This year was a trying year for many economies around the world. Some big economies, notably members of the G7 have already gone into recession.

As 2008 draws to a close, and we prepare to welcome 2009, it is time to started thinking about how the domain industry will do in 2009.

In every situation there are pessimists and optimists. I am very optimistic about 2009. It will be the year of opportunities.

I can see more domain blogs coming online, more domainers developing their domains, and more domainers building brands.

Geo domains will take off like crazy. This will be seen in increased registration, aftermarket sales, and development. More domainers will depend less on PPC revenue, and start building ebusinesses based on local advertising revenues.

Web designers and developers who can efficiently build mini-sites at economical costs to domainers will flourish. However, the mini-site phenomena may be short-lived when domainers realise that simply building mini-sites does not mean automatic riches.

Domainers will continue to suffer at the mercies of unscrupulous registrars and parking service providers. There will be increased scams, frauds, and malicious activities aimed especially at newbies. The “experts” will continue to misdirect those who desperately seek information while they drain the newbies of their cash.

Domains in my opinion will continue to sell. However, more domainers will inevitably have to focus on quality, and not quantity. There could be an exodus of domainers dropping rubbish domains.

Domain values will increase. As people realise the importance and benefits of branding, people will start seeking brandable ebusiness domains, and this will increase demand, and subsequently prices.

Domain auctions will become the preferred method of domain acquisition, as the market price of a domain name will be set by the forces of supply and demand.