Kinda back...

Hi everyone,

I've not posted regularly for a while but lurk every now and again. After seeing a few old timers post I thought I would too.

I might not be a regular poster in future but I'm interested to read where the UK domain market is and what will happen next year (I believe) when the 5 year grace period/right of .uk registration for .co.uk owners expires!

In the past I probably had 500+ UK domains, now down to <50, although I'm still a Nominet member/TAG holder - not really as worthwhile as it once used to be, but hard to break a habit of easily managing my domains - even if I have a few handfuls!

My main splurge right now is .NYC domains which I see significant parallels to .co.uk in terms of reasons for buy in over .com etc. I think that there'll be a day when .nyc is the goto domain for many NYC businesses and residents over .com in the same way that .com was second choice after .co.uk. If any one is interested, in the market Developed.nyc is where I write about the namespace, sales and news.

Anyways I probably didn't show it enough back then but Acorn was a great place when I was getting into domains years ago. I made enough money to avoid a proper job and was able to travel. It's sad because I never showed that I appreciated the community as much as I should have - I learned so much from many of you and completed so many great deals both as a buyer and a seller here.

If I can help anyone with anything - please shoot me a message - would love to give back a little more where I can this time.

Best,

Matt

p.s. I still have a few .co.uk sites that bring in a little income but I'm trying to cut back a little. If anyone is interested in a UK geo, I have the following that I'm thinking about selling again:

• morecambe.co.uk
• morecambe.uk
• @morecambe twitter handle
• Website content
• Also some nearby geos, garstang.co.uk and garstang.uk

I turned down a £5k offer on these from an acorn member a few years ago for the Morecambe domains without the Twitter account so would be expecting more if I'm to sell.
When I bought the domain and website it cost me about £3,000 (10 years ago) and the revenue, although dwindling, did pay that back the £3k a few times over (adsense and link sales). Anyways get in touch if interested.

Might want to hold on to Morecambe for now; Eden Project owners are waiting on the green light to build the same eco tourist attraction for the north; it may re-energise an otherwise dead seaside town.

ian said:

Might want to hold on to Morecambe for now; Eden Project owners are waiting on the green light to build the same eco tourist attraction for the north; it may re-energise an otherwise dead seaside town.

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Thanks for the info Ian.

There has been a lot of development in Morecambe over the last decade I always expect the profile to be improved when I make it back. It's never gotten the bounce it needs. I have fond memories there and Lancaster.

Trauiner said:

Trying to PM you directly but your inbox is full.

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Sorry about that Trauiner - please email me at [email protected]

Welcome back Matt! Hope you're well.

Whey, somewhere close to home. Morecambe is across the bay for me, I'm situated in South Lakes

Aaron Clifford said:

Welcome back Matt! Hope you're well.

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Thanks Aaron, hope things are going well for you too.

inteldigital said:

Whey, somewhere close to home. Morecambe is across the bay for me, I'm situated in South Lakes

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Miss the Lakes. I grew up in Lancaster, lived in Morecambe for a few years then moved on (London/NY). Miss the place and people a lot.

woopwoop said:

Thanks Aaron, hope things are going well for you too.



Miss the Lakes. I grew up in Lancaster, lived in Morecambe for a few years then moved on (London/NY). Miss the place and people a lot.

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Aye it's a lovely place, I want to go further in and move up to Lakeside or Grasmere or somewhere. Couldn't ask for a better place to be!

Welcome back. I think the 5 year grace period expiration next year will be fascinating and a big year for the .UK namespace.

Admin said:

Welcome back. I think the 5 year grace period expiration next year will be fascinating and a big year for the .UK namespace.

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Yep, maybe it'll reinvigorate the UK aftermarket. There'll probably be a domainer opportunity to grab .uk domains - something I suspect isn't talked about a lot in anticipation of a feeding frenzy next year!

What's usage of .uk like? Are there sites using and spending ad money promoting .uk domain names (or still just .co.uks)? I don't think I've seen any .uks in action.

woopwoop said:

Yep, maybe it'll reinvigorate the UK aftermarket. There'll probably be a domainer opportunity to grab .uk domains - something I suspect isn't talked about a lot in anticipation of a feeding frenzy next year!

What's usage of .uk like? Are there sites using and spending ad money promoting .uk domain names (or still just .co.uks)? I don't think I've seen any .uks in action.

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There are a few, but nothing of note. Most seasoned domainers seem to have turned their back on it. I've kept hold just in case.

If anyone's interested I wrote an article about my experience investing in .NYC domains for 4 years.
Includes some thoughts on new TLDs, and shows sales info and portfolio costs.

Thanks for sharing

Be great to hear how you managed to avoid a proper job and where your income came from. Don't have to reveal the big secrets but be great to hear some inspirational stories...

Admin said:

Welcome back. I think the 5 year grace period expiration next year will be fascinating and a big year for the .UK namespace.

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...and a massive boost for the DRS coffers...

wonder_lander said:

Thanks for sharing

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No problem - thanks for reading!

figleaf007 said:

Be great to hear how you managed to avoid a proper job and where your income came from. Don't have to reveal the big secrets but be great to hear some inspirational stories...

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Lol - I have a proper job! Have had one for years. (I tried a long time to avoid one.)

Back then I lived cheaply and flipping domains, building sites and selling links/articles paid the bills.