Above congratulates TRAFFIC for continuing their successful run bringing the domain industry together to meet with domain investors.  TRAFFIC returns to Las Vegas May 29 - June 1 and Above's team will be there in support of the industry, and to show you what's new at Above.

Let us know if you will be attending the show.  We would like to do a little something for you.

If you have not yet reserved your space at TRAFFIC, please do so now at http://targetedtraffic.com/.

Come join Above.com at ad:tech San Francisco April 9-10. We extend an invitation to you to visit us at Booth #2334 in the Moscone Center West.  If you buy, sell, or register domains for your business, talk to our team about your needs and ask about special promotions for attendees of the show.

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On Saturday, February 23, I did a very crazy thing. I willingly jumped into 37'F water. They actually had to cut through the ice to create a place for us to jump. Why in the world would I do that you may ask, and I will tell you. It was for a very good cause. I participated in the Polar Plunge to support the Special Olympics of Colorado. I managed to raise over $900 in support, so there was no way I was going to let them down!

So what does that have to do with domaining?

1.    A lot of people will tell you you're crazy and try to talk you out of it.
While I had a lot of support, I also had a lot of people telling me what I was doing was crazy or stupid and I shouldn't move forward. Sound familiar? A lot of people view domaining as crazy, even a waste of time and money.

2.    You need support.
It's hard to do anything alone, especially when you hear a lot of no's, don't do that, or it won't work. Having someone cheering you on, to help you keep focused on the big picture is a huge asset.  Every time I received a donation on my behalf for Special Olympics, it motivated me to keep trying. It's the same for domaining. Whether you're buying domains for flipping, long term investment, it's easy to get disheartened when things don't go your way. Having support will help keep you motivated when you most need it.

3.    Believe in yourself.
Some people will tell you it can't be done simply because it hasn't been done before. Others because they themselves have failed. If you believe it's possible, don't let them determine your fate. I knew I could make the plunge and I really wanted to support the Special Olympics. If you have done the research and you believe deep down that you're making the right decision, believe yourself, not the cynics.

4.    Know when to cut ties.
While I won't say that sometimes the naysayers are right, sometimes, you are going down a path that has a dead end, and it's better to get out while you're ahead. While I didn't face the issue, not everyone can do the Polar Plunge. Health issues are a big factor. Don't send yourself into ruin or to the grave trying to prove someone wrong. Sunk costs can be expensive, but there's nothing you can do about it other than limit them from growing further.

5.    Without some risk, there's little reward.
Everything in life is a balance of risk and reward. In some cases, the risks outweigh the rewards, sometimes, there is no risk, but also no reward. Investing in domains is the same. You are speculating on virtual real estate. Sometimes that will pay off, sometimes it won't. And sometimes, no matter how crazy, it's worth doing. Just like being sponsored to jump in to freezing cold water.

Above.com along with partners, Rook Media and ParkingCrew, will give away 4,000 domains to Webfest Global 2013 attendees.

This unique promotion provides 400 attendees an opportunity to snag an account with 10 domains randomly selected from the daily drops that receive traffic and many of which generate revenue. Some may even be worth thousands on the marketplace! The 4,000 domains are registered with Above and through their Domain Investor Platform have been tested and monetized through their promotion partners, Rook Media and ParkingCrew.

Many parking companies claim to be the best, but without closely monitored testing, some domains may not be parked at the provider that performs best for those domains. Above.com's Domain Parking Manager, with its proprietary algorithm, automatically identifies the best performing service for each domain using normalized statistical information. Traffic is dynamically allocated to maximize the parking revenues earned. 

We are very proud of two BIG additions we made to our ICANN accredited domain registrar.

1. We added a STATS button to your "My Domains" control panel, so you can view your domains parking history at the time you need to know it the most - at renewal time.  We connected our Parking Manager database to our Registrar database meaning that you can manage your inventory with both ease and precision. That's smart business.
   
   
2. We added a SELL DOMAINS function inside your "My Domains" control panel, so you can either list a domain for sale, or submit to an auction. How did we do that? We connected our Marketplace database to our Registrar database meaning that you can very easily move domains into auction with a couple of clicks. Even better, you control with a click, the ability to show your domain's parking stats to potential buyers. This gives you more tools to close sales.

While it's never a bad idea to spend a few days in Southern California, these few days at Webfest are going to be a real treat for attendees. This conference always delivers! Webfest Global 2013 will feature hot topics in areas such as domain investing, new gTLDs, acquiring and converting web and mobile customers, mobile monetization, and much more.

We have now fully opened our Marketplace system for business, making the Above.com Marketplace the place to go to acquire or sell domains with traffic.   The biggest differentiators between Above.com's Marketplace and any other similar type system is that Buyers can target their search for domains with verified traffic and/or revenue history.  Buyers can drill down on a specific domain to see its parking performance over the most recent six-month period, with a high level of transparency not seen in the market today.

There are two ways to get your domains into the Marketplace.  Either you can submit your domain to auction, or you can simply list it for sale.

When you list a domain to auction, you set the length of the auction (3-days, 7-days, 14-days, or 30-days), whether you want to show all or some of your stats, your starting price, reserve price, and a customized description.  You can also set a Buy It Now (BIN) price to buyers to bypass the auction bidding in favor of an outright purchase. There is a submission fee of $1.20 per domain to submit a domain to auction.  During auction, the Reserve price is not shown, but there will be an indication to buyers when reserve has been met.

As mentioned, you can alternatively choose to list the domain for sale.  There is no fee for listing a domain to sale.  While an auction is a specific timed event, the listing is perpetual. You maintain the same pricing options for listing as you do for an auction.  However, the reserve price is shown in listings. When a buyer places a bid that meets reserve on a listed domain, that domain automatically moves to a 3-day auction where other buyers have a chance to compete for the domain.

All sales done through the Marketplace include complementary escrow service. The commission fee for domain sales is only 10%, which is considerably less than most domain marketplaces.  These TLDs are currently supported in the Marketplace: .biz, .com, .info, .net, .org, .us, .cz, .fr, .pl, .uk, .eu

The addition of the Domain Marketplace is part of an overall product development strategy at Above.com, as we build upon the concept of a Domain Investor Platform.

As of July 1, 2013, the VeriSign base registry fee for .net will increase 10%. The new cost structure to Registrars at this date will then be:

      VeriSign fee $5.62

      ICANN registry fee $0.75

      ICANN registrar fee $0.18

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      Total $6.55

As a result, Above.com will increase the price of all .net registrations, renewals, and transfers on this date.  Our current non-discounted price for .net domains is $7.95.  This price will increase to $8.45 effective July 1, 2013.   We advise our clients to strongly consider renewing their domains before this price increase takes effect.