DNForum is the largest forum for the domain name industry. An interview with Adam Dicker shows why it is so successful.

One of the biggest names in the domain community is Adam Dicker, owner of popular domain forum DNForum.com. The forum has nearly 25,000 registered members – thousands of them paid members – and is growing by the minute. I recently had the chance to talk with Adam about DNForum.com and the domain industry in general.

DNW: In the 2006 Domain Name Wire Survey, 48% of respondents said they buy or sell domains through forums. That’s more than any other venue (e.g. domain exchanges, auctions). Why do you think forums offer such a great opportunity for buying and selling domains?

ADAM: Forums allow people to interact with each other and create relationships. They allow buyers and sellers to see how people interact with others prior to doing a business deal. This makes it easier to do business. If someone has a good persona and a good history at the forum you are more likely to do business with them. You can monitor previous transactions and history to know in advance who you’re dealing with – you can’t do that on other sales venues like Sedo and eBay.

DNW: You are working on a way to verify the identity of forum members to reduce fraud. What’s the latest?

ADAM: We have launched a user verification system. The reason we are doing this is to help cut down on potential fraud and scammers. I want this to be a safe place for people to do day-to-day business transactions. Whether it is domain selling, web design, or programming, I want to add a level of security that will make most users comfortable to know how to get a hold of someone that tries a scam.

We are also launching two other services. One is our own escrow service to make it easier and safer to complete transactions. The other is a traffic verification system, no more selling domains with fake stats. Our system will test traffic on a domain and verify whether it’s real traffic or forwarded or fake traffic.

[Editor’s note: this traffic system will be very helpful. I have been a victim of buying domains with inflated stats.]

DNW: The same Domain Name Wire Survey showed that DNForum is the most popular domain forum, grabbing 43% of the vote. What do you think sets DNForum apart from the competition?

ADAM: DNForum is a forum where people go to do business. Buyers have money and are there to buy. Some other forums consist mostly of people chatting about domains. There’s nothing wrong with that, but people know that DNForum is where you go to transact.

DNW: What is the biggest challenge you face operating a forum of this size?

ADAM: Maintaining order and making sure the environment is as clean as possible. You’re always going to attract people that are there to commit fraud, but we want to keep it as safe as possible. The larger you get, the more people you will attract that are there for the wrong reasons. I am proud to say that 99.9% of our members are their for the right reasons. It is our knowledgeable community that helps rid DNForum of potential scammers. Yesterday we had a guy come to DNForum, buy a membership and try to sell a stolen domain name olc.com. Within 60 minutes he was banned and all the users knew about it…that’s a community!

DNW: As a domain investor yourself, what do you think is the biggest opportunity in the domain name market?

ADAM: I’ve always thought it is generics. My PPC income on generic domains has advanced substantially over the past year. The internet community is expanding, and as more people get online the value of generics will increase.

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If you are one of the few people that isn’t yet a member at DNForum, sign up now.

An article in Sunday’s The Columbian discusses Dotster and its mission to become a top 5 registrar.

The article, which includes quotes from yours truly, discusses Dotster’s recent domain happy hour and how the company hopes to use marketing techniques like this to grow its market share.

Dotster was one of the original discount registars when it launched in 2000. I recall reading about the company on a message board in early 2000. People were going nuts discussing how you could register domains at Doster.com for under $20. How times have changed! I think my original invoice from the company was #19 or thereabouts.

Dotster later lowered its registration price to $15, but this is almost double what many registrars charge today. It is no longer a low-price registrar. (However, the company offers lower rates comparable to GoDaddy for bulk domain owners.)

Will Dotster be able to become a top 5 domain name player? It’s possible. They have the infrastructure including a reseller system, domain parking service, and expired domain drop catching system. But it will take more than this. It will require going after some of the big domain owners with competitive rates…and more marketing like the domain happy hour.

Buy.com is offering a free domain name with every purchase.

Would you like a free domain name with your Harry Potter DVD?

Buy.com is offering free domain names from GoDaddy with just about any purchase. Whether it be a $9.99 CD or a $2,000 TV, all you have to do is check a box that says:

“FREE Go Daddy Domain! Check here and click “Buy Now”
Receive a free domain from GoDaddy.com worth up to $8.95 with the purchase of this item from Buy.com. If you choose to receive this offer, simply check the box above, click the “Buy Now” button and proceed to checkout. Details on how to get your free domain will be emailed within 48 hours following purchase. This offer is not compatible with any Buy.com or GoDaddy.com coupons, special offers or Instant Rebates. Only one promotional domain per customer. “

There’s no catch, but there’s a limit of one domain per customer. Otherwise you’d have people buying 100 CDs

The majority of the domain community doesn’t want ICANN to approve new domains.

[Editors note: this is the tenth in a series of posts with results from the 2006 Domain Name Wire survey. The complete results of the survey will be posted soon.]

Only 45% of respondents in our survey were in favor of additional top level domains (e.g. .biz, .info). Perhaps the community is tired of seeing top level domains “diluted” by new extensions. This theory is reinforced by this fact: only 28% of domainers that own 1,000+ domains want to see new extensions. These domainers are big players who likely have a strong hold on the .com market. Domains.info can create confusion with their Domains.com portfolio.

However, 63% of respondents do want to see the .xxx domain approved. My theory is that this domain is unique enough to spark interest and serves a particular interest. It might be a long time before we see the .xxx domain become reality. Here are some previous stories of interest about the .xxx domain:

-URGENT: threat to domain name owners
-Wired Magazine: .xxx worst tech moment of 2005
-.XXX in Q1 2006
-.XXX faces more opposition