One of the ‘ventures’ I’ve been working on is to create and sell domain names. Last fall I saw a local news story about a woman who had no job and was trying to bring in additional income while still being able to stay home and raise her small children. She did some research and started to create domain names for resale. Within a year she was making decent money. I believe it was about $25000/year for her part time efforts. One of the domain names she created was Jacksonville.com and she sold it for about a $700 profit. I decided it was definitely worth looking into.
Before I give anyone the idea that I’m making beaucoup bucks from this, I’m not yet. I’m still learning the ropes and have only sold a couple domain names but like my blog about trading foreign currency, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share what I know and let whomever dare carry forth as they see fit.
So what is it to create a domain name? Basically it is creating a name for an internet site. It doesn’t require building content in the site but just the formulation of the name for someone else to build upon for whatever their intent. The name has to be registered with a company, I use GoDaddy, who will confirm the name doesn’t already exist and prohibit anyone else from taking it after you buy it. The purchase price depends if you create a .com, .net, .mobi, etc… but is generally less than $10. What you sell it for depends on who wants it, like anything else. Finding the right name that is hot is a matter of opinion. I’ve created some dogs that we’re more for fun and I knew I’d be lucky to break even (sold creditiswhack.com for a couple bucks profit) and some I thought were sure hits that I’m still waiting for a buyer. Example: dog= Celticsdynasty.com which I registered and then realized “Celtics” is a copyright so stay away from team nanes, just saying. I’ve contacted the Boston Celtics front office and offered the domain name and I’m waiting for a reply. One I thought was a hit- Obamahealthbenefits.org . I still think it will be profitable after President Obama unveils his intentions regarding healthcare policies. Time will tell.
GoDaddy also offers a service called cash parking. What that means is that after you create a domain name, they will place advertisements on the page for you relative to the name and when anyone clicks on the advertisements, you get paid. Similar to the advertisements on my blog page, pay per click. While that amount of money certainly doesn’t pay the mortgage it certainly does help offset the expense of creating the names. The domans I created related to movies (twilightmoviesequel.com and monstersvsaliens3d.com) and mobile (kidapps.mobi, puzzleapps.mobi, iwantanapp.mobi, ineedanapp.mobi, dollarapps.mobi) have had the most traffic and ad revenue so far. Feel free to check them out if you’re interested. I offer discounts on sale price to readers of my blog. :-)
As I said, I’m still trying to figure out how to make this as profitable as possible but I know it can be done. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for an inexpensive, creative way to make money off of the growing world wide web. Doubt it can be profitable? Here is an example from the current GoDaddy auction site of a name someone created. The domain name is “nique.com”. Don’t ask me what it stands for I don’t know, but apparently it has meaning to the 25 bidders who have raised the price to $3,755. Now THAT would help pay the mortgage! Go figure… but if THAT name can bring money, don’t you have a great name for a domain rattling around?
Good luck!
Steve
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
The Day Baseball Died
A-Rod has followed the paths of politicians and televangelists. 'I didn't do it... oh THAT?? Yeah, since you caught me I guess I did. But just the time you caught me'. If anyone suspected of steroid use is allowed in the Hall of Fame,they need to rename it the Hall of Shame. I am a life long Red Sox fan and will still follow the team and all that but the luster continues to rust on MLB's armor. Who would have ever thought that Jose Conseco would be the hero again. I admire that at least he told the truth and then was ridiculed as a liar by his baseball brethren. Hypocrites. If MLB doesn't clean up this year, or at least do SOMETHING, I'm going to change to the NBA. At least those thugs don't hide it.
I borrowed from Don McLean for this 'tribute':
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How baseball used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.
But steroid use made me shiver
With every rumor they’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about the heroes who lied,
But something touched me deep inside
The day baseball died.
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly.
Did you even use a glove,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in the hall of fame,
Didn’t you even feel the shame,
And can you teach me how to inject real slow?
Well, I know that you’re in love with A-Rod
ignorin’ all the fraud.
He lied to me and all you.
Caught and now its boo hoo.
I was a lonely teenage bronc’in buck
With a Vida Blue glove and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day baseball died.
I started singin,
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly
Now for years we’ve been fed bullshit
And all time records took a hit,
But thats not how it used to be.
When the jesters sang in DC,
In cloaks of baseball history,
And voices that lied to you and me,
Oh, and while Aaron was looking ‘round,
Barry Bonds stole his home run crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while fans still filled all the parks,
The players shot up in the dark,
And we knew it was all a lark
The day baseball died.
We were singin
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly
Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Hit eight miles high and climbing fast.
It landed on Alcatraz.
The players were full of gas,
With the jester on the sidelines in a trance.
Now the players were huddled in a room
While congress played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players went and took the field;
Filled with steroids not goodwill
Do you recall what was revealed
The day baseball died?
We started singing,
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly
Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: A-Rod be nimble, Bonds be quick!
Gene Orza sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is Donald Fehr’s only friend.
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break Bud Seligs spell.
And as the baseballs climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw Selig laughing with delight
The day baseball died
He was singing,
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly
I borrowed from Don McLean for this 'tribute':
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How baseball used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.
But steroid use made me shiver
With every rumor they’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about the heroes who lied,
But something touched me deep inside
The day baseball died.
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly.
Did you even use a glove,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in the hall of fame,
Didn’t you even feel the shame,
And can you teach me how to inject real slow?
Well, I know that you’re in love with A-Rod
ignorin’ all the fraud.
He lied to me and all you.
Caught and now its boo hoo.
I was a lonely teenage bronc’in buck
With a Vida Blue glove and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day baseball died.
I started singin,
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly
Now for years we’ve been fed bullshit
And all time records took a hit,
But thats not how it used to be.
When the jesters sang in DC,
In cloaks of baseball history,
And voices that lied to you and me,
Oh, and while Aaron was looking ‘round,
Barry Bonds stole his home run crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while fans still filled all the parks,
The players shot up in the dark,
And we knew it was all a lark
The day baseball died.
We were singin
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly
Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Hit eight miles high and climbing fast.
It landed on Alcatraz.
The players were full of gas,
With the jester on the sidelines in a trance.
Now the players were huddled in a room
While congress played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players went and took the field;
Filled with steroids not goodwill
Do you recall what was revealed
The day baseball died?
We started singing,
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly
Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: A-Rod be nimble, Bonds be quick!
Gene Orza sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is Donald Fehr’s only friend.
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break Bud Seligs spell.
And as the baseballs climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw Selig laughing with delight
The day baseball died
He was singing,
So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were takin GHB
Singin, this’ll be the day the homers fly.
This’ll be the day the homers fly
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Why Pay Taxes?
Now our new President is in place and after two years of campaigning on a promise of change coming to Washington, I’m wondering what does ‘change’ really mean?
President Obama promised bringing change and hope to Washington. I know it’s early in his term but where is change? A stimulus package, that should be called a spending frenzy instead, stuffed with pork barrel items that don’t provide stimulus to an economy on life support. I’m not an economist but how do the following items ‘stimulate’ the economy: $3.4 BILLION towards repair, restoration and improvements at Public Parks/facilities ; $9 BILLION to improve access to broadband. In my opinion these are budgetary items and can not stimulate the economy for anything other than giving out temporary jobs with little or no long term return on the investment. The public parks are notorius for not being profitable. Improving broadband access?? To what end and who is going to profit? The companies that provide broadband service are not going to lower prices to the consumer. The individual companies will profit, not the taxpayer footing the bill to improve the access and then pay every month to actually USE it.
Originally the stimulus bill included ridiculous items from ‘our’ representatives that included such things as millions towards supplying condoms. Although, I’d rather pay for the condom now for teens to keep them from getting pregnant and the taxpayer supporting the child till they turn 18… if they aren’t using condoms now, are they going to use one because it might be free and stamped ‘government approved’? Thankfully once that item came to light, it was shortly after dropped from the proposal.
The requests from individual cities for their pet projects tp receve money from the stimulus bill is also absurd. Here are a couple brilliant ideas for your amusement. Las Vegas- $2 million for neon signs. They don’t have enough already?? Boynton Beach, FL- $4.5 million for an ‘eco’ park and butterfly garden. Chula Vista, CA- a mere half million for a dog park so they can run without a leash. Unbelievable. What are these people thinking. To me, this isn’t bringing change to Washington but business as usual. Government being run like a politicians personal ATM. ATM- ALL TAXPAYERS MONEY. To what end… ours.
What about the wonderful appointees? The new head of the Treasury/IRS didn’t pay $40,000 in taxes. Not because he made a mistake. He was audited in 2006 and paid the 2003-04 but not 2001-02 because it was after the statute of limitations ran out so he wasn’t going to pay. Only after he was appointed was it a ‘mistake’ that he corrected and paid. The measure of an individual is what you do when no one’s looking. He got audited and knew , he didn’t care to make it right then. It was made public and may impact his career and only then he paid. If it was you or me… we’d still be paying the penalties or in prison. The credibility of the tax system is shot. I won’t even start on those who pay zero in taxes getting thousands back. Maybe a future blog but once I get started on that, look out! Now more than ever the country needs to do away with the current tax code and implement the Fair Tax. President Obama, PLEASE PLEASE bring real change to Washington and renew my faith. Change in Washington right now is just the party in charge and it’s a party only the insiders continue to benefit from.
Why pay taxes? I will because it’s the law but I wouldn’t spend my money the way the government does. Would you?
President Obama promised bringing change and hope to Washington. I know it’s early in his term but where is change? A stimulus package, that should be called a spending frenzy instead, stuffed with pork barrel items that don’t provide stimulus to an economy on life support. I’m not an economist but how do the following items ‘stimulate’ the economy: $3.4 BILLION towards repair, restoration and improvements at Public Parks/facilities ; $9 BILLION to improve access to broadband. In my opinion these are budgetary items and can not stimulate the economy for anything other than giving out temporary jobs with little or no long term return on the investment. The public parks are notorius for not being profitable. Improving broadband access?? To what end and who is going to profit? The companies that provide broadband service are not going to lower prices to the consumer. The individual companies will profit, not the taxpayer footing the bill to improve the access and then pay every month to actually USE it.
Originally the stimulus bill included ridiculous items from ‘our’ representatives that included such things as millions towards supplying condoms. Although, I’d rather pay for the condom now for teens to keep them from getting pregnant and the taxpayer supporting the child till they turn 18… if they aren’t using condoms now, are they going to use one because it might be free and stamped ‘government approved’? Thankfully once that item came to light, it was shortly after dropped from the proposal.
The requests from individual cities for their pet projects tp receve money from the stimulus bill is also absurd. Here are a couple brilliant ideas for your amusement. Las Vegas- $2 million for neon signs. They don’t have enough already?? Boynton Beach, FL- $4.5 million for an ‘eco’ park and butterfly garden. Chula Vista, CA- a mere half million for a dog park so they can run without a leash. Unbelievable. What are these people thinking. To me, this isn’t bringing change to Washington but business as usual. Government being run like a politicians personal ATM. ATM- ALL TAXPAYERS MONEY. To what end… ours.
What about the wonderful appointees? The new head of the Treasury/IRS didn’t pay $40,000 in taxes. Not because he made a mistake. He was audited in 2006 and paid the 2003-04 but not 2001-02 because it was after the statute of limitations ran out so he wasn’t going to pay. Only after he was appointed was it a ‘mistake’ that he corrected and paid. The measure of an individual is what you do when no one’s looking. He got audited and knew , he didn’t care to make it right then. It was made public and may impact his career and only then he paid. If it was you or me… we’d still be paying the penalties or in prison. The credibility of the tax system is shot. I won’t even start on those who pay zero in taxes getting thousands back. Maybe a future blog but once I get started on that, look out! Now more than ever the country needs to do away with the current tax code and implement the Fair Tax. President Obama, PLEASE PLEASE bring real change to Washington and renew my faith. Change in Washington right now is just the party in charge and it’s a party only the insiders continue to benefit from.
Why pay taxes? I will because it’s the law but I wouldn’t spend my money the way the government does. Would you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
