Developing the World’s Best Domain Portfolio: Digimedia
Digimedia has an enviable but daunting task: building out the world’s best domain name portfolio.
Most domainers struggle with the question of which of their domain names to develop into full-fledged web sites. But imagine if your portfolio of domain names included Recipes.com, Shops.com, FantasyFootball.com, and MovieReviews.com? Choosing which of these blue chip domain names to develop first is a difficult task for Wichita Falls, Texas-based Digimedia.
Digimedia was founded by Scott Day. Many know of him as the watermelon farmer who stumbled into domain names when he wanted to buy Watermelon.com. Day is still involved with his firm, but he now has help. Digimedia has regarding 15 full-time employees, counting long time friend and firm president Jay Chapman.
The team has a difficult but rewarding task of choosing which domains to build into web sites. A general rule of thumb: stick with what your passionate regarding.
“We never want to get caught up in a business we aren’t excited regarding,” stated Chapman. One of the reasons the firm built out its fantasy sports business (counting FantasyFootball.com) was since its employees were long time fans of the hobby.
Jerky.com marked Digimedia’s foray into full-fledged e-commerce sites. The firm decided to build it ahead of bigger category killer domains, such as chairs.com, since it felt it could cut its teeth on a smaller niche market. For its e-commerce ventures, Digimedia relies on a combination of dropshippers and its own warehouse.
But with so many quality domain names, the firm realizes it will never be able to develop all of them. “When we originally got started we thought we could build and develop and grow, and have a tall building of employees building these web sites,” stated Chapman. “There’s only so much time.”
To that end, the firm is more open now to partnerships than it used to be. It recently formed a joint venture with a web design firm, now called WebDesign.com.
With all of its success, the firm hasn’t let go of its principles. “There are a lot of people with more manpower and a deeper technical vision than us,” stated Chapman. “What we try and share with everyone we come in contact with is to be as authentic as possible, very passionate regarding what we’re doing…personable and accessible.”
In an industry in which a few bad apples can give the entire industry a bad name, Digimedia is doing its part to put its best foot forward.
