My thoughts on NamesCon 2018.
I arrived home in Austin yesterday after NamesCon and I’m officially in rest-your-voice mode. My fingers can still type, though, so here are my thoughts:
I gave a recap after a couple days and said China was dead. Of course, that was a bit of an overstatement. George Hong of Guta.com saw me shortly after I posted that and gave me his thoughts. They will be in Monday’s podcast. The reality is that China is still investing, they are just investing in the good stuff. No more 7-8 digit domain names…
The highlight for me was interviewing Megadeth co-founder David Ellefson in person. If you missed the interview, you can listen to my previous interview with Ellefson on the DNW Podcast. I think a lot of people were surprised by the talk.
Internet Commerce Association’s annual dinner was much better than last year. The venue wasn’t as swank, but it was bigger, the food was great, you could sit down to eat and you could actually hear people. Kudos…
Where’s GoDaddy? If you didn’t know that GoDaddy was the parent company of the conference, you wouldn’t have figured it out by being there. The company had a slightly bigger presence than in previous years but the NamesCon team did a great job keeping it arms-length. That’s how it should be…
Having a brunch during the closing session Wednesday was genius. The session was packed and wouldn’t have been otherwise. NamesCon should consider doing that for other sessions…
The Tropicana was marginally better than in prior years thanks to a new restaurant (and another one coming soon). Yes, the rooms aren’t great and the filtration system at the hotel is pathetic, but I’ve learned to accept The Trop for what it is. Just don’t try to order room service…
nik says
by writing “china is dead” I can discern your knowledge level in domain names.
Steven says
China has moved onto crypto currency. For all intents and purposes the gold rush is over. The easy money is gone. The movement is long dead or to be politically correct it is now “maturing.”
Chinese will still shatter the record for the most paid for a single domain name in the next 5 years.
Aaron Strong says
“Where’s GoDaddy?”…….As an observer that’s exactly what I was thinking. Here is a public company who has tried to rid itself of its early days of sexist marketing. They have recently spent millions on the Womens movement. On their own website they speak specifically to women when they mention,
“As we continually engage, educate and empower girls and women who are passionate about technology, GoDaddy has been by our side. They are a truly dedicated partner that we love working with on this joint mission.”
and then, at the largest industry convention (NAMESCON), they try to auction off some aftermarket adult domains that aren’t even worth the handreg… If they feel that empowers girls and women, please explain?
If that’s not enough, they also tried to auction off the domain, Murder.net. Again, they have taken a strong stance on the Charlotsville murder by cancelling the domain registration of a far right wing website, yet they hope to profit by selling Murder.net?…Any thought about the families of victims who have been murdered?
And before anyone calls me a snowflake and/or anti free speech, be aware, that is not my issue. My issue is the SETTING in which these domains were auctioned. Had these domains been in an “adult only” auction or something besides the largest domain auction owned by a public company that speaks frequently on empowering women, I would have no issue…..
Mike says
GoDaddy has no business cancelling anyone’s domains for speech that does not incite violence. That’s anti-American, anti-freedom, anti-constitution.
Daniel says
The show felt smaller overall this year. The parties were not as good either. It was great to see old friends and reconnect with some folks I hadn’t;t seen in 3 years. Will go again in 2 years.
adam says
The big question wasn’t where’s godaddy but rather Where’s Uni ?
While I saw Frank, Jeff and many from their team. The only show floor presence was the giant illuminated/light/graphic on the wall of the floor and in the hallway leading down to the casino. Going from a massive presence last year, giving away Apple watches and their absence as a sponsor on the show floor was noticeable by many I spoke with at the show.
Andrew Allemann says
Good point. I expected them to dial down their sponsorship because of GoDaddy, but they almost eliminated it.
Anonymous says
There is nearly zero ROI.
bladel says
I was very skeptical about the relevance of the keynote speaker, but your interview with Ellefson was fascinating and had some great stories/lessons learned about building a brand & fanbase/community. Kudos.