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- Dec 5, 2005
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Earlier this week I managed to pick up in an auction on NP the domain Stoke-on-Trent.info.
When I saw the domain my mind went into devious mode
, could this be a double blessing in disguise, could I actually perhaps save some money by buying this domain? My mind was racing, on gut instinct I put in a bid but sure it would not be enough, but nothing ventured nothing gained as they say.
Stoke-on-Trent is a city in the north Midlands region of England in the county of Staffordshire. It has a population slightly less than 240,000, and its mostly known as the centre of china and pottery production here in the UK, hence its nickname 'The Potteries'. The city is not affluent, not a tourist destination, indeed now not even much china and pottery is made in the area - but it does have 240,000 people living in it, all of whom know and write the city name correctly as Stoke-on-Trent, the inclusion of the hyphens (dashes) is the correct spelling!
After I put the bid in on the domain I checked out what the state of play was with the other suffixes (.co.uk/.com/.net/.org/.biz) in both the hyphenated and unhyphenated versions of the domain (this by the way I know was the wrong order in which to do this but this is how I did it this time). Bingo, amoungst the competition there were a couple of poorly developed and poorly maintained sites, things were starting to look better. Could my money making / money saving idea actually work?
Anyway, I won the domain and completed the deal. I sat at my desk, my evil smug smirk must have stretched from ear-to-ear. I was going to enjoy my next move!
Our oldest daughter starts university in September, Keele University, just outside Stoke-on-Trent! She has already rented a house and moved there. Well needless to say she visits regularly (which is something I have no complaints about at all), but during phone calls, visits, etc., there always seems to be a common thread in the conversation somewhere - how is she going to cope financially being a student? That question always seems to be directed in my direction! :uhoh:
The other night we were all sitting down to dinner and before the conversation took its normal course I told her I had just bought her a present. She and my wife both looked at me, my daughter's look was one of delight, although my wife's look was somewhat different, more a look of mistrust and puzzlement. I then went on to tell my daughter I had just bought her a property - she almost yelped with glee, my wife on the other hand frowned at me, turned her head slightly and with raised eyebows immediately asked what I meant. I then explained quite calmly and matter-of-factly that I had bought my daughter a domain property (and I stressed the word property), the domain Stoke-on-Trent.info. The look on my daughter's face turned from one of delight to that of absolute horror and degection. But I was not finished yet.
As we carried on eating I explained that now she could develop the domain into a proper website, and as she developed it she could look for local advertisers and if the site was successful she could make £500 a month from it, indeed there was no reason why she could not earn more, all it needed was some work and tenacity on her part. As we finished dinner I sat there in total contentment, not only had I given my daughter a start in her new independent life, I had also started her up with her own business, given her a way to afford being a student by her topping up her income from the student loan, and given her the ability to become financially independent of ME!
Strangely enough my daughter hasn't mentioned how she is going to survive being a student financially for the last 36 hours or so. She has though started reading through one of my books on Joomla!, and what is worrying is I found her yesterday at the computer writing down domain prices from various registrars, and of course being nosey I sneakely glimpsed some of her notes. Then a deep pit of darkness appeared in my stomach as I saw the underlined words 'Start up costs - Get the money of Dad'.
I may have got my daughter into domaining and website development, but at what cost to me???????
By the way I still haven't told her I got Stoke-on-Trent.info for $1, when she asks I just say I had to fight for it in an auction!k:
When I saw the domain my mind went into devious mode
, could this be a double blessing in disguise, could I actually perhaps save some money by buying this domain? My mind was racing, on gut instinct I put in a bid but sure it would not be enough, but nothing ventured nothing gained as they say.Stoke-on-Trent is a city in the north Midlands region of England in the county of Staffordshire. It has a population slightly less than 240,000, and its mostly known as the centre of china and pottery production here in the UK, hence its nickname 'The Potteries'. The city is not affluent, not a tourist destination, indeed now not even much china and pottery is made in the area - but it does have 240,000 people living in it, all of whom know and write the city name correctly as Stoke-on-Trent, the inclusion of the hyphens (dashes) is the correct spelling!
After I put the bid in on the domain I checked out what the state of play was with the other suffixes (.co.uk/.com/.net/.org/.biz) in both the hyphenated and unhyphenated versions of the domain (this by the way I know was the wrong order in which to do this but this is how I did it this time). Bingo, amoungst the competition there were a couple of poorly developed and poorly maintained sites, things were starting to look better. Could my money making / money saving idea actually work?
Anyway, I won the domain and completed the deal. I sat at my desk, my evil smug smirk must have stretched from ear-to-ear. I was going to enjoy my next move!
Our oldest daughter starts university in September, Keele University, just outside Stoke-on-Trent! She has already rented a house and moved there. Well needless to say she visits regularly (which is something I have no complaints about at all), but during phone calls, visits, etc., there always seems to be a common thread in the conversation somewhere - how is she going to cope financially being a student? That question always seems to be directed in my direction! :uhoh:
The other night we were all sitting down to dinner and before the conversation took its normal course I told her I had just bought her a present. She and my wife both looked at me, my daughter's look was one of delight, although my wife's look was somewhat different, more a look of mistrust and puzzlement. I then went on to tell my daughter I had just bought her a property - she almost yelped with glee, my wife on the other hand frowned at me, turned her head slightly and with raised eyebows immediately asked what I meant. I then explained quite calmly and matter-of-factly that I had bought my daughter a domain property (and I stressed the word property), the domain Stoke-on-Trent.info. The look on my daughter's face turned from one of delight to that of absolute horror and degection. But I was not finished yet.
As we carried on eating I explained that now she could develop the domain into a proper website, and as she developed it she could look for local advertisers and if the site was successful she could make £500 a month from it, indeed there was no reason why she could not earn more, all it needed was some work and tenacity on her part. As we finished dinner I sat there in total contentment, not only had I given my daughter a start in her new independent life, I had also started her up with her own business, given her a way to afford being a student by her topping up her income from the student loan, and given her the ability to become financially independent of ME!
Strangely enough my daughter hasn't mentioned how she is going to survive being a student financially for the last 36 hours or so. She has though started reading through one of my books on Joomla!, and what is worrying is I found her yesterday at the computer writing down domain prices from various registrars, and of course being nosey I sneakely glimpsed some of her notes. Then a deep pit of darkness appeared in my stomach as I saw the underlined words 'Start up costs - Get the money of Dad'.
I may have got my daughter into domaining and website development, but at what cost to me???????
By the way I still haven't told her I got Stoke-on-Trent.info for $1, when she asks I just say I had to fight for it in an auction!
k:
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