.mobi Explain Mobi to a Newbie

[mrpics]

I want to know if it is worth grabbing a Mobi domain. I found one really good name that has been taken by all the dot coms (org, biz, com, etc) except for the mobi extention. If I grabbed it, would I be successful in selling it? Why would a person want a mobi if the .com has been taken? Please explain. John Stipe

 

[garrett200]

I want to know if it is worth grabbing a Mobi domain. I found one really good name that has been taken by all the dot coms (org, biz, com, etc) except for the mobi extention. If I grabbed it, would I be successful in selling it? Why would a person want a mobi if the .com has been taken? Please explain. John Stipe

I'll answer one of your questions. Just because it is taken in .com, .net, .biz, etc., does not necessarily mean it is a good reg. Would you be successful in selling it? That would really depend on a lot of factors, most importantly the name itself. The name being registered in all the other extensions will not guarantee you a sale either.

 

[Traveler]

Welcome to Namepros. If your registrar has a 5 day grace period like godaddy, you can register the name and ask us what we think. If it turns out to be a bad reg then just returnn it and get your money back.

As far as explaining .mobi, I'm not even going to go there. I would read through this forum to get an idea.

Cheers

 

[nrmillions]

Why would a person want a mobi if the .com has been taken? Please explain. John Stipe

Because a .mobi domain would be cheaper and so would any extension. If you have millions to spend on some solid .com names then get those otherwise .mobi is good to invest in if the name works well with what people would want to look up on their cellphones.

 

[Jeff]

Because a .mobi domain would be cheaper and so would any extension. If you have millions to spend on some solid .com names then get those otherwise .mobi is good to invest in if the name works well with what people would want to look up on their cellphones.

Righto, I'm in agreement ... as when domainers (and mTLD) - with no intent to develop - bid .MOBI's up amongst the usual suspects, this further lends to developemt and growth of the mobile.domain.com's (as, then, a less expensive and more consistent alternative / mobile experience), IMHO. :music:

If I grabbed it, would I be successful in selling it?

Unless it's developed with unique and compelling mobile content ... and marketed as such ... it would very likely not attain premium valuations, IMHO. As Garrett mentions above, it depends on too many factors for us to say here definitively, in my view!

Best of Luck.
-Jeff

 

[gou]

.Mobi is a top-level domain branded for the mobile market. It is similar to other non .com top-level extensions (such as .net) in that it does not serve a particular purpose or fulfill a particular need; it only exists as a brand.
There are different reasons for registering .mobi over .com. For example, my-tube.mobi, the largest mobile compatible video search site, registered the .mobi over .com because they specifically target mobile phone users. Mobile only sites are becoming more and more popular in parts of Asia, and the trend may spread all over the world.
You are about to eanter into a world of speculation and uncertainty. If you want promises, look elsewhere.

 

[nrmillions]

.Mobi is a top-level domain branded for the mobile market. It is similar to other non .com top-level extensions (such as .net) in that it does not serve a particular purpose or fulfill a particular need; it only exists as a brand.

.mobi is actually one of the few extensions that actually does serve a purpose. it is unlike any other extension. Its purpose is for mobile content only. A few other extensions that have a purpose would be .tv for online video and .fm for online audio.

 

[texasgamer]

Probably best for a long term investment. Odds are, you won't flip sale the name anytime soon. Most of the flipable names are long gone. Hold on to it, develope it, and then in a few years it may be really worth something. Be patient because Mobi is young and just needs a chance to flourish. And most of all Good Luck!

 

[gou]

.mobi is actually one of the few extensions that actually does serve a purpose. it is unlike any other extension. Its purpose is for mobile content only. A few other extensions that have a purpose would be .tv for online video and .fm for online audio.

Perhaps I should've chosen my words more wisely. What I meant is that any extension can be made mobile friendly. Therefore, we don't need .mobi, just like we don't need .net (which was originally intended for network oriented entities). However, a demand for .net exists nonetheless. Likewise, we may see some future demand for .mobi in the mobile internet market.

 

[circa1850]

Skip over all the BS and see why these companies who have mobis are also world leaders and Fortune 500 companies. These are companies who could care less what anyone says on this or any other forum. These are companies who have marketing consultants and key personnel driving them forward.

Its all about 3.5 billion cell phones in use and reaching the consumer with better and more efficient technology.

This is only a partial list:

Ing.mobi
Deutsch-Bank.mobi
StateFarm.mobi
MSN.mobi
TWC.mobi (The Weather Channel)
BofA.mobi
Baidu.mobi
t-mobile.mobi
nokia.mobi
ericsson.mobi
three.mobi
vodafone.mobi
NBA.mobi
BMW.mobi
FoxNews.mobi
RollsRoyce.mobi
Barclays.mobi
BusinessWeek.mobi
Polo.mobi
Time.mobi
Forbes.mobi
NBCUniversal.mobi
Orange.mobi
Intel.mobi
Syniverse.mobi
BenettonPress.mobi
ABCNews.mobi
PayPal.mobi
Hilton.mobi
AllState.mobi
Cisco.mobi
Amtrak.mobi
CNNMoney.mobi
Ferrari.mobi

 

[mobidick]

Why would a person want a mobi if the .com has been taken? Please explain. John Stipe

John, welcome to our .mobi forum... of course it is worth regging a .mobi name, if the name is worth regging that is.

I personally have high hopes for .mobi and have invested in it, although less than half of my total domain portfolio. If you listen to .com domainers you will find that they scoff at .mobi, because from their point of view it doesn't have traffic and so little parking revenue potential. However, we are seeing a threefold increase in mobile traffic in the past year in US. Countries like India have hundreds of millions of cellphone users who won't be able to afford iphones, but will get dataplans heavily subsidised by advertising... cellphone advertising will explode over the coming year.

The .com owner may want the .mobi version to brand their mobile content or to keep a competitor from using it. Some large companies see .mobi as a better fit for their mobile offerings branding strategy than using domain.com/mobile or mobile.domain.com... spend a few minutes browsing around our forums and you'll see what I mean- Bank of America is using bofa.mobi... many other examples of companies using a mobi to redirect to their current mobile offerings.

Some folks may think otherwise, but IMHO the mobile web is poised to revolutionize the internet as we know it now; the reason for this is that mobile devices, namely cellphones are very personal, and go with the person everywhere all the time. Right now people are just becoming aware of what's out there in terms of mobile data plans, mobile-oriented content, and things like online shopping and banking from their phones. The thing is that most people want small form factor phones, but most .com sites weren't designed with small phones in mind. Hence .mobi was conceived to establish a mobile-friendly brand.

Building this brand awareness will take time, as will mobilizing adoption of cellphone use for surfing. The timing of .mobi promotion is a major key to it's success. Some countries like Finland, Italy, India may adopt .mobi more than in the US, so keep that in mind also.

The best strategy for .mobi is not to try and make a quick flip, but to think carefully about what would make great mobile applications for small phones in various geographical areas and choose names fit for those apps. Then put together some of your own sites and take advantage of the open market on mobile search engines.

 

[nrmillions]

Perhaps I should've chosen my words more wisely. What I meant is that any extension can be made mobile friendly. Therefore, we don't need .mobi, just like we don't need .net (which was originally intended for network oriented entities). However, a demand for .net exists nonetheless. Likewise, we may see some future demand for .mobi in the mobile internet market.

Going by that logic, any extension can be made to work on a PC so we technically dont need .com either although a demand for .com exists nonetheless. .net, .org, .mobi, .co.uk, can all work on a PC along with the other 200 extensions. .mobi domains have to be mobile compliant down the road and no other extension has to.

 

[Mark]

.Mobi is a top-level domain branded for the mobile market. It is similar to other non .com top-level extensions (such as .net) in that it does not serve a particular purpose or fulfill a particular need; it only exists as a brand.
There are different reasons for registering .mobi over .com. For example, my-tube.mobi, the largest mobile compatible video search site, registered the .mobi over .com because they specifically target mobile phone users. Mobile only sites are becoming more and more popular in parts of Asia, and the trend may spread all over the world.
You are about to eanter into a world of speculation and uncertainty. If you want promises, look elsewhere.

I'll answer one of your questions. Just because it is taken in .com, .net, .biz, etc., does not necessarily mean it is a good reg. Would you be successful in selling it? That would really depend on a lot of factors, most importantly the name itself. The name being registered in all the other extensions will not guarantee you a sale either.

Great posts IMO -

ANY investments (online or not) Should be researched very well.

Read , Read , and Read some more.

I think most of us have read all of the same material - Some of us fell on one side of the fence , others on the other side for the .mobi extension. Some have made money already - Others never will .... But that happens on all extensions every day.

If you have a small amount to invest online - I generally suggest choosing a subject you already know and love , and build a site based on that while you learn more about the industry.

If you have a substantial amount to invest , Get hooked up with a Broker or someone well known to pick you up some Traffic Domains already out there in the market.

 

[Traveler]

If you have a small amount to invest online - I generally suggest choosing a subject you already know and love , and build a site based on that while you learn more about the industry.

I could not agree more. The best way to learn is by doing and by following this advice, when you are ready to spend some cash in the domain world you will have a much better idea of what you are doing and hopefully will see a nice return on your investment.

 

[Traveler]

I've noticed you persist with this idea to develop .mobis. IMHO, if people take your advice, they are wasting their time and or money. Developing a .mobi is like Disney putting a theme park on Gilligan's Island.

I don't want to get into a pro/anti mobi thing here but why would devloping a name in any extension be a bad idea?

The search engines have nothing against .mobi in terms of mobile searches. There are not a great deal of people surfing the mobile web yet but many millions are and there is a lot less competition out there for the top spot in mobile searches.

You can get to the top of a mobile search a lot easier than try to beat out people on PC searches for keywords so I don't see what is wrong with that route.

 

[hawkeye]

Jeff,

I've noticed you persist with this idea to develop .mobis. IMHO, if people take your advice, they are wasting their time and or money. Developing a .mobi is like Disney putting a theme park on Gilligan's Island.

Sincerely,

Greg

You must be behind Greg, ground breaking on that is late fall!! Maybe you can still pick-up a half-price day pass, for you and yours!

 

[scandiman]

Jeff,

I've noticed you persist with this idea to develop .mobis. IMHO, if people take your advice, they are wasting their time and or money. Developing a .mobi is like Disney putting a theme park on Gilligan's Island.

Sincerely,

Greg

Greg, I would like to encourage you to familiarize yourself with the .mobi subforum rules, specifically #3.

 

[-REECE-]

Jeff,

I've noticed you persist with this idea to develop .mobis. IMHO, if people take your advice, they are wasting their time and or money. Developing a .mobi is like Disney putting a theme park on Gilligan's Island.

Sincerely,

Greg

Greg, it's one thing to suggest the extension has no "domaining potential"...

But to suggest it has no development potential is preposterous.

Ever heard of Last.FM?
How about IMDB.com?
Bebo.com?
VnExpress.net?
iWiW.hu?

I won't waste time elucidating that top sites need not necessarily be quality names or in quality extensions. Rather, they need as Jeff has said time and time again -- unique and compelling content.

 

[Broker]

Jeff,

I've noticed you persist with this idea to develop .mobis. IMHO, if people take your advice, they are wasting their time and or money. Developing a .mobi is like Disney putting a theme park on Gilligan's Island.

Sincerely,

Greg

Fair warning Greg, somebody with the power here is closing and deleting threads for no apparent reason to my kowledge since I cant seem to get an awnser.

Your post is asking for a ban imho.

 

[-REECE-]

Fair warning Greg, somebody with the power here is closing and deleting threads for no apparent reason to my kowledge since I cant seem to get an awnser.

Your post is asking for a ban imho.

I've had some of my posts deleted merely for suggesting that some of the .mobi sales were overpriced (naming them) and wouldn't have fetched those prices for any reason, but for the particular reason that companies weren't able to obtain those particular names during the Sunrise. No clue why my posts on that subject are getting deleted...

And I would be considered a mild skeptic at worst...