The $20-million domain name man...

Zapolin, who made millions from the sale of domain names like Beer.com and Shop.com, explains why the crisis is actually a great opportunity for the Internet, and why online advertising will grow rapidly.

Website owners know that on the Internet, the name of the game is traffic, that is, the flow of data. The more people regularly visit a site, the greater its chances of attracting advertisers and earning more money. Along with the millions of people who have established websites with the goal of making pocket money from them, or maintaining their hobby through blogging, there are also those who trade in domain names, and generally hope for the best.

Mike "Zappy" Zapolin is one of the entrepreneurs who succeeded in profiting from the trade in domain names a market which reportedly generates $2.5 billion a year. His successes include the sale of the domain name Beer.com for $7 million, Creditcards.com for $2.75 million, and Shop.com, whose price tag hit $3.5 million.

Read the full article at Globes Online: "Domain name guru Mike Zapolin: The Internet is a ray of light" by Noa Parag (10 DEC 2008)

SELECTED INTERVIEW QUESTION:

Globes: As someone who survived the last Internet bubble of the early 2000s, how is the present situation similar?

Zapolin says, “The situation is quite similar. Then, too, valuations on Wall Street were exorbitant and out of proportion. People began to lose faith in the Internet. In practice, more and more people came online and began to feel more comfortable in the Internet environment, whether by using e-mail or buying something online.

“In 2001, I wasn’t worried about the bubble, and I continued to buy domain names from companies that had given up on the Internet. We saw that situation as an opportunity, and the same is true today. It’s important that people neither panic from the recession nor make the same mistakes as in the previous crisis, and believe that nothing will work. They should seek out categories that can profit from the current situation.”

Mike Zapolin’s big deals:

Beer.com sold to Interbrew for $7 million

Shop.com sold to Ultra International Ltd. for $3.5 million

Diamond.com sold to Odimo Inc. for $6 million

Telephone.com sold to an investment firm for $2 million

Zapolin was also involved in the sale of College.com, Computer.com, and Timeshares.com for undisclosed amounts.

Read the full article at Globes Online: "Domain name guru Mike Zapolin: The Internet is a ray of light" by Noa Parag (10 DEC 2008)