IBM Never Bought the Domain. They Just Used It

In 2007, John Markus registered local.io thinking it would be a good domain for hosting programming projects. It was just another domain until September 2024, when he turned on a catch-all email address and discovered something most domain investors never see: accidental access to the internal systems of billion-dollar financial institutions, IBM's corporate network, cryptographic handling sites, and secure gitlab repositories.

Outbound or Silence: My Domain Decision Tree

Some domain investors consider outbound as a moral debate. I consider it a tool. Some names deserve a quiet landing page and patience. Others deserve a short, targeted push. Here is the decision tree I actually use when I'm looking at a domain and deciding: outbound or silence. Step 1: Risk check first Before I get excited, I try to talk myself out of trouble. Any obvious trademark landmines, brand confusion, celebrity names, or "sounds like" a protected brand: silence, or I drop it.

Turning Rejection into Intel

Do you hear it? The quiet after a buyer says no. You refresh your inbox, stare at the thread, and move on to the next thing. That's where money gets left on the table. I'm guilty of it too. For years I'd get a rejection and just... absorb it. File it under "people are cheap" or "they don't get it" and keep scrolling. Somewhere around 2019 I started actually writing them down. Now I write down everything.

January NamePros Recap: What Experience Teaches That Data Can’t

The "Perfect Buyer" for Your Domains

Some domain investors lose money because they buy bad names. Some lose money because they wait too long for the perfect buyer. I've watched both happen for years. But those waiting for the perfect buyer have almost a bigger probablem that is harder to recognize. Smart people. Solid portfolios. Reasonable acquisition costs. And yet nothing moves.

How to Find End Users

Finding real end users is the part of domain investing that separates hobbyists from professionals. Anyone can register names or win auctions. The hard work starts when you actually have to sell the damn things. I spent my first few years carpet-bombing every company that vaguely related to my domains. Generic info@ emails. Hundred-name lists. Templates I thought were clever.