I saw a post not long ago by @VivifyDomains that after a few recent small domain sales she was taking the money and investing in herself, and had started the Domain Academy course. I could relate, as I made a similar decision in December 2022, and started the Domain Academy course early in 2023.
People have asked a few times on NamePros about the Domain Academy course, for example Has Anyone Tried DN Academy Course? One of the respondents in that discussion is @Michael Cyger who developed the course.
Now that I have taken the course, I want to share my personal experiences. I also reached out to GoDaddy staff who now manage the course, and to several people who have taken, or are currently taking, the course. I asked @Michael Cyger how the course came about. So let’s dive in.
A Brief History of DN Academy
Michael Cyger developed the course following his very successful Domain Sherpa series. The course development began in 2015, with a soft launch at NamesCon in 2017.
Michael Cyger (@Michael Cyger) is one of the best known and most highly respected people in domain names. He has won a ton of awards including induction into the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Hall of Fame, multiple domain blogger of the year awards, and was the 2021 recipient of the ICA Lonnie Borck Memorial Award.
I reached out to Mike for some background on how the course came about:
On March 23, 2022 GoDaddy announced the acquisition of DNAcademy for an undisclosed price, and that Michael Cyger would be joining GoDaddy as a full-time employee, their Director of Education – Domains. At the same time the name of the course was altered slightly, to the Domain Academy.
In an interview with Andrew Allemann at DomainNameWire, Michael Cyger explained his thinking in selling DNAcademy to GoDaddy was to reach a wider audience and to give more people a professional foundation for domain investing.
After serving in the director role at GoDaddy for just over a year, including porting Domain Academy to GoDaddy, Michael Cyger resigned to concentrate on other ventures.
The Domain Academy course at GoDaddy is now managed by @Joe Styler, a name familiar to the NamePros community. Note that the official link for the course is now DomainAcademy.com, which takes you to the course page hosted at GoDaddy.
Domain Academy Comes With Domain Discount Club
To get access to the Domain Academy, and related tools, you need to be a member of the GoDaddy Domain Discount Club Premium Membership. Note that although GoDaddy shows the pricing on a per month basis, you need to pay for a full year at time of registration.
As Joe Styler points out, that membership comes with other benefits and perks:
What does the Domain Academy Include?
Here are the main segments of the Domain Academy course:
The early parts of the course cover essentials like the difference between registrar and registry, steps in transferring ownership of a domain, ICANN, Whois, different levels in a domain name, brand value, etc.
Every segment of the course ends with an online quiz, so you can check your understanding. While it does not show the correct answers, it does indicate which questions were incorrect.
Keywords
It is important to be clear on domain keywords, and the different types of domain names, so that is the next section of the course, covering:
Valuation Metrics
While some aspects of valuing a domain name are universal, others depend on the type of name. The section on Valuation Metrics is very comprehensive.
I found the segment on how the value of a name depends on prepending and appending, and the role of tense, and of plural and singular forms, particularly worthwhile. The concept of “highest and best use” is introduced.
Mix of Text and Video
Most of the units contain both text and video segments. The text portions are incredibly well written – concise, precise, and authoritative. The video segments help the course feel more vibrant and engaging. In short, the quality of the learning material in Domain Academy is first class.
Tools
The Domain Academy course comes with awesome tools. These make valuations more solidly based and faster. Here are the tools included with the course:
How many people? indicates the number of people with a certain first or last name or combination, although at the time I took the course it was based on US populations.
What’s the population? is an easy way to find the population for a geographical term, and it will also tell you all the different places that share that name.
With GoDaddy GoValue now restricted to a couple of searches per day, unless you purchase a subscription, the GoDaddy GoValue tool inside the course gets around that, and is also easier to use. You simply enter a list of up to 150 names, and, within a few seconds, it returns a spreadsheet compatible set of results. These results include not just the standard retail price estimate, but also a wholesale valuation, and the probability of sale over a one year period at different pricing points.
I reached out to Joe Styler about the most popular in the suite of tools,
The tool I used most extensively was the Valuation Worksheet. That gives key parameters of the name, including things like search volumes and cost per click, number of registered extensions, number of companies using term at Datafiniti and CrunchBase, as well as a list of comparator sales. The user can tailor the comparators, and correct any errors the automated system made in parameters such as number of words. The system blocks you from printing output, and the format makes screen capture awkward, but you can save the Valuation Worksheet, and then return to it as long as you have an active Domain Academy membership. You can optionally allow the worksheet to be shared with others.
Unfortunately, for me the save feature for the Valuation Worksheet did not always work. I tried Mac versions of Chrome, Safari and Brave browsers, but the sporadic saving problems persisted. Sometimes Valuation Worksheets would save and sometimes not. I reported the problem several times, but received the response that they could not replicate the problem. It seemed more prone to fail if I had invested many minutes customizing the comparator sales. It was my biggest frustration in the course, but one of the very few, in what was overall a positive experience.
One of the most challenging aspects of domain name valuation is to find comparator sales that are truly comparable, since each name is, of course, unique. The course has access to the GoDaddy / Afternic / Uniregistry sales data, as well as NameBio, and that is a major reason to pay for access to the course. For comparator sales, the year of the sale and venue are included.
Some of the tools have unlimited use, and others have a restriction of 150 credits total across tools per month, with automatic updating every 30 days. To do one Valuation Spreadsheet or Domain Snapshot, for example, requires 1 credit. The GoDaddy GoValue allows 150 per day, independent of the credit system. Tools like population, how many people, and data manipulation have no limits and do not require credits.
The Afternic Advanced Search tool only came online in the latter part of the period I had an active membership, so I did not use it extensively. Now with Afternic search converted to GoDaddy search, investors will find that tool particularly valuable.
Useful Handouts
On a number of topics there is some sort of document that you can download and keep for reference. For example, the one-page Keywords and Extensions covers what is meant by each category, Asian lucky numbers, letters not preferred in Asia, and more.
How Long Does the Course Take?
Considering how comprehensive the course is, it probably takes less time than you might think to complete the course. Not counting time that I used the tools to research and value domain names, reading and viewing the actual course content probably took me about 30 to 35 hr, and that includes reviewing some topics more than once, and taking notes. The course has an estimate of time for each segment, and I think that is a bit less than my actual time.
I spread taking the course over almost 12 months, because I am a deadline person, but you could well complete the whole course in a bit less than a week of dedicated work.
Does It Feel Like A Class?
Domain Academy is offered as an asynchronous digital course, meaning that it can be started at any time and you go at your own pace. While there are obvious advantages to that format, it does mean that you don’t have a strong sense of being part of a class, outside of seeing occasional queries in the related closed forum.
To get around this, DN Academy historically offered two synchronous offerings of fixed duration and with interaction with instructors as a class. One of these was called the Accelerator and the other the Brandable Bootcamp. These are still listed, but I don’t think have been offered since GoDaddy took over the course.
I asked Joe Styler about future plans around these.
Occasional Masterclasses
Recently GoDaddy Domain Academy announced a masterclass on expired domain auctions on May 3, 2024. I asked Joe for more detail
The masterclass is restricted to Domain Academy members, and is limited to 50 places. Demand was overwhelming, and all 50 spots are already filled. Joe offered the following advice:
There are also plans to have a live class on AI in domain names, coming a bit later in the year.
Reactions to the Course
It is easy to find investors who have taken the course who are eager to share how important it was to their development and success as investors. I reached out to @LeanneMac, of CrunchID, and she wrote to me:
An investor who has churned up many impressive sales over the past few years is @barman, and he was eager to credit the course with an important role in that success, writing
Zesty Queen took the course almost four years ago, early in her domain investing journey. She completed the Accelerator and also the Brandable Bootcamp, and commented
I mentioned at the beginning of this article that @VivifyDomains had recently signed up for the course. I checked in to see how it was going:
Changing Detail Sometimes Missing
The challenge of any online course in domain names is how quickly it gets partly out of date. Yes, the principles remain, and Domain Academy is primarily a course in principles, investment discipline, and tools.
For example, there is coverage of .ai and .xyz in the course, but not to the degree that they are influencing the domain market currently, and not enough detail on what sells, and what does not sell, in these extensions.
Most extensions have a certain use concentration. That is mentioned in the Domain Academy course for .io, linking to the NamePros analysis Types of .IO Domain Names That Sell, but it is really difficult to keep information up to date for all topics.
Details of services provided by various vendors are constantly changing, and it is nearly impossible for any course to keep on top of them all.
The section on domain hacks is very brief and largely discounts them out of hand. I don’t think the course does justice to that topic, and does not reflect recent sales or use.
So you must not depend only on what you learn in the course. You need to supplement it with the sort of new information, analyses and discussion from here on NamePros, or through podcasts, blogs or social media. NamePros is the place to stay on top of timely changes that matter to domain investors.
I asked Joe Styler about the challenge of keeping the course up-to-date.
More On Brandable Needed
While you do learn about brandable domain names in the course, it seems to me that more time is needed on that topic. These are the most challenging names to evaluate, but also a significant part of the modern domain economy.
I think course materials on brandables should include coverage of the SquadHelp, now Atom, tools for evaluating brandable domain names.
The instructional assistants when I took the course in 2023, @Keith DeBoer and Aline Carriere, both have a wealth of expertise in brandables. By the way I should mention that both Keith and Aline offered prompt and detailed feedback to student queries about specific names. Unfortunately, I have learned that those positions were lost due to budget cuts. As a result, offering the Brandable Bootcamp, or in some other way increasing content of brandable domain names, is even more urgent.
Does It Feel Dominated by GoDaddy?
One thing I worried about when GoDaddy took over the course was whether it would evolve into a course concentrated on the GoDaddy ecosystem. At the time I took the course, I did not feel that was a problem. There was good coverage of the competing expiring domain sites, different marketplaces including Sedo, and so on.
Nevertheless, that will be a constant challenge, and I asked Joe about that.
Do You Need To Take This Course?
I think the simple answer is no. Almost everything in the course is available in some other format, such as here on NamePros, on past DomainSherpa episodes, from social media posts, across the domain blogs and podcasts, etc.
But I would hasten to add that I think most people who are serious about domain investing should take the course. Let me explain.
It is like the difference between a library and a course. A typical large educational library will have enough to learn almost anything. It is far more than any single course could ever be. But self-directed reading will not be an efficient way to learn most topics, and can lead to missed core concepts. Not all books will be equally relevant or valid. A course, structured by someone with expertise in the field, gives a much more efficient and sure way to learn.
While there is a strong argument for taking the course early in your domain investing journey, I think it also works as I took the course, after I had already learned much of the content elsewhere. For me the course helped by filling in holes in my background, and sometimes providing a different viewpoint that encouraged me to rethink some things.
That said, the course does not assume any prior knowledge and could be taken by someone starting out in domain names.
There is a completion certificate for those who finish all units with a minimum grade. There are also certificates for the Brandable Bootcamp and the Accelerator programs when those are next offered.
If you have questions about Domain Academy, you can reach out directly to lead instructor, Joe Styler, at [email protected] to talk more about Domain Academy. The Domain Academy has an account on X where they periodically post about features and upcoming opportunities.
To close, I invited Joe Styler to make a brief ‘selling pitch’ for the course, and he wrote:
Updates:
Apr 25, 2024 Keith and Aline are no longer with the course due to budget cuts, so I have updated that section. See note from Keith in the comment section.
Sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this article. Thanks to @Michael Cyger for originally creating the course and answering questions I had about the early days. Thanks to @Joe Styler, the person now in charge, for helping with my questions about the course. Thanks to @James Iles for facilitating obtaining answers to the questions. Thanks to @LeanneMac, @barman, @VivifyDomains, and Zesty Queen for sharing their perceptions on the course.
People have asked a few times on NamePros about the Domain Academy course, for example Has Anyone Tried DN Academy Course? One of the respondents in that discussion is @Michael Cyger who developed the course.
Now that I have taken the course, I want to share my personal experiences. I also reached out to GoDaddy staff who now manage the course, and to several people who have taken, or are currently taking, the course. I asked @Michael Cyger how the course came about. So let’s dive in.
A Brief History of DN Academy
Michael Cyger developed the course following his very successful Domain Sherpa series. The course development began in 2015, with a soft launch at NamesCon in 2017.
Michael Cyger (@Michael Cyger) is one of the best known and most highly respected people in domain names. He has won a ton of awards including induction into the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Hall of Fame, multiple domain blogger of the year awards, and was the 2021 recipient of the ICA Lonnie Borck Memorial Award.
I reached out to Mike for some background on how the course came about:
He went on to addAfter conducting hundreds of interviews on DomainSherpa.com, I frequently received emails from the audience with questions about various domain investing topics. It was challenging to direct people to the exact moment in a specific video interview that answered their questions, especially when it might only be a 30-second mention in a 1.5-hour interview. To address this, I created DNAcademy to comprehensively cover all aspects of domain name investing.
It is important for any course to strive for neutrality, and Mike also commented on this:DNAcademy shared both the knowledge I gained from interviewing top domain name investors and insights from my own investing experiences. I designed the course to build a solid foundation first, before advancing to more complex topics.
My aim was to present the information clearly and without bias or industry jargon, ensuring that anyone, including those for whom English is a second language, could easily understand it after completing the course.
On March 23, 2022 GoDaddy announced the acquisition of DNAcademy for an undisclosed price, and that Michael Cyger would be joining GoDaddy as a full-time employee, their Director of Education – Domains. At the same time the name of the course was altered slightly, to the Domain Academy.
In an interview with Andrew Allemann at DomainNameWire, Michael Cyger explained his thinking in selling DNAcademy to GoDaddy was to reach a wider audience and to give more people a professional foundation for domain investing.
After serving in the director role at GoDaddy for just over a year, including porting Domain Academy to GoDaddy, Michael Cyger resigned to concentrate on other ventures.
The Domain Academy course at GoDaddy is now managed by @Joe Styler, a name familiar to the NamePros community. Note that the official link for the course is now DomainAcademy.com, which takes you to the course page hosted at GoDaddy.
Domain Academy Comes With Domain Discount Club
To get access to the Domain Academy, and related tools, you need to be a member of the GoDaddy Domain Discount Club Premium Membership. Note that although GoDaddy shows the pricing on a per month basis, you need to pay for a full year at time of registration.
As Joe Styler points out, that membership comes with other benefits and perks:
Domain Academy is free with a Discount Domain Club premium membership at GoDaddy which saves you money on domain registrations, renewals, and transfers. Plus, perks including lower auction domain registration/transfer fees and free auctions membership.
What does the Domain Academy Include?
Here are the main segments of the Domain Academy course:
- Introduction
- Domain Name Keywords
- Valuation Metrics
- Valuation Tools
- Domain Name Valuation Tutorials
- Buying Domain Names
- Selling Domain Names
- Running Your Investing Business
The early parts of the course cover essentials like the difference between registrar and registry, steps in transferring ownership of a domain, ICANN, Whois, different levels in a domain name, brand value, etc.
Every segment of the course ends with an online quiz, so you can check your understanding. While it does not show the correct answers, it does indicate which questions were incorrect.
Keywords
It is important to be clear on domain keywords, and the different types of domain names, so that is the next section of the course, covering:
- Generic
- Exact-Match
- Brandable
- Acronym
- Numerics
- Alphanumerics
Valuation Metrics
While some aspects of valuing a domain name are universal, others depend on the type of name. The section on Valuation Metrics is very comprehensive.
I found the segment on how the value of a name depends on prepending and appending, and the role of tense, and of plural and singular forms, particularly worthwhile. The concept of “highest and best use” is introduced.
Mix of Text and Video
Most of the units contain both text and video segments. The text portions are incredibly well written – concise, precise, and authoritative. The video segments help the course feel more vibrant and engaging. In short, the quality of the learning material in Domain Academy is first class.
Tools
The Domain Academy course comes with awesome tools. These make valuations more solidly based and faster. Here are the tools included with the course:
- Data Manipulation
- Research Snapshot
- Valuation Worksheet
- Bulk Valuations
- Keyword Research
- Domain Explorer
- How Many People?
- What’s the Population?
- Afternic Advanced Search
- GoDaddy GoValue
How many people? indicates the number of people with a certain first or last name or combination, although at the time I took the course it was based on US populations.
What’s the population? is an easy way to find the population for a geographical term, and it will also tell you all the different places that share that name.
With GoDaddy GoValue now restricted to a couple of searches per day, unless you purchase a subscription, the GoDaddy GoValue tool inside the course gets around that, and is also easier to use. You simply enter a list of up to 150 names, and, within a few seconds, it returns a spreadsheet compatible set of results. These results include not just the standard retail price estimate, but also a wholesale valuation, and the probability of sale over a one year period at different pricing points.
I reached out to Joe Styler about the most popular in the suite of tools,
The most popular tool is the Research Snapshot which brings in data from a myriad of external sources and allows you to get all the data you need to make a wise decision around a particular domain name, be it renewing, purchasing, or pricing the domain for sale. Some of the information you can glean from this is recent public domain sales and their prices, domains taken in other TLDs, startups using the keyword, etc. It is an extremely valuable resource.
The tool I used most extensively was the Valuation Worksheet. That gives key parameters of the name, including things like search volumes and cost per click, number of registered extensions, number of companies using term at Datafiniti and CrunchBase, as well as a list of comparator sales. The user can tailor the comparators, and correct any errors the automated system made in parameters such as number of words. The system blocks you from printing output, and the format makes screen capture awkward, but you can save the Valuation Worksheet, and then return to it as long as you have an active Domain Academy membership. You can optionally allow the worksheet to be shared with others.
Unfortunately, for me the save feature for the Valuation Worksheet did not always work. I tried Mac versions of Chrome, Safari and Brave browsers, but the sporadic saving problems persisted. Sometimes Valuation Worksheets would save and sometimes not. I reported the problem several times, but received the response that they could not replicate the problem. It seemed more prone to fail if I had invested many minutes customizing the comparator sales. It was my biggest frustration in the course, but one of the very few, in what was overall a positive experience.
One of the most challenging aspects of domain name valuation is to find comparator sales that are truly comparable, since each name is, of course, unique. The course has access to the GoDaddy / Afternic / Uniregistry sales data, as well as NameBio, and that is a major reason to pay for access to the course. For comparator sales, the year of the sale and venue are included.
Some of the tools have unlimited use, and others have a restriction of 150 credits total across tools per month, with automatic updating every 30 days. To do one Valuation Spreadsheet or Domain Snapshot, for example, requires 1 credit. The GoDaddy GoValue allows 150 per day, independent of the credit system. Tools like population, how many people, and data manipulation have no limits and do not require credits.
The Afternic Advanced Search tool only came online in the latter part of the period I had an active membership, so I did not use it extensively. Now with Afternic search converted to GoDaddy search, investors will find that tool particularly valuable.
Useful Handouts
On a number of topics there is some sort of document that you can download and keep for reference. For example, the one-page Keywords and Extensions covers what is meant by each category, Asian lucky numbers, letters not preferred in Asia, and more.
How Long Does the Course Take?
Considering how comprehensive the course is, it probably takes less time than you might think to complete the course. Not counting time that I used the tools to research and value domain names, reading and viewing the actual course content probably took me about 30 to 35 hr, and that includes reviewing some topics more than once, and taking notes. The course has an estimate of time for each segment, and I think that is a bit less than my actual time.
I spread taking the course over almost 12 months, because I am a deadline person, but you could well complete the whole course in a bit less than a week of dedicated work.
Does It Feel Like A Class?
Domain Academy is offered as an asynchronous digital course, meaning that it can be started at any time and you go at your own pace. While there are obvious advantages to that format, it does mean that you don’t have a strong sense of being part of a class, outside of seeing occasional queries in the related closed forum.
To get around this, DN Academy historically offered two synchronous offerings of fixed duration and with interaction with instructors as a class. One of these was called the Accelerator and the other the Brandable Bootcamp. These are still listed, but I don’t think have been offered since GoDaddy took over the course.
I asked Joe Styler about future plans around these.
We’ve found that students like the standard course as a way to learn about domain investing in their own time and at their own speed. For those that enjoy the bootcamp-style of intensive learning, it’s something that we’re planning in the future. Before that, we’re excited to get some masterclasses underway.
Occasional Masterclasses
Recently GoDaddy Domain Academy announced a masterclass on expired domain auctions on May 3, 2024. I asked Joe for more detail
He went on to describe the format of the masterclassThe session is designed for investors to learn all about GoDaddy's domain name auction platform. Led by domain industry expert Joe Styler, this immersive event will also feature insights from Premier Services representative Brook Barngrover and Ethan Kapoor, the product manager of Auctions mobile app.
Throughout this live session, we will transcend the basics, offering a comprehensive understanding of harnessing the auction to its maximum potential. The Masterclass consists of two one-hour sessions separated by a break. For those eager to delve deeper, an optional Q&A session will follow in the third hour, allowing live participants to pose any questions about the inner workings of auctions, with our expert panel providing real-time answers.
The masterclass is restricted to Domain Academy members, and is limited to 50 places. Demand was overwhelming, and all 50 spots are already filled. Joe offered the following advice:
Be sure to sign up on the waitlist so that you can be in line in case more spots open. By getting on the waitlist, you will also be informed as soon as we announce a Second Auction Masterclass later this year.
There are also plans to have a live class on AI in domain names, coming a bit later in the year.
Reactions to the Course
It is easy to find investors who have taken the course who are eager to share how important it was to their development and success as investors. I reached out to @LeanneMac, of CrunchID, and she wrote to me:
Following Michael Cyger on Twitter was one of the first things I did when I became interested on domains. It became apparent very early on that if I was serious about entering the industry I had to take DNAcademy. It wasn't as cheap as today, so it was a big decision. As soon as I started the course I knew it was worth it, so much so that the following year I paid to become a lifetime member.
An investor who has churned up many impressive sales over the past few years is @barman, and he was eager to credit the course with an important role in that success, writing
I can't recommend Michael Cyger's DNAcademy enough. It's an A to Z course on domain investing, and I wouldn't be in the position I am today without it. I owe Mike a beer or two or three hundred.
Zesty Queen took the course almost four years ago, early in her domain investing journey. She completed the Accelerator and also the Brandable Bootcamp, and commented
DNAcademy’s accelerator was a helluva trip! It flipped my world upside down and I never looked back. This course is mandatory to understand ‘The Beast’. Combined with Keith DeBoer’s enlightening brandable bootcamp, it shifted the way I saw domain names. Consuming and investing are very different things. My perception as a creator/customer interfered with savvy investing before then.
I mentioned at the beginning of this article that @VivifyDomains had recently signed up for the course. I checked in to see how it was going:
Recently signing up for Domain Academy is definitely one of my better domain-related decisions. I have already been introduced to a number of things I didn't consider before. It has also been great to have prior knowledge confirmed by the course.
Changing Detail Sometimes Missing
The challenge of any online course in domain names is how quickly it gets partly out of date. Yes, the principles remain, and Domain Academy is primarily a course in principles, investment discipline, and tools.
For example, there is coverage of .ai and .xyz in the course, but not to the degree that they are influencing the domain market currently, and not enough detail on what sells, and what does not sell, in these extensions.
Most extensions have a certain use concentration. That is mentioned in the Domain Academy course for .io, linking to the NamePros analysis Types of .IO Domain Names That Sell, but it is really difficult to keep information up to date for all topics.
Details of services provided by various vendors are constantly changing, and it is nearly impossible for any course to keep on top of them all.
The section on domain hacks is very brief and largely discounts them out of hand. I don’t think the course does justice to that topic, and does not reflect recent sales or use.
So you must not depend only on what you learn in the course. You need to supplement it with the sort of new information, analyses and discussion from here on NamePros, or through podcasts, blogs or social media. NamePros is the place to stay on top of timely changes that matter to domain investors.
I asked Joe Styler about the challenge of keeping the course up-to-date.
He went on to addWe routinely update coursework as we come across older items; focusing on the most critical first. We encourage students to reach out with questions and feedback via the class forum or our X handle @dnacademy.
The industry is constantly in a state of flux, the core principals stay by and large the same, but as venues or investment categories change it brings opportunities for new and old investors alike to take advantage of.
More On Brandable Needed
While you do learn about brandable domain names in the course, it seems to me that more time is needed on that topic. These are the most challenging names to evaluate, but also a significant part of the modern domain economy.
I think course materials on brandables should include coverage of the SquadHelp, now Atom, tools for evaluating brandable domain names.
The instructional assistants when I took the course in 2023, @Keith DeBoer and Aline Carriere, both have a wealth of expertise in brandables. By the way I should mention that both Keith and Aline offered prompt and detailed feedback to student queries about specific names. Unfortunately, I have learned that those positions were lost due to budget cuts. As a result, offering the Brandable Bootcamp, or in some other way increasing content of brandable domain names, is even more urgent.
Does It Feel Dominated by GoDaddy?
One thing I worried about when GoDaddy took over the course was whether it would evolve into a course concentrated on the GoDaddy ecosystem. At the time I took the course, I did not feel that was a problem. There was good coverage of the competing expiring domain sites, different marketplaces including Sedo, and so on.
Nevertheless, that will be a constant challenge, and I asked Joe about that.
The goal of Domain Academy is to provide members with a firm, foundational understanding of domain investing that can be put to use on any platform or using any service in the domain industry.
Do You Need To Take This Course?
I think the simple answer is no. Almost everything in the course is available in some other format, such as here on NamePros, on past DomainSherpa episodes, from social media posts, across the domain blogs and podcasts, etc.
But I would hasten to add that I think most people who are serious about domain investing should take the course. Let me explain.
It is like the difference between a library and a course. A typical large educational library will have enough to learn almost anything. It is far more than any single course could ever be. But self-directed reading will not be an efficient way to learn most topics, and can lead to missed core concepts. Not all books will be equally relevant or valid. A course, structured by someone with expertise in the field, gives a much more efficient and sure way to learn.
While there is a strong argument for taking the course early in your domain investing journey, I think it also works as I took the course, after I had already learned much of the content elsewhere. For me the course helped by filling in holes in my background, and sometimes providing a different viewpoint that encouraged me to rethink some things.
That said, the course does not assume any prior knowledge and could be taken by someone starting out in domain names.
There is a completion certificate for those who finish all units with a minimum grade. There are also certificates for the Brandable Bootcamp and the Accelerator programs when those are next offered.
If you have questions about Domain Academy, you can reach out directly to lead instructor, Joe Styler, at [email protected] to talk more about Domain Academy. The Domain Academy has an account on X where they periodically post about features and upcoming opportunities.
To close, I invited Joe Styler to make a brief ‘selling pitch’ for the course, and he wrote:
Whether you’re new to domain names, or you have some experience, Domain Academy is the top educational platform specifically tailored to domain investing. Our in-depth approach to every aspect of domain investing has been developed over the course of nearly ten years, and provides a valuable foundational knowledge of domain investing. We’re proud to be the place where hundreds of successful domain investors started their journeys.
Updates:
Apr 25, 2024 Keith and Aline are no longer with the course due to budget cuts, so I have updated that section. See note from Keith in the comment section.
Sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this article. Thanks to @Michael Cyger for originally creating the course and answering questions I had about the early days. Thanks to @Joe Styler, the person now in charge, for helping with my questions about the course. Thanks to @James Iles for facilitating obtaining answers to the questions. Thanks to @LeanneMac, @barman, @VivifyDomains, and Zesty Queen for sharing their perceptions on the course.
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