Another Bad Sign For .mobi

[gwkg]

The new 2.0 firmware for the iPhone and iPod Touch includes a new Safari shortcut that goes beyond ".com".

According to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, when you type in your web address you can now hold down the ".com" button to get the choice of three more extensions - ".net", ".edu" and ".org" - but no ".mobi"

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/15/iphone-101-hold-your-com-button-for-a-second/

 

[mjnels]

Good enough, and exactly as I and others here on #1 Namepros™ warned in 2006! :yell: :imho:

http://www.namepros.com/2090962-post18.html

http://www.namepros.com/2090969-post20.html

http://www.namepros.com/2090979-post22.html

:notme:



R.I.P. Garrett, btw.

 

[Jeff]

R.I.P. Garrett, btw.

^ Righto, and the list goes on and on and on ... :ghost:

By the way, and though I do give you some belated kudos for candor ... your warning posts came in mid-to-late 2007 (versus mine and others in 2006 (and even prior to landrush), IMHO. :gl:
We knew mTLD was only in it for pure GREED MONEY! :imho:

See you again soon.
-Jeff

 

[mjnels]

^ Righto, and the list goes on and on and on ... :ghost:

By the way, and though I do give you some belated kudos for candor ... your warning posts came in mid-to-late 2007 (versus mine and others in 2006 (and even prior to landrush), IMHO. :gl:
We knew mTLD was only in it for pure GREED MONEY! :imho:

See you again soon.
-Jeff

i was too new to domains in 2006 to be able to accurately predict anything that was going to happen in the market.. but i always thought your posts regarding .mobi were quite extreme.

like the whole "mTLD only in it for money" thing... this suggests a sort of conspiracy theory and i just dont buy that type of thinking.

 

[Jeff]

i was too new to domains in 2006 to be able to accurately predict anything that was going to happen in the market.. but i always thought your posts regarding .mobi were quite extreme.

Extreme, for someone new or newer to domains! :yell: :imho:

... like the whole "mTLD only in it for money" thing... this suggests a sort of conspiracy theory and i just dont buy that type of thinking.

I (and many, many others) firmly believe it, and sure as we chat here today ... time will tell, IMHO. :gl:

-Jeff

 

[mjnels]

Extreme, for someone new or newer to domains! :yell: :imho:

I (and many, many others) firmly believe it, and sure as we chat here today ... time will tell, IMHO.

-Jeff

well, its pretty obvious any company selling a product is interested in money. but i think most would rather build a viable longterm business rather than the short one or two time cashgrab.

time will .tel... ill most likely still be here in my underwear to find out.

heres to 2016.

 

[Jeff]

well, its pretty obvious any company selling a product is interested in money. but i think most would rather build a viable longterm business rather than the short one or two time cashgrab.

One would think, but this one (mTLD) has been pretty obvious ... from the beginning IMHO. :o

heres to 2016.

I stated - repeatedly - in 2006 that even IF the "dot Mobey" made it as a teeny niche/vanity/play extension (that's a BIG if, by the way!), it would take at least 12 - 15+ years! :yell:
^ Hammer. Head. Nail. :bingo: :imho:

Tick. Tock.
Just my two sense.
-Jeff

 

[hugegrowth]

I see .mobi's sold fairly frequently for xxx to xxxx, and developped .mobi sites, so what's the issue? People who warned in 2006 that .mobi would fail are not correct, .mobi has done quite well in a lot of respects for a two year old extension.

 

[snoop]

Lira? :blink: :red:

Plus, as I recall ... you don't have any that are that good (or being developed!), and I thought by now you'd be liquidating ... as most of your fellow and former Roseys™ have done, or are doing?

All the best, friend.
-Jeff

I think he has been saying .mobi has been in for falls for quite some time, I probably wouldn't have called him a "Rosey". Major .mobi holders do look to be liquidating (Jeremyp was probably the most prominant .mobi speculator and now looks to be running for the exits) and I would call this is extension a bust. Even though small numbers may still be making money most people have lost their shirts and the falls have been some of the largest the industry has seen, the premiums look to be down 90% so I hate to think how the people with low quality names have gone. Anyone who tells you this extension has performed well is probably a salesman.

Having said that liquidation is going on in alot of area of domaining. Personally I think anyone sitting on domains that are largely speculator fodder is a sitting duck in the current economy. It is going to be another 2001/2002 type market again in my view (but not as severe). Speculative domains are going down the toilet, think revenue from outside the domain industry, as Mjnels said, the landlord isn't taking domains as payment.

 

[Jeff]

People who warned in 2006 that .mobi would fail are not correct, .mobi has done quite well in a lot of respects for a two year old extension.

Huh? :red:

It's been a TRAINWRECK of a ride ... "dot Mobey" sales, even generics, are down approx. 85% - 90%+, there is ZERO enforcement of the promised development mandates, the RFP process was abandoned, and literally 1,000's upon 1,000's of reserved domains still languish at the exclusive ownership of greedy mTLD (at the expense of the promised developed "ecosystem")!
Furthermore, "dot Mobey" drops are occurring en masse by the day!

The questions and CONCERNS continue to this day! :o :imho:
-Jeff

 

[snoop]

The very highly brandable .TEL's are extremely intriguing, I agree ... but I would urge the same caution and due diligence as I did with the long and much more awkward "dot Mobey's" now over two years ago! :blink: :imho:

I don't see this extension going anywhere myself, lauched at completely the wrong time and I don't think it offers anything compelling.

 

[Jeff]

I don't see this extension going anywhere myself, lauched at completely the wrong time and I don't think it offers anything compelling.

Good points, and I would advise folks research thoroughly before investing in the highly brandable .TEL's, IMHO. The only thing I can say for a fact ... is that the highly brandable .TEL is shorter and one syllable, and much MUCH easier to effectively remember and brand for use by those that are "on the go"! :talk: :imho:
It is therefore - in my view - a very serious threat to the floundering "dot Mobey"!

Just my two sense.
-Jeff

 

[davemanjra]

we never got into the dot mobi craze over here. When a client wants a mobile version of their site, we use a web service for handset detection, and, when a mobile device tries to view the dot com, we then display a mobile version which matches their phone capabilities i.e. touch screen for iphone, joystick for blackberry etc...

 

[firefly]

I believe .mobi was just a sign of things to come. New extensions have just flooded the market and flecced many dominers who are desperate to get an edge in the game today.

I personally can't see why anyone would invest in anything but the main four i.e. dot com, dot net, dot org and strong country specific tlds. Anything else is pure speculation and a complete waste of time and money, mainly because none of the companies selling these things have made any real concerted effort to market these newer extensions to the the average joe who uses the internet.

Who's going to look for something they don't even know about!?

The thing that surprises me about these extensions, like dot mobi (and the current dot pro re-emergance), is the fanaticism that is bred into prospective buyers through propoganda compaigns by the sellers of said extensions. The tunnel visions and ferver that buyers persue newer extensions with, in the hope of making it big, just astounds me.

Newsflash....if you want to get on the next big thing...buy dot com...it's the biggest and it's not going to change any time soon.

Jeff..I'm a little dissapointed that you are remotely getting excited about a new extension...lol

 

[Jeff]

.com

Jeff..I'm a little dissapointed that you are remotely getting excited about a new extension...lol

:lol:

Understood.
In this context, I've been mainly focusing on their (in the cases of the new and highly brandable .TEL and .WEB extensions) immediate branding potential versus those that are obviously long, clumbsy/awkward, and, at the end of the day, unprofessional such as the struggling "dot Mobey", IMHO. :blink:

I believe .mobi was just a sign of things to come. New extensions have just flooded the market and flecced many dominers who are desperate to get an edge in the game today.

I personally can't see why anyone would invest in anything but the main four i.e. dot com, dot net, dot org and strong country specific tlds. Anything else is pure speculation and a complete waste of time and money, mainly because none of the companies selling these things have made any real concerted effort to market these newer extensions to the the average joe who uses the internet.

Who's going to look for something they don't even know about!?

The thing that surprises me about these extensions, like dot mobi (and the current dot pro re-emergance), is the fanaticism that is bred into prospective buyers through propoganda compaigns by the sellers of said extensions. The tunnel visions and ferver that buyers persue newer extensions with, in the hope of making it big, just astounds me.

Newsflash....if you want to get on the next big thing...buy dot com...it's the biggest and it's not going to change any time soon.

^ Post of the Month™, IMHO.
Rep+/+.

-Jeff

 

[snoop]

:lol:

Understood.
In this context, I've been mainly focusing on their (in the cases of the new and highly brandable .TEL and .WEB extensions) immediate branding potential versus those that are obviously long, clumbsy/awkward, and, at the end of the day, unprofessional such as the struggling "dot Mobey", IMHO. :blink:



^ Post of the Month™, IMHO.
Rep+/+.

-Jeff

How is .tel brandable? Why would anyone want to promote a domain which just shows their contact details? Personally I would say .tel is worse/more pointless/will be an even bigger failure than .mobi.

 

[firefly]

I agree with the possibilties of dot web to a certain extent but unfortunately I believe that it would have been a great idea about 5 or more years ago. I think that maybe the time for that extension has passed.

As far as dot tel goes, I'm afraid I can't see it as anything other than a dead end extension, that won't get marketed properly ( or exentsivley enough), or appropriately to the right people.

Desperate domainers will jump on it like a rash thinking they can make a killing to buyers (endusers), but will the true people who could use such an extension even know about it...or even care?

Desperate domainers will get fleeced again :imho: and money will be lost...except by the registras.

BTW...thanks for the rep...appreciated. Glad you like my opinion

 

[Jeff]

^ Good stuff!

How is .tel brandable? Why would anyone want to promote a domain which just shows their contact details? Personally I would say .tel is worse/more pointless/will be an even bigger failure than .mobi.

The long, two syllabled, and extremely AWKWARD "dot Mobey" has proven itself to be a failure ... and while, admittedly, there is still much to learn about the new and highly brandable .TEL it is a FACT that it is short, one syllable, and nearly instantly recognizable and thus easily and highly brandable (especially when compared the forced and unnatural "dot Mobey"), IMHO. :gl:
The .WEB is also immediately memorable and brandable, as well! :talk:

Just my two sense.
-Jeff

 

[snoop]

The long, two syllabled, and extremely AWKWARD "dot Mobey" has proven itself to be a failure ... and while, admittedly, there is still much to learn about the new and highly brandable .TEL it is a FACT that it is short, one syllable, and nearly instantly recognizable and thus easily and highly brandable (especially when compared the forced and unnatural "dot Mobey"), IMHO. :gl:
The .WEB is also immediately memorable and brandable, as well! :talk:

Just my two sense.
-Jeff

Yes .mobi has proven itself a failure.

But how does .tel makes sense?,

Welcome to ibm.tel, IBM's "telephone site"

Visit Namepros.tel if you want to find out our phone number"

Go to Jeff.tel, it isn't my main website, it just displays my contact information, I know a website would normally show that anyway, but this is different, because it doesn't show anything else!"

Why would anyone want to use or promote it? it is just a contact list. It is basically hosting a "contact us" page on its own domain with no potential for anything else on the site.

 

[firefly]

Yes .mobi has proven itself a failure.

But how does .tel makes sense?,

Welcome to ibm.tel, IBM's "telephone site"

Visit Namepros.tel if you want to find out our phone number"

Go to Jeff.tel, it isn't my main website, it just displays my contact information, I know a website would normally show that anyway, but this is different, because it doesn't show anything else!"

Why would anyone want to use or promote it? it is just a contact list. It is basically hosting a "contact us" page on its own domain with no potential for anything else on the site.

Couldn't agree more. Quite possibly the most redundant extension ever concieved by anyone anywhere.
:imho:

 

[Jeff]

Yes .mobi has proven itself a failure.

Right. :yell:

Why would anyone want to use or promote it? it is just a contact list. It is basically hosting a "contact us" page on its own domain with no potential for anything else on the site.

Quick and easy relevant access while "on the go" ... with the ability to "direct connect" to the purveyor; simple, memorable, and easy as pie! :music: :talk: :imho:

Caveat: I'm waiting for additional details (other potentials on the sites, for instance) from Telnic like many others, as well.
-Jeff

 

[snoop]

Quick and easy relevant access while "on the go" ... with the ability to "direct connect" to the purveyor; simple, memorable, and easy as pie! :music: :talk: :imho:

I don't see how it is any better than just having a mobile optimized website? Instead of a company advertising a .tel domain, wouldn't they be better off advertising a phone number?

 

[Jeff]

I don't see how it is any better than just having a mobile optimized website? Instead of a company advertising a .tel domain, wouldn't they be better off advertising a phone number?

Perhaps.
I'm thinking of it this way ... since the .TEL is so highly brandable and memorable ... while "on the go", is it easier to remember and then go to Pizza.tel (on your super cool iPhone) -or- 603.524.8791 (which is random number chosen here as an example)? :blink:
Regardless, on either count (but especially due to the awkwardness of the long and unmemorable extension), "dot Mobey" is yet again irrelevant!

-Jeff

 

[snoop]

Perhaps.
I'm thinking of it this way ... since the .TEL is so highly brandable and memorable ... while "on the go", is it easier to remember and then go to Pizza.tel (on your super cool iPhone) -or- 603.524.8791 (which is random number chosen here as an example)? :blink:
Regardless, on either count, "dot Mobey" is yet again irrelevant!

-Jeff

I don't think pizza.tel is particularly memorable, it will be foreign to people seeing it advertised. Maybe they'll figure it and and visit, then what will they do? ring the phone number and ask the girl to read out the menu because all that was on their pizza.tel was contact information? Or should they go to pizza.tel and find the actual web address of the company, then go to that and order a pizza? Would't it be a heck of a lot easier for a pizza company to advertize their web address and a phone number like they currently do now?

 

[Jeff]

I don't think pizza.tel is particularly memorable, it will be foreign to people seeing it advertised. Maybe they'll figure it and and visit, then what will they do? ring the phone number and ask the girl to read out the menu because all that was on their pizza.tel was contact information? Or should they go to pizza.tel and find the actual web address of the company, then go to that and order a pizza? Would't it be a heck of a lot easier for a pizza company to advertize their web address and a phone number like they currently do now?

Pizza.tel (and Pizza.web for that matter!) is FAR more memorable than Pizza "dot Mobey", which is my main point here in this context IMHO ... and I'm also waiting now to see exactly what more may be available here insofar as actual .TEL websites and their potential for "on the go" virtual interactivity on the highly brandable .TEL's, as well. :gl: :talk:

Thanks for your patience, all good points! :music:
-Jeff

 

[snoop]

Pizza.tel (and Pizza.web for that matter!) is FAR more memorable than Pizza "dot Mobey", which is my main point here in this context IMHO ... and I'm also waiting now to see exactly what more may be available here insofar as actual .TEL websites and their potential for "on the go" virtual interactivity on the highly brandable .TEL's, as well. :gl: :talk:

Thanks for your patience, all good points! :music:
-Jeff

You are comparing sawdust with dog turd in my view. Personally I don't see this as a memorable extension, the extension isn't known (which is obviously is a problem with all new extensions - in my view none of them are memorable).

I have no real idea what the name is supposed to mean in the context of a web address. If I tell someone "pizza.tel" what is the average person on the street going to make of that? The main problem is though I do not think it is even possible to host an actual website on it, it is borderline useless in my view. Basically just a contact us page, who wants a seperate domain for that?

Regarding .web I think it is a poor man's .net - way to late for this to have real enduser sucess in my view, I think some domainers would go for it in the short/medium term though so probably some reselling potential.