Featured Attendee Profile: John Colascione

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John Colascione
Chief Executive Officer — Long Island Media Inc.
Twitter | LinkedIn


FAST FACTS

Location: Long Island, NY
Number of years in the domain industry: 15 years
Favourite extension: .com
Domain name you wished you owned: li.com
Now reading: drudgereport.com
Now watching: ID Discovery
Best city for conferences: Las Vegas, NV
Your mentor: Steve Jobs

Q&A

Describe your company and how long you have been there. 

Long Island Media, Inc. is digital advertising agency superior for its public relations and marketing communications. The only truly geographic ‘.com’ company with both a national and international reach, Long Island Media, Inc. is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau®, a Google Certified Partner Company, and owner and operator of LongIsland.com, Long Island’s Most Popular Website since 1996, giving Long Island Media Inc., a significant advantage in public relations, particularly for clients in the Long Island region. I’ve been working there for 15 months (merger in 2015).

Can you tell us about how your service or product helps deliver value to your customers?

Our customers and clients, like most, need to be found online. We help connect local businesses with local customers through a wide range of local websites and provide other opportunities to be found on search engines like Google.

What are your thoughts on the new TLDs?

I believe buzz on gTLDs will simmer down some in a few years and the value basis of domains will follow the 1-800 phone numbers model where 1-800 is and has been recognized as the premium (.com) number everyone wants, although there are alternatives such as 855, 888, and 866. While other extensions will create additional opportunity, .com will remain king.

What kinds of changes do you foresee within the industry in the next five years? 

As the industry matures, regulation will be its biggest challenge. As advertising begins to depend entirely on the Internet, more and more control over the system will be sought, and it will become difficult once there are too many laws. Corporations will work their way in to gobble everything up, not by participating or innovation, but by law.

What are you most looking forward to at the upcoming NamesCon?

I’m looking to connect with more domain entrepreneurs to network, share and learn.

Who would you like to hear speak at NamesCon? Why?

Google and the ICA. Google because everything online seems to revolve around them — most follow what Google does; ICA because its mission is to protect those in the domain industry and their interests.

What fact about you would surprise people?

I find most are surprised when they learn about my original career as a class-B commercial driver.

How does your career compare to what you envisioned in your youth?

Nowhere near what I envisioned. As I child, I wanted to be a police officer.

How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger?

I run an internet advertising agency.

If you had fifteen extra minutes each day, what would you do with them?

I really hate to admit it, but I think I would work; more than likely, searching for recently dropped or available domain names.

What’s the most recent thing you learned?

That while I have focused too much on product and service deliverables, I have dropped the ball on further adequately developing my sales department. This will be my main focus for 2017. I must find a way to shift some of our overhead and expense from operations to sales without hindering service and quality.

Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?

Probably my father. If you want something, you better go out there and get it; because no one is going to do it for you.

What are you proudest of in your life?

My three children, my wife of 15 years and our moderate yet sufficient home on Long Island.

Latest and greatest accomplishment in your career?

I will be in the March issue of SmartCEO magazine for winning their Future 50 Awards which recognizes 50 of the region’s fastest growing, mid-sized companies.

Name 3 things you can’t travel without.

My laptop, my cellular phone, and most importantly, their chargers.

Where is your favourite place to escape?

I enjoy visiting warm climates; South Eastern Florida is my favourite.


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