.mobi .mobi dead or .mobi on NP dead ?

[tony_np]

I visited here every day.But seems no more news here.

.mobi dead or .mobi on NP dead ?

 

[labrocca]

Saying that the future of mobile is apps based is just you speculating and searching for something that is contrary to .mobi usage. What are you basing this on?

How about present day application and the current phones along with ones that are being released in the near future. lol...you're the guy that used the phone as an example. Sucks when your own argument is used against you and successfully too.

Like your assertion that geo mobile websites are the way to go.

Lots of geo site are built already for mobi. Not speculation at all. NV.mobi is a good example.

Do you CNO guys do research about the future? Sounds like you figure the future will be the same as the past and present?

Exactly. If you're basing the future 100% on speculation then it's a fantasy. You do need to view the past and present. Funny you proved my earlier points about this. Go back to my first few posts to read exactly what I said.

Thats what the newspaper guys thought up until a couple of years ago.

Awesome...you just brought up newspapers..a technology and medium that's been around hundreds of years. While print may dimimish the fact they are still posting news digitally should be an easy way to see the trend. Print still exists and it will for years to come. Many newspapers are struggling financially and some are going online 100%. The game is changing but it's still basically the same.

So if you want to take advantage of the iphone functionality for example, it has to be on the phone itself.

And how is that a problem? You can't disconnect your phone from it's application. And part of the reason phones are good sellers are because of the applications. How will that trend change?

Once we have cross platform standardization then a web based solution is superior as its easier to distribute and access.

That won't and can't happen. Client software will always be better and more powerful than internet software. That's fact.

And now that there are literally '50,000' apps on the iphone app store,

You're proving my point again. Applications are growing faster than mobi sites. People generally only visit a small set of sites. They create their favorites and repeatedly visit them.

Apps will stick around, but generally this will go web based.

How do you conclude that after everything you just stated? Apps continue to grow and yet you believe the future is mobile web based? lol...incredible.

Personaly IMHO .mobi is gaining momentum every day, much more then most.

And yet valuations don't reflect that. mobi might be gaining in popularity and usage. That doesn't have to translate into domain investment returns.

My best friend works for ESPN in the internet department as an annalyst, he tells me "ESPN loves it"

I agree for sports mobile applications are great. I have an awesome football one for my G1. I don't visit any mobile sites for any info. It's pulled from the internet via my application. The browser and surfing is bypassed completely.

My other good friend works for HP and an iphone/facebook addict, he is one of those junkies that has to say everythign he is doing and always on his iphone, He now uses .mobi sites for sports, news and pretty much everything else. He is even buying some .mobis.

That's favorable news. Ask your buddy if he is willing to pay $xxx for a mobi domain.

On the face of it I understand why people talk about how large corporations use their domains, but I think a far better barometer would be to look at SMEs, or even internet-based startups.

I agree. It's these end-user 1996-1999 sales that sparked domaining imho. Startups needed good domains to brand and have as a home. The mobi pure play startup is rare. I have yet to see one flourish. IMHO that would be better for mobi if it had a must-use mobi pure play. Something like imageshack.us or del.icio.us which both helped .us to a certain degree.

We are on the slow steady organic growth path

This is true but not the entire truth. Mobi had an extreme hype rally the first year or so then tanked. This is a discussion on valuations. While the organic growth is the way to go mobi unfortunately has been soured as an investment. Investments require long-term holders willing to also wait for that organic growth. For the most part those investors have walked away from mobi and new investors into the domain extension appear skitish to come forward. They are also not major players.

You talk about the future of mobi often and how popular it will become. You don't speak too much about it's valuation. Everyone should consider that.

 

[mo_dork]

How about present day application and the current phones along with ones that are being released in the near future. lol...you're the guy that used the phone as an example. Sucks when your own argument is used against you and successfully too.

Apps are great, you said mosty phones will be using apps and not surfing the web. I was disputing this. Not saying apps are no good.

Lots of geo site are built already for mobi. Not speculation at all. NV.mobi is a good example.

Yes but I think you were implying geo is all mobi is good for.

Exactly. If you're basing the future 100% on speculation then it's a fantasy. You do need to view the past and present. Funny you proved my earlier points about this. Go back to my first few posts to read exactly what I said.

Yes we look at the past and present but we don't assume it will continue infinitum.

Awesome...you just brought up newspapers..a technology and medium that's been around hundreds of years. While print may dimimish the fact they are still posting news digitally should be an easy way to see the trend. Print still exists and it will for years to come. Many newspapers are struggling financially and some are going online 100%. The game is changing but it's still basically the same.

Newspapers are struggling across the board. Yes the content has stayed the same. but the means of distribution has changed and the business models have changed. Something has changed forever. It was the same for hundreds of years and in the last 5 years it has changed. Some will switch to digital, some will go under, but business as usual has changed. I mentioned this regarding CNO business as usual. The web is changing, becoming mobile. Changing forever.

If you follow your thinking, and if the mobile is the primary means of accessing the web, and that we will all be using apps, then website usage will diminish. In any case you see there is room for a dramatic change in user behavior, so don't be so sure CNO will not become CNOM or CM.

have to run now...
more later

 

[plaggypig]

Apps are great, you said mosty phones will be using apps and not surfing the web. I was disputing this. Not saying apps are no good.

I'd love to see some good research on mobile usage behaviour.

But speaking purely from my own observations and that of my friends, people generally access the Internet from mobile devices to satisfy their compulsive obsessions for e-mail, news, tweeting, facebook, etc., which (on popular devices) are supported by special purpose apps that take advantage of the native mobile environment. Browsing the web or googling stuff from mobile devices does not appear to be a very common activity.

I think the reason for this difference in behaviour is a combination of factors; mobile devices are uncomfortable to use for prolonged periods of time (but perfect for quick and small tasks), mobile input methods are not perfect (improving, but can one hand ever be as fast as two?), people have a desktop as well and will choose to use the right tool for the right job.

So basically people just want an app for the things they already like doing and use desktops to discover web content.

Does this sound reasonable?

 

[mo_dork]

And how is that a problem? You can't disconnect your phone from it's application. And part of the reason phones are good sellers are because of the applications. How will that trend change?

Nothing wrong with apps, apps are great, I am working on an app related project myself, but apps are a niche compared to the web. That was my original point. You said the future of phones will predominantly be related to apps and not mobile websites. I am disputing that, I'm not saying apps aren't useful.

Apps can perform tasks that web based services cannot, but there are some limitations too, they are not as easy as websites to distribute, they often cost money, and sometimes cost money for things that are already free on the web. They require installations and updates, and they are not universal across all devices, the web is universal, anyone can access it anytime without any installations.

That won't and can't happen. Client software will always be better and more powerful than internet software. That's fact.

So what if client software is better. Better doesn't always win, convenience wins. Hence mobile phones don't have laptop sized screens. A bigger screen is better, but it doesn't fit in your pocket.So, apps are great, but so are websites, and most of what you need to do can be done online. Maybe not read your blood pressure, but we are talking about mainstream usage. If I came on this forum and said mobi is great as you can monitor your blood pressure etc, you would be saying how this is not a mainstream use...

You're proving my point again. Applications are growing faster than mobi sites. People generally only visit a small set of sites. They create their favorites and repeatedly visit them.

I doubt apps are growing faster than websites. There are substantially more than 50,000 mobile websites. Also many apps are just desktop bookmarks to an online website or service.

This is true but not the entire truth. Mobi had an extreme hype rally the first year or so then tanked. This is a discussion on valuations.

This is not a discussion on valuations, this is a discussion on the future of mobi (dead or not dead). And as discussed domianing is not just about resell valuations, its about dev potential aswell.

While the organic growth is the way to go mobi unfortunately has been soured as an investment. Investments require long-term holders willing to also wait for that organic growth. For the most part those investors have walked away from mobi and new investors into the domain extension appear skitish to come forward. They are also not major players.

The hype rally was an anomaly, I personally did not buy my domains to sell right away, I bought to develop and/or sell in a semi-mature to mature market/mobile web (in a few years). if I would sell a name to another domainer or sell before the mobile web reaches its full potential, then I have undersold.

Regarding investors walking away, I have bought a few names from some of those walking away investors. IMO for the most part I believe they are reluctant sellers due to economic circumstance. Ofcourse noone selss at the bottom of the market uunless they have to. I would imagine all sales right now are out of necessity. Its a buyers market.

---------- Post added at 06:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:27 PM ----------

I'd love to see some good research on mobile usage behaviour.

But speaking purely from my own observations and that of my friends, people generally access the Internet from mobile devices to satisfy their compulsive obsessions for e-mail, news, tweeting, facebook, etc., which (on popular devices) are supported by special purpose apps that take advantage of the native mobile environment. Browsing the web or googling stuff from mobile devices does not appear to be a very common activity.

You better hope that what you are saying is wrong otherwise all parking and, sounds like most of the web is about to die.

I think the reason for this difference in behaviour is a combination of factors; mobile devices are uncomfortable to use for prolonged periods of time (but perfect for quick and small tasks), mobile input methods are not perfect (improving, but can one hand ever be as fast as two?), people have a desktop as well and will choose to use the right tool for the right job.

So basically people just want an app for the things they already like doing and use desktops to discover web content.

Does this sound reasonable?

There is so much data on mobile usage and trends, I mean millions of pages and analytics on every aspect of mobility from every angle and every geographic regoin. It sounds like you haven't read any of it and are just speculating.
I will dig up some stats to post here. or you can too.

 

[plaggypig]

Was my post really that controversial? My observations in no way suggest the web is about to die (what on earth made you derive that?), merely that people don't access the web very much from mobile devices, and if they do it's to use sites they already know well, rather than to discover new content.

As I said, I'd like to read some proper research on the subject, so please feel free to recommend some!

 

[mediaadvantages]

labrocca, you obviously know nothing about the print business due to your comments made previously.

your comment "Awesome...you just brought up newspapers..a technology and medium that's been around hundreds of years. While print may dimimish the fact they are still posting news digitally should be an easy way to see the trend. Print still exists and it will for years to come. Many newspapers are struggling financially and some are going online 100%. The game is changing but it's still basically the same."

The game isn't even close to being the same.

1) Have you not seen the issue at hand when it comes to reporting? It has been all over the place about the average person becoming the journalist and it's killing the credibility of having an education in journalism. Newspapers are fighting this every day when you an I can witness an event and have a story on a blog before the newspapers even know about it. This is a problem that can't be fixed at the moment because our society wants it's news right away. They don't want it an hour from now, or tonight, or tomorrow.

2) For a newspaper industry to exist they must have advertising. Advertisers use the newspaper for price and item research. That currently doesn't exist with their internet sites currently. Tell me when the last time you went to your papers website to see the deals on TVs or any other product?

3) Another reason to use the paper was too reach the 35+ demographic. This isn't exactly the strongest demographic visiting their websites daily. The print demographic tends to be more educated and more disposable income than their website demographics.

4) Newspapers rely on pass along readership and a shelf life as benefits to advertisers. This isn't exactly true for their websites.

5) Geographic targeting - Using the paper I can target certain zipcodes with tab ons and inserts. This can't happen with your local sites. You pay for all viewers who see the ad whether they are in the metro area, same state or across the country.

6) Ad Sizes - Print is very good for having lots of content in your ad if need be. Try doing that in a small little banner.

Maybe you should think about what you are saying before opening your mouth and inserting your foot. "The game is changing but it's still basically the same." is NOT EVEN CLOSE to being true!!

 

[mo_dork]

Was my post really that controversial? My observations in no way suggest the web is about to die (what on earth made you derive that?), merely that people don't access the web very much from mobile devices, and if they do it's to use sites they already know well, rather than to discover new content.

As I said, I'd like to read some proper research on the subject, so please feel free to recommend some!

Maybe I lumped you in with Labrocca on this one.

So the thing is that it is becoming clear that anti mobi people on this thread aren't particularly doing their homework, just spouting forth negative assertions that need to be corrected. There is so much info out there that it is staggering. So here are a few sites to start following-

general mobile info and observations-
MobHappy

carnival of the mobilists, is a weekly sort of blog magazine round up that is hosted and curated at a site each week-
Carnival of the Mobilists

scroll down and check out the blog roll here, tonnes of mobile info-
mTrends - mobile media lifestyle - Mobile 2.0

This guy is a very respected research/writer on all things mobile, look around you will find some interesting articles-
Communities Dominate Brands

I just found this on the above site, which pretty much contradicts most of labrocca's assertions-
Survey: Mobile internet trumps desktop surfing for iPhone users:
Survey: Mobile internet trumps desktop surfing for iPhone users

This is also interesting labrocca-
Long Tail of iPhone Apps Is Extra Long — and Not In a Good Way

 

[u8l2]

This just in. GE one of the biggest issuers of credit cards have chased a dropped mobi and regged it after the previous owner let it drop. mycreditcard.mobi is now owned by GE

cheers
Rob

 

[scandiman]

This just in. GE one of the biggest issuers of credit cards have chased a dropped mobi and regged it after the previous owner let it drop. mycreditcard.mobi is now owned by GE

cheers
Rob

Based on the whois for the .com, clearly it isn't a defense reg.

 

[Fast Action Domains]

How Long Live .mobi?

I read the .mobi prices are down 89% in one year and that made me think 'how long live .mobi'. I have a number of .mobi names and this news feared me about it's future.

I ask .mobi purchase or not?

Thanks.

Fast Action Domains

 

[exponent]

Large companies are picking up .mobi domains. Prices are down because people like Rick Schwartz went out and paid $200,000 for something like Flowers.mobi a few years back. Outrageous prices right off the bat lead to declining prices later on.

 

[snoop]

The .mobi market has crashed as you say and reality turned out to be nothing like expectations. Personally I think it will just end out being an alt extension for sites that are purely mobile only, that is a niche market. Would compare it to something like .info or .tv. If you are going to invest make sure it is with gambling money.

 

[noonoo1]

I read the .mobi prices are down 89% in one year and that made me think 'how long live .mobi'. I have a number of .mobi names and this news feared me about it's future.

I ask .mobi purchase or not?

Thanks.

Fast Action Domains

It's really bad out there and I'm going to let all mine drop.

























NOT!

Hang on in there, this is just like 2001, people were letting generic .com names drop or sell for like $50, 75, 100 dollars, 6 years later going fo $$,$$$

Dont listen to any negative hype.
I am getting .mobi google adds on my minisites when looking at them through my iPhone.
The value of a domain name is the adverts it attracts and the money that is made from them.

 

[dotcomisdead]

Would the Mods care to close this thread and link it to the established thread regarding the age old question "is mobi dead or just dead on NP?"

Otherwise it just looks like trolling..

Many Thanks in advance...

Toodle Pip

---------- Post added at 11:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:29 AM ----------

The .mobi market has crashed as you say and reality turned out to be nothing like expectations. Personally I think it will just end out being an alt extension for sites that are purely mobile only, that is a niche market. Would compare it to something like .info or .tv. If you are going to invest make sure it is with gambling money.

What a surprise to see your comments on this thread Mr Snoopy.... you really should apply for a Government grant for all the 'voluntary public service' work you do in the interests of vulnerable individuals who might otherwise waste all their money on dotmobi's...

Of course, you are quite right... sites that are made for mobile only are going to be a complete failure - the way things are headed, (say 2012 - 2015) there could be as few as 4 Billion people with access to the internet from their mobile phones...

Compare that the 1 or maybe 2 billion people who have the luxury of a pc or laptop and it's a no-brainer really.....

Although I think my understanding of what a 'no-brainer' is, in this context, somewhat different to the way I'd usually use the term... lol

I have just sold a reg-fee 3 word dotmobi today for $500.00 - there must be some right idiots out there with money to burn eh?

I think I might go and spend some of that on a few domains... dotmobi's of course! :bingo:

Toodle Pip

---------- Post added at 11:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------

I read the .mobi prices are down 89% in one year and that made me think 'how long live .mobi'. I have a number of .mobi names and this news feared me about it's future.

I ask .mobi purchase or not?

Thanks.

Fast Action Domains

As you will see in my post above, there is another thread discussing this subject but I would be very careful about how you interpret figures...

I haven't seen any of my dotmobi investments fall by 89%.... 99% of mine are reg fee or bulk drops at $6 to $10 each...

The price drops are only seen in 'real' sales that have been domainer trades... if someone pays $10,000 for a premium domain in immature extension and then needs to cash out for persoanl reasons, if the onward sale is for $2,000 to another domainer, does that tell you about the true value of the domain or just the state of the domainer to domainer market?

Warren Buffet buys value... he ignores the market and focuses on the value... it's not so easy to do when it means going against the herd... but boy! Is the herd ever wrong? you tell me.....

If you have domains and you have some spare cash for investment, I would always suggest that you add a few good dotmobis to your portfolio... don't buy crap domains (in any extension) or you'll lose the money..

GE Credit have just picked up mycreditcard.mobi.... it's not a domain that you'd immediately attach to a multi-national but that's what is so exciting about dotmobi... the rules aren't the same... & I'm loving the breath of fresh air!

If it's not for you, just go with your instinct and stay out of the market.. either way, whatever you do is unlikely to kill you!

 

[scandiman]

Would the Mods care to close this thread and link it to the established thread regarding the age old question "is mobi dead or just dead on NP?"

:bingo::bingo::bingo:

 

[snoop]

Of course, you are quite right... sites that are made for mobile only are going to be a complete failure

Not sure whaere you get this stuff from as I have never made any claim like that.

---------- Post added at 05:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:28 PM ----------

does that tell you about the true value of the domain or just the state of the domainer to domainer market?

Probably both.

Warren Buffet buys value... he ignores the market and focuses on the value... it's not so easy to do when it means going against the herd... but boy! Is the herd ever wrong? you tell me.....

Wake me up when Warren Buffet starts speculating on investments that produce no revenue. You aren't Warren Buffet, I'm not Warren Buffet, so lets put to sleep all these meaningless comparisons and see the market for what it is is, *values* - what .mobi domains are actually worth, have fallen 90%-100%.

 

[-REECE-]

Good advice imho. Nothing wrong with it being an alt extension -- just means that if you want to make money through .mobi, you'll have to do it through development instead of domaining.

The .mobi market has crashed as you say and reality turned out to be nothing like expectations. Personally I think it will just end out being an alt extension for sites that are purely mobile only, that is a niche market. Would compare it to something like .info or .tv. If you are going to invest make sure it is with gambling money.

Threads have been merged as requested.

 

[labrocca]

labrocca, you obviously know nothing about the print business due to your comments made previously.

I know enough that for 2 years I published my own magazine. Don't assume what I know. I have lots of experience in different fields. You're just going off on a tangent about print. It's for the most part unrelated to this discussion.

The game is changing but it's still basically the same.

I still stand by that statement firmly.

 

[scandiman]

The .mobi market has crashed as you say and reality turned out to be nothing like expectations.

What do you know about my or anyone else's expectations? These blanket categorizations are where things get derailed. Some people view any new TLD as a lottory ticket (typo intended for the enjoyment of those who remember), but I know for a fact that myself and many other .mobi enthusiasts were quite realistic about what it was going to take for .mobi to have a solid market position.

 

[newton]

Would the Mods care to close this thread and link it to the established thread regarding the age old question "is mobi dead or just dead on NP?"

:tu:

 

[meegwell]

apps vs. web in mobile world

apps vs. web in mobile world

being someone who was a regular user of the bulletin boards (that would be monochrome BBS systems powered by the likes of wildcat) prior to the more robust WWW, here is my brief take on mobile apps:

After BBS, I graduated to Prodigy, then onto Compuserve, and after a brief stint with AOL I realized we don't need these constricting places that act like walls to make sure the stupid user doesn't get lost. They were all hand-holding apps essentially (if not technically). In the days of Prodigy and Compuserve, the content on the open web was far from mainstream so outside of niche hobby uber-geek stuff most folks were better off in those cages.

My crystal ball says that eventually anything you can do in an app you will be able to do on a mobile-dedicated website. We are already seeing the growth of web->device->location integration. Your phone won't be bogged down with all these resource hungry apps, just a good browser. People will become comfortable finding and using these browser-based mobile tools (aka "mobile specific websites")...as well as p*rn...and all these apps will go the way of aol, prodigy, and compuserve.:ghost: boo!


...meegwell

 

[dotcomisdead]

Good advice imho. Nothing wrong with it being an alt extension -- just means that if you want to make money through .mobi, you'll have to do it through development instead of domaining.



Threads have been merged as requested.

Thanks for merging threads Reece, I think that was the right thing to do.....

.mobi for development not domaining?

That depends on whether you buy a domain on monday to sell it on friday (which is what seems to constitute domaining around here)?
Or... if you buy a domain in 2009 to sell it in 2011 or 2015 even... (strategy a la Rick :bingo

For true buy & hold potential I don't think you can beat dotmobi.... but obviously everyone should make their own mind up... because as we all know from the collective wisdom on this forum; the mobile internet using dotmobi is finished.... a dead duck, kicked the bucket just like the famous Parrot!

Oh... almost forgot;

Porn straining mobile networks

Just a little reminder that mobile internet isn't the same as when you sit at your desk... the data flow is very important! Yes the technology will improve and yes, the data flow will increase but the growth in user numbers will ensure that bandwidth is constantly under pressure - in a year or two the bandwith will increase by factor x but traffic will increase by factor x+ (IMHO) so this means that mobile compliant sites will always load faster, be less likely to crash etc etc... :bingo:


Toodle Pip

 

[mjnels]

apps vs. web in mobile world

being someone who was a regular user of the bulletin boards (that would be monochrome BBS systems powered by the likes of wildcat) prior to the more robust WWW, here is my brief take on mobile apps:

After BBS, I graduated to Prodigy, then onto Compuserve, and after a brief stint with AOL I realized we don't need these constricting places that act like walls to make sure the stupid user doesn't get lost. They were all hand-holding apps essentially (if not technically). In the days of Prodigy and Compuserve, the content on the open web was far from mainstream so outside of niche hobby uber-geek stuff most folks were better off in those cages.

My crystal ball says that eventually anything you can do in an app you will be able to do on a mobile-dedicated website. We are already seeing the growth of web->device->location integration. Your phone won't be bogged down with all these resource hungry apps, just a good browser. People will become comfortable finding and using these browser-based mobile tools (aka "mobile specific websites")...as well as p*rn...and all these apps will go the way of aol, prodigy, and compuserve.:ghost: boo!


...meegwell

very well summed up. although i think apps will always be around and still play a part in the world of mobile devices...but its getting to the point where there is an app for everything... a bit of "app overbuilding" happening right now i think. one major benefit of apps though, is you dont have to have an internet connection to get access to it.. comes in handy during the time we're still living in when often there is intermittent internet reception.

 

[meegwell]

very well summed up. although i think apps will always be around and still play a part in the world of mobile devices...but its getting to the point where there is an app for everything... a bit of "app overbuilding" happening right now i think. one major benefit of apps though, is you dont have to have an internet connection to get access to it.. comes in handy during the time we're still living in when often there is intermittent internet reception.

good point. let me correct that last line: many of these apps will go the way of...

 

[dotcomisdead]

Very well summed up. although i think apps will always be around and still play a part in the world of mobile devices...but its getting to the point where there is an app for everything... a bit of "app overbuilding" happening right now i think. one major benefit of apps though, is you dont have to have an internet connection to get access to it.. comes in handy during the time we're still living in when often there is intermittent internet reception.

You do raise a very basic point; Apps don't require internet access.... or to paraphrase; Apps are not the internet!

Whereas, mobile sites are!