# Epik announces its acquisition and planned integration of DNForum



## Eby__ (Jul 2, 2021)

Just saw this news today:

*Special Announcement*: It is with great excitement that Epik also announces its acquisition and planned integration of DNForum. As the oldest community of domain investors and collectors in our industry, we recognize the tremendous opportunity it represents to extend new opportunities and financial empowerment through its experienced membership base. Stay tuned for official announcements and invitations to check out new resources, content, and special promotions! We are excited for the future, and all the good things that are to come.


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## Eby__ (Jul 2, 2021)

And also:

[twitter=https://twitter.com/EpikDotCom/status/1410765491468124163][/twitter]

Through July, $6.99 for inbound transfers of .com domains with no restrictions, as well as $7.99 on all new .com registrations. You can also take advantage of the historically low price of $6.99 for first year .org registrations, as well as new registrations of the popular .co for only $0.99.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 2, 2021)

HaHa

I was waiting for the announcement, I figured something was going on when I saw this a while back...









Notice the Federated Identity owned by Epik


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 2, 2021)

Since they own all.ca [notify]AdamDicker[/notify] is going to make a mint selling them dnforum.ca


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 2, 2021)

[notify]epik[/notify] Rob Monster


I hope all the BS about mentioning another forum stops now.


At DN.ca we have no such rules and cross posting from one forum to another is welcomed, no different to cross posting from one blog to another.


Seriously I don't understand why the mere mention of DN.ca can get you scolded fiercely and threatened for a ban on DNForum and namepros.


It's a small industry, if we all work together it is for everyone's benefit.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 2, 2021)

HaHa

The url DNForum.ca is now owned by North.ca

Must have changed hands at some point.


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## Eby__ (Jul 2, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

> Since they own all.ca [notify]AdamDicker[/notify] is going to make a mint selling them dnforum.ca



You mean DNForum.com. Yes dnforum.ca changed hands.. We were both thinking of it at the same time..LOL


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## epik__ (Jul 2, 2021)

We are excited to preserve this important piece of industry history with nearly 500,000 users as the industry's oldest forum. With new technologies, new stewardship and a genuine commitment to empowerment, we hope to provide a thriving community where content and commerce unite to create a new era of abundance and cooperation in the industry.

As for your specific comment, it is not a secret that I believe scarcity is an illusion. As such, I never understood why forums banned links to each other. It makes no sense. I also believe companies should be welcome to come pitch their solutions.  DNForum will not be Epik-centric. If Epik can bring more optimism and cooperation to the industry, count me in!

I plan to continue to post in many forums as time allows. There are great threads all over. I appreciate it when people tag me and I do follow up on those tags assuming I can add value to a conversation. I don't participate at Clubhouse yet simply because of time management, but at some point I plan to join with Canada's own Dan Cera to whom I promised a debut.

Hope you all had an awesome Canada Day this year!


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 2, 2021)

Hi Rob

Dan Cera [notify]DomainTrader[/notify] is a dear friend of mine and he is quite active on twitter and clubhouse.

I can tell you there is not a more genuine human being in domaining than Dan.
We sometimes lose track and chat for hours on the phone.

His insights are quite valuable and I enjoy every single time we get to catch up.


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## epik__ (Jul 2, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

> Hi Rob
> 
> Dan Cera [notify]DomainTrader[/notify] is a dear friend of mine and he is quite active on twitter and clubhouse.
> 
> ...



Dan Cera keeps it real.  We talk regularly.


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## Nafti (Jul 2, 2021)

I believe this is the 3rd owner since Adam sold it. I’m sure Epik will be more involved than the previous ones. 

Congratulations on the acquisition [notify]epik[/notify]


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## AdamDicker (Jul 2, 2021)

Congratulations to Epik!
Rob Monster is a class guy and so is his team.

Adam


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## epik__ (Jul 2, 2021)

AdamDicker said:
			
		

> Congratulations to Epik!
> Rob Monster is a class guy and so is his team.
> 
> Adam



Thanks Adam. 

As for DNForum, we are happy to empower and fund a team that is taking it to the next level. The spirit of co-creation will hopefully help many. When it comes to helping the many, I believe this industry's brightest days are still ahead!

As for being a "class guy", we are ALL on a journey.  The universe helps us to raise the bar and to keep growing in grace. I call life the "Soul Gym". It is my favorite place to work out.  Related comment:

https://twitter.com/robmonster/status/1409238344576405505

Blessings to all the kind folks at DN.ca who let us non-Canadians hang out. All.Ca is coming along nicely even though CIRA made getting a .CA accreditation about as painful as removing wisdom teeth! Not sure what's up with that but we are not quitters.


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## Eby__ (Jul 3, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

> Looks like I was the first to let the cat out of the bag at DNForum  @=



Happy to have facilitated to help make that claim and I saw the post giving credit.  

I agree with [notify]AdamDicker[/notify] on Rob. He is classy person, whom I have met several times at the NamesCon in person and so is the other Rob in his team, (whom I haven't met yet).

I was happy to break the news here, as I thought it would be very timely for both the platforms to coexist for the benefit of it's members. We have the best two persons who can facilitate that in Frank and Rob now.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 3, 2021)

Eby said:
			
		

> Happy to have facilitated to help make that claim and I saw the post giving credit.



Yeah, I was not sure how much I could say at DNForum without getting my wrists slapped so I was careful in what I said.

I noticed @amplify over there is new to the staffing position and he did not know about the censoring there either.
https://www.dnforum.com/threads/epik-an-update-lifetime-customer.576124/#post-2341449

He made a claim on the tldinvestors that DNForum did not censor and he was quickly corrected.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 3, 2021)

My response


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## silentg__ (Jul 3, 2021)

Congrats on the purchase and good luck.


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## epik__ (Jul 3, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

>



I think censorship of lawful content is weak sauce.  The moderators are encouraged to keep a light hand and the community members are encouraged to self-governing by manifesting the most noble version of themselves. Should be cool.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 3, 2021)

I see [notify]amplify[/notify] from DNForum.com has joined here

Welcome aboard, I am happy to see you guys have an open mind.

I will be participating a lot more on DNForum moving forward...

After all I do have a portfolio of .com's you know  *BRAVO*


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## epik__ (Jul 3, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

> I see [notify]amplify[/notify] from DNForum.com has joined here
> 
> Welcome aboard, I am happy to see you guys have an open mind.
> 
> ...



I am thankful for the industry leaders who connect dots.  As such, Maple Dots is a brand name that resonates with me.  The dot-connectors of the world who selflessly connect people and opportunities are underrated. It is a gift to be able to do that well.


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## amplify (Jul 3, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

> I see [notify]amplify[/notify] from DNForum.com has joined here



I did. But, I only intended on lurking as there is so much information scattered across so many platforms. Left feedback instead and now pulled into this discussion.  O 



			
				epik said:
			
		

> I am thankful for the industry leaders who connect dots.


And quick to connect them as well. I was just in the DNForum thread asking if all were allowed to join, as to give him an opportunity to welcome new members, and to find out if this was open to just Canadians.

I believe that all forums have their place and we can all coexist happily.  \m/ 

By the way, I'm loving the emoticons here. The commercial forum software seemed to have broken away from these legacy ones which are just all too fun to use.  *CRAZY*


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 3, 2021)

amplify said:
			
		

> And quick to connect them as well. I was just in the DNForum thread asking if all were allowed to join, as to give him an opportunity to welcome new members, and to find out if this was open to just Canadians.



I added this...









It now says "anyone can join"


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## epik__ (Jul 3, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

> I believe that all forums have their place and we can all coexist happily.  \m/



Amen and Amen. Do away with scarcity mindset.  Cross-link and backlink as you like.  Apply "Do unto others" is the acid test.  Let folks learn from each other across any venue. The walled gardens should study what happened to AOL.


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## amplify (Jul 3, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

> He made a claim on the tldinvestors that DNForum did not censor and he was quickly corrected.


Thankfully, I was able to clarify what I said and clear up the confusion, but it took a little longer to get through moderation so that screenshot doesn't paint the best picture.  :-/ 





			
				MapleDots said:
			
		

> After all I do have a portfolio of .com's you know


You don't say?!   

I see that I "joined yesterday" and thought to myself, "No, I just joined today." I suppose I need to get up and stretch my legs out a bit as it didn't register to me that it's past midnight.

I'll be around here, and of course, at DNForum. Hope to see you!

Please don't hesitate to give me an email, shoot me a message, or tag me in any post that requires attention.


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## DomainTrader (Jul 3, 2021)

epik said:
			
		

> I am thankful for the industry leaders who connect dots.  As such, Maple Dots is a brand name that resonates with me.  The dot-connectors of the world who selflessly connect people and opportunities are underrated. It is a gift to be able to do that well.




The gift is in the giving


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## jaydub__ (Jul 3, 2021)

Welcome Rob and amplify *THUMBSUP*


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## rlm__ (Jul 3, 2021)

epik said:
			
		

> The walled gardens should study what happened to AOL.



Lol, I've always said the exact same thing.  I think those of us in the same age range went through that experience of first getting online with AOL, then hating the fact that they tried to limit you to their ecosystem.  Epic Fail.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 3, 2021)

Yup namepros is pretending like this sale did not even happen, you cannot mention it.

My prediction is they will eventually ban epik entirely now that they own a competing forum.

Mark my words


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## Nafti (Jul 3, 2021)

MapleDots said:
			
		

> Yup namepros is pretending like this sale did not even happen, you cannot mention it.
> 
> My prediction is they will eventually ban epik entirely now that they own a competing forum.
> 
> Mark my words



You can’t even search for the term “DNForum” on NP. Pretty pathetic!

Dn.ca is also a “banned” word as most people know.


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## Eby__ (Jul 3, 2021)

Seems like the “censorship culture” has taken over the forums leaking from the mainstream media and social platforms. What else is new! Ugh.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 3, 2021)

Yup whenever you type in dn.ca it comes up as rule_violation and if you do it a few times you get restricted.

Funny part is I had full topics from years back that talked about how I got dn.ca and as soon as I put up a forum all the old topics come up as rule_violation as well.


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## theinvestor__ (Jul 3, 2021)

I think running a forum is difficult enough but I don’t really blame NP. If all ccTLD’s had their own forum it would likely impact their traffic. The reality is even if that were the case people like to go to one place. They don’t like going to 10 different forums to talk about different ccTLD’s. 

I have always visited NP in the past but was never really active. I just logged into DNForum for the first time today in over 10 years. I think it’s going to take a major transformation for DNForum and I really hope they can do it. 

I have seen a major change in forums over the past 10 years and unless you have something really unique to offer it’s going to be very difficult to get the traffic you need to survive. Plus, I don’t see new domain investors joining like in the past. Which is why I truly believe to have a successful .CA forum today it would require it to be a private community.


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## epik__ (Jul 3, 2021)

theinvestor said:
			
		

> I think running a forum is difficult enough but I don’t really blame NP. If all ccTLD’s had their own forum it would likely impact their traffic. The reality is even if that were the case people like to go to one place. They don’t like going to 10 different forums to talk about different ccTLD’s.
> 
> I have always visited NP in the past but was never really active. I just logged into DNForum for the first time today in over 10 years. I think it’s going to take a major transformation for DNForum and I really hope they can do it.
> 
> I have seen a major change in forums over the past 10 years and unless you have something really unique to offer it’s going to be very difficult to get the traffic you need to survive. Plus, I don’t see new domain investors joining like in the past. Which is why I truly believe to have a successful .CA forum today it would require it to be a private community.



Survival is no challenge -- like DomainGraduate.com, we can operate DNForum perpetually as a community service. It does not have to be a profit center and does not even need a dedicated team long-term. However, we'll see what we can get done here. The success of Clubhouse, and the decline of in person trade shows, just reinforces the need for open venues where people can congregate for content, community and commerce.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 5, 2021)

New Dn Forum Logo

That was fast and looks fantastic.



Powered by Epik does not show up on mobile and looks cleaner. Should be at the bottom of the forum and not on the logo.


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## theinvestor__ (Jul 5, 2021)

I actually don’t mind the logo and powered by Epik does show up if you rotate phone.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 5, 2021)

theinvestor said:
			
		

> I actually don’t mind the logo and powered by Epik does show up if you rotate phone.



If the logo and branding is too prominent they will have a hard time getting other services to post.

Notice the post by dan.com here:
https://www.namepros.com/threads/do-forums-still-matter.1244679/#post-8327457


And of course that topic is locked now, typical namepros.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 5, 2021)

The article that is causing the stirr

Read the first 2 comments
https://tldinvestors.com/2021/07/do-forums-still-matter.html


PS. Yours truly left a little comment there too.


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## theinvestor__ (Jul 5, 2021)

I’ve said this before but to have two competing forums like that is not easy. One will always fare better than the other. It’s not like one forum will have different members than the other one. So unless there’s something really unique they can’t survive together. Plus not to mention all the negativity DNForum brought to the industry. It will take a while to get that changed and hopefully Epik can do that.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 5, 2021)

I kind of thought about that last night and wondered if they would buy dnforum.ca for the .ca section. Then I saw the post by dan.com in this namepros article.

https://www.namepros.com/threads/do-forums-still-matter.1244679/#post-8327457


You can see that the services will be hesitant to post on a forum owned by another registrar. That is one of the main reasons I think Powered by Epik should only be a small tagline and not part of the logo.

For Canada I can see us using the .ca section but dn.ca will continue to be the only completely unsponsored independent .ca forum.


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## theinvestor__ (Jul 5, 2021)

This is definitely a discussion to be had but as .CA owners we seem to think that business cannot operate if the .CA domain is not owned. There are so many Canadian businesses that still operate without a .CA website. They are just doing fine with a .COM website. This is why thinking that we can get these million dollar sales here in Canada is not realistic. It’s a shame because I don’t want to see people get burned when they get good offers. Just because a company is worth billions it doesn’t mean they’re going to pay a million bucks for a .CA. 

I would like to know the percentage of businesses that own .com and .ca how many are actually using them as a separate website? I see so many being simply redirected. A lot which i see have the same website but change pricing to Canadian. Something that many Canadian businesses are doing that do not own a .CA website. They simply use your IP address to change what you see on their .com website.


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## MapleDots__ (Jul 5, 2021)

The million dollar sales have already started with hush.ca.

Personally I have turned down a number of 100k+ offers. Patience is the key, just like real estate those who are patient will be rewarded.


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## theinvestor__ (Jul 5, 2021)

Well, this wasn’t publicly disclosed but nonetheless that sale was a bit unique since there was a business already running under that domain. Similar to purple.ca, it wouldn’t be as simple to acquire because of the existing business. There are many costs and headaches from having to switch your business to another domain. Even purple.com didn’t fetch 1M. 

I think moving your .CA domains for 1M+ may be similar to a lottery ticket. You might get lucky but I wouldn’t be purchasing hundreds or thousands of domains hoping they can sell for that amount.


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## aactive (Jul 5, 2021)

theinvestor said:
			
		

> This is definitely a discussion to be had but as .CA owners we seem to think that business cannot operate if the .CA domain is not owned. There are so many Canadian businesses that still operate without a .CA website. They are just doing fine with a .COM website. This is why thinking that we can get these million dollar sales here in Canada is not realistic. It’s a shame because I don’t want to see people get burned when they get good offers. Just because a company is worth billions it doesn’t mean they’re going to pay a million bucks for a .CA.
> 
> I would like to know the percentage of businesses that own .com and .ca how many are actually using them as a separate website? I see so many being simply redirected. A lot which i see have the same website but change pricing to Canadian. Something that many Canadian businesses are doing that do not own a .CA website. They simply use your IP address to change what you see on their .com website.



I agree. I think for _most_ businesses that own the .com, the .ca is an afterthought, and I tend to agree. Many .com sites that also operate in Canada just use IP/Geolocation to serve up the relevant page (ie: website.com/ca/). There are also SEO benefits to using one domain, versus two or more. I think that sales like hush.ca are outliers more than the norm.


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## theinvestor__ (Jul 5, 2021)

Easier to spend a million bucks when you know you can’t get the .com; I guess the .CA was more attainable for them. Very unique situation but to think that the owner of .com will pay for 1M for .ca is very wishful thinking. It hasn’t happened for me, but hope it does start happening in the future.


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## Esdiel (Jul 5, 2021)

theinvestor said:
			
		

> I would like to know the percentage of businesses that own .com and .ca how many are actually using them as a separate website? I see so many being simply redirected. A lot which i see have the same website but change pricing to Canadian. Something that many Canadian businesses are doing that do not own a .CA website. They simply use your IP address to change what you see on their .com website.




Canadian Tire owns both Triangle.ca and Triangle.com, and only uses the .COM to forward to the .CA.

Sobeys owns both Voila.ca and Voila.com, and only uses the .COM to forward to the .CA.

Scotiabank owns both Tangerine.ca and Tangerine.com, and only uses the .COM to forward to the .CA.

And those are all relatively new domain acquisitions made by these big companies, where they obviously wanted both the .com and .ca, but made the deliberate choice to operate under the .CA.

Companies like TD and RBC will most certainly stick with their .COMs, probably since its been like that forever, but perhaps there's a new trend where Canadian companies want to operate under the .CA more than ever. Even RBC, 20+ years later, finally made the decision to buy RBC.ca.


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## RedRider (Jul 5, 2021)

I completely forgot dnforum.com still existed.


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## theinvestor__ (Jul 5, 2021)

Please correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t tangerine, voila and CT only operating in Canada? I think it wouldn’t make sense for them to be running their website on a .com. They were smart enough to own both though but redirect to .CA since they’re in Canada only. 

There are thousands of examples where the .CA is redirecting to the .COM.


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## Esdiel (Jul 5, 2021)

You're not wrong, they do only operate in Canada, but I was mostly referring to "why would a company buy the .CA for a million dollars if they already own the .COM", and the importance of .CAs to companies in general.

In the examples above, I doubt they paid a million for any of the domains mentioned but since they ultimately chose to go with the .CA over the .COM (when they had the choice) it seems clear the .CA was more important to them and therefore I think it's possible they were willing to pay the same amount (or more) for the .CA than the .COM. It obviously depends on the seller too, as most of us Canadians don't hold out for a million dollars.

In any event, I agree it's tough to get top dollar for .CA domains and would love to see members here (or anyone) blaze the trail and make it a semi-common occurrence. Perhaps wishful thinking, but the world is changing quick, so who knows.


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## theinvestor__ (Jul 5, 2021)

First off [notify]Esdiel[/notify] I must say I love the conversation. I guess where I was going with it was that these companies that chose .CA for the sole reason that they didn’t want any confusion with operating on the .COM since they are purely Canadian companies. When it comes to banks they would never direct their .com to .ca for that reason. They want to make sure there is no confusion that they do operate outside of Canada. 

I just don’t want people to assume or be under some type of illusion that you are able to get million dollar .CA sales easily. I’d like to pass on some of my experience in which it’s nearly impossible these days. Companies are smart sometimes too smart for their own good but yet they can’t seem to get past the perception of .com vs .ca. I’ve had some nice sales but none that ever amounted to 1M+ in .CA. So when/if that day comes I definitely will be making sure we get that reported. It only helps us all in the long run. The majority of sales happening are not being reported but it’s not a coincidence there are no reported million dollar sales. It’s most likely because they are very few and far between. I just don’t think they’re happening.


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