% of the viewing audience.

I worked with some great people there. Sharyl Atkisson, who is a key correspondent on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, will tell you that I got her her first major market job at channel 13 (getting her out of a small UHF station in Ft. Pierce). Current NBC correspondent Cary Sanders was also part of our team (Cary as you probably know worked in Miami before going to the network), as was current FOX-TV NFL Reporter Pam Oliver (who did news for us). I also have many friends still in Miami TV that you probably know, including WTVJ's legendary sports director Bernie Rosen and his protege Tony Segreto (who switched from being sports director to news anchor) and another current news anchor Kelly Craig (who I worked with in Tampa).

You mentioned subjects setting their agenda when answering by questionnaire (those kinds of answers are actually quite easy to spot and edit appropriately). What you don't mention, and in fact no one in journalism wants to mention, is the agenda the reporters themselves often bring to stories.

Journalists are not priests who are without fault and can always be counted on to deliver nothing but the truth. They are a cross section of humanity. I worked with reporters who were drunks, gamblers, wifebeaters, you name it. They could do the greatest phone interview in the world but what makes it to print may have little resemblance to what was said on the phone. That is why the general public expresses such low regard and trust for the press in every poll you see.

Even in sports, I could videotape an interview with a major athlete and if I wanted to, when I got back to the editing booth I could make him look like the biggest ass in the world if I wanted to (though often they didn't need my help ). While doing TV I would stand next to print guys in the Bucs locker room and hear every word the player spoke into their recorder. When the story was published the next day you would never dream it was based on that "dialog" you heard the night before.

I'm sure it's good to teach basic interview principals to college freshmen, but in the real world, if you are a good reporter, I think you should use the methods that are best to get results for the kind of project you are working on. For DNJ, I don't care if my information comes to me from a phone call, an email, a questionnaire, carrier pigeon, smoke signals or a couple of soup cans connected by a string - as long as I think it is accurate and helpful to readers.

In any case in the end your are going to get MY impression of that person and nothing else. You can decide to trust me or not. Whether I chat with the guy on the phone or not (and actually I often do in conjunction with the quesionnaires) is going to have little to do with the credibility of what I finally put down on paper. If my gut instinct tells me what they are giving me is not credible, I'm never going to put it down no matter how the information came to me.

[Duke]

Originally posted by DomainRetriever
Duke, any chance we could get a sneak peek of the interview?

Silly boy - Then there would be no need for you to visit my site when the story is up. :-D

[Luc]

Originally posted by Duke


Silly boy - Then there would be no need for you to visit my site when the story is up. :-D

i don't know if i can wait that long.

[hiOsilver]

If anyone has shown professionalism in his posts here as well as his DNJ articles, it is the Duke. That is the bottom line.

Keep up the great work at DNJournal! I can't wait to read the Mann interview.

[DomainMyName]

Originally posted by Duke
[B]

Tom McEwen & Salty Sol were both personal friends (Sol has since passed away of course)...Sol in particular as I worked for the same CBS station - channel 13 (WTVT). Sol's protege, Andy Hardy and I were the sports team at Ch. 13 throughout the 80's when Ch. 13 simply demolished the competition - we had over 55% of the viewing audience.

Unbelievable. Andy and I played a "grudge partido" at the Tampa Jai Alai Fronton to satisy our mutually broadcast claims of being the best amateur jai alai player in Tampa. Of course, I whooped his little ass 15-2, but it was great fun and made for an hilarious feature on his 11pm sports segment (set to Spike Jones' music . I was sorry to learn that Andy passed away, particularly at such a young age.

It seems odd, but possible, that we had never met. Nevertheless, I suspect you knew my successor, Mark Champion, who eventually landed the Bucs play-by-play job. (Can you say, "slithering snake"?)

As for 13's admittedly dominating ratings, I suspect they a suffered a seismic tremor when Hugh Smith got caught with, shall we say, his pants down? Never happened to Cronkite

I worked with some great people there ... Current NBC correspondent Cary Sanders was also part of our team (Cary as you probably know worked in Miami before going to the network) ... I also have many friends still in Miami TV that you probably know, including WTVJ's legendary sports director Bernie Rosen and his protege Tony Segreto (who switched from being sports director to news anchor) and another current news anchor Kelly Craig (who I worked with in Tampa).

Kerry and I worked togather on several stories when he was at NBC6 in Miami ... Tony, who evolved from sports into NB6's lead NEWS anchor slot, and I go back a lonnnnng way ... and Bernie, who is indeed a legendary producer and talent spotter, I've known since I was in high school, as both friend and mentor. He had a stroke a few years ago, but recovered enough to return to work. Although now in a consulting role, he still spends most of his time at NBC6. None better!

You keep VERY good company, Duke! I'm impressed.

Journalists are not priests ...

No, but Hugh Smith came close

... who are without fault and can always be counted on to deliver nothing but the truth. They are a cross section of humanity. I worked with reporters who were drunks, gamblers, wifebeaters, you name it ...

I guess we DO know many of the same people

I'm sure it's good to teach basic interview principals to college freshmen, but in the real world, if you are a good reporter, I think you should use the methods that are best to get results for the kind of project you are working on. For DNJ, I don't care if my information comes to me from a phone call, an email, a questionnaire, carrier pigeon, smoke signals or a couple of soup cans connected by a string - as long as I think it is accurate and helpful to readers.

I think we've prety much beaten this topic to death already. At this point, I think we can simply agree to respectfully disagree. Nevertheless, your pedigree suggests that you know what you're doing and what works best for you, so I'll just step down from the pulpit and await the result.

I promise to be exceedingly impressed if, per chance, you can convince Mann to snag sex.com for me

(How the hell did we manage to get into this crazy business anyway?!?!)

Best regards,
and continued success,

Scott

[Duke]

Originally posted by DomainMyName
It seems odd, but possible, that we had never met. Nevertheless, I suspect you knew my successor, Mark Champion, who eventually landed the Bucs play-by-play job

I came to Tampa in 1983. You said you left in 1976. I do remember Mark Champion very well. Don't know whatever happened to him but another old friend, Gene Deckerhoff, took his place and is still doing a great job.

Originally posted by DomainMyName
Bernie, who is indeed a legendary producer and talent spotter, I've known since I was in high school, as both friend and mentor. He had a stroke a few years ago, but recovered enough to return to work. Although now in a consulting role, he still spends most of his time at NBC6. None better!

I spoke with Bernie last fall when I was involved in putting together a 30 year reunion of the unbeaten 1972 Dolphins in Miami. He sounded very good at the time and was glad to have come back out of retirement - though he joined me in bemoaning the state of TV news today (one of the primary reasons I left).

In the old days if a sales guy walked into the newsroom and wanted you to do a story because it involved one of his clients we would kick his ass out of the room! Now the sales departments practically run the newsrooms and the boundaries that once wisely separated the two have been erased in the interest of greater corporate profits for the conglomerates that have taken over the industry. That is why I say you need to think about the reporter's agenda as much as the subject's. These days I often trust the interviewee more than the interviewer.

[DomainMyName]

Originally posted by Duke
[B]

I came to Tampa in 1983. You said you left in 1976. I do remember Mark Champion very well. Don't know whatever happened to him but another old friend, Gene Deckerhoff, took his place and is still doing a great job.

Champion is now the voice of the Detriot Lions.

I spoke with Bernie last fall when I was involved in putting together a 30 year reunion of the unbeaten 1972 Dolphins in Miami.

Did my ex-wife hire you to follow me?!?! Lloyd Mumford stayed at my place before checking into Shula's for the weekend. Remember the bus ride to Dolphin's training camp? My kids and I were on the bus with Lloyd and Howard Twilley, then had lunch in the veranda adjacent to the practice field. No doubt, YOU were there too!!

Unbelievable.

He sounded very good at the time and was glad to have come back out of retirement - though he joined me in bemoaning the state of TV news today (one of the primary reasons I left).

I spoke with Bernie a few months ago and he chanted the same mantra. Still, he lives for the business.

When I find a few minutes, I'll give you a buzz.

Scott

[Duke]

Originally posted by DomainMyName
Lloyd Mumford stayed at my place before checking into Shula's for the weekend. Remember the bus ride to Dolphin's training camp? My kids and I were on the bus with Lloyd and Howard Twilley, then had lunch in the veranda adjacent to the practice field. No doubt, YOU were there too!!

Actually you are talking about the official 30 year reunion that the Dolphins put on not long after the event I'm talking about. I was working with a private celebrity memorabilia company that put together a reunion on South Beach in October involving about 20 of those Dolphins who are clients of our company. In fact Lloyd Mumford flew down from Tampa with me for that event. There's a guy with some great stories and if he ever writes the book he keeps talking about, Don Shula is going to be a very unhappy camper.