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MysteryDomainAuction Is No More
Posted on January 5th, 2009 by admin in Domain News | 31 Comments »
Following legal advice obtained as a result of concerns raised by fellow domaining bloggers and some NamePros members about the legality of an all-pay auction in the US where this site is hosted in addition to consideration of the problems I may face at the end of the auction in case more than one person bids with the same amount which is very likely I have decided that the best option is to cancel this auction effective immediately.
All bids have been refunded.
All affiliates that made commissions have now been paid out of my own pocket.
I would like to thank you all for your support and I am sorry if this stressed anyone out. It was never my intention – my honest intention was to bring a buzz (strongly worded a revolution) to the domaining industry as a whole.
I hope if people can take anything away from this it is some of the positives from the launch – the strategy of building up expectation and launching with a bang – creating a lot of negative and positive publicity which helped spread word about the project across the domaining community.
The subscription list, that was compiled as a result of the “revolution” drive has also been deleted.
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>> about
>> the legality of an all-pay auction in the US
>> where this site is hosted
sorry ,
u can host your website elsewhere offshore anywhere
pity !! thanks , 2w
>> about
>> the legality of an all-pay auction in the US
>> where this site is hosted
why not go offshore ??!!
sorry , thanks , 2w
This is a shame John, I was looking forward to seeing the outcome.
As it is over.. what was the mystery domain name?
Hi John,
You have come under lots of criticism because of the auction – I hope you haven’t been put off and find another location to host the auction.
I would release the domain this time though when you start.
Best Of Luck!
Regards,
Robbie
I am so sorry to read this but you did the best move John.
I did not given you my opinion as I only know about your service once launched so I did not wanted to break your enthousiasm and be a pain.
But I immediately seen:
1 – The prize was not enough appealing.
2 – The only chance to win was bidding the last day.
…
I understood that probably after the first days and the bids of our small community it will be really hard to wake up the interest of medias and have the masses bid.
…
You can keep my commissions John, this will not change my life and if it can help you a little.
…
I am really sorry your project failed but don’t worry myself like a lot we also run many internet projects before find a success.
You are persistant, worker and with ideas so one day it should pay.
Friendly
You can also keep my commission as well , John,
this will not change my life
and if it can help you a little.
cheers thankyou , 2w
All commissions paid out, thanks for your support guys.
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Sorry to hear it John. I know you took criticism for it, but I think it was a worthy try that created some buzz in the domaining industry. Regardless of what people say, I felt you were 100% up front with what the idea was, and that’s what was important.
You’re a smart guy John and I’m sure you’ll find your million soon enough. Wish you all the best in 2009
- Reece
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It is really sad that this project has had such an abrupt end. Am not a legal expert, but if there are legal implications then you did the right thing.
You did a marvelous job with the marketing of this auction. Am sure you will find another great idea pretty soon.
Yes, what was the mystery domain?
It ended before we got to see what the domain name was! It was kind of like The Truman Show, I was checking it everyday to see what the price was at. So who was the last player? I think maybe they should be the winner!
I know it wasn’t me, I was player 191.
As for what was the mystery domain name? I guess the old saying “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” goes here – at the risk of the skeptics having a picnic on this one – feel free guys – the mystery domain shall remain a mystery – out of bitterness over some of the more uncalled for commentary if nothing else.
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Its a shame how this turned out. Along with many other domainers I expected different, but it was still an interesting concept.
It sure did get a lot of publicity and maybe if executed differently it could’ve worked well for everyone.
“…creating a lot of negative and positive publicity”
And now there is just negative publicity and a black mark on domaining.
Am I wrong?
“out of bitterness over some of the more uncalled for commentary if nothing else.”
Really?
Not releasing the domain makes me wonder even more about the business model.
Sorry but the fact is that this was not a very well thought out idea and MANY people bought into it and now everything is shut down.
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[“…creating a lot of negative and positive publicity”
And now there is just negative publicity and a black mark on domaining.
Am I wrong? -- Rob Sequin]
Yes, Rob, you are wrong. Everyone who participated was having a good time. Nobody was scammed. Everything was upfront. This idea didn’t hurt domaining at all. Why would you even assume it did?
What exactly are the legal “issues” that were presented to you? It was not really an “auction”. We paid for a service (the link)and in appreciation for our support you were giving away a domain. What is illegal about this? Was the problem of two exact bids a technical issue that would have cost more than it was worth to fix?
I am really disappointed that the event had to end. This event presented a domainer and domains in a whole new light. It displayed a domainer with courage to break out of the “domain” that we often find ourselves stuck in. Lets just keep trying. Thanks John.
Please don’t get me wrong. I never claimed this was a scam.
I read the positive comments from people who participated and they seemed to like the concept.
Perhaps the idea of didn’t hurt domaining but the execution did. Just like when Sedo cancels bids on their .mobi auction or when Bido launches and then shuts down or when Snapnames goes down five times in two weeks.
None of them are scam just poorly thought out executions.
We are all guilty of poorly executed plans, that’s just the nature of new business models and entrepreneurialism.
So, now this new business model that was being presented as a big deal so people outside of the industry were drawn to has closed.
That’s not good for the domain industry.
Are you going to reformulate your plan and re-launch it?
I understand where you are coming from Rob, as I understand all the criticism I have received. We all are entitled to our opinions and I am completely behind that.
I have stood up and taken the blame and the criticism, and I have listened to the skeptics worries, done due diligence – albeit late – and put an end to the project.
I just don’t want to say anything more on the matter until things cool down as I am at risk of being taken out of context with every word I say by eager headline seekers.
John,
If I may suggest one thing – Tell the domain name Community what was the Mystery name !
I think you own it to yourself and to everybody who participated in the auction.
This was a very interesting experiment.
The main problem as I see it, was that people were bidding for a link at the Auction homepage and not for the mystery domain.
Happy New Year !
Hi John, sorry to see this end, it was a great buzz and the potential was amazing.
Yes you have taken some flack and no doubt you will get even more now, sad really that people are so quick to wallow in someone Else’s misfortune.
As for the domain, keep it to yourself, it wouldn’t matter what it was now they would pull it to pieces.
In my book you are a top guy who had the cahoonies to step out and go for it, its a shame there are not more like you in the industry.
And at the end of the day the only person out of pocket is you, so what are they crying about!
Good luck for the future John and don’t let the bstrds get you down
John,
I was surprised to see the refund of my bid amount. To be honest my website received 40 targeted visits from the link within a small time – much more than the $1.88 that I had bid. As “Just Me” above says, we weren’t actually bidding for the domain – we were paying for the link and we got more than our money’s worth. Where should I send the amount you refunded back to you John? It’s yours. I got my bang for the buck as they say!
Hi Sri, the project failed and everyone gets their money back – that’s the way things work.
Thanks for the offer though.
John
John,
It took tremendous courage to even attempt this project. The truth is, the vast majority of the “skeptics” wouldn’t even have the audacity to step out of their comfort zone to take the risk…and that’s what it was.
Foolish, brilliant, novel, rehashed – whatever adjective someone settles on to characterize the project – introducing a new concept which questions conventional wisdom or makes people uncomfortable will always be met with measured resistance. Remember, risk spawns innovation and creativity. Without it, the Earth still might be flat.
I applaud you for doing what most won’t and respect you for accepting the inherent risk associated with such a bold initiative. You’ve handled the entire situation with class. Oh, and don’t feel obligated AT ALL to reveal the domain. You answer to no one but yourself.
It’s a shame we won’t be able to see this project thru its conclusion, but in the face of any potential legal issues you’ve made the prudent decision.
Best of luck and keep your head up. No failures, just lessons learned.
~Kristoff
John,
Contact us about how to make your model legal. I am sure folks are still interested in supporting your model.
Chris
John dont be disheartened. Pioneers always face criticism and you have set a new trail.
People fear change and this one is no different.
At least you have got some publicity out of this and would write off the losses to marketing expenses.
Cheers to creativity and innovation.