“It’s very hard to know what level of cricket player a two-year-old is.” That’s how he sees new domain extensions. 🏏
On day two of DomainFest Asia 2015, I spoke with Jothan Frakes, co-founder and co-producer of NamesCon, about where domains are heading. 🎙️
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 🌐 20+ years in domains
- 🏏 New gTLDs are still toddlers
- 📺 Extensions as TV channels
- 😅 His biggest domain regret
- 📚 Advice for newbies
🎥 Watch the full episode:
🌐 20+ Years in Domains
Jothan had been in domains for just over 20 years. He’s run registries and registrars, started four or five conferences, and co-founded NamesCon, held every January in Las Vegas. 🌐
He helped grow the DomainFest brand for a decade with Oversee.net. In 2007, he and Edmon Chung decided to take it to Asia, and eight years later, here they were, with about 150 attendees, roughly 60% from Asia. For Edmon’s side, read Edmon Chung of DotAsia. 🔗
🏏 New gTLDs Are Still Toddlers
Jothan owns about 7,500 names, mostly .com. .com dominates because it’s been established for decades, and it took years to build its “perpetual motion”. 🏏
New gTLDs were only about two years old. Judging them now is like judging a two-year-old cricketer, while you know where a 30-year-old player stands. “.com” is very generic: you don’t know if you’ll get a bakery or a dry cleaner. For another new-TLD view, read the .CLUB team’s interview. 🔗
📺 Extensions as TV Channels
TV moved from one network with everything to dedicated sports, news and movie channels. A 30-second spot during a new Big Bang Theory episode cost about $350,000 in the US. If you sell cooking pans, that budget could buy a week of ads on a cooking channel, reaching likely buyers. 📺
Specialized extensions like .travel, .movie and .fashion work the same way: they make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Niche media like DNJournal and NamePros show the same focus. For DNJournal’s founder, read Ron Jackson’s interview. 🔗
😅 His Biggest Domain Regret
His first domain was his own name in 1995, and he didn’t buy more until much later. Tools now show what else was registered that day, including names like television, which made others rich. 😅
Today he’s mostly in the registry business, with portfolios of four-letter .coms, generics in non-.com TLDs and many ccTLDs. Never knowingly register a trademark like Adobe. He pointed to the PayPal.me case: “I can’t think of anything good” behind such registrations. ⚖️
📚 Advice for Newbies
Inform yourself: come to conferences, read the blogs, and don’t go in blindly. The industry welcomes newcomers, as Greg McNair said in his keynote: “a rising tide lifts all boats.” 📚
Having spent lots of time in Bangalore, he learned that Indian buyers’ needs and negotiation style differ from Germany or South America, so be culturally appropriate. Like riding in an Indian car, trust the driver and learn the rhythm. For Greg’s interview, read Gregg McNair of PPX International. 🔗
📝 Key Takeaways From the Jothan Frakes Interview
- 🏏 Give new gTLDs time to mature
- 📺 Niche extensions help people find things
- ⏰ The best time to register was yesterday
- ⚖️ Never knowingly register a trademark
- 📚 Educate yourself at conferences and blogs
❓ FAQs About Jothan Frakes
Who is Jothan Frakes?
A domain industry veteran of 20+ years who has run registries and registrars and co-founded NamesCon.
How many domains does Jothan Frakes own?
About 7,500, mostly .com, plus four-letter .coms, generics in non-.com TLDs and ccTLDs.
When is NamesCon held?
Every January in Las Vegas.
🎙️ More Inside A Hustler’s Brain Interviews You’ll Love
- Monte Cahn Shares His Domaining Experience at Domainfest 2015
- Interview with Mary Wong from ICANN: Domainfest 2015
- Interview with Simon Cousins Co-founder of Allegravita at Domainfest 2015
- Interview with Raymond King from Top Level Design at Domainfest 2015
Which new domain extension do you think will last? Tell me in the comments. 💬
🔔 Subscribe & Follow Jitendra Vaswani Everywhere
🎧 Subscribe to Inside A Hustler’s Brain on YouTube and Follow Jitendra Vaswani on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, everywhere. 🙌
Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.