Joomla! site syndication http://webmaster.websitecn.com 2008-08-29T00:08:31+01:00 http://webmaster.websitecn.com http://webmaster.websitecn.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2008-04-18T22:57:51+01:00 http://webmaster.websitecn.com http://webmaster.websitecn.com/index.php/google-s-embeddable-maps-due-next-week.html Google will shortly roll-out a new feature on its mapping service that will allow users to easily embed maps directly into web pages. The feature, which operates much in the same as with YouTube videos, was conspicuously missing when Google launched its My Maps service on Google Maps in April. The new feature was announced today in Sydney by Google Australia's senior product manager, Carl Sjogreen. He said it would be rolled-out worldwide in about a week's time. Google's Embeddable Maps Due Next Week Aha, this could be a very very useful niche product. As they say, a geographical version of YouTube, and we've seen how wildly popular embedded videos have become. I'm not sure what's new here - I've been using Google Maps embedded on a webpage for some time - it was a simple API key wizard and a little code snippet. -- I'm not sure what's new here - I've been using Google Maps embedded on a webpage for some time - it was a simple API key wizard and a little code snippet. -- I assume the idea is that the embedding code will be much more neatly packaged and ready for copy and pasting, so that even people who don't know what API means will be able to use it. That's how the Youtube embedding has become so popular, it's incredibly easy to do it. You're right though, this feature has technically been available for quite a while. Ahh OK, for a second I thought I fell back in time again. Im amazed that Google did not introduce this upgrade sooner. It will put them leaps and bounds ahead of any other mapping product (not that they arent already). Giving the general public the ability to easiliy embed their product in their sites, myspace profiles etc allows for greater and free exposure. I'm hoping that this also means a Version 3 of the Maps API (Maybe with Street View?) Version 2 is pretty durn awesome. vincevincevince, if you ever want to see a pretty intense implementation of GM 2, I can SM you something. It goes WAY beyond a snippet. Nothing new here, I've been using this API all the time. -- Nothing new here, I've been using this API all the time. -- Having an API and having an easily embedded bit of code are slightly different things. One requires technical knowledge and can only be used by a minority of users, while the other simply requires knowledge of copy and paste and can be used by the majority. The upshot of this will be far more websites and blogs containing embedded maps from Google than there were before. Indeed, embedding of Google Maps may now become the standard way to give directions and locations on the internet because it will be so easy. Good on you Google. I will use this to enhance my sites just as I used Google Video, and now use YouTube. text/html 2008-04-18T22:57:51+01:00 http://webmaster.websitecn.com http://webmaster.websitecn.com/index.php/adwords-editor-problems.html Hi all, My AdWords Editor isn't working this morning. When I try to Get Recent Changes, the download in progress dialog pops up, but it sticks at retrieving changes. Apparently forever. I've tried different accounts, but the same thing happens. Hopefully this is at the server side, and won't last long. Anyone else seeing this? I am having trouble download my account as well this morning. Its either getting stuck at the start or after about 10% of the way through. You know what, I wonder if it has to do with the new access levels they've just instituted. When I logged into my account today, I saw this notice: New! You can now assign three new access levels -- administrative, standard, and reports -- to other users in the account. This new feature increases security by allowing only administrative access users to grant, modify, or remove account access of other users. Also, this feature maintains privacy by ensuring recipients get email communications appropriate to the user's access level. If you are the primary administrator of this account, please take time now to set up access levels for all users in this account, as all users will have administrative access by default. Hmmmm. Let me ask around about this. More when I know more. AWA I got Error Number 87, while trying to do this earlier. Whatever that means. Yes, i also had problems to get into my account today on AW Editor. Back with a brief update - the issue at work here has been pinpointed and looks to be on track to be fully resolved shortly. I'd guess that most folks who were seeing this will now be good to go - while those who are still having an issue will find things resolved soon. I hesitate to name an exact time, though, as I do so hate to be wrong - especially in public. ;) To those who were prevented from using AE today, my apology. AWA Thanks AWA! Mine seemed better yesterday, but is now very slow again. Fingers crossed it will be fixed soon. Thanks for looking into it. Slightly off-topic, but I'm seeing 'Error #5' - Adwords Editor tried to modify an item that no longer exists in the account. I'm simply trying to download the latest version of the account. I'm not sure what AE is trying to modify, or how to resolve this error? Slightly off-topic, but I'm seeing 'Error #5' - Adwords Editor tried to modify an item that no longer exists in the account. I'm simply trying to download the latest version of the account. I'm not sure what AE is trying to modify, or how to resolve this error? poster-boy - my apology. I completely missed this post until just now. Is this now working as expected, or are you still seeing the error you mentioned? AWA I too have just tried to download the latest version of my account and recieved the Error #5 adwords editor tried to modify an item that no longer exists in the account . However I have just moved this account over to my MCC and have started to wonder whether or not this has had an affect text/html 2008-04-18T22:57:50+01:00 http://webmaster.websitecn.com http://webmaster.websitecn.com/index.php/dramatic-changes-at-yahoo-local.html Users in the US are being treated to a new interface on Yahoo Local. Larry Dignan has a nice short summary, Yahoo Local Revamped, which claims that results for outlying areas have been improved. As the update does not cover the UK I can't dive in and see how good the results are; I'm sure members on the other side of the pond will be able to report back on this though. The problem with these local community/review type sites is that people spam! I just did a quick search for the city I'm in and there was a construction company which people were raving about. All 5-star reviews. It was rather obvious that it was spam from the company itself. Took it for a spin, and the results look good, but the interface needs a few rough edges filed, IMHO. Example: There's a lot of details in the results. When you scroll down to see the lower results, the map scrolls off the screen, then oozes its way back to its original place. It's a very weird and distracting effect. This choice may have something to do with the fact that contextual ads are below the map and also ooze their way around the screen. Ouch. Boy, my local sites are obviously worth more than I thought if Yahoo is putting this much work into local. I dunno how they are going to make this pay. But, they have clearly decided that they are going to take local seriously. Quite frankly, someone should. Thanks for catching this. This is very interesting to many here. That floating map / right column content really is annoying, (and appears to slow the page down when scrolling). IMO - unless you're designing a video game, nothing on the screen should move around. The Yahoo Local Blog has a great synopsis of the changes, including algos that will take into effect your past preferences whenever you search, i.e. personalization. This looks like a winner to me. text/html 2008-04-18T22:57:50+01:00 http://webmaster.websitecn.com http://webmaster.websitecn.com/index.php/google-clarifies-link-exchange-guideline.html A few weeks ago, you all may recall I started a thread regarding Google's new guideline on Link Schemes. WebmasterWorld was first to report this new guideline. As many of you all know, other forums and discussion lists have picked up on this story creating some backlash against Google in the past few weeks. http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66356 query=link exchange topic= type The guideline on Link Schemes (and specifically related to link exchange) was updated last night (I've been checking the guideline page twice daily hoping for a revision or clarification). The original guideline stated: Examples of link schemes can include: Link exchange and reciprocal links schemes (Link to me and I'll link to you.) Google updated the guideline either late last night or sometime today to read: Examples of link schemes can include: Excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging (Link to me and I'll link to you.) They have added the words excessive. I am happy they made this revision. To state any link exchange is an example of a link scheme in violation of G's guidelines is overbearing in my opinion. It seems now that link exchange may be acceptable as long as it's not excessive. Thank you to Google for adding some level of clarification. I just scanned other forums and don't see any mention of this update. Thanks cnvi for the update, and thanks to the folks at Google for providing a much needed clarification. ......................... Is it really so clear? How do you define excessive? What scenarios do you think Google defines as excessive? Is it really so clear? That would've been my first reaction too. If you have to set up a links directory, its probably on the excessive side. ;) Note, they've still not added anything related to relevancy. So one could assume that excessive relative linking may cause issues too. Well its certainly a bit more clearer than the original version of the guideline. Any clarification is welcomed. Agreed they could have said something about relevancy. What do believe Google defines as excessive? I don't think it's their nature to be that specific. But for myself and no doubt a gazillion other siteowners, we are pretty sure that our careful -- and limited -- linking is no where close to excessive. And as cnvi said, at least they've moved away from the more sweeping generalization of the previous wording, which if taken literally, was a really huge tent. ...................... How do you define excessive? The same way you define over-optimization. ;) Its amazing how that one word excessive just adds that much more confusion to the mix. Is there really a clarification? If your link environment is from a wholesale perspective, you are more than likely in the excessive category. Got a mini dMoz links style directory attached to your site? That may be a bit on the excessive side. :) but... does google really ever clarify anything? Does everything have to be spelled out precisely for you? How about 23? 17? If they said 42, then every webmaster would have 41 reciprocal links on their site. Life rarely works like that. Well its good that they acknowledge that a reciprical link is not necessarily an attepmt to rank high. For years, whenever we got a link from a major media source I would immediately link back to the article. Always fearful that I could trigger a penalty. What bugs me is when people condemn Google for having guidelines and point out that link pages have been around since before Google existed. That's a hollow argument. If you're afraid Google will penalize your site because you link exchange for traffic and not for search manipulation, then robots.txt your links page so Google doesn't know about it. End of story. I discussed recips with a Googler at the New Orleans PubCon and excessive was the word of the day. No numbers mentioned but hey, let's throw some numbers around and see what the wisdom of crowds thinks about this. Twenty Recips on a Links Page Would this pass a hand check? Fifty Recips on a Links Page Are we approaching a gray line? Or is this normal and shouldn't raise eyebrows? 100 Recips on a Links Page Ye olde standard for links on any page, including site maps has always been 100 links on a page. Is 100 recips on a page reaching a threshold for how many link partners is acceptable? So many link partners you need multiple pages Are two pages too many? Are there scenarios where multiple link pages will stand up to a hand check? It's quite simple, excessive means anything intended to manipulate PageRank :-) I never said that not clarifying anything was bad. This is how google keeps it's 'mystery' and our attention. Getting emails now and again with a site in a similar area to yours and asking if they can possibly link to their site and in exchange add your site on one of their pages = not excessive Spamming emails everyday with 3 way link offers and having hundreds of links in a link directory to manipulate PR = excessive Obviously google will never actually say where the Excessive line is......but jeez, use abit of common sense and if you think you perhaps might be anywhere near the Excessive mark...you probably are. yeah, it's clear as mud :) 'excessive' number is (most likely) parameter knob in algo - they can crank it up or down... And also, 'the threshold' most likely will not be same for every site either... Topic related, like-natural linking between a group of own or friendly sites is now possible without a bad taste left in the mouth I believe. Anything beyond, meaning LIBERATE efforts to inflate link count, any detectible action to obtain links artificially should concern you. So: don't! We get closer to that reading. I expect that excessive is not so much about absolute numbers as about proportions within your overall link profile. If 99% of your links were reciprocals from little sites and only two sites in the whole world had ever given you one-way links, that wouldn't say anything very impressive about your site. What else ya got, kid? If you had the same reciprocals and also had a comparable number of one-way links from a variety of trusted sources, the overall link profile would be much more credible to Google. Every new site needs to get started somehow, and reciprocals can be a useful part of the mix. Make good and sure that's not all you've got, though. let's throw some numbers around and see what the wisdom of crowds thinks about this. Good idea. Here's my reaction: * Twenty Recips on a Links Page Would this pass a hand check? No way this would be classified as excessive -- at least not for an algorithmic test. * Fifty Recips on a Links Page Are we approaching a gray line? Or is this normal and shouldn't raise eyebrows? Definitely borderline. Better make sure every one of the links is relevant and goes to a high quality site. * 100 Recips on a Links Page Excessive/well into the danger zone. Perhaps OK for very solid, established sites, but it would be foolish to tempt fate. * So many link partners you need multiple pages Are two pages too many? Two is probably fine, provided the links seem sufficiently relevant. Are there scenarios where multiple link pages will stand up to a hand check? Yes. But as the number of pages increases, so does the danger -- at a minimum you would need to be very vigilant in scrutinizing quality and relevancy. What bugs me is when people condemn Google for having guidelines and point out that link pages have been around since before Google existed. As far as I can see, no one here is raising any issues about guidelines -- there are however problems with guidelines that are so murky and/or contradictory that they serve no purpose except to make things worse. The only thing people are asking for is some thoughtful clarification. Adding the word excessive does not eliminate the murkiness, but at least they are attempting to make it clear that it is not link exchange in and of itself that is subject to potential penalty, which is how the previous wording could be interpreted, if read literally. Personally, I wish they'd also come up with a better word than scheme, which as I've said in numerous posts, is loaded with double meaning. Precision in language is not asking too much from the market leader. So what is excessive? Perhaps it's the way Justice Potter Stewart explained pornography in 1964 -- they know it when they see it. ................................... they know it when they see it. Would this pass a hand check? Do these really matter? What does the algorithm think? Of course if we knew that ... I would guess ratios of number of links on a page vs other text on page and number of total pages vs pages with lots of links would be involved somehow. I wonder if the time spread between recips appearing is taken into account in this. If most or all of your links exist for the benefit of your users, you won't have to worry about the meaning of excessive. To put it another way, this isn't a problem unless you choose to make it a possible problem. Want to be healthier? Eat organic food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and create organic links in between. :-) What does excessive mean? According to wordreference.com: 1 excessive, inordinate, undue, unreasonable beyond normal limits.... 2 excessive, extravagant, exuberant, overweening unrestrained ...... So excessive would be anything beyond what (Google) considers abnormal and because of what they have stated elsewhere you can probably conclude that any time you have an excessive amount of traded links (compared to one-way or paid links) then you raise a red flag to Google. The key is to not over-do any of them: get some one way links, get some reciprical links and pay for some of them but NONE in excess of the others. Re having a directory the key to not having excessive traded links would be to offer free links, but not only offer them but actually accept them. However, Google is going to have a big problem trying to figure out how to tell when you submit to a directory if you paid for the link or if it was free so it's a very gray area. Just don't do only one or the other or the boundary may look a little more refined to Google. They must be doing something right, I no longer get tons of emails asking for link exchanges. Maybe soon all link exchange threads will die out. I wonder if the time spread between recips appearing is taken into account in this. I bet it is. If we could review the Google algo, we might find that there are dozens of criteria just related to reciprocal linking, such as: - the age of the site adding the link; - the age of the site being linked to; - the number of 2 way links on each site; - the number of 1 way links on each site; - the number of 2 way links on that specific page; - the number of 1 way links on that specific page; - whether the link is text or graphic; - the relevancy of the text in the immediate vicinity of the link; - is the text in the immediate vicinity in keeping with the theme of the page; - is the text in the immediate vicinity in keeping with the theme of the overall site; - the day/week/month frequency by which each site adds new external links; - the average number of links added per day/week/month - the total number of links on a specific page; - the total number of links on that page vs other pages; - number of internal links vs number of external - the position of the link on the page (top/middle/bottom); - whether the link sits by itself in a natural sentence structure, or is clustered with other links; (and obviously the PageRank values relating to each page/site would also come into play) ... etc etc Not that we're going to get an algo glimpse any time soon ;-) ................................................. I expect that excessive is not so much about absolute numbers as about proportions within your overall link profile. There's a whole Google Patent that covers all of this. After reading that patent, you may come away with a better understanding of how Google may determine excessive from an algorithmic standpoint. Overall Link Profile That's a good way to summarize it all. I think the above beyond normal limits as a definition is a good starting place. How about what's normal for particular niches? There are some types of sites that have traditionally done a TON of reciprocal linking among themselves, with other sites in the same niche that are related because of the similarity in the industry (even though product types might be different); while for others it's unusual to do recips at all. Yet even in a space where it's common, a link directory that includes sites that are so off topic that they're not even remotely connected is excessive even with a total of 100 links spread over 10 pages. Maybe it's proportional to what's normal for the demographic that the site falls into, and Google certainly has enough statistics to program topical probabilities into the algo. A quick hand check can easily spot varied-topic linking that's done just for link love, but who's to say that co-occurrence data can't be used in link analysis to automatically filter out and discount off-topic link pages? In reality, there actually are and always have been, since linking became a factor in scoring, systems that can truthfully be called schemes. They know it and we know it. Personally, I think it should have been changed to read excessive reciprocal linking and link exchange schemes. If it barks, call it a dog. Catagorise the link types, receips, oneway, threeway, paid, blog forums and more... then strike the balance between all of them to have possibly the best link profile. I think the above beyond normal limits as a definition is a good starting place. How about what's normal for particular niches? I think the narrower the niche, the more likely it is you will come across reciprocal linking, simply because there will be a limited number of authoritative websites for that topic and it would be natural for them all to link to each other. Whereas it would look odd to have a large proportion of recips on a general interest site. The trouble is, if Google is to take this into account, they would have to devise an algo that can figure out the theme of an entire website, and know the difference between a themed page on a general-interest website and a links page on a website about a very specific topic, and treat them accordingly. I don't see that happening any time soon. text/html 2008-04-18T22:57:49+01:00 http://webmaster.websitecn.com http://webmaster.websitecn.com/index.php/it-s-called-predictive-domaining.html I did it in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 . . It's 2007. I'm still doing it. Only now I'm a bit more adept a divining the future and choosing my targets with a bit more accrued wisdom. Do you do it too? One thing that's nice to know: If you choose wisely you know that in a few years what once wasn't all that obvious will make you look like you were really smart. Just like those jokers who were really smart in 1995, 1996, 1997 . . . There's still room and time to be smart. Trend analysis anyone? Plastics . . . . Nah, but it's a great line. Put on your futurist hat and go domaining. Software . . . . Voice reponse . . IVP . . . Self help, self service . . . Remember: Stay generic and stay out of trouble. Predictive Domaining A good portion of my domain portfolio has been predictive. Since I'm glued to the SEO industry day in and day out, I've managed to pick up some fairly decent domains over the years. WebmasterWorld members are a great source for predictive domaining. We'll usually see the buzz first and then it goes mainstream. Gotta get those predictive domains in advance of the mainstream announcement. ;) Ya know, Mr. Lewis, as of 2:12 P.M. EST the thread relevant domain remains unregistered. And here I sit, thinking Gee, I bet one could talk about all sorts of things with a website built around that domain. All that and likely some contextual ads, hosting ads, domain registration ads, . . And just to prove what a nice guy I am I'm not going to register it. That decision, however, does not at all suggest that I believe the subject matter domain lacks the makings of a unique opportunity. What the domain describes is the essence of what domain registration has been about for years. And I don't want to read a post by anyone saying that they've taken it. (Just sticky me, if you care). I just want to know that someone here is prepared to endorse the thought: Maybe Webwork does have the occassional worthy idea . . . Nah. Folks, if there's an interesting or emerging topic the trick is to recognize it - first - and then do something. Predictive domaining? Hello? What do you think the domain industry has been about for the past decade . And, it's still happening. Consider this a give away. Somebody owes me a beer. ;-P (That's me, thirsty, with my tongue hanging out . . ) it has the makings of a unique opportunity Here's the big problem: Opportunity = W O R K Bright idea - intelligent, focused action = not much at all I've let a thousand great opportunities pass me by because I'm focused on the opportunities I'm already working on. I'm gonna let this one slide, too ... Ya know, Mr. Lewis, as of 2:12 P.M. EST the thread relevant domain remains unregistered As of 4:33Pm EST is was already registered so someone nabbed it. Availability check shows that it's available, but when you try to register, it's already registered, but this is how I'm trying out with a few domains. I've been stickied with a note of appreciation draggar, so I can confirm that it's gone. That doesn't mean you should stop predicting, nor does it mean you should take your lead from anything I post. :) Caveat do-main-or. Here's a crazy idea: Pay a visit to MIT or CalTech's websites and see what they're up to, generic tech phrases only. Emerging tech is always an interesting area. Again, generics only. Example: Holo-whatever. Remember this is mostly for fun and entertainment purposes only. Only invest what you can afford to lose . . or pay out of pocket every year to renew the domain. Now, taking my lead from Ms. Bucky I shall now get my nose back into my PHP/MySQL reading. WebmasterWorld members are a great source for predictive domaining. Worth more than most of us realize. How often have I heard something on TV, seen it on the net, or overheard it in conversation, all along saying to myself man, this was discussed on WebmasterWorld hours, days, weeks, months ago. Note to self: if it's on WebmasterWorld today, likely it's news tomorrow. Take action. Webwork: I've got your back on that beer. Predictive Domaining: Here is one right from your own hat... reputation... ;-) The way I look at it is that domains like this one (and others) are like that very attractive girl (or guy) in high school. Sure, you'd love to go out with them but you never bother asking them out because you assume that they'll say no or they're already involved with someone, except the rejections are a lot more private with the domain names. (thank god, I don't think I can live though that embarassment again!). Years later you'll kick yourself if you find out they had a crush on you and you missed out on a great thing. If you see something, go though your registrar and try it, even if it just for the hell of it. This is how I've found a few of my pointer domains (domains used to point ot a main site, similar keywords in the domains etc..). And if it's gold plated platinum (OK, now I'm starting to sound like Quark) and the .com is taking, shoot for the .org, .net, .info, and so on. Try the multiple version (examples.com instead of example.com). Try examplenline.com (that's a KILLER one for me). Stick with generics, too. Generics are rarely trademarked, in fact, it's the other way around (point: Q-tips, Kleenex, Band Aids etc..). So go for it, the worst that'll happen is that you'll get a no but you'll have ideas for other domain to look into. Even people on a very tight budget (like me) can get into this. Took my own advice. There are domain opportunities in Webworks post (on homepage). It's a limited area but early trends are showing people are interested in the topic. Just bought one today. :-) By the way, Webwork, you're starting to remind me of a friend of mine at work, very enigmatic. :) You're a little more straight forward appearing than he is, though. Thanks folks, that's 10 new domains today. Was not even predicting that. :-) Throwing out a predictive domaining thought of my own ... Demographic trends Where is the growth? Who has the money? What are their needs and what will they be in 5-10 years? venice writes: Thanks folks, that's 10 new domains today I'm starting to suspect Webwork of secretly working for my registrar ;). Uh-oh. The cat is out of the bag. This model fits everything that is going on in the world, not just technology: social-sexual relations, geopolitical relations, etc. Here's an example outside the realm of technology. In 1999, with the emergence of The EU, I spent some time thinking of a domain model that might capture the future of geopolitical relations and regional-national commerce. I asked myself What is the most concise way of expressing the idea of commerce between, say, the US and the EU?. Well, doh! .Com = commerce. Hmmm . . US . . EU . . dot com means commerce. Try to respect the keep it simple son adage, which advice also applies in the direct navigation age. So, ask yourself: What's new in the world of human sexuality? Botany? Travel and tourism? What will the commerce of the future look like? How astute a futurist are you? Remember: Bet with your head, not over it. The future will require renewal fees being paid. Since domainers are now entering the world of developers here's a thought: IF search engines favor aged sites then why not get yourself a double benefit from your futurist thinking? Don't just envision the future. Get out there on the WWW and promote the vision! Make a website. Now. IF that future arrives you'll be an authority . . unless the algo changes . . again . . ;-P Caveat: Please don't get excited about what I am talking about. Effective domaining requires a cool mind. So, before you click the register this domain button take a little time to do some research, have a cup of tea, go for a walk in the garden and maybe even get a night's sleep. Just don't do a test domain look up for you never know if some mindless domain tasting monster is scanning everything you do. When you decide to act - do it. Just sleep on it first. Folks, let's keep this in mind, from the Domain Forum Charter: Comments Disparaging Domain Industry Practices: The domain name industry encompasses a variety of business operations or practices. Some business practices, such as typosquatting of famous marks, will never gain legitimacy. Other business operations, such as domain monetization by domain parking have established their viability and legitimacy - despite an absence of universal acceptance or praise. Disparaging remarks or grievances posted in threads discussing common domain business operations that are neither unlawful nor prohibited by ICANN will be deemed flame bait and will therefore be removed or edited. Short version: I'm not going to allow this thread to get hijacked by a tired old domaining is okay vs. domaining is bad policy debate, a policy debate that was fully vetted in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and on ad nauseum. That debate - the good vs. bad debate - has been officially retired in the Domain Forum. Please read and respect the Charter. Thank you. I work in a pretty high tech industry, if I .com'ed all the new trends I saw coming up, I'd be broke! :) Instead, I look at gaps in the industry that may (or may not) fill up. Product A works great with product B, but you need some tweaking. Hmm... *wheels spin* Company C is coming out with product D, company C has an abysmal track record, hmm.. productdsucks.com? OK, that may be pushing it. Trends are everywhere and I'm sure we all work in a place we can see what is coming and what might be needed. I have seen a lot of potential in just filling in the gaps. Us old folks can remember when articles appeared in the late 1990s that said, all the good domains are gone. I thought that was funny then, still do. Not only envision the future but get out there and promote it. Make a website. Then, when the future comes . . . I was too engaged in the present and envisioning? A good lesson is taken from the above point. There are Diamond Mines all around you at the local level. For example, I foresee a small boom in California over the next few years in Manufactured Housing (Mobile Homes). Property values are so far out of touch for many, the next best thing is a Mobile Home. But wait, this is not your typical Mobile Home either. These are Manufactured Homes and look just like real houses and even made like them. The only difference is that they come in attached to steel trailers and assembled in two or three pieces. So, I bought an entire portfolio of domains related to that industry, that was a year ago. Sure enough, things are really starting to cook now, so much so that I have to launch a site before it gets ahead of me. ;) I've been doing some research and some thought on where I think healthcare is going to go in this country, and what some of the issues are going to be. To that end, over the past couple months I've taken out about 125 domains relating to that (including a couple of 'suites' where I've got the name for every state) Today's present in some countries is tomorrow's future in others. This is especially true when two countries share a very similar culture, but one happens to be ahead of the other economically by several years. I market a product in the US to expats. A lot of my advertising focuses on running ads to those expats in the US on websites popular in their home country. This gives me a real insight into what is popular in that country in terms of keywords, domains, etc...Now our biggest expat market comes from a country with a well developed local internet so a lot of the ccTLD keyword domains are gone, but it has a culturally similar neighbor with a large population and an emerging local internet. It has plenty of ccTLD keyword domains available, and I am having some success there by applying what I know about the developed country to the developing one. Predictive in that history repeats itself. One market that is becoming more and more visible... Green Anything Green! Sure would like to have that color .com. Its parked. Damn Squatters! ;) Please don't get excited about what I am talking about. Too late. Every once in awhile it's fun to takeoff the domain buying goggles and just let her rip. Credit card on counter, plenty of alcohol (or caffeine), and a bunch of fresh information about an area or industry you know nothing about. You may wake up the next day with a hangover and a bucket full of really bad domains, or you may just get out of your way long enough to stumble upon something brilliant. You could just save a list of those domains and do a reality check on them the next day, but where's the fun in that? Here is my best example of predictive domaining and should also serve as an example of how important it is to register the .com version of a site. During the buildup to the war in Iraq I studied events at home and in the middle east and registered one very promising domain I thought had a lot of potential. Much to my surprise, a couple of months later, the U.S. Government picked the .net version of the same domain I had registered to be their official site for the reconstruction effort in Iraq. I couldn't believe it. Immediately, traffic to this domain surged. Newspapers, televisions and radio stations, and websites from all around the world were mentioning the .com version of this site. Much of it due, in my opinion, to poor fact checking by reporters in the field. To compound problems, the government websites and even the White House for a while, were giving out the wrong site address. So now I was stuck with a non official domain with official attention. I put a link on the home page pointing to the government site and started slowly building up the site with a neutral eye to the war. Then the war turned and the insurgency was born. Now I have a non official domain with official and now possibly insurgent attention. I eventually ended up parking the domain and increasing security at home. The domain was up for sale during most of this time and I got some offers but without being able to confirm who the buyer was I turned them all down. There was no way I was going to allow this domain to be a tool for a questionable group. The official U.S. domain was eventually transferred to the Iraqi government and no longer garners the attention it once got. The domain I purchased is now parked and still generates some revenue. I still occasionally get official correspondence intended for the official site. I love domaining and predictive domaining is one of the most lucrative fields in my opinion. I only wish I had the time to devote more attention to it. If you are good at this you should be playing the stock market, seems to be highly related to me. Costs a little more though ;-) Isn't the word you are looking for called trendspotting ;-) It's extremely hard to spot ideas outside your own area of expertise. I've gotten lucky once, just once, and the money is long gone unfortunately. I'm a Japan resident 2 years ago started registering more domains for the market I live in. This includes IDN domains ccTLDs. Many are looking at a domains value based on sales of an extension or if a domain gets type in traffic naturally. I am looking at current future value for my market only. For your target market what is the most recognized extension(s), language used. The ccTLDs are strong in areas outside the US this should be taken in consideration by international webmasters. The dot com is a great extension but having a business in say the UK or targeting Spanish speakers .co.uk or .es would also be a great choice. Since registered dot coms won't decline anytime soon, ccTLDs that are highly recognized by your target market or IDNs (for countries who's native language doesn't use latin script) are options. I have all sorts of futuristic based registrations, from some tech terms to longer term plays. I remember reading a thread in the supporters forum about 2 or 3 months ago about a new search term in the Google results and it wasn't until I had read the last post that it tweaked what they were refering to. I realised I registered it in my local ccTLD about 2 weeks before when Google had only 8 search results for the term. I have others like water and food domains for when people have too little time to shop for boring everyday household items. Domaining really makes time work for you, considering time is relentless, it's a good diversification. In short, I love domaining. Coined Phrases Another aspect of this is when phrases are coined. I see WebmasterWorld members coining new phrases regularly. When I see one, first thing I do is check to see if the .com is available. If so, its mine. And then there are those phrases I come up with. There is no other reason to blend other than to trick a click. So, I got... trickaclick.com trikaclik.com What am I going to do with them? Probably nothing. I just liked the ring of it. ;) While listening to the Black Eyed Peas this morning and watching the WebmasterWorld Home Page... flicktoclick.com flick2click.com camosense.com And others. :) Your domain addiction sounds a bit like my shoe addiction!