"What do you do?"

Hey folks,

For those of you who are in the business full-time, when someone asks you what do you do for a living, what do you say?

Is there a one or two word phrase that is generally accepted (not including cybersquatter ) or do you say, "I buy and sell domains"?

I say that I do Online Investment. I'm not sure whether that's the correct term, but it certainly describes it accurately. If you want to be specific, and still sound somewhat intelligent, you can say that you invest in online/virtual properties.

About cyber-squatting, I do think it's important to be socially responsable in domaining. I never register domains that could help non-profits. I only go after the large corporation's piece of the pie


Zach

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Sig: Before I post on Domain Social, I read the rules!

oh gosh. Now I feel bad. I do have a couple of names of diseases. Can't such a domain be grabbed up just as quickly by a billion dollar pharmaceutical industry as a not-for-profit?

How does everyone else feel about this?

You guys are clever to invest in domains and be successful at it. I guess that is an question that you get asked quite a bit.

I have several things that I do, so on a certain day I just pick one. I never say that I have a website etc. I think that if I really got into building and selling domains I would mention that aspect of my job descriptions.

Building and selling domains is like flipping houses, isn't it?

Hmmm. That sounds interesting.

I can see myself saying I invest in virtual real estate and then getting a ton of questions which eventually come down to, "oh. you are a cybersquatter." lol.

I like the virtual real estate one. If I really got into it I would probably say that. Cyperspace is just as important as earthspace

No guilt domaining..

Even though Zachs the man around here on this issue I do not agree.

I own many names that I look to the future that will in some part help mankind. Believe me the big drug companies and the medical profession has plenty of money to invest in new medical advances and why not help them? Domain names that are highly targeted to the medical use are valuble properties.

The organizations have not the insight to reg the domain and they really are not very good at it either and as long as the domain is not a trademark issue it is fair game.

All the big non profit groups have big budgets and if they need something they don't wait around to have it donated. Nope, they use your donations to buy whatever they need to run their non profit, from realestate to domains. Although in my opinion they are not very hip to what is a good domain and that is why you see many of them registering their own and not paying a few bucks for a decent one that I or another domainer might own.

Look at it this way.. if a non profit group out grows the office space they have and want a new building do you think the real estate market would throw them a city block commercial building?

No,. that is why the non profit groups raise money so they too can expand. I do know that at times they will get the property from a sincere donor. But not always.

To give a charitable domain is a personal decision and none of us should say one way or the other what is right.

I like to think of it like this, we all like Paul Gates right? Well he had to make a lot of money before he could do the many charitable things he is now doing. Paul Gates is doing more for this planet right now than many large countries are. But in the early stages that was not his priority, my opinion anyway.

About who we are, I always say "I am a domainer". A domainer is a person who buys (registars) or sells domain names.

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Tenisonline

Very well said.

Well, as in every business, some times ethics get on the way and we are left to make the decision on what to do... I bet nobody thought f this when getting into buying and selling domains!