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Ideas for my Ted Williams domains (Homeless radio star)

by duncanb
34 replies
Hi All,

I was amazed at the viral nature of the video that was released on youtube of Ted Willams, the homeless man with the amazing radio voice.

Thsi video as you all probably know achieved 6m views in two days.

I jumped on the bandwagon of course early on and purchasd the following two TLD domain names:

www.ted-williams.net
www.tedsvoice.net

I am looking for suggestions as to what i should do with the domains.
Are they worth anything atall? Should I offload them on Flippa.com, or should I look to build a site around the man?

Opinions: Was this a good buy?
What would you suggest I should do with them?
#domains #homeless #ideas #radio #star #ted #williams
  • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
    Originally Posted by duncanb View Post

    Opinions: Was this a good buy?
    What would you suggest I should do with them?
    Possibly, you'll be able to start a fine collection of "cease and desist" letters. But, I'm not a lawyer, so I'll just sit back and enjoy some popcorn.
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    • Profile picture of the author donhx
      Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

      Possibly, you'll be able to start a fine collection of "cease and desist" letters. But, I'm not a lawyer, so I'll just sit back and enjoy some popcorn.
      So true. Either from the voice guy or the estate of Ted Williams, the Hall of Fame baseball player. Not a good use of time to pursue such fads... especially if you have no idea how you are going to use the domain names.
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  • Profile picture of the author yourreviewer
    Why would you want to buy a domain name that will get you in trouble eventually?
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave Rodman
    Banned
    Geez. This reminds me of all the people buying joe-the-plumber.com domains a couple years ago.

    I would let them expire and focus on things that are more important. You've wasted enough time already with registering the domains and making a post.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mohammad Afaq
    Well, the trend will be dead when you will figure out what to do with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    You've wasted your time and money.

    The story doesn't have legs. This time next week it'll be completely forgotten.

    Forget about it and move on.
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  • Profile picture of the author Always-A-Warrior
    I can't see how when its not a registered name or is it?. I mean registered as in trademarked like Oprah or NBC. All is fair.

    But that's sad to say that you would want to flip it this quick and make a fast buck of off this poor (now rich) man's fame.
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Shook
      You could develop them and give them to Mr. Williams. He might appreciate that.
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      • Profile picture of the author Diane S
        Originally Posted by JMichaelZ View Post

        You could develop them and give them to Mr. Williams. He might appreciate that.
        Absolutely. He would probably like a book deal. A nice blog or two might be just the thing to help with that project. I am personally cheering for Mr. Williams. I wish him continued success. Perhaps a year from now the national news channels will do an update on him, and maybe he will be talking about the great book deal he got because some nice stranger gave him a blog to start his book with...
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    • Profile picture of the author duncanb
      To be honest I cant see how these domains would be restricted for purchase. I found this man inspirational, and decided to purchase two domains which could provide a good platform from which to build an informative site from. Are there laws against buying domain names outlining a name other than your own?

      Originally Posted by Always-A-Warrior View Post

      I can't see how when its not a registered name or is it?. I mean registered as in trademarked like Oprah or NBC. All is fair.

      But that's sad to say that you would want to flip it this quick and make a fast buck of off this poor (now rich) man's fame.
      Its not about making a quick buk off the man, instead this story is inspirational and viral, and for that reason a domain related to this brilliant story must have some value. I was going to set up a site around the man, but don't know if i would be commited enough to make it a success.
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      • Profile picture of the author Always-A-Warrior
        Originally Posted by duncanb View Post

        To be honest I cant see how these domains would be restricted for purchase. I found this man inspirational, and decided to purchase two domains which could provide a good platform from which to build an informative site from. Are there laws against buying domain names outlining a name other than your own?

        Its not about making a quick buk off the man, instead this story is inspirational and viral, and for that reason a domain related to this brilliant story must have some value. I was going to set up a site around the man, but don't know if i would be commited enough to make it a success.
        Ok sounds fair ... well I'm also intrigued by this man too and have created a blog and fan page. I will tell you secret ..... (shhhh don't tell anyone ok) ... create a site and use Voice-Over products from amazon or other companies. It's relevant to Ted's story.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    This type of domain is a flash in the pan. There's a blogspot blog already getting traffic because they have reported anything new with it. This story will be over within 2 weeks, so the domains have a very short lifespan.
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  • Profile picture of the author Victor Edson
    Damn, I was hoping you had set up an actual website FOR the guy...I wanted to put in an order for a voice over.
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  • Profile picture of the author DNChamp
    Sometimes just leave well enough alone..Unless you were going to donate all proceeds of your earnings to homeless shelters in his honor then there is no reason to build a "site" dedicated to him. Just a ploy to make a quick buck. Sorry that's how I feel with what is going on with this wonderful story
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    • Profile picture of the author duncanb
      Originally Posted by DNChamp View Post

      Sometimes just leave well enough alone..Unless you were going to donate all proceeds of your earnings to homeless shelters in his honor then there is no reason to build a "site" dedicated to him. Just a ploy to make a quick buck. Sorry that's how I feel with what is going on with this wonderful story
      Well I have made it clear in my last post that I did not purchase the domain to make a quick buck. Thats why I am on the forum this evening looking for constructive ideas as to how I should roll the website out. Yes this could be seen as an investment in some sense, and theres nothing wrong with that, but from my perspective I see Ted williams as an inspiration and whats more exciting than being able to incorporate hime into my work?

      Afetr reading some of these posts here though I think i might just sell them off though, I dont want to be challenged legally for setting up a sit around his name (although this does seem very ridiculous)
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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by duncanb View Post

        Well I have made it clear in my last post that I did not purchase the domain to make a quick buck. Thats why I am on the forum this evening looking for constructive ideas as to how I should roll the website out. Yes this could be seen as an investment in some sense, and theres nothing wrong with that, but from my perspective I see Ted williams as an inspiration and whats more exciting than being able to incorporate hime into my work?

        Afetr reading some of these posts here though I think i might just sell them off though, I dont want to be challenged legally for setting up a sit around his name (although this does seem very ridiculous)
        Seriously ... I doubt that you'll have any trademark problems with a Ted Williams domain name. He hasn't trademarked his name and he isn't a big celebrity at this point. You could get in some trouble using a ParisHilton domain name, but it's not likely that a Ted Williams one will be a problem.

        The problem as I see it is the short term interest in this story.
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        • Profile picture of the author Sloop John B
          You could join MLB.com affiliates and promote baseball memorabilia with the first one
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        • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
          Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

          Seriously ... I doubt that you'll have any trademark problems with a Ted Williams domain name.
          Errr ...

          Time to bone up on one of the most famous baseball players of all time.
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          • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
            Banned
            Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

            Errr ...

            Time to bone up on one of the most famous baseball players of all time.
            I'm sure there are many Ted Williams in the world. The site obviously would not be about baseball or the player. Being a lawyer you are also aware that you can create a non-commercial fan page using a trademark.

            Also ... just checked to see if Ted Williams the baseball player trademarked the name ... he OR someone else attempted it and abandoned it. There's 5 o 6 dead Ted Williams trademarks, two by Sears and Roebuck for sports merchandise which are expired, and the others are baseball related and were canceled.
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            • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
              Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

              Being a lawyer you are also aware that you can create a non-commercial fan page using a trademark.
              "Being a lawyer" I am "aware" that the issue is not as simple as describe it. That is why this domain registration of a person's name, that at the time was not a registered trademark, for a non-commercial fansite resulted in litigation and the domain being lost:

              WIPO Domain Name Decision: D2000-1459

              Of course this person was a celebrity. Does the homeless Ted Williams suddenly qualify as a celebrity? I don't know. Apparently, you, my daughter, and a lot of other people know who this guy is, but have never heard of the Splendid Splinter.

              Ol Ted must be rolling in his state of cryonic suspension.
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              • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
                Banned
                Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

                Of course this person was a celebrity. Does the homeless Ted Williams suddenly qualify as a celebrity? I don't know. Apparently, you, my daughter, and a lot of other people know who this guy is, but have never heard of the Splendid Splinter.

                Ol Ted must be rolling in his state of cryonic suspension.
                I hate sports. All sports. lol.
                Maybe because he's dead is why the Ted Williams trademark is "dead".
                lol. Actually, except for the Sears and Roebuck one, the Ted Williams trademark was never live, after 4 attempts to trademark it.

                The (formerly) homeless guy in the news ... if everyone who appeared briefly in the news was given celebrity status ... well, there would be a lot of celebrities. If I had an interest in this "niche", I would register it. I just don't see any value in short term "niches" like this. Todays news is soon forgotten and Ted Williams is just an interesting, heartwarming human interest story soon to be replaced with more news stories.
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                • Profile picture of the author WillR
                  Originally Posted by duncanb View Post

                  Well I have made it clear in my last post that I did not purchase the domain to make a quick buck.
                  You may want to re-think that post because anyone who reads your original post may think a little differently... doesn't sound to me like someone who is not out to make a quick buck.

                  Originally Posted by duncanb View Post

                  I am looking for suggestions as to what i should do with the domains. Are they worth anything atall? Should I offload them on Flippa.com, or should I look to build a site around the man?

                  Opinions: Was this a good buy?
                  What would you suggest I should do with them?
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                  .

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              • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
                Banned
                Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

                "Being a lawyer" I am "aware" that the issue is not as simple as describe it. That is why this domain registration of a person's name, that at the time was not a registered trademark, for a non-commercial fansite resulted in litigation and the domain being lost:

                WIPO Domain Name Decision: D2000-1459

                Of course this person was a celebrity. Does the homeless Ted Williams suddenly qualify as a celebrity? I don't know. Apparently, you, my daughter, and a lot of other people know who this guy is, but have never heard of the Splendid Splinter.

                Ol Ted must be rolling in his state of cryonic suspension.

                Brian,

                Was reading this David Gilmour case and while the respondent did say he was going to create a fan site, yet there was no fan site there ... just a site with domain listings, some of which were for sale and that domain was originally listed on the site, which of course is a pretty good indication of bad faith registration. Gilmour didn't trademark the name, but he is a celebrity and did/does have two corporations using his name. A lot of celebrities have won WIPO cases without the benefit of a registered trademark based on their celebrity status.
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        • Profile picture of the author paulie888
          Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

          Seriously ... I doubt that you'll have any trademark problems with a Ted Williams domain name. He hasn't trademarked his name and he isn't a big celebrity at this point. You could get in some trouble using a ParisHilton domain name, but it's not likely that a Ted Williams one will be a problem.

          The problem as I see it is the short term interest in this story.
          That's how I feel too. He's not some huge national celebrity that people will talk about constantly or be plastered all over the tabloids like Taylor Swift or Tiger Woods. There'll be some short-term interest of course, but probably not enough to really generate any appreciable traffic that would make it worth your while in terms of monetization.

          If you just want to set it up as a 'tribute' site without any expectations of making money off his name, then there's nothing wrong with that. It probably won't generate much or anything at all, but if you like Ted and would like to set up these sites about him because you find him to be a great inspiration, then by all means do so!

          Paul
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      • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
        Originally Posted by duncanb View Post

        Well I have made it clear in my last post that I did not purchase the domain to make a quick buck.
        Dude, at least be honest.

        Of course you purchased the domains with monetary gains in mind.

        Quit wasting your time on a "one trick pony". This kind of mindset will do nothing but waste time, money and effort that could be better spent doing something far more productive.
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        • Profile picture of the author garyv
          I'm gonna go a little bit against the grain, and say that I like getting the flash in the pan traffic. HOWEVER - I wouldn't have dedicated a domain name to it. You can make some good side change by hitting on these type of stories. However you have to hit on it fast. You're already way late.

          Also - you don't need to waste a domain name to do it. Find a generic domain name, and then add sub-domains to it w/ your keyword news stories. For instance you could buy the domain name - inthenewsnow.com or whatsupwiththat.com and add Ted Williams as the subdomain. - So it would be TedWilliams.InTheNewsNow.com - Google would still give you some love for that, and you don't risk a lawsuit.

          - but you have to hit it extremely fast, because once the news sites pick it up, they'll beat you out almost every time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Yep.

    There is more than one Ted Williams, and the now-deceased baseball player is represented by a legal team that watches for misuse of celebrity names very closely.

    Even if the famous baseball player's estate doesn't give you problems, you can be sure the "new" Ted Williams will have people looking to protect HIS name, especially if he gets hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers or NFL Films.

    Also, I don't see how you can say you're not interested in making money with the domain names when you keep talking about things like "investment" and "value" and so on. I'm not saying you're lying, I'm just able to rectify both statements.

    I would just cut your losses and let them go.

    All the best,
    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author warriorkay
    I would say you should go for it - I don't see the story
    fading anytime soon. It's a VERY good story and the guy
    has got some value behind him - his pleasing personality
    and golden voice will SURELY, ABSOLUTELY, CLEARLY
    keep him in the news for a pretty long time.

    Not to mention that he DOES look like the PRESIDENT'S dad!

    I see more live shows for him, more voice over deals, more
    opportunities, book deals, etc.

    This story is DEFINITELY not going to fade anytime soon.

    And you can take that to the bank!


    Kingsley
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    This story is DEFINITELY not going to fade anytime soon.

    And you can take that to the bank!
    I strongly disagree.

    This was a nice little human interest story to kill some time on a newscast but that is it.

    Bring this topic up in any newsroom morning meeting and you're going to get blank stares and who cares. It has no heat, no legs and no local interest.

    In a couple of weeks this story will be dead.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    This story is DEFINITELY not going to fade anytime soon.

    And you can take that to the bank!
    I strongly disagree.

    This was a nice little human interest story to kill some time on a newscast but that is it.

    Bring this topic up in any newsroom morning meeting and you're going to get blank stares and who cares. It has no heat, no legs and no local interest.

    In a couple of weeks this story will be dead.
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    I'm all about that bass.

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  • Profile picture of the author WD Mino
    You know it is funny I was thinking I should piggyback this on my site just for traffic sake, but you know it is like a man who runs into a burning house to save a woman and her 2 cats for a week or 2 he is a celebrity but you know what news stories are a dime a dozen and soon there will be another story and one after that people have great memories but they are short.

    that said I wouldn't be registering domains or websites or even a parody site or anything like that I mean here is one thought-ted-wiiliams.net-this gives the impression it is ted william's website. i could go on and on but Brian is the lawyer here not I but I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole in fact maybe you should throw up a site and send it to him kind of like sowing a seed to his new future
    cheers
    -Will
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  • Profile picture of the author King Shiloh
    Banned
    Congratulations!

    You have just lost some cash.

    Yes, just a few dollars.
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  • Profile picture of the author VoyagerMike
    Get a few generic Ted inspired designs put together and get a store on Cafepress. Then sell the T-shirts, etc off the "inspiration" website. If you write some really good content you can definitely make some cash.

    I for one do not see this phenomenon lasting very long, unless Ted gets rich and more than short term fame. Catch the wave and ride it to the bank. Also you should get a nice Ted-related twitter username and market your site/T-shirts using the Ted Williams hashtags.

    Go get em, let us know how it turns out and share your marketing tactics.
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