A great reminder that "the way things are" often are just accepted, never questioned, even ritually enforced; all while drifting further and further from better ways.
it would be users from a list of self-described 'early adopters', the type of people who love the internet and startups and are eager to try something new.
This is quite a good idea, and the site itself is very nice and easy to navigate. Congratulations.
Seeing a domain name with an MVL (Minimum Viable Logo, haha) is really much better for imagining how strong it could be than just seeing it listed in text.
However, I found the selection too limited. So I think an interesting model for you would become a marketplace:
1- invite squatters with domains to sell to post their names on your site
2- invite designers to freely create logos to un-logoed domains
3- sell this wider selection to your audience, sharing the revenue with both squatters and designers.
Good luck - with more selection, I would easily find the service worthwhile at that price point.
I'm glad Marco wrote this piece. I've been a reader of BI but had no idea they employed these kinds of practices.
It's incredibly misleading, frankly unethical, to post content like that and pretend like they're publishing with the author's consent. How disappointing.