Andrew Allemann’s Domain Name Wire was the first domain investment blog, and since that time, it has maintained it’s status as the leading domain blog. Since 2005, Andrew has been providing unbiased industry news and insight on the business of domain names.
It came as a bit of a surprise to me a couple of months ago when Andrew announced that he was going to work for Directi, as Senior VP of Business Development for several of Directi’s media businesses.
I wanted to give Andrew some time to settle into his new role before asking him some questions about this move and how it will impact him, DNW, and domain investors. I appreciate that Andrew took some time out of his very busy schedule to answer the questions below.
ES: What were the factors that contributed to your decision to work for a large domain-related company?
AA: I’ve had a couple companies talk to me over the years about coming to work for them. It makes sense — I have deep knowledge of the industry and the key people. I also spend much of my time thinking of ways to make the industry better for domain name owners.
ES: What changes will be noticeable on Domain Name Wire, and how do you plan to alter your reporting on articles that may conflict with your new position?
AA: My deal with Directi includes me retaining ownership and control of Domain Name Wire.
Now that I’ve been working with Directi for a couple months, I can safely say that you shouldn’t notice many differences on Domain Name Wire. As I announced my new role I reached out to several of my sources and companies in the industry to let them know about the change. I was expecting some of them to clam up about working with Domain Name Wire in the future, but this was not the case. Most were supportive. If there ever is an industry where partners are also competitors, this is it.
As far as DNW content is concerned, if I spend 1 hour a day instead of 8 hours, the difference in what my readers get out of the site probably drops only 10% or so. There will be a few stories I’m late on or don’t cover because I don’t have time, but this will be minimal. I’m also working with some industry freelance writers to bolster the site’s content.
Whenever I write about a Directi product I will include a disclaimer in the story.
ES: With a number of domain companies hiring these days, what made you choose to work for Directi’s media businesses?
AA: Leaving the world of being a full-time entrepreneur was not an easy decision. Had Directi not brought an incredible opportunity to me I would have declined. Several things drew me to Directi:
-It’s constantly innovating. It’s not a company that will ever say “Let’s just stick to what we’ve been doing.”
-There’s no committee to make decisions. It’s in the hands of a couple smart brothers, which means the company is nimble and can move on opportunities quickly.
-It’s based in India. One of the most important skills needed in today’s world is to be able to work across cultures. I’m learning quickly what that entails.
-It’s not just a domain company. I want to expand my knowledge base. For example, we just launched Media.net, a contextual advertising solution for developed web properties.
ES: For those of us who may not be familiar with the company, please provide some information about it and let us know why we will want to work with your company.
AA: Although Directi owns a top 10 domain name registrar and various related businesses, I’m specifically working with Directi’s media businesses. This includes two parking companies (Skenzo and BigJumbo) and Media.net, a contextual advertising solution.
Very few domainers have dealt with Skenzo because it targets bigger players that earn $50,000 or more a month. We recently relaunched BigJumbo, which gives all domainers access to our parking technology regardless of size.
ES: What are you most excited about in your new position?
AA: I’m working with some dynamic and successful people that live half way around the world. I don’t think about it day-to-day, but it’s really quite amazing: I walk into my office, turn on a big screen TV, and suddenly I’m video conferencing in high definition with people 10,000 miles away.
There’s also nothing boring about this role. Every day is different, whether it be working on a marketing strategy, making a sales call, or evaluating a new opportunity the company is considering.
Good to read more about what you are doing with this new position, Andrew. Thanks for the write-up on it, Elliot.