Q&A with Adam Dicker, of DNForum

Q: db – What is your full name, where are you from and how did you first come to be involved in domaining?

A: AD – My full name is Adam M. Dicker; I became interested in domains just from my internet experience and started looking for great domains to buy. I found worm.com and purchased it off a gentleman who referred me to dnforum.com so I could learn about domains. That referral changed my life. Within a week of being there I knew I wanted to buy dnforum.com.



Q: db – Your one of the largest known domainers in the world. How did you get to where you are today? Did it happen fast or was it a long process? What do you think contributed to your success?

A: AD - It happened fairly quickly due to the fact that I had money to invest in this industry. Without money the success can happen but it is much slower process. I achieved rapid success by constantly learning and yearning for more information. Many great people gave me help by passing on their knowledge to me so I didn’t have to learn everything on my own.


Q: db – For all those that don’t know your nickname is “DCG or DotComGod”. How did you acquire this nickname, was it something that you came up with yourself or did others give you the name?

A: AD - I am grateful for the success that I have had in this industry. At the beginning I was led by a few key people that took time out of their day to help speed up my education and to them I will always be grateful. Even if I was bound for failure, I would put my all into it and see where it would take me. I gave myself the name as it helped me look everyday at a goal I had to fulfill.



Q: db – You are probably known best for owning the leading (Alexa) domaining forum, DNForum.com. Not only is it the most trafficked domaining forum but it is the most complete with a wide array of modifications, services, tools and membership options. The forum has not always been what it is today. You are not the original owner but since you have taken over it has really come a long way. How did you originally acquire the forum?

A: AD – I originally acquired the forum by calling its previous owner and offering more money than he expected. It took him to hang up on me a few times, and swear at me because he thought I was a joker pulling his leg. Eventually, he realized that I wasn’t going away and I was serious. He sold me the forum at that point. My goal with Dnforum.com is to provide the best and safest place for people that want to buy, sell or just learn about domains. My focus has always been building it as a business, so people that come to Dnforum.com know it is a place setup to increase their knowledge and wealth.


Q: db - When you originally bought DNForum, did you ever think that it would have been as successful as it is today? You were very persistent in acquiring the forum, so you must have seen its potential. What was the original plan for the forum and has it changed since you first acquired it?

A: AD – No, the fact that it is successful is a credit to all that have been involved and from its inception. I feel that Dnforum.com is successful because of the many members, moderators and administrators that make Dnforum.com their home. It is like an addiction and some people cannot stay away for long once they start coming on a regular basis, me included.


Q: db - Since the acquisition of DNForum, how much time and money has gone into making it what it is today?

A: AD – A lot, nothing successful is built without a price. There are many costs involved with running a large site. Dnforum.com is run by a full time staff of 4 administrators that are constantly adding new features to make the forum a better place for everyone. There are also about a dozen moderators that are an integral part of the community and ensure the forum runs smooth. The time put in cannot be measured but I can say it is well worth it.


Q: db – What is it like having so many loyal members? How do you think you were able to achieve such a large base of regular domainers at DNForum?

A: AD – It is a fantastic feeling to know we have built a community that most domainers call home. Even our major competitors all started out as Dnforum.com members so we must be doing something right. Dnforum.com is home to many regular domainers because it remains constant. The forum is there to help them all reach their goals in the domain community. It is a great place to learn about the industry called domaining.


Q: db - DNForum has several subscription levels, ranging from “Gold” to “Exclusive”. Can you explain in more detail about the subscription levels and what the premise for them is?

A: AD – Gold membership is for people that want to buy and not sell domains and simply just start to learn about the industry. Platinum is for those that wish to buy and sell. Exclusive is meant for those who are making domaining their life and are looking for that personal touch to get there.



Q: db - One thing that stands out about DNForum is the tremendous value of the "Exclusive" memberships. The list of incentives far outweighs the cost. How are you able to offer such a tremendous value and can you explain in more detail what the "Exclusive" memberships consists of for those that aren’t aware?

A: AD - As I’ve mentioned before, I am here to help others learn about the industry and share my knowledge. As I do believe money is important, I don’t believe money is everything, that is why I try and keep the costs as low as I can and at the same time show my gratitude to the members by giving them something in return, such as the Exclusive benefits which include:

-1 free website and logo designed of your choice (5 pages maximum)
-Banner signature of your choice to be displayed under your profile (200 x 60)
-Receive all features of memberships below as well as access to all forum sections
-Bonus 3000 F$ added to your account upon signup or upgrade to exclusive
-Complete list of many useful domain tools
-Access to our adsense page tool. Builds targeted adsense pages within minutes to double your current revenue
And much more...


Q: db - Not only does DNForum offer great subscription packages but you also offer a wide array of services for domainers looking to maximize their domain name revenues. Can you please explain how these services can help domainers maximize their revenue?

A: AD – I have been in this business for quite some time now, and unlike most people I am not afraid to try things with my domains, even though at times it could mean losing a day or two revenue, that is why I know tips and tricks on what works and what doesn’t, with that and other research I am able to provide members with useful tips to increase revenue.


Q: db – You are also very well known for being one of the top PPC specialists, not only have you progressed your PPC techniques for your own benefit but you also offering several different PPC options, PPC templates and a highly sophisticated parking service called “Parking Site” for anybody that may want to increase their own revenue with your techniques. How much time and effort went into developing these systems and how do you think the average domainer can benefit from them?



A: AD – The most important thing is to analyze your traffic and best determine what people that go to your domain are looking for, then take that information and build a site or target PPC pages accordingly. All too often people assume they know what people are looking for and waste their traffic. I will give you an example, I own flus.net an I just figured like most would they want information on the flu ad vaccines, wrong, they are actually looking for information on the Florida Technical Institute. When I retargeted towards that the PPC revenue on this domain increased by 6 times what it was earning.


Q: db – What makes ParkingSite standout from the rest of the parking companies? Why would somebody want to start parking their domain names with ParkingSite?

A: AD – Parkingsite is just another good alternative with good looking landing pages that people can try to covert their traffic on. A developed site like our PPC templates will always out perform a landing page.


Q: db – Do you think that the fact that you have been such a successful domainer yourself plays a big role in your success with DNForum and ParkingSite?

A: AD – I think nothing beats experience and having a large portfolio of domains myself and having tried many different things to maximize my main income helped me gain a lot of knowledge necessary to be successful.


Q: db – Is it you that comes up with all of the ideas for DNForum, ParkingSite and your PPC templates or is it your staff or a combination of the two? How hands on are you with these aspects of your business?

A: AD – I am more hands on than my staff would like and not enough hands on for me. I would say I come up with 95% of the ideas. I would also say I come up with 95% of the bad ideas as well. Not everything works out well but I try to add new features and benefits every week. I am always open to new suggestions to make the forum better for the community. Members and moderators have also provided some great ideas through the last few years.


Q: db – How did you go about gaining all of the knowledge that you currently have in regards to domain names, PPC and web development in general?

A: AD – Trial and error. More error than success. Sometimes I have tried 6 different things with a site and determine they are all worse than the previous idea. But when it works out, it’s great.


Q: db – It is a well known fact that you are always acquiring new domain names. What are some of your most recent acquisitions?

A: AD – Newfoundland.com, phrases.com, acronyms.com, giraffes.com, rosary.com and aries.com.


Q: db – In total how many domain names do you currently hold and what are you most prized holdings? Can you say how much revenue your portfolio currently generates?

A: AD – Prefer not to give an amount but I can say quite a few. Some of my prized possessions would be dnforum.com, download.net, penpals.com, planets.com, sm.com, voiceoverip.com, witchcraft.com, avatars.com, seals.com, elephant.com and forums.com.


Q: db – What aspects of domaining do you currently participate in?

A: AD – I participate in all areas but for higher end domains I go to the current owners and buy them directly from them.


Q: db – How many domain names do you currently hold and what would you say your most prized would be at this time? How much has your portfolio been speculated to be worth?

A: AD – No clue, I can tell you I turned down an offer of $250K for avatars.com about two weeks ago.


Q: db - IDNs have been a very hot topic as of late. Just this past week an IDN sold for nearly $60,000 and a .de at that. It seems as though this whole phenomenon of noteworthy IDN sales reported has skyrocketed since our special edition report on IDNs entitled "IDNs, Are They The Next Big Thing? These Two IDN Speculators Seem To Think So!". Before this report was published the highest reported IDN sale was only four figures. The very week after the report was publish the first five figure IDN sale reported occured and then many have followed and there has been a huge insurgence in IDNers and IDN registrations. You are openly one of these people and you have already claimed to have registered over 5,000 IDNs in the past couple of months. What inspired to take the leap and become an active IDNer? Did our special edition report influence you at all? If you could kindly share your thoughts on IDNs for everybody to hear that would be greatly appreciated. You recently wrote a newsletter for your "Exclusive" members at DNForum about IDNs. Can you kindly share some of that information here? What do you think a domainer should do if they also want to become an IDNer as well? What your thoughts about the future of IDN.TLDs and how do you think that IDN.IDNs will effect the IDN.TLD market when IDN.IDNs are in full force?


A: AD - The only thing that influenced me was IE7 and it’s future features that will support IDN. I am buying many IDN’s as I feel it’s worth the risk in case it does pan out. Nobody knows for sure which way it will go but I do no one thing, if you never take any chances, you stand a much lesser chance of being successful in the IDN market. ;)

(CLICK HERE to read our special edition report on IDNs)

Q: db – In your opinion, what is it that you believe makes a domain name valuable?

A: AD – Current traffic and/or development possibilities.


Q: db – How do you go about monetizing your other domains? Do you park them, resell them, develop them, a combination of all of the above? What exactly do you do to maximize your returns?

A: AD – I park or develop, I never sell. Good SEO is extremely important to revenue.


Q: db - You are very adamant about monetizing your domains with PPC and most only PPC. You have previously mentioned that you have attemped to monetize domains through other forms of development for years and PPC always delivers the highest returns for you. With this said, what are your opinions on using PPC solely vs. full development utilizing a full arsenal of tactics? In your opinion, is straight PPC always the right option or do you believe that there are times to fully develop and if so, when?

A: AD - Developed sites are my preferred option, PPC should only be utilized when all other avenues have been exhausted or when PPC revenue crushes what the developed site can bring in as far as revenue. But developed sites are always my preference.


Q: db – Have you ever sold a high profile domain name, if so what names and for how much? To end user or reseller and what kind of return did you receive on your initial investment?

A: AD – I have not sold any names I would consider high profile, I buy and never sell ;)


Q: db – What tips could you give to the rest of the domaining community that you believe makes one a successful domainer? Are there any techniques and/or tools that you would recommend for those looking to succeed in domaining?

A: AD – All the tools I have were custom written by me or my staff. Some can be found in the exclusive area on dnforum.com. The most important advice I can give is learn from other people’s successes as well as their failures. People think I know a lot about domains and by most accounts I do. But I learn something new everyday from somebody and that’s what motivates me.


Q: db – Do you have any tips for the domainers out there attempting to build successful communities?

A: AD – A community is built on hard work and will be a struggle to build but in the end it’s worth it. So don’t give up and keep plugging away, hard work almost always pays off better than no work at all.


Q: db - Where do you see domaining heading in the future? In what ways do you think it will be different from now?

A: AD – About 5 years from now this industry will see such a huge growth spurt and changes that will make you domains much more valuable. If you can afford to, hang on to them and don’t sell now.


Q: db – Do you have anymore projects in the works that the domaining community should be on the lookout for?

A: AD – I have many upcoming projects that will be launching soon, including a very secure low cost escrow service for domains.


Q: db – Do you have anybody that you would like to thank for helping you get to where you are today?

A: AD - There are so many people I could thank; I am not sure where to begin. So I will thank my members and moderators of Dnforum.com for helping me to make dnforum.com a better place for us all, and especially my dedicated staff. The others know who they are and probably want to stay in the background.

Adam would also like to extend a 33% discount off any membership at DNForum by e-mailing sales@DNForum.com and including a link to this Q&A.

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