Digimedia has an enviable but daunting task: building out the world’s best domain name portfolio.
Most domainers struggle with the question of which of their domain names to develop into full-fledged web sites. But imagine if your portfolio of domain names included Recipes.com, Shops.com, FantasyFootball.com, and MovieReviews.com? Choosing which of these blue chip domain names to develop first is a difficult task for Wichita Falls, Texas-based Digimedia.
Digimedia was founded by Scott Day. Many know of him as the watermelon farmer who stumbled into domain names when he wanted to buy Watermelon.com. Day is still involved with his company, but he now has help. Digimedia has about 15 full-time employees, including long time friend and company president Jay Chapman.
The team has a difficult but rewarding task of choosing which domains to build into web sites. A general rule of thumb: stick with what your passionate about.
“We never want to get caught up in a business we aren’t excited about,” said Chapman. One of the reasons the company built out its fantasy sports business (including FantasyFootball.com) was because its employees were long time fans of the hobby.
Jerky.com marked Digimedia’s foray into full-fledged e-commerce sites. The company decided to build it before bigger category killer domains, such as chairs.com, because it felt it could cut its teeth on a smaller niche market. For its e-commerce ventures, Digimedia relies on a combination of dropshippers and its own warehouse.
But with so many quality domain names, the company realizes it will never be able to develop all of them. “When we originally got started we thought we could build and develop and grow, and have a tall building of employees building these web sites,” said Chapman. “There’s only so much time.”
To that end, the company is more open now to partnerships than it used to be. It recently formed a joint venture with a web design firm, now called WebDesign.com.
With all of its success, the company hasn’t let go of its principles. “There are a lot of people with more manpower and a deeper technical vision than us,” said Chapman. “What we try and share with everyone we come in contact with is to be as authentic as possible, very passionate about what we’re doing…personable and accessible.”
In an industry in which a few bad apples can give the entire industry a bad name, Digimedia is doing its part to put its best foot forward.
Elliot says
You know what’s just as good? The fact that Scott and Jay are two of the nicest guys in our industry. It’s fun rooting for good people to have great success.
Johnny says
I have not spoken to Scott since 1996. He called me up because I was registering fruit and vegetable domains and he was too! He wanted to see what we were doing. It piqued his interest.
He is a great guy and we had some great conversations back then. He had a lot of vision too. He paid a hefty (for the day) price for Recipes.com way back in the day. In retrospect he stole that domain….LOL!
David J Castello says
When I partnered with my brother in 1997 we started hand registering fruit names like Banana.com, Pear.com, Grape.com, Tangerine.com, etc and consistently kept running into these people named Scott and Frank Day from Terral, Oklahoma 🙂
anon says
Speaking of Jerky, here’s a most inspiring e-Comm story http://www.cringely.com/2009/07/freshjerkycom/
Cale Spates says
Plus and best of all. Scott is a true, Red Blooded Oklahoma Sooner wrestling fan.
🙂
jorge says
Google of “Jerky”.
#1 = Jerky.com
#2 = Wikipedia (it’s always nice to beat them)
#7 = Jerky.net
Must be some nice type in traffic on that one!
owen frager says
Scott and Jay have it nailed. Congratulations.
Stephen Douglas says
And all I wrapped up is nabbing the “wholesale” domains of those fruits… produceindustry.com.
Maybe Scott and the C-Bros might like that “cover all them veggies and fruit” type of domain!
Laurentius says
Hi
Wow, so nice with so many fruits!
Please, check http://www.fuitsofthenet.com if you have time. Maybe an opinion…
Regards,
Laurentius
Cael Spates says
Outside of his business interests Scott is also a very good speller. He noticed that I accidentally mis-spelled my own first name.
Cael S.