It’s not very often you stumble upon a domain hobbyist that has played a critical role in the innovation and automation of domain registration and web hosting services, to say the least.

But today’s guest, Rolf Larsen, not only played a critical role, but is recognized as a long-standing pioneer of Internet access, Domain name registrar and Web Hosting services throughout Europe and Scandinavia, and onto the greater globe.

The struggle is real when it comes to the buying and selling of domain names. Domain investing and development, neither one is for the faint of heart.

Domain investing has become highly competitively over the last 3 or so years — expiring domain auctions, especially with COVID putting tight clamps on gambling, a thriving industry, pushing a large number of the population into alternative investments — stock market and domain name investing.

While increased competition is one thing, there are a number of threats lurking to wipe out a domain investors portfolio and legacy as the domain industry matures.

In a recent podcast, I sat down with Michael Gargiulo, a long-time domain investor and developer, and serial entrepreneur.

The Chinese Domain Market is likely to be daunting or mysterious to understand, to say the least, especially if the only information consumed is Western-based domain investing.

Since entering into domain investing in late 2012, I’ve stumbled upon sites — 4.cn and ename.com — dedicated to domain buying and selling in China.

Personally, I’ve never quite understood the ins and outs of domain buying and selling in the Chinese Domain Market in great clarity, if any at all, even after making 2 4-figure sales during the 4L .com craze, as known as the Chinese domain bubble.

No need to fear though if you too are in the dark about understanding the Chinese domain market.

The domain industry can be quite an insular experience, especially if you don’t connect with others, attend meetups and conferences, or participate in online forums and blogs.

Then, the complexities of domain buying, selling, leasing, and development increase exponentially when adding in language barriers, time zone, cultural and socioeconomic differences.

It’s one thing to be a domain hobbyist, domain investor, domain developer, domain broker, or domain consultant within one’s own backyard, per se.

However, today’s podcast guest truly understands what it means to be a global domain investor in one of the world’s fastest growing major economy, India.

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone, and with it, a decade too.

The sky is the limit in 2020, and the future is quite bright for all aspects and persons in the domain industry.

If you’ve been around the domain industry two seconds or longer, then you’ve likely heard the name Rick Schwartz, also known as the DomainKing™.

He’s certainly not a new face to industry. A living legend, by many standards, not short on vision, stories, and facts/opinions about domain, business, and life in general, having held more than 30 jobs in a 5 year span.

Everyone and their grandmother, if not great-grandmother by now, use emoji — billions daily in collective use — to communicate a multitude of thoughts and expressions daily.

Whether by email, text, chat, clothing, or billboards, emoji marketing has nearly touched every possible form of communication, including domain names.

From Apple to Taco Bell to Domino’s to name a few, a growing number of brands are committing more and more marketing and advertising dollars to the use of emoji marketing.

One of the most recent announcements for brands entering the emoji marketing space with their own branded emoji — the pickup truck — is Ford Motor Company.