meegwell

Hello,

I started this thread as a reply to another thread where someone was asking to appraise corp.mobi (just for reference - no opinion on the name)

Then I had to stop and register a domain.

Then I decided to make the post it's own thread so here it is finally.

I often ponder this issue. What is the mobile application for many of the names people are jumping at?

I mean, the idea of .mobi is mobile, right? (don't answer that). When I see people offering some generic group of words or letters that may work in the "stationary" world - I just think who the heck would look to develop a mobile-specific site around that? Well maybe anyone - but a better question is who the heck would pay a premium for it? I dont want to burn anyone's biscuits so I wont post examples.

There are exceptions: you can sell adult anywhere anytime. Just the idea of some dude in the workplace bathroom stall with his cell...well, never mind, but you get my point.

Specific commerce stuff is ok - Lets take something like furniture.mobi (have no clue who has it nor do I care). Obviously, this place would have to sell or compare prices on furniture. If it were just furniture info, most folks would wait until they were in front of a PC(MAC) to do their furniture research.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/dot-mobi/368296-mobile-application-of-names.html

However, while out furniture shopping...in the store...it might be nice to bring up a comprehensive furniture .mobi site where you can price compare while shopping...now actually making the purchase is another story. You would probably wait to get home. So generally, any one word item that can be shopped for works...good luck finding one.

Any company should have their company name.mobi just for the sake of having it...may or may not be useful.


There are just sooo many names out there that don't apply to a mobile world and could only have value if the # of developed mobi sites outpaces .com,.net,.org (therefor a supply shortage issue). Dont hold your breath for that...you may be giving your .mobi's to your kids in your will.

Now, what else is useful? Well what the heck do people want to look up while on the go? reference, travel info, location related...data

Also - time killing apps would be good - sitting in an airport, in a cab, etc...

Im sure there are similar discussions but oh well. btw - I just registered bathroomstall.mobi before finishing this post!

meegwell

Jeff

Welcome to the #1 Namepros .MOBI Forum, meegwell!
-Jeff

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PVFARKAS

I came up with so many uses its rediculous. Your ideas are good, but that's the starting gate, there are so many uses locally and globally for the world in 2007, and the years to come - the opportunies are mind-boggling.

namewaiter

agree .. it's just a start, and nothing is cut and dry.

as an example, i've had some people interested in gurus.mobi. 'gurus' really has nothing to do with mobility, i doubt that it's a corp name and it's not a product. but it is used in many addresses ... webgurus, musicgurus, mygurus, technologygurus, etc.. so the name gurus.mobi can eventually simply be used by a group as a shortened mobile version of their established pc moniker and web address.

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meegwell

I dont think I mentioned my examples to be all inclusive

Yeah - the gurus is a good explanation/example but I think it still comes down to, in the beginning of wide-spread acceptance, what people will take the time to do on a phone rather than just wait until they get home or to the office or wherever. What do they NEED to do on the go at times?

But lets talk about timing and function (over form).

Timing - as mainstream picks up on .mobi - and we are by no means mainstream...when non-internet biz people are well aware of .mobi and what it means (that is, its a clear indication that the site was built for a mobile device) what will be the first wave of functional applications of these sites that actually get used by the masses?

What will your aunt m. find useful to take the time to access on her cellphone while not around a stationary PC? edit: and teens! dont forget the teens! anything they can do from their phones is way cool like omg so cool.

These people are the masses. I look back at the internet and when I used bulletin boards and then Prodigy (any other old timers out there?) - If I talked to Aunt M. about it - she would look at me cross-eyed.

Then came AOL (snicker snicker) and next thing I knew all my little geek stuff was going mainstream...The masses "got it". They were using it for its functions. Communication, news, and of course, porn.

for the record, i was never an AOL member but went from Prodigy to Compuserve to a direct connection, i think.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=368296

Now we all know its used for everything and anything.

When the masses "get" dotmobi - what will they use first?

Actually, what will be second, because I think Zagat was on the ball with the perfect service to provide in a .mobi. Your traveling, your in a hotel in the airport or whatever - in a meeting w/ no iNet access in a unfamiliar city and you just want to find a good place to eat...zagat.mobi to the rescue.

meegwell

Work In Progress

Welcome Meegwell

My thoughts are similar to yours. I believe that mobi usage for the masses will primarily be used for peeps looking for some sort of information "on the fly". I can also envision condensed versions of full blown sites that are coded for the small screen experience. Yeah, the future might hold bigger / better / foldable / holographic screens, but we're talking about now. And yeah, we all know the iPhone will turn mobi into mush talk, but in reality, the full blown sites that are full of fluff and load s l o w vs mobi- compliant sites that load fast and fit a screen without scrolling is what the masses will flock to. And you don't need a $500 phone for that.

Saying this, 95% of my names where chosen with a mobile relevant development plan in mind. You can see some of my sites and see where I'm coming from. Now I don't have the skills nor amount of money neccessary to have someone develop quite a few of my sites that will require some pretty heavy coding to be "done right". These will be names I'll probably either hold on to until I've made enough to have them developed right, or I'll sell them if / when the market dictates a strong offer. But I DO have enough skill to put together some more simple sites that can / will be usefull to the average mobile user. I'm working on more of these daily.
As for just regging names, either one worders or phrases, that don't have an obvious mobile connection? If you're looking to re-sell a raw name or depend on parking clicks....I think you'll be in for a long haul.

But, if you're willing to develop this name / phrase...you're site will be either as big as your marketing budget or, if optimized properly...will become popular via SE traffic. I strongly believe that direct type-ins will not be nearly as popular in the mobile web. Bookmarks and SE's will rule the mobile traffic. I looked into my crystal ball and saw this... OK. I could be wrong. But I'm developing and optimizing as best I can to get the best SE results I can. I missed out on landrush, so I have to rely on "second-string" regs, and my best shot at achieving success is to develop. Particulary the non mobile relevant names. I'm convinced I'll get more "bang for the buck" with developed sites vs names alone. ALL of my developed sites are gaining traffic every month. A large majority of the traffic is also bookmarking these sites. Ah...the crystal ball just might be on to something...

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PVFARKAS

i'll bet my crystalball.mobi (shameless plug) that onthego lookup info will only be part of .mobi's uses. I have read every tech piece that i could get my hands on for the last six months and feel a new wave of uses coming strong.

if we're in the "here and now" category, i hear what you're saying...

meegwell

you're smelling what I'm grilling?
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=368296

agreed but the on the go will dominate first.

coincidentally after I wrote that post the travelocity thread was posted - i wasnt aware of amtrak and marriotts efforts as well.

I think we can all agree this has been a good month for .mobi !

meegwell