Webfest goes celeb for this year’s keynote.
[Update: read about her keynote here.] Oversee.net announced this evening that Kim Kardashian will keynote next months’ Webfest conference in Santa Monica.
The first question on many domainers’ minds: what the heck does Kardashian have to do with the domain name industry?
Let’s take a step back.
Webfest, formerly known as DOMAINfest, doesn’t always select keynoters that have a direct connection to the domain industry. Biz Stone (Twitter) and Steve Wozniak (Apple) certainly didn’t have much of a direct connection.
Yes, there’s always some sort of connection. Stone talked about buying Twitter.com. Wozniak talked about some of the domains he bought and being asked to join the board of ICANN. But it was limited.
Second, this is now Webfest, not DOMAINfest. It’s about growing businesses on the web. And Kardashian has done a bang up job on social media.
How much of that social media skill is transferable to the typical Webfest attendee is debatable. I don’t think many of us look as good as she does.
So what if I’m not convinced that her appearance has anything to do with the conference other than star power? Kardashian will certainly bring it; I’m sure the room will be packed for her “keynote”.
[Photo: © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com]
Josh says
Social media, sure, actually using keyword or brand specific names, not at all.
Take their diet stuff, the matching .com which was seeing over XX,XXX uv a month from what I was told did not receive an offer from them, foolish, could have made their money back on it in weeks. And so on, they have failed imo to speak in terms of using domains to promote or maximize revenues. But social media sure, maybe theyll talk about taking pics of cleavage and posting it on twitter and crucial important stuff like sex sales.
Anticareer.com says
Is the target audience 18 year old college kids or business people? Her claim to fame is a sex tape. And how much business does she conduct versus other people doing the work and using her name as branding so she reaps the rewards.
I guess publicity trumps substance in a keynote speaker nowadays.
Mike says
I think she’s a good choice, not conventional but she’s a great business woman.
Jon says
Everybody hates her, everybody hates Oversee. Seems like a perfect match.
Nic says
Unsophisticated is the word that comes to mind for me. I feel like domain name industry marketing is targeting truckers, or bikers, that kind of thing.
My brain always leads me back to Godaddy in cases like this: awful name, silly logo, terrible brand execution, supported by girls and cars – and just to *really* upset me, they’re amazingly successful.
Mik Dashcarzian says
Cheesy Choice !… Dubious & Disappointing … makes my brain Hurt
John Berryhill says
It’s a shame this is taking away attention from the substantive sessions, like:
SEO power techniques by Paris Hilton and Rick Santorum
Regulatory Outlook for Online Pharmacies by Lindsey Lohan and Charlie Sheen
Connecting With the Youth Market via Social Media by Charles Manson and Brian Hansen
And a video presentation on Non-Disclosure Agreeements by Bradley Manning and Julian Assange
KD says
On a sidenote.. For a conference that used to be called DomainFest, you would expect them to own http://www.webfest.com. Guess they did not learn from what they preached….
steven says
hmmm.. unfortunately i wont be attending but there’s 20% in it for whoever can sell her Kardashian.com for us for $500k 😉
James says
Many posters are missing the point: It’s so difficult to explain the DNS industry to friends & family. But now we can all just say we are working with Kardashians, and they will simply smile and nod.
Rob says
this is an effing disgrace. why should the domain industry be lowered to the level of the kardashians?
and from a personal point of view, my mrs watches that garbage on tv frequently and after having found peace by going to another room and working/browsing on my computer they start invading here too. makes me sick – this family of nobodies who think they are something special. what makes me even more sick are the morons who watch that crap and buy magazines because they are in/on it. seems now like there is nothing their filthy tentacles have not touched.
(i had to post this “rant” just to give a balanced view because i think others above are being far too polite.)
Bruce Diller says
When you go to sleep with fleas
YOU wake up with fleas !
SL says
Official winners of this thread:
#4 Jon
#7 John Berryhill
Congrats!
Russ says
@Rob – quit whining and come up with something to sell to the morons. Like KK has.
Mr Jones says
You domainers whine about your ‘business’ not being taken seriously and then pull a stunt like this. This is funnier than that Rick dude you all brown nose.
Andrew Allemann says
So, better than Don King?
rob sequin says
Remember, this is Oversee we are talking about.
Oversee… the domain company that does not own it’s .com (among many other dumb business practices) and you expect good decisions?
The dumb Kardashians are a perfect fit for a dumb company.