Interview With Ron Jackson Owner of DNjournal.com at DomainX Bangalore 2015

“Time is on your side. Go in slowly.” 📰

At DomainX Bangalore 2015, I interviewed Ron Jackson, owner and editor of DNJournal, one of the best-known publications in the domain industry. I was nervous, and he was generous. 🎙️

📊 In this episode, we unpacked:

• 📻 Radio, the Army and 20 years of TV
• 💿 Record stores and the last thing of value
• 📰 How DNJournal started
• 🎯 Advice for newbie domainers
• ⚠️ Stay away from trademarks

🎥 Watch the full episode:

📻 Radio, the Army and 20 Years of TV

Ron got his first job at 18 as a radio DJ after a one-year broadcasting school. Drafted during the Vietnam War, he was made an Army broadcaster instead of a soldier. 📻

TV paid more than radio, so he moved from Ohio to a new Florida station, where low wages were “paid in sunshine”. He spent 20 years as a TV sportscaster. For another career-switch story, read Gregg McNair’s interview. 🔗

💿 Record Stores and the Last Thing of Value

Music was his first love. When his TV station went bankrupt after a junk bond deal and layoffs started, Ron, then about 40, opened record stores and ran them for 12 years. 💿

Then downloads, torrents and CD burners killed music stores. At 52, he had to start over. The only thing of value left was the domain, musicparadise.com, which still got traffic. While researching names for a new site, he found DNForum and was fascinated: you can own a word worldwide. Like most newcomers in 2002, he sold nothing at first, and his wife joked they’d end up in a cardboard box.

📰 How DNJournal Started

Hungry for information and finding no one covering the business, the former journalist launched DNJournal on January 1, 2003, mainly to network with established domainers by writing about them. 📰

Later that year, Sedo asked about advertising. Ron quoted a tiny number, and the Sedo rep, despite his job being to get the lowest price, told him to charge more. Other advertisers followed, and by 2006 DNJournal was his full-time business. It covers success stories, conferences and a weekly report of domain sales. For Sedo’s side, read Team Sedo’s interview. 🔗

🎯 Advice for Newbie Domainers

Don’t dive in. It’s the mistake he made and still sees most often. Read professional blogs and forums, ask questions, invest a little at a time, and don’t go “whole hog”. He’s seen many people lose all their capital. 🎯

.com names have the most value but cost the most. Starting out, Ron bought many .us names and sold them to small mom-and-pop businesses. Concentrate on what you know: as a media guy, he buys news, magazine and TV names. Short names and three-letter acronyms work in almost any extension, and .in can make sense in India. For more on budget portfolios, read Anshul Goyal’s .biz interview. 🔗

⚠️ Stay Away From Trademarks

Ron was down to about 4,000 domains from a peak of about 7,000, as new gTLDs made things more competitive. Sales and parking brought in roughly $50,000 a year, while DNJournal’s direct advertising was a six-figure business. ⚠️

Never register trademarked terms like Coca-Cola in a new extension. In the US, you can be sued for up to $100,000 per domain. Even a UDRP costs about $5,000 in legal fees to defend, and you’ll likely lose anyway. For more on the legal side, read Rodney D. Ryder’s interview. 🔗

📝 Key Takeaways From the Ron Jackson Interview

• 🔄 It’s never too late to start a new career
• 🤝 Writing about experts is a great way to learn from them
• 🐢 Go in slowly and invest a little at a time
• 🎯 Buy names in fields you know
• ⚠️ Never register trademarked names

❓ FAQs About Ron Jackson

Who is Ron Jackson?

The owner and editor of DNJournal, who came to domaining after careers in radio, TV sports and record stores.

When did DNJournal start?

January 1, 2003. It became Ron’s full-time business by 2006.

What is Ron Jackson’s advice for new domainers?

Go in slowly, read and learn first, invest small amounts, buy in niches you know and avoid trademarks.

🎙️ More Inside A Hustler’s Brain Interviews You’ll Love

• Domain Name Investing Tips By Domainer Manmeet Pal Singh
• Domainer Deepak Ramani & Aishwin Vikhona on How to Make Money With Domains
• Jon Yau Who Bought $250k Domain Against His Wife Consent
• Zak Muscovitch Canadian Intellectual Property Lawyer Talking About Domain Industry

Which of Ron’s lessons hit home for you? Tell me in the comments. 💬

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