Nordic Domain Days took place in Stockholm, Sweden, last week. It was my first time attending the event, and the trip was very worthwhile. Not only was the content good, but the networking was solid as well, with many people I had never met.

On today's show, you'll hear from five people who were at the conference, including a conversation with the event's founder, LG Forsberg.

Also: Domain renewal data, Whois contact forms, and more

Sponsor: Spaceship

Very few domain name investors ever reach the point where they do it full-time. It's even rarer when they primarily invest in non-.com domains.

One investor who went full-time is Nikul Sanghvi. He was a part-time investor when the pandemic hit, and as his consulting work dried up, he took the plunge.

On today's show, Nikul talks about some of the pros and cons of investing in domains full-time. We also discuss how the market is changing and how Nikul is adapting his strategy to the times.

Nikul has been on the show before. On episode #269, he discussed his path from selling vinyl records to selling domains. On episode #327, Nikul explained his thinking around harvesting gains vs. replenishing your portfolio. Also, check out episode #504 for thoughts on diversification.

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Artificial intelligence is having a huge impact on the domain name industry. One area it could help grow the business is if agents use the DNS for identity.

Today, Identity Digital CEO Akram Atallah discusses the company's new DNSid, which it bills as "birth certificates for agents."

We discuss the need for a standard and how Identity Digital's initiative differs from the one GoDaddy is building.

And no discussion with Identity Digital would be complete without a conversation about this year's new top level domain expansion.

Also: Small business warning, .latino, ICA board changes, and more

Sponsor: Namecheap

Top level domain company ShortDot didn't apply for any top level domains in the 2012 round, but it later acquired TLDs and has grown its portfolio to millions of second level registrations.

On today's show, ShortDot CEO Lars Jensen explains why ShortDot was founded and how it has grown its registrations. He also talks about his expectations for the next round, in which ShortDot will likely be among the larger applicants.

Also: DNSSEC, Prosecco, and UDRP

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

Phil Davis has named 750 companies and brands, such as PODS, since he started his naming agency, Tungsten Branding. The process led him to get into domain investing.

Grab a pencil and paper as Phil explains how he built his portfolio to 22,000 domains, almost solely with hand registrations.

He explains how the processes of naming companies and investing in domains are distinct. Phil also discusses pricing and the concept of "inevitables" for domains. Phil even shares some of the keywords that have worked for him.

The interview finishes with Phil's five rules for domain success.

Sponsor: Spaceship

ICANN is opening applications for new top level domain names this week, 14 years after the last round of TLD expansion.

The rules have changed: Fees are higher this time around, and applicants can't coordinate to settle string contentions after applications are revealed.

On today's show, Ray King discusses some of these changes and why he built Early Warning Report to help applicants.

Ray is the founder of domain registrar Porkbun and the TLD company Top Level Design, so he's been on both sides of the top level domain distribution market. He explains what it's like to be a registrar and how registries can set their domains up for success.

Also: Domain business surge, .com price increase, .us, DNSid, and more.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

Most domain investors know the lifecycle of domain names, but the same can't be said for entrepreneurs, businesses, and individuals who have their eyes on a domain.

Mike Cyger's latest creation solves that problem. Notify.domains is like Google Alerts for Domains. It tracks domain names and notifies users whenever there is a change: the domain expires, it's listed for sale, a nameserver changes, or even the domain's content changes. The platform tracks over 150 attributes for each domain name.

And if a domain is expiring, it explains to users how to acquire the domain.

Notify.domains can also be useful for domain investors because it notifies users when an aftermarket price changes.

In addition to talking about Notify.domains, Mike discusses his current design, coding, and AI stack.

Also: Cloudflare API, .ORG awards, expired domains, and more

Sponsor: Namecheap

I've been a fan of Instant Domain Search for many years. The domain search tool has been around for over two decades, but it's expanding its ambitions this year.

Under the umbrella of Instant Labs, the company is introducing new search features, an API for its data, and its own domain name registrar.

On today's show, Instant Labs CEO Matt Maiale fills us in on the details, and tells the story of acquiring the domain instant.ai.

Also: Registrar tricked, defense contractor RDNH, and new top level domains

Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions