You’ve arrived at day 12 of 21 day2 to becoming a better domainer. ย You’re over the hump in this series. ย Today topic isย about giving back. ย I’ll accept checks, cash, Bitcoin, and select gift cards. ย Alright, sounded funnier in my head than when I wrote it. ย We’re talking about giving back to the domain community. ย There are many ways to do this and we’ll touch on a few.
You’ve been a domainer now for somewhere between 12 days (if you stumbled onto this series and began to follow along blindly) and 27 years (if you’re the guy that register Symbolics.com). ย In either case, you have gained some know-how. ย Maybe a little or maybe a massive amount. ย The fact is, you have something to share. ย Somewhere out there is a person or group of people that know less than you do. ย It’s in your best interest to spread the knowledge.
Teach a friend
One day, several years ago, I met an old work colleague for lunch. ย We hadn’t seen each other in quite some time and when we were catching up, I was speaking passionately about the domain industry. ย It intrigued him and he began asking me all sorts of questions. ย Some I had answers to and others I didn’t. ย As a result of this conversation, he wanted to meet so I could share more with him. ย This time, I decided to prepare. ย I wanted to impress and show that I knew what I was talking about. ย So I brushed up on some of the unanswered questions he previously had and tried to anticipate the flow of the conversation. ย In doing this prep work, I sharpened my own knowledge of what I was talking about. ย I filled in gaps I didn’t even know I was missing.
There is an Latin principle, Docendo discimus – ย “to teach is to learn.” ย I have found that is the most enjoyable way to learn and an effective way as well.
Comment on Forums and Blogs
Yes, we talked about this a couple of times, but sometimes it’s worth beating a dead horse. ย By doing so, you’ll hear from other who disagree with you and some for good reason. ย They may causeย you to question your train of thought. ย At the same time, you may influence others with your opinion as well, sending them down a new path in their domaining quest. ย Hell, if you have a simple tip, just share it. ย You’ll make other’s lives easier. ย I think these two quotes pair together well.
“There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees.” –ย Michel de Montaigne
โDon’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” – Desmond Tutu
More Ideas
I’m not all new age, butย there is some positive Karma in giving back. ย One selfish reason is be cause you tend to learn something yourself. ย Be inventive and find other ways to give back. ย You could startย a blog, write a guest post on a domain topic you’re passionate about (feel free to contact me if you have something in mind), create some new software tool or app that serves the industry, write a book, teach a class, start a parking company that makes money for domains that suck, write a top 10 pop song about domain names. ย There are may possibilities and you’ll enjoy what ever it is you choose to do. ย Just do something.
โRemember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.โ โ H. Jackson Brown Jr.
